June 06, 2019
Scottie and the Professor - War Heroes
Timothy Birdnow
Star Trek's Mr. Scott was a hero during WWII! Whoda guessed?
According to War History Online:
After being shot up by nervous Canadian troops, Doohan went on to become a pilot, flying between two telegraph poles and becoming known as the craziest pilot in the Canadian air force.
Neil Armstrong credited Doohan with sparking his interest in space and leading to his becoming the first man on the Moon.
Another war hero actor was Russell David Johnson - Professor Roy Hinkley on Gilligan's Island. Johnson was an Air Force bombadier who was shot down in the Pacific He broke both ankles in the crash. He was awarded a Purple Heart plus the Air Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three campaign stars, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one campaign star, and the World War II Victory Medal.
Hat tip; Warner Todd Houston
Star Trek's Mr. Scott was a hero during WWII! Whoda guessed?
According to War History Online:
Doohan did so well he became a Commissioned Lieutenant with the 14th Field Artillery Regiment of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. In 1940, he was sent to England for further training.
Fast forward to D-Day – the Allied Invasion of France on June 6, 1944. The British, Americans and Canadians were each assigned a portion of France’s Normandy beaches.
The Canadians were allocated the area from the village of Courseulles all the way to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer – codenamed Juno Beach. Doohan’s division was to secure the Caen-Bayeux road and take the Carpiquet Airport, west of Caen.
It would not be easy. Facing them were two battalions of the German 716th Infantry Division. There were also troops from the 21st Panzer Division holed up near Caen. As a final precaution, the Germans had strewn the beaches with anti-tank mines.
The Allies had prepared. The night before, their planes had blasted the German positions. As the landings would happen before dawn the next day, the Canadians would not be visible. Or so the thinking went.
It did not turn as planned. The aerial bombardment had not been as effective as the Allies had hoped due to lousy weather and poor visibility – the pilots could not hit their targets. The coastal defenses at Juno were almost unscathed.
It got worse. Rough weather and high waves delayed the landings until well after the sun had risen on June 6. No cover of darkness.
Out at sea, Doohan felt queasy, but it was not because of what lay ahead. He later told the Associated Press, "We were more afraid of drowning than (we were of) the Germans.â€
Fast forward to D-Day – the Allied Invasion of France on June 6, 1944. The British, Americans and Canadians were each assigned a portion of France’s Normandy beaches.
The Canadians were allocated the area from the village of Courseulles all the way to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer – codenamed Juno Beach. Doohan’s division was to secure the Caen-Bayeux road and take the Carpiquet Airport, west of Caen.
It would not be easy. Facing them were two battalions of the German 716th Infantry Division. There were also troops from the 21st Panzer Division holed up near Caen. As a final precaution, the Germans had strewn the beaches with anti-tank mines.
The Allies had prepared. The night before, their planes had blasted the German positions. As the landings would happen before dawn the next day, the Canadians would not be visible. Or so the thinking went.
It did not turn as planned. The aerial bombardment had not been as effective as the Allies had hoped due to lousy weather and poor visibility – the pilots could not hit their targets. The coastal defenses at Juno were almost unscathed.
It got worse. Rough weather and high waves delayed the landings until well after the sun had risen on June 6. No cover of darkness.
Out at sea, Doohan felt queasy, but it was not because of what lay ahead. He later told the Associated Press, "We were more afraid of drowning than (we were of) the Germans.â€
After being shot up by nervous Canadian troops, Doohan went on to become a pilot, flying between two telegraph poles and becoming known as the craziest pilot in the Canadian air force.
Neil Armstrong credited Doohan with sparking his interest in space and leading to his becoming the first man on the Moon.
Another war hero actor was Russell David Johnson - Professor Roy Hinkley on Gilligan's Island. Johnson was an Air Force bombadier who was shot down in the Pacific He broke both ankles in the crash. He was awarded a Purple Heart plus the Air Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three campaign stars, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one campaign star, and the World War II Victory Medal.
Hat tip; Warner Todd Houston
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
09:07 AM
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