Absolute Worst Jobs in WW2

World War II featured numerous combat and civilian roles with exceptionally high fatality rates, from submariners and pilots to secret agents and forced laborers in death camps.

• Submarine and air combat roles in WW2 had alarmingly high fatality rates due to direct enemy engagement and hazardous conditions.

• Critical supply missions, like 'The Hump' and Merchant Marine convoys, were extremely dangerous, incurring significant casualties among pilots and civilian sailors.

• Espionage, combat medicine, and the forced labor of Sonderkommando in death camps represent some of the war's most harrowing and deadly non-direct combat roles.

During World War II, several occupations were particularly perilous, marked by extreme danger and high mortality. These included roles in deep-sea submarines, treacherous supply flights over the Himalayas, and merchant marine convoys, all of which exposed personnel to constant threats. Additionally, air combat, espionage behind enemy lines, and the grim duties of combat medics presented formidable challenges and significant risks to life.

Submarine Warfare

• 00:00:04 Operating submarines during World War II was one of the most dangerous assignments, often described as a death sentence due to the high probability of being trapped in an underwater steel tube. Drowning from leaks, fatal decompression, or direct hits from enemy ships were constant threats, making rescue nearly impossible from such depths. Casualty rates were horrific, with 25% of American submariners, 30,000 Allied submariners, and an estimated 28,000 German U-Boat soldiers dying in service.

Perilous Supply Routes

• 00:01:41 Pilots undertaking 'The Hump' supply route over the Himalayas into China faced extreme danger due to high altitudes, unreliable weather information, and the lack of detailed navigation charts, resulting in a one-in-three chance of dying. Simultaneously, Merchant Mariners braved U-Boat infested North Atlantic routes, particularly the Murmansk Run, to supply Europe and Soviet ports. One in 26 Merchant Mariners perished, a higher proportional death rate than the Marines, yet they were initially denied military benefits.

Espionage and Medics

• 00:05:26 Agents of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) conducted espionage in Nazi-occupied Europe, operating unarmed behind enemy lines with little to no backup, facing a one-in-four chance of death; this rate climbed to almost 50% for female operatives. Combat medics, tasked with providing emergency care directly in the line of fire, also experienced exceptionally high casualty rates within the U.S. Army, with almost 2,300 killed and over 13,000 injured while rescuing fellow soldiers.

Kamikaze and Sonderkommando

• 00:10:26 The Kamikaze role in Imperial Japan involved pilots intentionally crashing explosive-laden planes into enemy ships, designed as a one-way mission with a near 100% fatality rate, though some missions were aborted. The most horrific job belonged to the Sonderkommando, units of concentration camp prisoners forced by Nazis to dispose of bodies from gas chambers. These prisoners faced mentally devastating work, including processing their own families, and were themselves exterminated every few months to maintain secrecy, with very few surviving the war.