8. Aleksei Maresyev crawled 18 miles only to lose both of his legs
Aleksei Maresyev began his combat career as a fighter pilot with the Soviet Air Army in August, 1941, as the Germans were driving deep into Russia. He achieved four credited air-to-air kills before being shot down himself in April 1942, deep behind the German lines. Both his legs were severely injured, and though the Germans spotted his aircraft as it plunged to the earth, the young Russian managed to elude the Wehrmacht. The Russian woods were still deep in snow and the nighttime temperatures well below freezing as the young pilot slowly crawled back towards his own lines, despite moving on two broken legs, with little food. It took the Russian 18 days of brutal torture to reach safety.
He was rewarded by having both of his legs removed at the knee. His status as a double-amputee did not impair his desire to return to flying, after first learning to walk again. It took many months before the pilot was able to manage his prosthetic legs, and after doing so, and qualifying to return to the air, he was again deployed with a combat unit in June, 1943. By then the Soviets were clearly gaining an edge over the German invaders. In August of that year, Maresyev shot down three German frontline fighters in a single air-to-air action. By the end of the war Maresyev had a total of 11 kills to his record. He received the highest combat award of the Soviet Union, and remains a hero in Russia in the 21st century. He died at the age of 84 in 2001.