History rarely paints both sides of a conflict with equal brushstrokes, but the tale of 10 great national heroes who served opposing causes proves that courage and compassion can emerge from any camp.
10 Great National Heroes Unveiled
10 Norman Bethune
Dr. Norman Bethune remains a near‑obscure figure in his native Canada, yet across the Pacific he is celebrated as a household name. A steadfast socialist, Bethune pioneered a free‑clinic model long before Canada embraced universal health care, ensuring that poverty‑stricken patients still received medical attention.
When Japan launched its invasion of China in 1937, Bethune felt a tug on his conscience that could not be ignored. He boarded a plane, crossed half the globe, and presented his services directly to Mao Zedong. In the Chinese theater he taught local physicians modern techniques, introduced life‑saving procedures, and even took up a scalpel on the front lines, tending to wounded soldiers and civilians alike.
His own life was cut short by a septic infection, but his legacy endures in stone and steel. Statues of Bethune dot Chinese cities, hospitals bear his name, and Mao’s own eulogy—still required reading for Chinese high‑schoolers—lauds him as a model of absolute self‑lessness for all humanity.
9 John Rabe
John Rabe was an unapologetic Nazi, proudly proclaiming his unwavering support for Hitler’s regime. Yet, paradoxically, he became a savior for over 200,000 Chinese civilians during the Japanese onslaught on Nanking.
Stationed as the head of the Nazi Party’s local chapter in Nanking, Rabe refused to abandon the city even as Japanese forces pressed forward. Having lived in China for three decades, his family roots were entrenched there, and he felt a personal duty to protect his adopted home.
When the horrors of the Rape of Nanking unfolded, Rabe erected the International Safety Zone, a protected enclave that sheltered countless refugees. He patrolled the streets, brandishing his swastika to deter Japanese soldiers from committing atrocities, and his courageous stance earned him a place in the hearts of survivors, some of whom named their children after him.
8 Matvey Kuzmin
When German troops arrived at his doorstep, 83‑year‑old Matvey Kuzmin, a humble Russian peasant, faced a grim ultimatum: reveal the Red Army’s position or die. He feigned cooperation, sending his grandson to alert Soviet forces while he led the Nazis on a wild goose chase.
Kuzmin guided the German soldiers toward the village of Malkino, where a Soviet ambush lay in wait. The unsuspecting invaders walked straight into a trap, and when the Red Army struck, the Nazis realized they’d been duped.
Enraged, a German officer shot Kuzmin on the spot. His self‑sacrifice cost him his life but enabled the Soviet unit to capture the enemy contingent, delivering a decisive early victory in the brutal clash against fascism.
7 An Yong‑Ae
During the Korean War, An Yong‑Ae served as a dedicated nurse caring for wounded North Korean soldiers within a military hospital. Her steady hands and compassionate presence were a lifeline for countless injured combatants.
When a US air raid siren wailed, orders commanded everyone to seek shelter. Defying the directive, An refused to abandon the patients who could not move on their own, helping as many as she could evacuate before the bombs fell.
She rushed back into the building after the initial evacuation, determined to rescue more. The ensuing bombardment claimed her life, but her bravery ensured that dozens of injured men escaped the devastation alive.
6 Dwarkanath Kotnis
While Dr. Norman Bethune made headlines, another foreign physician—Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis from India—ventured to China to aid Mao’s forces. Unlike his four compatriots who eventually returned home, Kotnis chose to stay, driven by an unwavering commitment to the Chinese cause.
Serving as a surgeon, Kotnis tended to hundreds of wounded fighters, rapidly climbing the ranks. After Bethune’s untimely death, Kotnis assumed leadership of the newly christened Dr. Bethune International Peace Hospital.
His most legendary feat unfolded in Yunnan in 1940, when a deluge of casualties flooded the infirmary. Kotnis performed nonstop surgery for 72 harrowing hours without a moment’s rest, refusing to let any soldier die for lack of care. He later succumbed to an epileptic seizure before the war’s end, yet statues in China commemorate his selfless sacrifice.
5 William Morgan
William Morgan stands out as the sole American who fought shoulder‑to‑shoulder with Fidel Castro’s rebels. After a close friend was brutally murdered by Batista’s forces for smuggling weapons, Morgan’s thirst for vengeance propelled him across the Caribbean to join the insurgency in 1957.
Suspicion of CIA allegiance dogged his every move, yet Morgan proved his loyalty through relentless training of Cuban fighters and leading combat operations. He eventually commanded a column of six men, which expanded into a full‑fledged column, and later oversaw an entire territorial sector.
By war’s end, Morgan had risen to the rank of comandante—one of only two foreign soldiers, alongside Che Guevara, to achieve such status. Disillusioned when Castro steered Cuba toward a socialist state rather than a democratic one, Morgan voiced his dissent, earning a death sentence. Stripped of his U.S. citizenship, he faced a firing squad in 1960, paying the ultimate price for his foreign allegiance.
4 Lev Kopelev
Lev Kopelev, a Ukrainian Jew, entered the Red Army with a burning desire to see the Nazis punished. Yet, as Soviet troops stormed Berlin in 1945, he found himself confronting a different horror: the widespread rape and brutality inflicted upon German women by his fellow soldiers.
Incensed by the atrocities, Kopelev intervened, physically pulling comrades away from assaulting women. He shouted admonitions like, “Don’t disgrace yourself! Think of your mother, your sister!” only to be met with violent resistance from the very soldiers he tried to protect.
His moral stand evolved into a full‑blown protest, earning him a nine‑year prison sentence on charges of “compassion toward the enemy.” Upon release, Kopelev turned to writing, producing some of the most vivid accounts of the Soviet army’s dark side during the final days of the war.
3 Alexander Matrosov
Only 19 years old when he fell, Alexander Matrosov fought alongside Soviet troops to halt the German advance. In 1943, his unit assaulted a German‑held village, only to be pinned down by ferocious machine‑gun fire that halted any forward movement.
After a series of grenades cleared surrounding positions, the last enemy gun still rained bullets. According to legend, Matrosov hurled his final grenade, missed the target, and saw the machine gun continue its deadly spray.
In a desperate act of self‑sacrifice, he dove onto the gun barrel, using his own body to block the weapon. Though riddled with bullets and killed instantly, his courageous act allowed his comrades to surge forward and secure victory, cementing his status as a Soviet war icon.
2 Isao Yamasoy
Captain Isao Yamasoy, whose true surname was Yamazoe, arrived in the Philippine town of Dulag in 1943 as a Japanese officer—an occupier by definition. Defying the typical brutality associated with Japan’s WWII forces, Yamasoy insisted his men treat the local populace with dignity.
He prohibited any form of abuse, even toward prisoners, and organized joint activities—morning calisthenics, sports contests, and cultural shows—to foster camaraderie between Japanese soldiers and Filipino civilians.
When intelligence revealed an imminent guerrilla attack on his garrison, Yamasoy reached out to the rebel leaders, proposing a meeting outside town to avoid civilian casualties. The guerrillas agreed but later ambushed him, believing they were eliminating another tyrant. After Yamasoy’s death, his successor scrapped his humanitarian programs, resorting to torture and forced labor. The people of Dulag, recognizing that Yamasoy’s death had ushered in harsher rule, erected a shrine in his memory as a testament to the lone enemy officer who treated them as human beings.
1 Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge was a Soviet spy who managed to infiltrate the German embassy in Tokyo, posing as Germany’s ambassador to Japan. This unique position granted him unparalleled access to high‑level intelligence that would shape the course of World War II.
By 1939, Sorge uncovered a secret pact between Japan and Germany to launch a joint assault on the Soviet Union. He relayed this warning to Stalin, prompting the USSR to dispatch diplomats and fortify its western front, effectively delaying the anticipated invasion for two crucial years.
In 1941, Sorge cautioned Stalin that Hitler intended to betray him in June. Stalin dismissed the warning until the German onslaught materialized, at which point Sorge’s credibility surged. Stalin then tasked Sorge with determining whether Japan would join the Eastern Front.
Sorge reported that Japan would only intervene if the Nazis achieved rapid early victories. Armed with this insight, Stalin felt confident enough to redirect massive forces eastward, a maneuver that helped the USSR withstand the German onslaught while keeping Japan at bay.
Many historians argue that without Sorge’s espionage, the Allies might have suffered a far grimmer fate. His daring intelligence work arguably altered the balance of power, ensuring the Nazis never secured a decisive victory in Europe.