I was inspired to make this list years ago when I saw Scav_Sergei’s post here about the unique soldiers having actual real-life counterparts. But I never got around to it, due to getting burnt out and quitting Enlisted for a year or so. Now that I have rediscovered the joy (and pains) of playing Enlisted again, I finally found the motivation to finish the list. Sourcing names from Euthymia’s spreadsheet, under the Unique Soldiers section.
It should be known that at some point, Enlisted just stopped obfuscating the names of the unique soldiers. This would be when BP S6 starts.
Also for the Twitch drops + Event soldiers table, every soldier after and including Vasily Zaitsev uses real names (or transliterated names for USSR soldiers).
This post aims to uncover the real names of all these unique soldiers whose name is obfuscated from their real names. The first thing that should be noted is that all of the unique soldiers in Enlisted have real-life counterparts who:
- participated in WW2
- were awarded the highest medal for gallantry in combat for their respective nation, or an award of even higher importance (there are few exceptions to this rule, but those soldiers are famous enough to have a wikipedia page due to their badassery)
- loosely fit the role that they have in-game
Note that the nations with obfuscated soldier names are USSR, USA, UK, Germany and Italy. Respectively, their highest medal for gallantry in combat during WW2 were:
- Hero of the Soviet Union - exhaustive FULL HSU list
- Medal of Honor - exhaustive WW2 MoH list
- Victoria Cross - exhaustive WW2 VC list
- Ritterkreuz (Knight’s Cross) - exhaustive WW2 RK list
- Medaglia d’oro al valor militare (Gold Medal of Military Valor) - exhaustive FULL unsorted AlValoreGold list, FULL AlValoreGold search function, INCOMPLETE sorted list AlValoreGold
In addition to this, all the soldiers covered in this post have obfuscated names! Typically, the first name is completely different except for a shared first letter, while the surname is ‘similar’ and has a shared first letter. In this context, ‘similar’ is defined as typically being 1 syllable off from the correct pronunciation, usually with 1-2 letters changed. Few exceptions have more syllables and/or more letters than this changed, but only by a bit. The BP S1 is an interesting exception, as the soldier’s first names here are the exact same. But this does not apply to any of the other soldiers in this post.
Personal subjective note: I personally believe that the developers did 0 checks on what the soldiers’ roles were, where they were fighting during the war at the time of the campaign introduced, or what they accomplished. To me, I think it far more likely that they just got a list of awardees of the awards, and chose one random name from the bunch, then obfuscated the name. When there are discrepancies with service location and/or roles during the war, I will note them in the list, and usually offer alternative names whose names are similar and the roles and service location are more appropriate to the campaigns released at the time. Such unique soldiers with multiple potential candidates are marked with *. At the end of the day, this is just a game and the devs aren’t transparent, so it’s best to choose the soldier who you think is the real soldier.
Names listed are in the format “game_name” (“campaign” “in-game class”) - “real_name” (“transliteration for USSR soldiers”) [“comment”]
Unless otherwise stated in the [“comment”] field, there are no discrepancies with service location or service roles between the irl soldiers and the unique soldiers represented in-game.
BP S1:
- Petr Likhanov (Moscow Assaulter 1) - Пётр Тимофеевич Лихачёв (Pyotr Timofeevich Likhachev)
- Karl Kortz (Moscow Assaulter 1) - Karl Koetz
- Walter Ehmers (Normandy Assaulter 1) - Walter David Ehlers
- Heinz Kollmann* (Normandy Assaulter 1) - three different options:
- Karl-Heinz Knollmann: most likely candidate that the developers intended based on the pattern of exact first name and similar surname, but he and his division served in the Eastern Front during 44-45. source.
- Ernst Hollmann: my personal choice. this soldier indeed served in the Western Front, and his citation cites service on the Western Front. However, his first name isn’t the exact same as the in-game first name, unlike the other BP S1 soldiers. Also, it should be note that his KC award was technically illegal and unofficial. see image below:
- Heinz Hellmich: recommended by user Suicideplume. However, he was a career general who died in an airstrike in his bunker in Normandy, not some assaulter. The surname is also quite far off from ‘Kollmann’ compared to the others.
BP S2:
- Pavel Golichinkov (Moscow Sniper 1) - Пётр Иванович Голиченков (Pyotr Ivanovich Golichenkov)
- Gebert Heins (Moscow Sniper 1) - Friedrich Pein [breaks the rule of matching first letter for firstname and surname, but I have checked the KC citations of all soldiers with surname starting ‘H’ and similar to Heins. they either had no information on them, clearly weren’t snipers, or did not serve in Eastern Front 41-42. Friedrich Pein is the closest match I could find who was clearly a sniper, and whose surname is similar to Heins. I am satisfied with this soldier mapping. But if you aren’t, feel free to do your own digging
]
- Rolland McCreed* (Normandy Tanker 1): two different options:
- Robert Howard McCard: MoH awardee and a tanker, but served in the Pacific (and died 16 June 1944 - ten days after DDay). My personal choice, since post-merge, this doesn’t matter for my immersion. My personal theory is that the developers gave up trying to find a MoH awardee who was also a tanker on the Western Front, and went with any MoH tanker. To my knowledge, not many tankers were awarded the MoH.
- Richard Loudon McCreery: stronger surname match, but a faction mismatch (British soldier VS in-game US soldier). Also, not awarded a VC, but rather the DSO, typically awarded to officers Major or higher rank for “highly successful command and leadership during active operations”. By 44-45, he was a high-ranking officer and likely not actually fighting in a tank.
- Claus Kargeneck (Normandy Tanker 1) - Clemens-Heinrich Graf von Kageneck [although the citation for his RK and the Oak Leaves are for Eastern Front action, schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503 did go on to serve in the Western Front. source]. However, Kageneck did not actually return to service after being severely WIA in December 43, instead becoming a training group commander at Armoured Troops School No.1 until his capture in 45. (see link1 for source). Likely an oversight from the developers, who only looked at his Oak Leaves being awarded on 26 June 1944 as part of schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503. But a closer look at the citation itself reveals that this is for action in January 44.]
- Denis Dotsenko (Berlin AT Gunner 1) - Дмитрий Степанович Доценко (Dmitry Stepanovich Dotsenko) [same surname is by pure coincidence of Russian transliteration to English]
- Erwin Reihm (Berlin AT Gunner 1) - Erich Rehm [although part of Panzerjäger-Kompanie 1156, his citation clearly states that he was not infantry AT, but rather a crewman in an assault gun]
BP S3:
- Victor Miganov (Moscow Fighter Pilot 2) - Васи́лий Васи́льевич Мигуно́в (Vasily Vasilyevich Migunov)
- Felix Bliesner (Moscow Fighter Pilot 2) - Fritz Bliesener [bomber pilot, not fighter]
- Neil Orenko (Normandy Assaulter 2) - Nicholas Oresko
- Warnfried Salnisch (Normandy Assaulter 2) - Wilhelm von Salisch [served in Eastern Front, but not a problem for me personally due to it not mattering post-merge. due to the rather unique surname, I can quite confidently say that this is indeed the soldier intended for the reference. To my knowledge, there are no other KC awardees with surnames remotely similar and of similar role]
- Maxim Merkulin (Berlin Rifleman 2) - Матвей Кузьмич Меркулов (Matvey Kuzmich Merkulov)
- Ralf Reihmer (Berlin Rifleman 2) - Richard Rehmer
- Alexander Clarkson (Tunisia Assaulter 1) - Willward Alexander Sandys-Clarke
- Lorenzo Riveberi (Tunisia Assaulter 1) - Luigi Reverberi [did not serve in Africa in WW2, and was a general. but there are no other awardees of gallantry awards with similar surnames, gold Al Valore or otherwise]
BP S4:
- Ignat Nekasov (Moscow Assaulter 2) - Иван Михайлович Некрасов (Ivan Mikhailovich Nekrasov)
- Claus Puchlier (Moscow Assaulter 2) - Carl Püchler
- Joe Blutts (Normandy Rifleman 3) - John Edward Butts
- Herman Ponchert (Normandy Rifleman 3) - two different options:
- Hans von Poncet: served in the Eastern Front, but follows the pattern of first name sharing the same first letter. the likely intended soldier by the developers, and my personal choice since imo post-merge, location of service does not really matter.
- Oskar Penkert: also served in the Eastern Front, and was destroyed in the Courland Pocket. However, remnants manage to surrender to Western forces. source
- Igor Dolganov (Berlin Assaulter 2) - Иван Николаевич Долгов (Ivan Nikolaevich Dolgov)
- David Hofler (Berlin Assaulter 2) - Dirk Höfer [division destroyed at Vitebsk 44, reformed and sent to Western Front. source]
- James Kenally (Tunisia LMG 2) - John Patrick Kenneally
- Giancarlo Bignamini* (Tunisia LMG 2) - four options available. note that these were the only decorated soldiers whose surname was remotely similar to Bignamini (a pilot was omitted), after exhaustively searching on quirinale.it. If none of these options satisfies you, you are free to try find a better match :).
- Giuseppe Bignami: most likely intended soldier by the developers, but he was in the navy serving on a boat in WW2 (which was sunk and he died there). for Italian soldiers, I have noticed that the developers tend to try choose soldiers with a wiki page. the other options do not, so I believe this is the most likely intended candidate.
- Giovanni Giacomini: did not serve in Africa in WW2, clear and explicit use of LMG in the citation for his gold Al Valore, which makes this my personal choice. surname is 2 syllables off.
- Gastone Giacomini: soldier who actually served in Tunisia. but surname is also 2 syllables off.
- Ugo Bignami: did not fight in WW2, but rather in WW1. in-case anyone values surname closeness, but is turned off by the fact that Giuseppe Bignami was a navy man.
BP S5:
- Prokhor Tikilyanov (Moscow LMG 2) - Пётр Абрамович Тикиляйнен (Pyotr Abramovich Tikiläinen/Tikilyaynen)
- Willi Birkler (Moscow LMG 2) - Walter Birk [during early Barb, was part of army group South]
- Allan DeFonzo (Normandy Engineer 2) - Arthur Frederick DeFranzo
- Kurt Pitschmann (Normandy Engineer 2) - Karl Pietschmann [served on the Eastern Front, but I don’t care about this post-merge. due to the rather unique surname, I can quite confidently say that this is indeed the soldier intended for the reference. To my knowledge, there are no other KC awardees with surnames remotely similar and of similar role]
- Ignat Stachenkov (Berlin LMG 2) - Артемий Иванович Старченко (Artemy Ivanovich Starchenko)
- Hans Jaschker (Berlin LMG 2) - Erich Jaschke [violates rule of first names sharing first letters, but no other soldier has remotely similar surnames and matching role. there exists a Herbert Jaschke, Commander of Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 249. and a Hans-Joachim Jäschke of the Luftwaffe. but the roles are so far off from infantry LMG usage that I doubt these 2 options. note that Erich Jaschke was promoted to Major on April 1, 1933, and two months later was transferred to the Reichswehr Ministry as the machine gun specialist for the Inspectorate of the Infantry. source]
- Gillian Gibson (Tunisia Fighter pilot 2) - Guy Penrose Gibson [European bombing campaign, not Africa. there were few WW2 VC recipients, fewer still with surname “G”, and when accounting for pilots, only Guy Gibson fits the role]
- Carmelo Buscalia (Tunisia Fighter pilot 2) - Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia
- Savely Savoyanov* (Stalingrad Assaulter 2) - two different options:
- Сергей Фёдорович Севостьянов (Sergei Fyodorovich Sevostyanov) [served in Stalingrad, but 2 syllables off]
- Серге́й Ива́нович Савостья́нов (Sergei Ivanovich Savostyanov) [served in Moscow region, but closer name match. most likely intended by the developers]
- Werner Hopfel (Stalingrad Assaulter 2) - Willi Hopfe [army group North during 42-43]
Twitch Drops + Event Soldiers:
- Josen Dallmeiher (Moscow AT Gunner 1) - Josef Dallmeier [while part of Panzerjager, he was an assault gun crew, not infantry AT. also the division formed in 44 for Berlin i.e. he probably did not serve in Barb 41-42]
- Wilhelm Kriegher* (Normandy LMG 1) - two different options:
- Werner Krieger: served on Eastern Front, closer name match, most likely intended soldier by developers
- Felix Krüger: also served on Eastern Front, but unit brokethrough to US lines. breaks the pattern of first names sharing the same first letter.
- Frank Penegory (Normandy Rifleman 1) - Frank D. Peregory
- Vasiliy Arkhilov (Moscow LMG 2) - Васи́лий Степа́нович Архи́пов (Vasily Stepanovich Arkhipov)
- Vasiliy Barankov* (Berlin Tanker 1) - two different options:
- Васи́лий Андре́евич Бара́нов (Vasily Andreevich Baranov) [evidence of being an actual tanker is weaker, but closer name match, so I think this is the most likely developer intended soldier]
- Василий Никифорович Баранюк (Vasily Nikiforovich Baranyuk)
- Jasper Monteth (Normandy Engineer 1) - Jimmie Watters Monteith Jr.
- Alessio Guilleti (Tunisia Rifleman 1) - Amedeo Guillet [not awarded the gold Al Valore, but awarded the bronze and silver Al Valore a total of 6 times. awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Italy in 2000]
- Marsala Fasetti* (Tunisia Assaulter 2) - two different options
- Mario Fascetti: closest name match, most likely intended soldier by developers. but did not serve in Africa in WW2, but did serve in the Italo-Ethiopian War
- Sergio Falletti: actually fought in North Africa during WW2, but does not follow pattern of first names sharing same first letter.
- Henry Whitting (Normandy LMG 2) - Hulon Brocke Whittington
US Premium Paratrooper 100rnd Thompson:
- James McNiece - James Elbert “Jake” McNiece
Soviet+German Partisan Premium Sqauds:
- Tikhon Bumazhkov - Ти́хон Пи́менович Бумажко́в (Tikhon Pimenovich Bumazhkov)
- Erwin Traut - Ernst Tiburzy
As far as I know, no other premium squad in-game comes with a unique soldier. I might be wrong though, since I do not own all premium squads in-game, and Euthymia’s spreadsheet does not have any information on these unique soldiers. Please let me know of any other unique soldiers in premium squads if they exist, I am curious to know 
