The 20 Most Generous Acts of Compassion Committed During Wartime in History

It’s hard to imagine that anyone could have enjoyed fighting during World War I. But on Christmas Day 1914, troops on both sides decided there were better things to do than kill each other. For hours, British and German soldiers gathered in no man’s land, exchanging gifts and singing Christmas carols.

Watching the wounded Union soldiers slowly baking in the sun was unbearable for Southerner Richard Kirkland. He gathered every canteen he could find and jumped over the wall to bring water to his enemies. Legend has it that soldiers on both sides stopped firing to watch him run back and forth for hours.

As a damaged American bomber struggled to stay airborne, a German pilot named Franz Stigler flew alongside it instead of shooting it down. He escorted the terrified crew all the way to the North Sea, believing that attacking defenseless men would be a violation of his honor. One can easily imagine the relief of the American pilots when their fighter became their protector.

Working side by side in Belgium, Elsie Knocker and Mairi Chisholm tended to soldiers from both sides while sitting in a trench. Knocker also rushed into a burning German plane to pull the pilot out alive. These women showed the whole world that a white coat is often more useful than a rifle.

By handwriting so many transit visas, Foreign Minister Sempo Sugihara literally wore down the tips of his fingers. He spent hours filling out these life-saving documents, right up until the train he was riding began to pull out of the station. Sugihara’s compassion helped bring thousands of Jewish refugees to safety.

Captain Derek Ridgway was a British doctor who remained at his post in Arnhem for as long as possible during World War II. When it became clear that the area was about to fall to the Germans, enemy soldiers paid him tribute and provided him with supplies. When two armies agree not to interfere with medical work, a part of humanity is preserved.

The brother of one of Hitler’s top lieutenants worked secretly to undermine the regime from within. Albert Goering used his connections to smuggle escaped political prisoners out of Germany and provide travel documents to refugees. He is said to have torn up several direct orders from his brother.

The story is told of a Navy medic who risked his life to crawl over to a wounded Japanese soldier and tend to him, despite the intense fighting raging nearby. He shared his meager supplies of water and morphine with the soldier before dragging him to safety. This act proves that the instinct to save a life can be stronger than the training to take one.

After the fighting in the Falkland Islands ended, many British soldiers shared their rations and warm clothing with the Argentine conscripts, who were shivering from the cold. Soldiers who had been firing at each other just hours earlier could be seen huddling together for warmth. These small acts of kindness helped bridge the gap between the two nations in a very cold place.

One day, Lyons Dunton, a sharpshooter during the American Civil War, had an enemy general in his sights, but he decided not to pull the trigger. Dunton noticed that the general was helping a wounded soldier get to safety before offering him his own coat. Even enemies can show such kindness that it inspires legends.

During World War II, parents across Great Britain opened their homes to strangers. These children were taken in by families who wanted nothing more than to protect the next generation from Hitler. As Europe burned around them, countless volunteers with the Kindertransport stepped up to help put the pieces back together.

Soldiers stationed along the Rappahannock River spent hours making small toy boats out of pieces of wood. The North sent coffee and newspapers aboard these miniature vessels, and the South returned the favor by sending tobacco. Instead of waiting for battle, the enemies worked together to make their daily lives a little better.

Irena Sendler spent her days risking her life to smuggle Jewish children out of occupied Poland. Using every means at her disposal—from sewers to backpacks—she worked her way forward little by little until thousands of them were able to escape. After the war, her list of survivors helped families reunite with their loved ones.

Father John had vowed to care for his parishioners no matter what. So even after the Japanese invaded the Philippines and stormed his church, he never left his congregation. He gave them his daily food ration and did everything he could to comfort those around him.

During the Battle of the Ardennes, a small group of American and German soldiers found themselves sharing a cabin in the woods on Christmas Eve. A German mother insisted that they leave all their weapons outside before they could sit down to share a hot meal. You can see how a mother’s authority managed to create a small bubble of peace in a snowy wasteland.

Local villagers in occupied Belgium often risked execution for leaving bread or warm clothing near the fences of prisoner-of-war camps. They would wait for the guards to be distracted before tossing the provisions to the starving men inside. These anonymous acts of charity helped keep many prisoners alive when official rations were insufficient.

In the middle of the Argonne Forest, a doctor named Abraham Krotoshinsky volunteered to make his way through heavy fire to seek help for his trapped unit. As he made his way to safety, he spotted an enemy soldier lying defenseless in the mud and could not bring himself to leave him there. Dr. Krotoshinsky made the ultimate decision to help a stranger at the risk of his own life.

When Walt Whitman volunteered to help the nurses care for wounded soldiers, he quickly grew attached to them. He would sit and write letters for the men who were too wounded or too weak to write for themselves. Restoring communication with their loved ones was just one of the ways he comforted the soldiers until his own death in 1892.

During World War II, a British destroyer stopped to rescue the survivors of a German submarine it had just sunk, despite the danger posed by other submarines in the area. The captain believed it was his duty, as a sailor, to rescue anyone adrift in the ocean. This maritime tradition of coming to the aid of people in distress often took precedence over the rules of engagement.

While fighting over a strip of land called Gallipoli, the two countries reached an agreement. Turkish and Australian soldiers respected each other so much that they exchanged letters and food. This tradition continues to this day between the two countries.