Mr. Douglas from 'Green Acres', WWII Hero
Eddie Albert in the Battle For Tarawa
Mr. Douglas from Green Acres enlisted in the Coast Guard at the start of WW2. He was discharged in 1943 to enlist in the US Navy. He was then sent to Tarawa where he earned the Bronze Star w/V for the below credited actions.
After Albert joined the Navy, he sailed to Tarawa not as a Marine but as a salvage officer aboard the ship Sheridan. His first mission was to unload a group of Marines and supplies on the beach. Unknown to him earlier that day a missed calculation in the tides had left many Marines stranded offshore. The miscalculation in tides meant that the LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked) were the only landing craft able to make it past the reefs surrounding the island. The LVTs did not have armored hulls and many were taken out of action due to machine gun fire putting holes through their hulls. The Higgins boats that were supposed to be used would have been better suited for the job because they are offer more protection for the soldiers in the boat and can take small arms fire but they could not clear the reef.
During his mission he came across about 150 Marines, 100 of which were still alive “waist deep in the water, suffering rapidly mounting casualties from strafing by several machine gun nests on the end of the pier, in the sunken ship, and by numerous snipers in abandoned AmpTracs and LCVP’s.” (Edward Heimberger 1943, pg.1) Albert and Lieutenant Fletcher in a different boat began to rescue the survivors and bring them back to the safety of the ship. After they made three or four trips, Eddie’s boat suffered damage to its prop and he was ordered to return the ship. By this time the tide was beginning to rise, making it difficult for the Marines still trapped offshore. Eddie then decided to return with more small crafts to pick the rest of the stranded Marines in one trip. When they got close to the shore it was clear that the enemy had “added to their fire-power.” (Edward Heimberger 1943, pg.2) Because of the added fire-power the officer decided to rescue the Marines one boat at a time under the covering fire of the rest of the boats. In addition to added machine guns, enemy snipers started firing on the ship sent in to rescue the Marines. This slowed their progress but they were eventually able to eliminate the sniper with the boat's machine guns. After the final wounded men were aboard the boat the few remaining uninjured Marines, without rifles, asked Eddie to bring back supplies to fight because they wanted to try again to get ashore. Eddie headed back to the ship to drop off the wounded. On his way back he continued to be under heavy fire. “The men, meanwhile, were stamping out the incendiaries before they could do any damage.” (Edward Heimberger 1943, pg.2) One of the greatest concerns was incendiary rounds lighting one of the eight fuel barrels on fire and then exploding the entire boat. Eddies boat was so overloaded on the return ship that the deck of the boat was a foot or two below the water line. After dropping off the injured Marines, “He returned later only to discover that they (the soldiers that asked him to get them rifles) had fallen under enemy fire.” (
http://Millitary.com, pg.1) Eddie was awarded the bronze star for his actions on November 29 1943.
Albert supposedly was also a spy travelling through Mexico as part of a circus to spy on German U-boats.
slatten49 wrote:
Eddie Albert in the Battle For Tarawa
Mr. Douglas from Green Acres enlisted in the Coast Guard at the start of WW2. He was discharged in 1943 to enlist in the US Navy. He was then sent to Tarawa where he earned the Bronze Star w/V for the below credited actions.
After Albert joined the Navy, he sailed to Tarawa not as a Marine but as a salvage officer aboard the ship Sheridan. His first mission was to unload a group of Marines and supplies on the beach. Unknown to him earlier that day a missed calculation in the tides had left many Marines stranded offshore. The miscalculation in tides meant that the LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked) were the only landing craft able to make it past the reefs surrounding the island. The LVTs did not have armored hulls and many were taken out of action due to machine gun fire putting holes through their hulls. The Higgins boats that were supposed to be used would have been better suited for the job because they are offer more protection for the soldiers in the boat and can take small arms fire but they could not clear the reef.
During his mission he came across about 150 Marines, 100 of which were still alive “waist deep in the water, suffering rapidly mounting casualties from strafing by several machine gun nests on the end of the pier, in the sunken ship, and by numerous snipers in abandoned AmpTracs and LCVP’s.” (Edward Heimberger 1943, pg.1) Albert and Lieutenant Fletcher in a different boat began to rescue the survivors and bring them back to the safety of the ship. After they made three or four trips, Eddie’s boat suffered damage to its prop and he was ordered to return the ship. By this time the tide was beginning to rise, making it difficult for the Marines still trapped offshore. Eddie then decided to return with more small crafts to pick the rest of the stranded Marines in one trip. When they got close to the shore it was clear that the enemy had “added to their fire-power.” (Edward Heimberger 1943, pg.2) Because of the added fire-power the officer decided to rescue the Marines one boat at a time under the covering fire of the rest of the boats. In addition to added machine guns, enemy snipers started firing on the ship sent in to rescue the Marines. This slowed their progress but they were eventually able to eliminate the sniper with the boat's machine guns. After the final wounded men were aboard the boat the few remaining uninjured Marines, without rifles, asked Eddie to bring back supplies to fight because they wanted to try again to get ashore. Eddie headed back to the ship to drop off the wounded. On his way back he continued to be under heavy fire. “The men, meanwhile, were stamping out the incendiaries before they could do any damage.” (Edward Heimberger 1943, pg.2) One of the greatest concerns was incendiary rounds lighting one of the eight fuel barrels on fire and then exploding the entire boat. Eddies boat was so overloaded on the return ship that the deck of the boat was a foot or two below the water line. After dropping off the injured Marines, “He returned later only to discover that they (the soldiers that asked him to get them rifles) had fallen under enemy fire.” (
http://Millitary.com, pg.1) Eddie was awarded the bronze star for his actions on November 29 1943.
Albert supposedly was also a spy travelling through Mexico as part of a circus to spy on German U-boats.
Eddie Albert in the Battle For Tarawa br br Mr.... (
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Very interesting to see how heroes performed during difficult situations. Thanks for posting this.
slatten49 wrote:
Eddie Albert in the Battle For Tarawa
Mr. Douglas from Green Acres enlisted in the Coast Guard at the start of WW2. He was discharged in 1943 to enlist in the US Navy. He was then sent to Tarawa where he earned the Bronze Star w/V for the below credited actions.
After Albert joined the Navy, he sailed to Tarawa not as a Marine but as a salvage officer aboard the ship Sheridan. His first mission was to unload a group of Marines and supplies on the beach. Unknown to him earlier that day a missed calculation in the tides had left many Marines stranded offshore. The miscalculation in tides meant that the LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked) were the only landing craft able to make it past the reefs surrounding the island. The LVTs did not have armored hulls and many were taken out of action due to machine gun fire putting holes through their hulls. The Higgins boats that were supposed to be used would have been better suited for the job because they are offer more protection for the soldiers in the boat and can take small arms fire but they could not clear the reef.
During his mission he came across about 150 Marines, 100 of which were still alive “waist deep in the water, suffering rapidly mounting casualties from strafing by several machine gun nests on the end of the pier, in the sunken ship, and by numerous snipers in abandoned AmpTracs and LCVP’s.” (Edward Heimberger 1943, pg.1) Albert and Lieutenant Fletcher in a different boat began to rescue the survivors and bring them back to the safety of the ship. After they made three or four trips, Eddie’s boat suffered damage to its prop and he was ordered to return the ship. By this time the tide was beginning to rise, making it difficult for the Marines still trapped offshore. Eddie then decided to return with more small crafts to pick the rest of the stranded Marines in one trip. When they got close to the shore it was clear that the enemy had “added to their fire-power.” (Edward Heimberger 1943, pg.2) Because of the added fire-power the officer decided to rescue the Marines one boat at a time under the covering fire of the rest of the boats. In addition to added machine guns, enemy snipers started firing on the ship sent in to rescue the Marines. This slowed their progress but they were eventually able to eliminate the sniper with the boat's machine guns. After the final wounded men were aboard the boat the few remaining uninjured Marines, without rifles, asked Eddie to bring back supplies to fight because they wanted to try again to get ashore. Eddie headed back to the ship to drop off the wounded. On his way back he continued to be under heavy fire. “The men, meanwhile, were stamping out the incendiaries before they could do any damage.” (Edward Heimberger 1943, pg.2) One of the greatest concerns was incendiary rounds lighting one of the eight fuel barrels on fire and then exploding the entire boat. Eddies boat was so overloaded on the return ship that the deck of the boat was a foot or two below the water line. After dropping off the injured Marines, “He returned later only to discover that they (the soldiers that asked him to get them rifles) had fallen under enemy fire.” (
http://Millitary.com, pg.1) Eddie was awarded the bronze star for his actions on November 29 1943.
Albert supposedly was also a spy travelling through Mexico as part of a circus to spy on German U-boats.
Eddie Albert in the Battle For Tarawa br br Mr.... (
show quote)
Watching Green Acres, who would have thought that Eddie Albert was made of such strong character? Very interesting!
Carol Kelly wrote:
Watching Green Acres, who would have thought that Eddie Albert was made of such strong character? Very interesting!
I’ve got “Green Acres” on DVD, and I’m proud to know Eddie Albert was in the Coast Guard, as I was too.
I'll bet Mr. Haney has souvenirs to sell you . I wonder if he was a WWII vet also. I think that darn near every able bodied man went to war then. I know that in Canada any man who did not go to war was branded a coward and he and his family were harassed and spat on wherever they went. My Granny told me that.
slatten49 wrote:
Eddie Albert in the Battle For Tarawa
Mr. Douglas from Green Acres enlisted in the Coast Guard at the start of WW2. He was discharged in 1943 to enlist in the US Navy. He was then sent to Tarawa where he earned the Bronze Star w/V for the below credited actions.
After Albert joined the Navy, he sailed to Tarawa not as a Marine but as a salvage officer aboard the ship Sheridan. His first mission was to unload a group of Marines and supplies on the beach. Unknown to him earlier that day a missed calculation in the tides had left many Marines stranded offshore. The miscalculation in tides meant that the LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked) were the only landing craft able to make it past the reefs surrounding the island. The LVTs did not have armored hulls and many were taken out of action due to machine gun fire putting holes through their hulls. The Higgins boats that were supposed to be used would have been better suited for the job because they are offer more protection for the soldiers in the boat and can take small arms fire but they could not clear the reef.
During his mission he came across about 150 Marines, 100 of which were still alive “waist deep in the water, suffering rapidly mounting casualties from strafing by several machine gun nests on the end of the pier, in the sunken ship, and by numerous snipers in abandoned AmpTracs and LCVP’s.” (Edward Heimberger 1943, pg.1) Albert and Lieutenant Fletcher in a different boat began to rescue the survivors and bring them back to the safety of the ship. After they made three or four trips, Eddie’s boat suffered damage to its prop and he was ordered to return the ship. By this time the tide was beginning to rise, making it difficult for the Marines still trapped offshore. Eddie then decided to return with more small crafts to pick the rest of the stranded Marines in one trip. When they got close to the shore it was clear that the enemy had “added to their fire-power.” (Edward Heimberger 1943, pg.2) Because of the added fire-power the officer decided to rescue the Marines one boat at a time under the covering fire of the rest of the boats. In addition to added machine guns, enemy snipers started firing on the ship sent in to rescue the Marines. This slowed their progress but they were eventually able to eliminate the sniper with the boat's machine guns. After the final wounded men were aboard the boat the few remaining uninjured Marines, without rifles, asked Eddie to bring back supplies to fight because they wanted to try again to get ashore. Eddie headed back to the ship to drop off the wounded. On his way back he continued to be under heavy fire. “The men, meanwhile, were stamping out the incendiaries before they could do any damage.” (Edward Heimberger 1943, pg.2) One of the greatest concerns was incendiary rounds lighting one of the eight fuel barrels on fire and then exploding the entire boat. Eddies boat was so overloaded on the return ship that the deck of the boat was a foot or two below the water line. After dropping off the injured Marines, “He returned later only to discover that they (the soldiers that asked him to get them rifles) had fallen under enemy fire.” (
http://Millitary.com, pg.1) Eddie was awarded the bronze star for his actions on November 29 1943.
Albert supposedly was also a spy travelling through Mexico as part of a circus to spy on German U-boats.
Eddie Albert in the Battle For Tarawa br br Mr.... (
show quote)
Wow!! Fascinating stuff, thanks!! So many good men lost tho
I do enjoy hearing these. Very interesting about yogi Berra! I was surprised to hear about captain kangaroo and mr. Rogers, too. Yes, back in the day returning veterans got preferential treatment. Now they're homeless and more and more being talked about as tho they're "threats".
debeda wrote:
I do enjoy hearing these. Very interesting about yogi Berra! I was surprised to hear about captain kangaroo and mr. Rogers, too. Yes, back in the day returning veterans got preferential treatment. Now they're homeless and more and more being talked about as tho they're "threats".
Here's one of my favorite character actors of all-time. I especially loved him as the governor in'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
'... Also, as Jessica Lange's father in 'Tootsie.'
https://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/military-transition/famous-veteran-charles-durning.html
debeda wrote:
I do enjoy hearing these. Very interesting about yogi Berra! I was surprised to hear about captain kangaroo and mr. Rogers, too. Yes, back in the day returning veterans got preferential treatment. Now they're homeless and more and more being talked about as tho they're "threats".
I know all about it. I never shot at any body yet I was labeled a "baby killer". I grew my hair long and forgot I was ever in the service. I did not consider myself to be a veteran because I was never in combat like so many of the guys I was in high school with.
Coos Bay Tom wrote:
I know all about it. I never shot at any body yet I was labeled a "baby killer". I grew my hair long and forgot I was ever in the service. I did not consider myself to be a veteran because I was never in combat like so many of the guys I was in high school with.
"Never in combat," huh, Tom
Knowing that you're married, I find that odd.
Coos Bay Tom wrote:
I know all about it. I never shot at any body yet I was labeled a "baby killer". I grew my hair long and forgot I was ever in the service. I did not consider myself to be a veteran because I was never in combat like so many of the guys I was in high school with.
Yes, so unfair to all. And funny so many knew people who served in Vietnam yet "statistics" tell us there were few
Yes I remember Charles durning- he was one of my moms favorites. She said he was very underrated...
debeda wrote:
Yes I remember Charles durning- he was one of my moms favorites. She said he was very underrated...
The 1975 made-for-TV movie, 'Queen of The Stardust Ballroom,' and it's reviews are below...if you ever get the opportunity to watch it, do so. It is one of Durning's best, and Maureen Stapleton is fantastic, also.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073596/reviews
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