Talk:Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

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Contents 1 Film 2 Confirm 2.1 World War II 3 Confirmation 4 So far, so bad!

[edit] Film

Shouldn't there be some mention of his *film* career in this article? (yeah, yeah...when I have time.) -- Metahacker 03:11, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Confirm

This should be a paragraph in the article Douglas Fairbanks, Jr with the rest in its own article Beach Jumpers. I see no references in the article and cant confirm it on the internet. Its good info but needs to be confirmed.

[edit] World War II

Although celebrated as an actor, Fairbanks most enduring legacy was a well-kept secret for decades. At the onset of World War II, Fairbanks was commissioned a Reserve Officer in the U.S. Navy and assigned to Lord Mountbatten's Commando staff in England. Having witnessed (and participated in) British training and cross-channel harrassment operations emphasizing the military art of deception, Fairbanks attained a depth of undestanding and appreciation of military deception then in the United States Navy. Lieutenant Fairbanks was subsequently transferred to Virginia Beach where he came under the command of Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, who was preparing U.S. Naval forces for the invasion of North Africa. Fairbanks was able to convince Hewitt of the advantages of such a unit, and Admiral Hewitt soon took Fairbanks to Washington, DC to sell the idea to the Chief of Naval Operations, ADM Ernest King. Fairbanks succeeded and ADM King issued a secret letter on 5 March 1943 charging the Vice Chief of Naval Operations with the recruitment of 180 officers and 300 enlisted men for the Beach Jumper program.

The Beach Jumpers mission would simulate amphibious landings with a very limited force. Operating dozens of kilometers from the actual landing beaches and utilizing their deception equipment, the Beach Jumpers would lure the enemy into believing that theirs was the location of the amphibious beach landing, when in fact the actual amphibious landing would be conducted at another location. Even if the enemy was less than 100-percent convinced of the deception, the uncertainty created by the operations could conceivably delay enemy reinforcement of the actual landing area by several crucial hours.

U.S. Navy Beach Jumpers saw their initial action in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. Throughout the remainder of the war, the Beach Jumpers conducted their hazardous, shallow-water operations throughout the Mediterranean. For his planning the diversion-deception operations and his part in the amphibious assault on Southern France, Lieutenant Commander Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., was awarded the U.S. Navy Legion of Merit with bronze V (for valor), The Italian War Cross for Military Valor, the French Legion d'Honneur and the Croix de Guerre with Palm and the British Distinguish Service Cross.

It is not a stretch to say that Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. was the father of the United States Navy's Information Operations. As for the Beach Jumpers, they changed names several times in the decades following World War II, expanded their focus, and are currently known as the Navy Information Operations Command. Many of the Navy's most important information operations since World War II remain classified, but it is clear that the U.S. military retains its interest in this art of war.

[edit] Confirmation

Most of the Beach Jumper stuff is found in the book Seaborne Deception, mentioned as a Reference in the Beach Jumpers article. Lou Sander 01:46, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] So far, so bad!

This article must be, so far, one of the worst in the whole Wikipedia. The reasons should be obvious, and it is ridiculous and truly a shame to have just a small paragraph for some of his movies, and the main article devoted to his military career. It is good that the author of this article wants the world to know about this little known fact of Fairbanks life, but this is really non-sense. I just feel sorry for this piece of junk that hurts the possibilities of Wikipedia. "Most enduring legacy" to whom? Come on! this is beyond a rational discussion. Nazroon 19:16, 4 April 2007 (UTC)