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The man who ignored a missile warning -

In 1983, Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov was stationed at the Serpukhov-15 bunker near Moscow, part of the Soviet Air Defense Forces. One day, the early warning system detected what appeared to be an incoming American Intercontinental Ballistic Missile.

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The man who ignored a missile warning -

Petrov and his staff decided that it was a false alarm, and a later investigation showed that the system was triggered by the sun reflecting off clouds. By refusing to launch an attack, Petrov potentially averted hundreds of millions of deaths.

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The man who kept the Cuban Missile Crisis from escalating -

During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the US and the Soviet Union barely avoided a nuclear war, which would have devastated the planet.

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The man who kept the Cuban Missile Crisis from escalating -

But even if negotiations between President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev were successful, the war almost happened because of one confused Soviet submarine captain.

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The man who kept the Cuban Missile Crisis from escalating -

Equipped with a nuclear missile, the Soviet submarine B-59 was stationed in the Caribbean, along with three others. When the American Navy discovered the submarines, they began dropping depth charges nearby. With orders to attack American forces if provoked, the commander of B-59, Valentin Savitsky, thought that the war had begun and ordered the missile be launched.

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The man who kept the Cuban Missile Crisis from escalating -

Luckily, the fleet's commander Vasili Arkhipov was also on board. And he felt that the Americans were only trying to get the submarine to surface. He talked Savitsky down and averted nuclear war.

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The Nazi general who declined to burn down Paris -

In 1944, when Allied forces successfully invaded northern France on D-Day, Adolf Hitler ordered local forces to burn down most of Paris to keep it from falling into enemy hands.

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The Nazi general who declined to burn down Paris -

The commander of the First German Army, General Dietrich von Choltitz, refused to comply. He claimed in his memoirs that he felt the orders had no military value, and that Hitler was mentally unwell.

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The Nazi general who declined to burn down Paris -

However, some French observers have argued that Choltitz merely lacked the troops to carry out the orders. Choltitz is seen here signing the surrender of the Nazi troops after the French capital's liberation.

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The man who ignored his commanding officer -

During World War II, Lieutenant Tom Derrick was one of Australia's most beloved soldiers. He is best known for his accomplishment during the Battle of Sattelberg in New Guinea in 1943. After a week of fighting, Derrick's commanding officer ordered a retreat. Derrick was quoted as saying, "Bugger the CO, just give me 20 minutes and we'll have this place."

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The man who ignored his commanding officer -

Derrick advanced on multiple Japanese machine gun positions by himself, while under covering fire from his squad mates. He cleared out 10 enemy positions, helping his unit accomplish their objective. Derrick received the Victoria Cross for his efforts, but died of injuries at the Battle of Tarakan in 1945.

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The army corporal who refused carrying a weapon -

Corporal Desmond Doss refused to kill enemy soldiers or to carry a weapon into combat because of his personal beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist. He consequently became a combat medic for the 77th Infantry. This and his exemption from training on Saturdays were the sources of intense criticism.

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The army corporal who refused carrying a weapon -

However, Doss still earned the respect of fellow soldiers when sent to combat. Having saved 75 wounded soldiers at the Battle of Okinawa, he earned a Medal of Honor and a Bronze Star Medal.

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The Nazi who refused to destroy Germany’s civilian infrastructure -

In March 1945, the Allies captured the final bridge on the Rhine River that allowed access into Germany. Hitler then issued a command to wipe out all of Germany's industry and infrastructure to keep it from falling under Allied control. Officially named the Demolitions on Reich Territory, it's also known as the Nero Decree.

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The Nazi who refused to destroy Germany’s civilian infrastructure -

The task fell on Germany's armaments minister, and Hitler's friend, Albert Speer. However, Speer felt that the order would have a ruinous effect on the German people. Like von Choltitz, Speer also suspected his boss was mentally unstable.

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The Nazi who refused to destroy Germany’s civilian infrastructure -

Speer ultimately issued the orders, but he also issued encrypted alternate orders to delay the destruction. In the end, the Nero Decree didn't progress.

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The artillery commander who refused to fire on his own men - On March 7, 1915, the French 336th Infantry Regiment was ordered to attack German machine gun positions. The attacks went on for two days, and when the divisional commander, General Géraud Réveilhac, ordered another charge, the 21st company refused.

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The artillery commander who refused to fire on his own men -

Furious, Réveilhac ordered his artillery commander, Colonel Raoul Berube, to fire on his own troops. Berube also refused. Days later, when four corporals were unable to cross a no man's land, they turned back, and Réveilhac ordered them to be executed. The incident became known as the Souain corporals affair. 

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The artillery commander who refused to fire on his own men -

Réveilhac remained in command of the regiment until February 1916, when he was ordered to take a three-month leave of absence. He later received the Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor.

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The Indian soldiers who refused to use cartridges greased with pork and beef fat -

By 1857, the Brits had controlled India with a repressive regime for about a century. However, tensions had finally reached the point that Indian political leaders were planning a revolt.

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The Indian soldiers who refused to use cartridges greased with pork and beef fat -

Things really boiled over when the British Enfield rifles used cartridges that were greased with a mixture of cow and pig fat. To load their rifles, Muslim and Hindu soldiers were required to tear the paper enveloping the cartridges with their teeth. For religious reasons, they refused to open the cartridges.

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The Indian soldiers who refused to use cartridges greased with pork and beef fat -

The troops were found guilty of insubordination in a court-martial, which sparked the Indian Mutiny. The British ultimately defeated them and took direct control of India until 1947.

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The general who moved 10,000 men out of position -

General Daniel Sickles was a politician with ambitions of becoming president. However, his dreams were effectively ruined when he murdered his wife's lover. When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Sickles raised a brigade with himself as its commander, hoping to improve his reputation.

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The general who moved 10,000 men out of position -

Sickles' military career ended at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, after he moved his III Corps without orders to an untenable position. They suffered 40% casualties, but slowed Confederate General James Longstreet.

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The general who moved 10,000 men out of position -

Sickles himself was wounded by cannon fire and had to have his leg amputated. He was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

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An imperial crisis -

The Rhine Mutiny of 14 CE threatened the stability of the entire Roman Empire. At the end of Augustus' reign, the Roman military had devoted much of its power to suppressing a revolt in Illyricum, located in today's Balkans. This helped precipitate the destruction of three vulnerable legions at Teutoburg Forest in Germany.

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An imperial crisis -

To replenish its forces, the Roman military recalled veterans and drafted freed slaves. However, most didn't want to be there and felt that heir rights were ignored. They were also the least loyal to the authoritarian Augustus. When he died, legions stationed near the Rhine River mutinied.

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An imperial crisis -

The revolt started when soldiers began murdering their company commanders. The job of stopping it fell to Germanicus, son of the new emperor Tiberius. After a lot of resistance, the rebellion broke, and the ringleaders were executed. Germanicus then led the formerly rebellious soldiers on a successful expedition across the Rhine, which proved their loyalty.

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The lieutenant who defied orders to withdraw -

In 1951, the Chinese Army launched the Spring Offensive against American forces during the Korean War, sending 300,000 troops to attack them. Overwhelmed, an American unit from the 8th Ranger Company was caught behind the advance. Its commander, E.C. Rivera, radioed for help, but the remaining forces decided to retreat.

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The lieutenant who defied orders to withdraw -

Rivera and his 65 men would have been doomed if not for Lieutenant David Teich. Disobeying his captain, Teich sent four tanks to Rivera and retrieved the stranded unit.

Sources: (Ranker) (BBC) (HistoryNet)

See more: Rewriting history: The historical misconceptions you thought were true

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