Stars in the Sky!

[Mancunian airman]

14 hours ago, melvyn hiscock said:

I thought Hughie Green was a flying boat pilot

 

 

Yeah your right, my mistake. 

 

but I read that he was a 'Ferry pilot'

 

Edited March 12, 2017 by Mancunian airman

[RJP]

Here's another, child actor Jackie Coogan.

 

He put his civilian pilot experience to use as a glider pilot in Burma with the 1st ACG.  A tougher man than you might think if you only knew him as Uncle Fester.

[Finn]

James Doohan - Scotty from Star Trek - had an interesting military career, first on the ground and then in the air:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Doohan

 

Jari

[JPuente54]

Ed McMahon stayed in the USMC Reserves for a long time after the Korean War; he was later appointed as head of the Calif. Air National Guard in the '80s, IIRC, not certain of the time period. Dean Paul Martin was the son of singer/actor Dean Martin.

[Whofan]

Inspired by ths thread I had a quick browse around the interwebby thing and found that on the British front, David Niven served in the Army, Sean Connery in the navy, Micheal Caine in the Army (fought in Korea), Alec Guiness in the Navy, and Christopher Lee, Dirk Bogarde, Richard Todd, Richard Attenborough, Spike Milligan in the army  and a host more. Roald Dahl I think was mentioned earlier in the thread.

 

This lists a surprisng number of British tv film and stage "personalities" who served during both World wars.

 

http://www.theunknownwarriors.co.uk/famous-fighters/4531933181

 

And as for famous American actors who served, The one  .... the only ..... Elvis Presley! But of course he served after WW2, so perhaps not strictly relevant in this thread.

 

James Doohan (aka "beam me up" Scotty had a chequered military history, too.

 

I love it when something like this thread, or the one on Frog kits come up on this site. I learn so much more about things that sometimes I have a peripheral or vague knowledge about - thanks !

[Mark Joyce]

Dan Rowan, of "Laugh In" fame, flew P-40s in WWII.  He shot down two Japanese aircraft before he was downed and seriously wounded over New Guinea (this per Wikipedia). 

 

Interestingly, P-40N s/n 42-104949 is being restored to airworthiness and was flown by Rowan during the war (again, per Wikipedia).  I need to check my sources and see if I can find any photographs of it.  

 

Mark

[tonyot]

Actor Anthony Quayle (born in Southport,.....famous as the South African/German spy in `Ice Cold in Alex) served with SOE during WW2, operating behind the lines in Albania and also served on the staff in Gibraltar when General Sikorski`s Liberator crashed. He was a Royal Artillery officer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Quayle

http://www.coleshillhouse.com/captain-john-anthony-quayle.php

 

Richard Todd (born in Dublin- of Dambusters and The Longest Day amongst others- film fame) was another war hero, he was an officer with the 7th Bn The Parachute Regiment and jumped into France on D-Day, actually helping to defend the same Pegasus bridge that his Ox & Bucks airlanding character Maj John Howard in `The Longest Day' helped to capture.

http://www.pegasusarchive.org/normandy/richard_todd.htm

 

Other famous Paras were;

Frank Carson- comedian (ex 3 Para)

http://www.pegasusarchive.org/normandy/richard_todd.htm

 

Bernard Cribbins- actor- (ex 3 & 2 Para)

https://paradata.org.uk/people/bernard-cribbins

 

Billy Connolly- comedian (ex 15 (TA) Para)

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi6tbbp3NXSAhUqCMAKHRiEBHEQFggaMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FBilly_Connolly&usg=AFQjCNEwPF5K5ddZa7xwOBVS3rAkYmWicg

 

Lewis Collins- actor (The Professionals)- (ex 10 (TA) Para)

http://www.parachuteregiment-hsf.org/Lewis_Collins.html

 

Tony

Edited March 14, 2017 by tonyot

[melvyn hiscock]

At Dunsfold Airshow we have had Bernard Cribbins do the salute for the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment parachute team, the TIgers. It has been my pleasure to ask over the PA, 'Do we have Former Private 11936842 B Cribbins of 3 para,1947-1949 here today?'

 

He told me he did his training jumps and then spent most of his time in Natioanl Service packing parachutes but still got his jump pay!

 

A nice man.

 

Edited March 14, 2017 by melvyn hiscock

[JPuente54]

As one of the links above show, David Niven was in the British Army. I know he graduated from the RMA in Sandhurst, not sure of which class. He returned to the UK to fight for his country; and, volunteered for the Commandoes. The next time you watch "The Guns of Navarone", remember that he and Anthony Quayle(who also played Adm. Canaris in "The Eagle Has Landed", based on the Jack Higgens novel) actually did that sort of thing.

[LDSModeller]

Edmund Hillary (later Sir Edmund) of Mt. Everest fame was a Navigator on RNZAF Catalinas

in the Pacific during WWII for a short period - was badly burned in a motor boat accident in the

forward areas, so was convalesced back to New Zealand.

Interestingly his Brother Rex spent time in a detention centre as conscientious objector.

Ed's father was a Gallipoli Veteran.

 

While the likes of Jimmy Stewart and others gained fame in the film industry, Ed loved mountaineering,

as the saying goes, the rest there is history.

 

Sir Ed did end up on our New Zealand Five Dollar bill, and in 2015 the new bank note with him

still on it, won an award.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/27/new-zealands-stunning-5-note-named-best-banknote-of-the-year

 

Interestingly though Ed did participate in about 4 films/documentaries per this IMDB link

 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384804/

 

Regards

 

Alan

 

 

Edited March 18, 2017 by LDSModeller

[Truro Model Builder]

Don't forget Raymond Baxter, who flew Spitfires. And on the subject of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry was a B-17 pilot. Meanwhile, the first three actors to play Doctor Who all saw wartime service. William Hartnell was in the Tank Corps, Patrick Troughton served in motor gun boats (MGBs), while Jon Pertwee too was in the Navy, being lucky to be transferred off HMS Hood before it was sunk.

 

This all reflects society in general, of course. So many men saw combat in the Second World War that it is natural that many well known names are among them. And just as far fewer people today have been in the military, so too have much smaller numbers of celebrities. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is James Blunt, whose Army service saw a stint with NATO ops in Kosovo. I hesitate to describe the second and fifth in line to the throne as celebrities. but the latter certainly has done a fair bit of combat ops, while their uncle flew Sea Kings from HMS Invincible during the Falklands war.

[bobmig]

On 3/13/2017 at 9:23 PM, Mark Joyce said:

Dan Rowan, of "Laugh In" fame, flew P-40s in WWII.  He shot down two Japanese aircraft before he was downed and seriously wounded over New Guinea

He's on our More Stars in the Sky sheet... along with Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, and Ted Williams.

Bob

[Navy Bird]

Wiki says Dan Rowan was born Daniel Hale Rowan, so where does this Dan David name come from? Not that Wiki could ever be wrong, of course....

 

Cheers,

Bill

[melvyn hiscock]

8 hours ago, T7 Models said:

Don't forget Raymond Baxter, who flew Spitfires.

Including the ex RAF Exhibition Flight MkXVI (now reduced to spares) TB382

8 hours ago, T7 Models said:

while their uncle flew Sea Kings from HMS Invincible during the Falklands war.

 I don't think he was first pilot but he did fly from the left seat

[XV571]

On 11/03/2017 at 3:44 PM, Andre B said:

Concerning Donald Pleasance who flew Lancaster as navigator and Denholm Elliot who also was shot down... ...it must be possible to find out what aircraft they flew? The missing aircraft must been listed with their crews?

 

To add to bobmig's notes on Donald Pleasance, Sergeant Denholm Elliott is mentioned in the 1942 volume of W R Chorley's Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War. He was a Wireless Operator with 76 Squadron when shot down in Halifax II DT508 MP-K between Sylt and Romo Island on the night of 23-24 September 1942. He was subsequently imprisoned in Stalag Lamsdorf, being promoted to Warrant Officer while in captivity.

 

Another notable actor who served was Laurence Olivier. He joined the Royal Navy in 1941 and qualified as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm although never flew operationally. Ralph Richardson was also in the FAA and the two served together at Lee on Solent. According to their Wikipedia entries both gained some notoriety for crashing aircraft!

 

Jonathan

[bobmig]

9 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

Wiki says Dan Rowan was born Daniel Hale Rowan, so where does this Dan David name come from? Not that Wiki could ever be wrong, of course....

One source – and I'm sure there are others – is "Protect & Avenge, the 49th Fighter Group in Workd War II", by Ferguson & Pascalis. In one photo he is leaning against the aircraft and you can see it marked "Lt D.H. David" under the windscreen.

Bob

[airjiml2]

On 3/11/2017 at 6:26 AM, Graham Boak said:

Jackie Rae, for some time a wingman to Johnnie Johnson, was a TV star in the UK  as compere of a quiz show, although I must admit forgetting the name of the show.  There was an article in an old Flying Review International.

 

Canadian born John "Jackie" Rae flew Spitfires over Dieppe with 416 Squadron.  (RCAF J15493)  He was later the host of the "The Jackie Rae Show" on the CBC, "Spot the Tune" and "The Golden Shot" on the BBC, and wrote songs for Eddy Arnold, Andy Williams,Engelbert Humperdinck, and Tony Bennett.  In the early 80s he formed the Spitfire Band.  The first three LPs by the bend featured 416 Squadron Spitfires on the covers.

 

Jim

 

 

[Andrew D Jolly Rogers guy]

Although the war ended just before he could be deployed to fight, James Best (most known as Sheriff Rosco P Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard) was a B-17 tailgunner. 

[Chris Jephcott]

Guys,

 

Can I make one rectification on Clarke Gable? 

 

He flew 5 missions in total, with the 351st bomb group personnel, with 4 out of RAF Polebrook and the first out of RAF Molesworth.

 

1) 4 May 1943, when Gable accompanied 351st group commander Lt. Col. William A. Hatcher before the 351st became operational, on 303rd Bomb Group aircraft out of Molesworth to bomb the Ford and General Motors plants in Antwerp. 

B-17 was The 8 Ball MK II (s/n 41-24635).

2) 10 July 1943, flown out of Polebrook, flying with Second Lt. Theodore Argiropulos of the 351st's 508th Bomb Squadron in Argonaut III (42-29851) to bomb the airfield at Villcoublay, France. 

3) 24 July 1943, in Argonaut III as the lead aircraft of the 351st, with group executive officer Lt.Col. Robert W. Burns. Target was the Norsk Hydro plants in Heroya, Norway.

4) 12 August 1943, target was a synthetic oil plant at Gelsenkirchen, joining 351st operations officer Maj. Theodore "Ross" Milton and Capt. John B. Carraway's crew in Ain't It Gruesome (42-29863).

They group bombed Bochum in Germany, Due to bad weather, 11 b-17s from the 351st suffered battle damage, one crash-landed on return, and the group's crews suffered one killed and seven injured.

This mission provided Clarke's famous anecdote when A 20mm shell came up through Aint It Gruesome's flight deck, cut off the heel from Gable's boot, and exited one foot from his head, all without exploding. Afterward, the crew noticed the fifteen holes in the aircraft, and Gable noticed his boot. Brushing off concern with reporters, Gable claimed, "I didn't know it had happened. I didn't know anything about it until we had dropped eleven thousand feet, and could get off oxygen and look around. Only then did I see the hole"

5) 23rd September 1943: Gable's final combat mission was an early morning strike to the port area of Nantes, France, on 23 September 1943 out of Polebrook.

He flew with Lt. Col. Burns and 510th Bomb Squadron commander Maj. John Blaylock, leading the 351st in The Dutchess (42-29925).

it was in the during this mission that Gable manned a gun in the nose.

 

The footage from these missions was edited and used in the film "Combat America", a propaganda tool to recruit air crew, but if you get the chance, it is an outstanding piece of colour film and well worth a watch. 

Gable had wanted to do more than 5 missions but orders from above sent him home, to protect him. He had also been waiting on a 2nd assignment but it never materialised due to D-Day.

Hope this helps someone somewhere, But my point is that on the sheet above with Clarke Gable's aircraft on, I cannot find any reference to any further missions being flown anywhere aside from the 1st with 351st personnel out of Molesworth, and the remaining 4 out of Polebrook with the 351st bomb group.

Chris - grew up in the village of Polebrook!

[JPuente54]

Chris, thanks for the additional info on Clark Gable. Jimmy Stewart was also assigned as to "assembly/formation" pilot duties while in the UK; he flew the brightly painted and colored aircraft that a bomber group would assemble on prior to going to their mission target.

 A few other US actors/celebs. who served: The late Lee Marvin was in the USMC during WW2 as a rifleman. He saw service in the Pacific.

Glenn Ford was a USMC combat photographer during the WW2-Korean War period; sometime during the latter, he transferred to the USN and earned a commission(or transferred after getting his commission). He was served mostly in the USNR after that; but, did 1 or 2 tours in Vietnam in the '60s.

Chuck Norris was in the USAF in the early '60s; he was stationed in Korea(Air Police IIRC).

Dennis Franz(NYPD Blue, Die Hard 2: Die Harder) was a paratrooper with the 82nd ABN Div. He was an M-60 gunner and did a tour in Vietnam with the 82nd(one brigade was deployed to Vietnam after the Tet Offensive).

Edited March 21, 2017 by JPuente54
mis-spelling

[Ed Russell]

On 19/03/2017 at 4:27 AM, Navy Bird said:

Wiki says Dan Rowan was born Daniel Hale Rowan, so where does this Dan David name come from? Not that Wiki could ever be wrong, of course....

 

This is probably more accurate than the Wikipedia entry.

http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/famous_people/actors_actresses/dan_rowan_biography

Orphaned at 11 and presumably re-named by his foster parents.

[Giorgio N]

I havent' seen this mentioned, and I apologise if it already was: Tyrone Power flew tranport types in an USMC squadron in the Pacific. After the War he remained in the reserve for the rest of his life.

Paul Newman also served as a gunner aboard Grumman Avengers in the Pacific.

 

Speaking of "stars" who served during the war, a number of Italian actors served as well, but as these may not be immediately known here a list may not tell much. One Italian personality who had a controversial service during WW2 was theatre actor, writer and Nobel prize winner Dario Fo, who served in a parachute battalion of the fascist puppet state in the North.

[Finn]

Charlton Heston was a gunner radio operator on B-25s in the Aleutian Islands during WWII. Clint Eastwood, although never served in combat in Korea but one time after catching a ride home from visiting friends and family his plane, one site it was a Navy torpedo plane another says it was a Skyraider, ditched in the ocean and he and the pilot had to swim over 2 miles to shore.

 

Jari

Edited March 21, 2017 by Finn

[tonyot]

On 19/03/2017 at 7:10 PM, Andrew D Jolly Rogers guy said:

Although the war ended just before he could be deployed to fight, James Best (most known as Sheriff Rosco P Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard) was a B-17 tailgunner. 

Crikey,.....the CoG on that Fort must have been well out with him stuck in the tail! 

Edited March 20, 2017 by tonyot

[Nick Millman]

Not exactly a star, but the playwright Sir Terence Rattigan was a tail gunner on Sunderlands. His wartime-set plays have enjoyed something of a revival recently. The first act of Flare Path (1942) was written after his tail turret was shot up then saved when he stuffed it into his jacket to avoid chucking it overboard with his kitbag when an engine failed. He was well respected by his crew for his coolness but later admitted "I was s******g myself along with everyone else".   

 

Nick