Andrew Allison Haldane (August 22, 1917 – October 12, 1944) was an officer in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

in the Pacific theatre during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was killed in action during the Battle of Peleliu. Haldane is portrayed by actor Scott Gibson in the 2010

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

miniseries, ''

The Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

''.

Early life

Haldane was born in

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and Nort ...

and lived in Methuen, Massachusetts most of his life. He was of Scottish descent and graduated from the

Searles High School Searles High School, now Methuen City Hall, is a historic former school building at 41 Pleasant Street in Methuen, Massachusetts, and an excellent example of English Renaissance Revival architecture. It was designed by Henry Vaughan, a favorite ...

in 1935, and attended St John's Prep in Danvers, then Bridgton Academy in

Bridgton, Maine Bridgton is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,418 at the 2020 census. A resort area in Maine's Lakes Region, Bridgton is home to Bridgton Academy, a private preparatory school, and the Four on the Fourth Roa ...

. He graduated from

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

in Brunswick, Maine, where the memory of Captain Haldane is honored annually by presenting the Haldane Cup to the graduating senior who has displayed outstanding qualities of leadership and character. At Bowdoin he was captain of the football team and president of the student council, and he was voted most popular senior in 1940. He became assistant football coach at Bowdoin in October 1941 after graduating that June. He had planned to coach for a season before joining the Marine Corps, but was called up after coaching for a mere two weeks.

World War II

He became a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the Marine Corps in 1942 and graduated from the Reserve Officers' Training School in Quantico. He served with the

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). It is the ...

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

, and was commanding officer of Company K at Cape Gloucester, where he received the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

for leading hand-to-hand combat in a fight on Walt's Ridge. He led Company K through most of the fight for Peleliu. Haldane was killed by a Japanese

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

on October 12, 1944, while assessing the area of Hill 140 during the Battle of Peleliu in the Palau Islands, three days before the Marines came off the lines. A Sea Scouts Ship was named in his honor at his old college.

In Eugene Sledge's ''With the Old Breed''

Eugene Sledge Eugene Bondurant Sledge (November 4, 1923 – March 3, 2001) was a United States Marine Corps, United States Marine, university professor, and author. His 1981 memoir With the Old Breed, ''With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa'' chroni ...

, a mortar-man in Company "K", describes what happened to his company's commander in his book, ''With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa'':

At the time of Captain Haldane's death, the bulk of Company K was operating with its parent battalion (3/5) on Hill 140 within the Umurbrogol Pocket. In an attempt to orient himself to the strange terrain his company was occupying, Haldane was peeking over a ridge and was shot by a Japanese sniper and was killed instantly. First Lieutenant Thomas J. Stanley succeeded him as commander of K/3/5. Stanley led Company K through the remainder of the Peleliu campaign and on to
Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...
the following spring.

In his book, Sledge pays his leader a tribute:

Capt. Andy Haldane wasn't an idol. He was human. But he commanded our individual destinies under the most trying conditions with the utmost compassion. We knew he could never be replaced. He was the finest Marine officer I ever knew. The loss of many close friends grieved me deeply on Peleliu and
Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...
. But to all of us the loss of our company commander at Peleliu was like losing a parent we depended upon for security – not our physical security, because we knew that was a commodity beyond our reach in combat, but our mental security.... So ended the outstanding combat career of a fine officer who had distinguished himself at
Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...
, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu. We had lost our leader and our friend. Our lives would never be the same. But we turned back to the ugly business at hand.

In R.V. Burgin's ''Islands of the Damned''

Romus Burgin, another mortar-man in Company "K", also speaks highly of Captain Haldane in his book, ''Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific'':

(Captain Haldane) was as well liked as any officer I knew. I never heard him raise his voice at any man. He was firm, but he was a gentleman, and compassionate.

His death is also described in this book. When Third Battalion arrived to relieve the Second Battalion on Hill 140,

Everybody was warning them not to show their heads over the top. Jap snipers on the far side were alert, and deadly. But someone needed to see what was beyond the hill in order to direct the battalion's fire.... Second Battalion's own machine gunners were dug in so low, they could hardly see what they were shooting at. They had to sight their guns by looking under the barrels. This was not satisfactory to Captain Haldane, who was himself an old machine gunner. He slithered forward a few feet and cautiously raised his head. Everybody heard a sharp ''thwack'' and knew instantly what it meant. Those who were close enough said his head just exploded. There was no point in even calling for a corpsman.

Awards

First Silver Star citation

Citation:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Andrew A. Haldane (MCSN: 0-8740), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Commanding Officer of Company K, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division in action against enemy Japanese forces at Cape Gloucester, New Britain, January 9–10, 1944. With utter disregard for his own personal safety Captain Haldane fearlessly directed the attack of his company against strongly emplaced enemy positions on Aogiri Ridge in the face of intense Machine gun, mortar and sniper fire. Later, in the pitch darkness of early morning he valiantly led his command in a determined stand against five vicious counter attacks by a superior number of fanatical Japanese troops, thereby contributing in a large measure to securing the beachhead line of the airdrome. Captain Haldane's brilliant leadership and indomitable fighting spirit were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Second Silver Star citation

Citation:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Captain Andrew A. Haldane (MCSN: 0-8740), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Commanding Officer of Company K, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division in action against enemy Japanese forces on Peleliu and Ngesebus Islands, Palau Group from 15 September to 12 October 1944. A splendid and fearless leader, Captain Haldane repeatedly led his assault company through intense hostile artillery and small arms fire to rout the enemy from strongly held positions with heavy losses. On 12 October, he personally directed a platoon of his men against a firmly defended cave on an important ridge continuing his heroic efforts until mortally wounded by Japanese sniper fire. By his inspiring courage and disregard for personal safety, Captain Haldane contributed materially to the success of our forces in these strategic areas and his valiant conduct throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haldane, Andrew 1917 births 1944 deaths Bowdoin College alumni United States Marine Corps personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Silver Star United States Marine Corps officers Bowdoin Polar Bears football coaches Bowdoin Polar Bears football players People from Lawrence, Massachusetts People from Methuen, Massachusetts Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Bridgton Academy alumni Military personnel from Massachusetts American people of Scottish descent Deaths by firearm in Palau