War shatters everything, but nothing feels more heartbreaking than when it tears families apart. Across centuries and continents, brothers and sisters have found themselves fighting for rival flags, driven by ideology, politics, honor, or sheer geography. This roundup of 10 sibling soldiers showcases the personal tragedies that unfold when blood relations meet opposing battle lines.

10 sibling soldiers in History

10 Simonds And Richard D’Ewes English Civil War

Richard D’Ewes charted a very different course from his older brother after their mother passed away when he was just three. By the time their father died in 1631, the siblings had diverged dramatically—Simonds became a sober‑looking lawyer, while Richard embraced a light‑hearted, adventurous spirit. Ironically, it was the traditionally minded Simonds who threw his lot in with the Parliamentarians, despite having been granted a baronetcy by the king.

His allegiance stemmed from a fierce Presbyterian conviction and a belief that “atheism, profaneness and ignorance now reign.” The Stuart line, suspected of Catholic leanings, was widely distrusted (Charles’s son James II would be ousted in 1688 for his faith). Richard fell early in the war, dying in 1643 as a Royalist lieutenant‑colonel, whereas Simonds grew increasingly disillusioned—especially after witnessing the execution of two women protesting for peace. He was expelled from Parliament in 1648, died shortly after, and is remembered today as an antiquarian and diarist.

9 Harry, Ken, Saburo, And Shiro Akune World War II

The Akune brothers grew up in the United States where their father ran a grocery store, but after their mother’s death they all returned to Japan. Harry and Ken went back to America for work, only to be interned after Pearl Harbor. They leapt at the chance to serve in Military Intelligence, while their younger siblings, Saburo and 15‑year‑old Shiro, were conscripted into the Japanese war effort—Saburo as a kamikaze spotter and Shiro interviewing naval recruits.

Ken handled propaganda from Burma, and Harry saw combat in New Guinea and the Philippines before both were stationed in Japan after the war. Their dual heritage made them suspects on both sides: some Americans confiscated Harry’s weapon before a parachute drop, while Japanese officials branded them traitors. Their family tensions peaked when a fistfight threatened to erupt between the Japanese and American branches of the family, only stopped by their father’s intervention. Over time the hostility faded; all four brothers returned to the United States, with Shiro later serving in Korea.

8 George And Thomas Crittenden American Civil War

The American Civil War is often summed up by the phrase “brother against brother,” and Kentucky’s Crittenden family epitomizes that tragedy. Patriarch John Crittenden, a long‑serving senator, tried desperately to broker a last‑minute compromise that ultimately failed, yet he stayed loyal to the Union and helped keep Kentucky from seceding.

His eldest son, George, a veteran of the Black Hawk and Mexican‑American Wars, threw in his lot with the Confederacy, rising to major‑general. After a defeat at Mill Springs in January 1862, he shuffled through a series of assignments, was arrested for drunkenness in March, reinstated in April, and eventually resigned when faced with a court of inquiry. Meanwhile, younger brother Thomas Leonidas stayed with the Union, suffering his own setbacks—scapegoated by General Rosencrans for the loss at Chickamauga, though later cleared. The Crittenden clan also featured a third brother, Eugene, and two cousins named Thomas, all serving the Union; Thomas Leonidas even lost a son at Little Bighorn.

7 The Battle Of Wyoming American Revolution

Although the American Revolution is often portrayed as a fight for independence, it bore many hallmarks of a civil war. Loyalists may have comprised over a fifth of the population, and many fled to Canada after the war. The Battle of Wyoming in Pennsylvania starkly illustrates these divided loyalties.

“Partial Terry” epitomizes the betrayal—he abandoned his family to join the British at the war’s outset, later returning as a raider who brutally murdered and scalped his own parents, brothers, and sisters. In the battle itself, American militiaman Henry Pensell lost his weapon and surrendered to his loyalist brother John, who calmly reloaded his rifle and shot Henry point‑blank. While some of these accounts may be exaggerated, they underscore the chilling reality of families turned into bitter foes.

6 Ralph And Edmund Verney English Civil War

The Verney family of Buckinghamshire traced its lineage back to squires, and by the mid‑17th century they were led by Sir Francis—who later became a Muslim pirate, an odd footnote in their history. After Sir Francis’s death, his brother Sir Edmund Sr. took charge. Edmund, once a close friend of King Charles, grew increasingly critical of the monarch’s policies as an MP, yet felt compelled to back the crown when war erupted, ultimately dying as the king’s standard‑bearer at Edgehill, his severed hand allegedly still clutching the royal flag.

His death left two sons: Sir Ralph, a moderate Parliamentarian MP, and his brother Edmund Jr., a staunch Royalist. In a bitter exchange of letters, Edmund condemned Ralph for causing “a great grief to father.” This familial rift drove Ralph to abandon the Parliamentarians in 1643, fleeing to the continent, while Edmund Jr. led Royalist forces at Drogheda in 1649, only to be murdered by a trooper in Cromwell’s presence.

5 Juna And Bhuwal Rai Nepalese Civil War

The Nepalese Civil War saw Maoist insurgents trying to topple the monarchy. A rousing Maoist speech in 2003 lured Juna Rai into the rebel cause while she was still in eighth grade, prompting her to leave home without informing her father. The following year, she survived a near‑fatal grenade blast that left a deep leg wound.

In 2006, photographer Sagar Shrestha captured a haunting image of Juna huddled in the cold, rifle clutched tightly—a picture that became emblematic of Nepal’s war‑weariness. It wasn’t until 2009 that it emerged her brother Bhuwan served in the Royal Nepal Army, and both siblings fought at Bhojpur and Diktel. After Juna’s internment at Udaypur Cantonment that year, the siblings reconciled, overcoming ideological indoctrination. By 2013, Juna and over 1,400 other internees had been integrated into the royal army, and she now proudly serves alongside her brother.

4 The Oka Brothers World War II

The Oka family emigrated to the United States in the 1920s, operating a California hotel before returning to Japan due to economic hardship. In 1937, three eldest children—Isao, Masao, and Chikara (nicknamed “Don”)—came back to the States and were drafted after Pearl Harbor. Their fluency in Japanese landed them in Military Intelligence: Isao was moved out of the famed 442nd Japanese‑American regiment to become “the voice of American propaganda” from the Philippines, even reading the Potsdam Declaration that outlined Japan’s surrender terms.

Masao saw only garrison duty, while Don was the sole brother to see combat, fighting on Tinian where he pleaded with starving Japanese soldiers to surrender. Ironically, Don was dive‑bombed by his own brother Takeo, an Imperial Japanese Navy pilot who had been an elementary school teacher before the war and was later shot down and killed on his return flight. Another brother, Teiji, was conscripted into the Japanese Army in 1945, wounded when his troop ship was sunk en route to Okinawa. After the war, two younger Oka brothers, too young for conscription, returned to the United States and later joined the Military Intelligence Service for the Korean War.

3 Amaral And Luis Samacumbi Angolan Civil War

The pro‑Soviet MPLA and U.S.‑backed UNITA fought a brutal Angolan civil war from 1975 to 2002, both sides even employing child soldiers. While their parents and younger brother fled into the forest, older brother Amaral was taken by UNITA as a teenager. Luis, meanwhile, endured near‑starvation and his mother’s abduction before being forcibly conscripted by the MPLA in 1987 at just 14.

Luis quickly rose through the ranks, commanding a unit of ten tanks and 150 men despite his youth. In 1991, anti‑tank fire decimated his formation, destroying nine tanks and killing most of his men; Luis survived by hiding in the lone surviving tank for several days. He left the army during a 1992 ceasefire, studied nursing, and now works for charitable foundations. After a 30‑year separation, the brothers reunited in 2004 when Amaral, now a leg‑less refugee in Zambia, wrote to Luis. Luis was stunned to learn that the very anti‑tank missiles that crippled his unit had been handled by his brother.

2 James And Alexander Campbell American Civil War

The Scottish Campbell brothers emigrated to the United States in the 1850s. James settled in Charleston as a drayman and clerk, while Alexander worked as a stonemason in New York, occasionally joining his brother further south. Both enlisted in local militia units, which meant that when war erupted they found themselves on opposite sides, yet they managed to keep a relatively amicable correspondence.

The brothers nearly clashed at the Battle of Secessionville, a Union attempt to retake Charleston. During the first assault on Fort Lamar, Alexander, serving as Colour Sergeant of the 79th Highlanders, seized the parapet and hoisted the Union flag, holding his ground under relentless musket and cannon fire until ordered to withdraw. James, defending the city, bolstered Confederate morale by climbing the parapet unarmed and hurling a log into advancing Union troops.

After the Confederate victory, James wrote to Alexander, noting his astonishment that his brother had been the colour bearer who assaulted the battery. He concluded with a solemn promise: if they ever met again, each would discharge his duty to his cause, trusting the other to do the same.

1 William Patrick And Heinz Hitler World War II

William and Heinz were the sons of Adolf Hitler’s half‑brother Alois, yet their lives could not have been more divergent. William was born after Alois moved to England and married an Englishwoman in 1911. When Alois abandoned that family to return to Germany in 1914 and remarry, Heinz was born to the second wife in 1920.

After Hitler rose to power, William received an invitation to work in a German bank. When asked to renounce his British citizenship, he wisely fled to the United States, where he publicly criticized his uncle’s regime and claimed that mental illness ran in the family. Adolf labeled him “my loathsome nephew.” Meanwhile, Heinz became Adolf’s favored nephew, enlisting loyally in the Wehrmacht. He was later captured by Soviet forces and killed in 1942.

The United States Navy eventually accepted William after he penned a letter to the president, granting him a role as a Pharmacist’s Mate. He served honorably until his discharge in 1947, later changing his name. Today, his three sons live quietly in Rhode Island, far removed from the shadow of their infamous relative.