by Lieutenant Colonel Harry W. Edwards, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret)
(continued) During May and June 1941, Major Gerald C. Thomas andCaptain James Roosevelt followed one of the most interesting itinerariesof any Marine in the European Theater. On a special mission forPresident Roosevelt, they flew from India to Basra, Iraq, along withBrigadier William Slim of the British Army, arriving at a hotel that wasfilled with wounded soldiers. They flew from there on a BritishSunderland flying boat to Suez, and on by car to Cairo, where they mettwo more Marine observers, Farrell and Captain Parmalee. After abriefing by the staff of Air Vice Marshal Arthur Tedder (later GeneralEisenhower's top deputy in Europe), they had a visit with General SirArchibald Wavell, Middle East commander. Thereafter, they obtainedrequested transportation to Crete to deliver a message to King George,who had been driven from his throne in Greece by the Germans. Despitedire warnings of danger, they flew in a British flying boat to Crete,where they landed in the midst of a German air raid. Nevertheless, theycompleted their mission, which was to deliver the letter from PresidentRoosevelt to King George, and then departed for Alexandria, Egypt. From Cairo they flew to Jerusalem for visits withKing Peter of Yugoslavia; the High Commissioner for Palestine, Sir JohnMcMichael; and Abdul, the Regent of Iraq. They were nearly killed hereduring a strafing attack by German fighters. They had only sandbags forprotection, since there were no dugouts to hide in because of the highwater table in the area. By the time they returned to Cairo, the Germanshad already invaded Crete and seized the island with heavy losses forthe British defense force. Returning to Cairo, they visited General Charles deGaulle at his Free French Headquarters, then in Cairo, before leaving(along with Parmalee and Farrell) on a flying boat for Lisbon.Then-Captain Mountbatten also was a passenger on that flight. He hadearlier lost his destroyer division in the battle of Greece, and he toldthem that his nephew, Prince Philip, was also a survivor of that action.At the end of that memorable trip, Major Thomas reported to theCommandant of the Marine Corps and requested to be returned to duty withtroops.
By the time Colonel Franklin A. Hart arrived for dutyin London in June 1941, he already had a distinguished record of MarineCorps service.  A student at Auburn University, class of 1915, Hartwas a top athlete in football, track, and soccer. He served as a Marineofficer in France in World War I, and later in the Dominican Republicand Nicaragua, followed by a tour of sea duty and another of shore dutyin Hawaii. As a Special Naval Observer in England during WorldWar II, he participated in the Dieppe operation in July 1942 andremained in England until October on the ComNavEu staff. In June 1943 he commanded the 24th Marines in theMarshall Islands and at both Saipan and Tinian, from which operations heearned the Navy Cross and the Legion of Merit. As assistant divisioncommander of the 4th Marine Division on Iwo Jima, he received a BronzeStar Medal. Subsequent duty assignments included: Director,Division of Reserve, and Director, Public Information, Headquarters,U.S. Marine Corps; and Commanding General, Marine Corps Recruit Depot,Parris Island. After his last command as Commandant, Marine CorpsSchools, Quantico, Lieutenant General Hart retired in 1954 and waspromoted to general on the retired list. He died on 22 June 1967.
The muster rolls of the Marine Detachment in Londonfrequently included the names of "visiting" Marines. The number ofvisitors each month varied, as did their assignments and missions. Inthis category, OSS Marines were a most unusual group, mostly reservistsrecruited because they possessed highly specialized skills needed tocarry out the organization's intelligence mission. The OSS was established on 13 June 1942 as asuccessor to the Office of the Coordinator of Information (COI). Itsdirector was Army Reserve Colonel William J. Donovan, a World War I heroand recipient of the Medal of Honor, whose reputation for fearlessnessearned him the nick name of "Wild Bill!" OSS was a strategicintelligence organization which functioned outside the military servicesto carry out missions assigned by the chiefs of the armed services.  | |
In addition to its civilian personnel, OSS had theauthority to recruit military personnel from all services. Marineofficers assigned to this work were given a specialty of MSS:Miscellaneous Strategic Services. More than 35 Marine officers and aconsiderable number of enlisted Marines were assigned to duty with theOSS in Africa and Europe during the war. Their duties were so highlysecret that even their award citations were classified and remained sountil after the war. Captain Peter J. Ortiz, for example, was twiceawarded the Navy Cross, but these citations were not immediatelypublished. The Marine Corps personnel in OSS made significantcontributions to the Allied war effort in Europe and throughout theworld.
On 15 July 1941, the Marine Corps established itsfirst embassy detachment at London, England. It was commanded by MajorWalter I. Jordan. Initial strength was approximately 60 officers andmen, but this was doubled in size by December 1941 with the arrival of asecond echelon from Marine Barracks, Washing ton, D.C. The detachment was billeted in the American EmbassyAnnex at 20 Grosvenor Square. Initially, the duties of the detachmentwere primarily security and messenger service for the embassy. However,with the arrival of Admiral Harold R. Stark as Commander, Naval Forces,Europe (ComNavEu) on 17 March 1942, there was a realignment of duties tofocus more upon the naval headquarters and less upon the embassy. Major Jordan was succeeded by Captain Thomas J. Myersin October 1942. At that time the detachment was in activated and itspersonnel transferred to Rosneath, Scotland, to establish a MarineBarracks at the U.S. Navy Operating Base at that location. Thedetachment was re-established in London on 21 January 1943, and resumedits original designation and duties. Myers was replaced by FirstLieutenant Alan Doubleday, who served until August 1944. He, in turn,was succeeded by Captain Harry W. Edwards, who remained in that postuntil April 1946, at which time the unit was given a new designation asthe Marine Detachment, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe. The detachment served as the principal administrativeheadquarters for Marines in Europe throughout World War II. Muster rollsfor the unit reveal the names of the numerous Marine personnel who weresent to Europe and Africa for staff duty or as observers and trainees,both before the war and during the war. This included many Marines whoserved with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Principal duties for the detachment included:ensuring security for the naval headquarters, supplying orderlies forflag officers, operating a motorcycle and motor vehicle messengerservice between various military and diplomatic offices, supplyingescorts for State Department couriers, and performing of ceremonialduties as required. |
In October 1942, two COI/OSS Marines were stationedat the American Legation in Tangiers, Morocco, a key listening post inAfrica for the U.S. at the time. They were Lieutenant Colonel William A.Eddy and Second Lieutenant Franklin Holcomb. Eddy was born in Lebanon of American missionaryparents and was fluent in Arabic. He had earned a Navy Cross and twoSilver Star Medals for combat action with the 6th Marines in World WarI. Holcomb was the only son of the Marine Corps Commandant, GeneralHolcomb. Both officers were designated assistant naval attaches for airand would play a prominent role in relations with the Vichy French, andin providing valuable intelligence for Allied landings in Africa. RobertD. Murphy, counselor of the American Embassy in Vichy, once commentedthat "no American knew more about Arabs or power politics in Africa thanColonel Eddy." In January 1943 they were joined in Tangier by CaptainOrtiz. He was an American citizen but had served in the French ForeignLegion early in World War Il. Thus, he was well acquainted with thearea.  | |
Marine Reserve Lieutenant Otto Weber also received anunusual assignment. A petroleum specialist as a civilian, he wasordered, under the auspices of the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI),to report for duty in Cairo. From there he went to Asmara, Eritrea,where he stayed for several months, and finally he returned to Cairo andserved as an intelligence officer with the Army Forces in the MiddleEast.
One of the most decorated Marine officers of WorldWar II, Colonel Peter Ortiz served in both Africa and Europe throughoutthe war, as a member of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Although born in the U.S., he was educated in Franceand began his military service in 1932 at the age of 19 with the FrenchForeign Legion. He was wounded in action and imprisoned by the Germansin 1940. After his escape, he made his way to the U.S. and joined theMarines. As a result of his training and experience, he was awarded acommission, and a special duty assignment as an assistant naval attachein Tangier, Morocco. Once again, Ortiz was wounded while performingcombat intelligence work in preparation for Allied landings in NorthAfrica. In 1943, as a member of the OSS, he was dropped byparachute into France to aid the Resistance, and assisted in the rescueof four downed RAF pilots. He was recaptured by the Germans in 1944 andspent the remainder of the war as a POW. Ortiz's decorations included two Navy Crosses, theLegion of Merit, the Order of the British Empire, and five Croix deGuerre. He also was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by theFrench. Upon return to civilian life, Ortiz became involvedin the film industry. At the same time, at least two Hollywood filmswere made based upon his personal exploits. He died on 16 May 1988 atthe age of 75.
As a result of the lend-lease to the Royal Navy of 50overage destroyers early in the war, the British made available to theUnited States bases on various islands in the Atlantic. Marine unitswere posted at several of these naval bases, where they remainedthroughout the war. They included: Marine Barracks in Bermuda, Trinidad,and Argentia, Newfoundland, and Marine detachments on Grand Cayman andAntigua islands and in the Bahamas. As a result of the lend-lease to the Royal Navy of 50overage destroyers early in the war, the British made available to theUnited States bases on various islands in the Atlantic. Marine unitswere posted at several of these naval bases, where they remainedthroughout the war. They included: Marine Barracks in Bermuda, Trinidad,and Argentia, Newfoundland, and Marine detachments on Grand Cayman andAntigua islands and in the Bahamas.
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