Soldier of Fortune 009 – ‘They cannae take it, Cap’n!’ (2nd Lt James Doohan on D-Day)

Well, the trek through the month is almost over, and that means it’s time for us to reveal the new Soldier of Fortune figure for April 2024 – and it’s a corker! No dilithium crystals here, just phasers set firmly to stun(ning), and a true story of battlefield heroism – enter Lt. James Doohan, better known as Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott of Star Trek fame! Now, don’t expect Klingons and Romulans here – before Doohan was an actor, he served as a soldier in the Canadian Army, seeing action on D-Day and beyond, and that’s how our new Soldier of Fortune figure represents him – right in the thick of battle! Let’s find out some more about the man behind the miniature!

Joining the Canadian Army in 1939, by the 6^th of June 1944, Doohan was a 24-year-old Lieutenant in the 13^th Field Regiment, an artillery unit. Landing on ‘Juno’ beach in the Canadian second wave as part of a reconnaissance party, he saw combat at the ‘Nan’ sector of the beach, and is famously credited with having engaged and shot two German snipers during the day. During the night, he would be the victim of a friendly fire incident, being hit by six rounds fired from a Bren gun by a jumpy sentry – four times in the leg, once in his chest, and once in his right hand. Miraculously, he would survive this incident, with the round to the chest reported to have been stopped by a silver cigarette case given to him by his brother. The wound to his hand would, however, require the amputation of his right middle finger.

After recuperating from his injuries, Doohan would retrain as a pilot, serving with 666 Squadron RCAF, flying Auster observation planes, where he would gain a reputation as a skilled pilot, but something of a daredevil – he would be reprimanded for flying between telegraph poles in England, simply to prove that it was possible!

Postwar, he became interested in acting after hearing a radio play and thinking that he could do a better job – this led to an intensely busy period in which he would star in thousands of television episodes and numerous films, often wearing a glove and prosthetic finger to conceal his wartime injury. In 1966, he would be cast in Star Trek as the chief engineer of the USS Enterprise, choosing to name the character ‘Montgomery Scott’ after his grandfather. A talented voice actor, he was also responsible for ‘Scotty’s’ distinctive Scottish accent, and would provide numerous other voices for the show, in addition to helping develop some of the alien languages, including Klingon. ‘Scotty’ would become his most famous and enduring role, and while he would continue to take other parts, he consistently returned to the Star Trek franchise. Doohan would pass away in 2005, due to an illness believed to have been caused by exposure to hazardous substances during the war. As a legacy, he would serve as an inspiration for thousands of people who grew up with Star Trek to become engineers, and his iconic delivery as Scotty endures in popular lexicon.

Our new Soldier of Fortune figure for April isn’t wearing a red shirt, and there’s no tribble at all – just Lt. Doohan, as he would have appeared in action on D-Day, crisply rendered in Warlord Resin. Seen crouching next to an anti-landing-craft defence (an anti-tank mine strapped to the top of a pole) and taking aim at the enemy, he wears the archetypal Canadian Mk III helmet, and is a perfect addition to any Canadian force, perhaps as an Officer, Forward Observer, or simply as a very cool member of a rifle squad. Remember, this enterprising officer is only available during the month of April, after which time he’ll boldly go where all the rest of our previous Soldiers of Fortune have gone before – away (perhaps on an away team, as it were…)! It’s only logical that you pick him up while you can!