1918: Four Victoria Crosses were won on the Western Front, as British troops fought to contain the German Michael offensive during the battles known as the Kaiserschlacht:

Captain Toye distinguished himself in a series of fierce attacks and counter-attacks. He recaptured three positions during the course of the day, and at one point had to fight his way back through the German lines at the head of a small party. He then returned with more substantial forces and stabilised the line, despite being wounded twice.

Lance-Corporal Cross volunteered to go forward on a lone reconnaissance to discover the whereabouts of two British machine-guns which were known to have been captured. Armed only with a revolver, Cross located the guns, then proceeded to capture the Germans now manning them. He forced his prisoners to carry the heavy machine-guns back to the British lines, then found crews to man them, and directed their fire to break up the next German attack.

Private Young, a stretcher bearer, braved continual enemy fire to venture into No Man's Land in broad daylight nine times to rescue nine wounded men. Several had suffered serious wounds that needed attention before they could risk being moved, and Young ignored the barrage to dress their injuries before carrying them back. All nine survived thanks to his efforts.

Lieutenant-Colonel Anderson, commanding the battered remnants of the 12th Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry, led his men - well below half-strength - in a successful counter-attack on a wood which the Germans had just taken and which threatened the flank of the British positions. The attack was made despite fire from a dozen machine-guns, all of which were captured along with a substantial number of prisoners. Anderson led a second counter-attack that day which also proved successful, but cost him his life.

1942: Bomber Command launched its largest raid to date on a single target - the vast Krupps works at Essen. 254 Wellingtons, Stirlings, Manchesters, Lancasters and Hampdens attacked, with nine aircraft failing to return, but almost all the bombs missed due to the efficacy of a German decoy site. Only nine bombs plus a bomber's load of incendiaries were reported to have fallen in Essen proper, where one house was destroyed.

1945: Lieutenant Chowne, an Australian platoon commander in New Guinea, charged two Japanese machine-gun nests and destroyed them, then continued on to the main Japanese position. He was twice hit and mortally wounded, but continued running and firing, killing several opponents before collapsing. He was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.