What Happens When an Enemy TESTIFIES for a Victoria Cross?

Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg VC DFC: The Story of a WWII Hero Honored by His Enemies

In this video, we delve into one of the most remarkable stories of courage and sacrifice from World War II, a tale that defies the boundaries of enemy lines and showcases the true spirit of bravery. This is the story of Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg VC, a hero of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, who received the prestigious Victoria Cross (VC) posthumously, based solely on the testimony of his enemies.

Lloyd Allan Trigg was born in New Zealand in 1914, growing up in a small rural town before enlisting in the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) in 1941, driven by an unshakeable sense of duty and patriotism. His journey would lead him to a heroic mission that stands out in the history of WWII—a mission in which he gave his life while carrying out a daring attack against a German U-boat, U-468. What makes his story even more extraordinary is that the Victoria Cross was awarded to him not by Allied witnesses, but by the surviving crew of the German U-boat he attacked.

Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg’s story transports us back to the harsh conditions of the Atlantic Ocean during the height of World War II. Allied forces depended heavily on sea lanes for the supplies and reinforcements essential to the war effort, but German U-boats posed a constant threat. Operating under RAF Coastal Command, Trigg and his fellow airmen flew countless reconnaissance missions to protect these critical supply routes, putting their lives on the line in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the enemy submarines lurking beneath the waves.

In August 1943, Trigg, flying a Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber, embarked on what would become his final mission. Spotted by the German submarine U-468, Trigg’s aircraft came under heavy fire. Despite the severe damage to his bomber, Trigg continued his attack run, dropping depth charges with deadly accuracy and inflicting fatal damage on the U-boat. In an act of ultimate bravery, he and his crew sacrificed themselves, crashing into the Atlantic, leaving behind no Allied witnesses.

The remarkable turn of events came when U-468’s surviving crew members testified to Trigg’s bravery, leading to his posthumous award of the Victoria Cross, the only one granted solely on enemy testimony during World War II.
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