Anders Lassen was born in 1920 in Denmark
May 1940 he enlisted on the tanker "Elenora Mærsk" (owned by the Danish shipping-company A.P. Møller). The tanker was in the Persian Gulf when Denmark was occupied by Germany 9th of April 1940.
During the autumn 1940 he left the tanker in South Africa and went to England where he joined the British Army. He was selected for commando training.
His first operation as a commando was against an Italian steamship off the coast of West Africa. The steamship supplied German submarines operating in the Atlantic. After the operation Anders ("Andy") Lassen became 2nd Lieutenant and was awarded with the Military Cross.
He later served with the SBS (Special Boat Section AKA Special Boat Service AKA Special Boat Squadron) in a number of raids on the French coast.
During late spring 1943 he was transferred to the SBS in Palestine. Afterwards he served in several operations in Greece and Italy, among them against German airfields on Crete. He was awarded another two Military Crosses.
Anders Lassen was killed during an attack in Northern Italy - at Lago Comacchio. He was then major and the commander of a squadron of the SBS.
His last operation began 8th of April 1945. His squadron was to conduct a diversionary attack - while the 8th Army was to attack elsewhere. The operation was a success - the Germans regrouped and moved troops from area where the 8th Army was to attack. Anders Lassen was killed along with 3 of his men.
Anders Lassen was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously September 1945. Three Danes received this award during WW1: Thomas Dinesen (1918) (he is the brother of the famous author Karen Blixen "Out of Africa"), Percey Howard Hansen (1915) og Jørgen Christian Jensen (1917).
http://www.henrikc.dk