There is a simple grave in Seaside Cemetery, marking the final resting place of an extraordinary man. Many in Corpus Christi knew this man. For years, he operated Edlin’s Auction House, where one could bid on fine antiques and collectibles. Those who knew him were probably unaware of his heroic accomplishments during World War II.
This mild-mannered, unassuming auctioneer, Robert Edlin, was recognized as the first man to board a landing craft in England for the D-day Invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. He was only 21 years old and a member of the elite Army Rangers...the guys assigned the most impossible tasks during combat.
Being one of the first to come ashore at Omaha Beach, Edlin and his men faced relentless German fire. Within minutes of landing, he had earned his Purple Heart. Severely wounded in both legs, he managed to make it ashore and off the beach. He somehow managed to survive the slaughter that took the lives of 2,500 of our men on that first day of the invasion.
After two months of recovery in an English hospital, he refused to be sent home. Instead, re-joined his Ranger unit and went back into combat. What Robert Edlin did in the months after going back into combat was nothing short of extreme heroism...day in, and day out.
On September 9, 1944, Edlin led a 4 man patrol behind enemy lines to gain information on the Graf Spee Battery...the largest and most formidable German gun emplacement on the Brittany Peninsula of France. It protected the German submarine base at the port city of Brest, France. The massive 288mm (14 inch) guns could fire a 2,000-pound shell over 10 miles in any direction. In the three days before September 9, the huge Graf Spee guns relentlessly pounded American forces. The guns and the fortress surrounding them were occupied by 850 German troops.
To attack the fort, the U.S. Army had assembled a force of 3,000 soldiers and knew that it was going to be a very bloody battle...but a battle that had to be won. In approaching the fortress, Edlin's 4 man squad was able to take a German pillbox and capture 20 soldiers inside...without firing a shot. Edlin then decided to do a totally illogical, almost foolish thing (hence the name of the book describing his exploits, "The Fool Lieutenant"). Holding the German lieutenant in charge of the pillbox at gunpoint, Edlin ordered the man to take him to the Commander of the fortress. One of Edlin's men stayed behind in the pillbox to guard their prisoners. Edlin and his buddy, William Courtney, boldly marched their German prisoner straight into the fort and into the Commander's headquarters. There, he encountered Colonel Martin Fuerst, the officer in command of the fortress. At gunpoint, Edlin ordered the Colonel to surrender the fortress and all its men, telling Fuerst that the fortress was completely surrounded by Rangers. Colonel Fuerst refused. Edlin then took out a hand grenade and pulled the pin. Holding the grenade up to Fuerst's stomach (or slightly lower), Edlin told him that he would die right now if he didn't. Edlin gave him to the count of three. When he reached two, Colonel Fuerst quickly agreed to surrender! He went on the fort's PA system and ordered the entire garrison to lay down their weapons. Without the loss of a single life...on either side...Edlin had captured 850 German soldiers and ended the threat of the Graf Spee guns.
For his actions that day, Robert Edlin was recommended for the Congressional Medal of Honor by his Ranger Commander, Colonel James Earl Rudder....who later would become President of Texas A&M University. The recommendation went all the way up to the highest levels. There was no doubt that Edlin had earned the nation's highest military award. However, Edlin was told that he was to be sent home immediately. The Army could not risk a Medal of Honor winner being killed or captured, so his days of combat would be over. At that, Edlin turned down the award, refusing to leave his Ranger unit while there was still a war to be won! As a result, Robert Edlin was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second-highest medal.
He continued fighting through some of the most dangerous combat of the war. He was near the Czech border when word came in May 1945 that the war in Europe was over. Even then, Edlin went to Colonel Rudder to request a transfer to the Pacific to fight the Japanese. Rudder refused the request, telling Edlin it was time to go home. Edlin returned to his home in Indiana. Years later, it was his old Ranger Commander, now retired GENERAL James Rudder, who convinced Robert Edlin to move to Texas...and specifically Corpus Christi. Edlin brought his whole family in 1963. His auction house was known by many in the city for years...though few people had any idea that this genuine WW II hero lived among us.
***As a side note, Robert Edlin returned to Weymouth, England in 1999. His first visit was when he boarded that landing craft on D-day in 1944. He was welcomed as a celebrity by huge crowds of people. It was then that he learned that a photo taken of him going onto the landing craft first on June 6, 1944, was a photo that hung in 80% of the homes in Weymouth. To the people of this English port, this young soldier represented the sacrifice of so many young men to liberate Europe and destroy Nazi tyranny.
In October 2000, the City of Corpus Christi also acknowledged and recognized Robert Edlin, proclaiming the entire month as "Robert Edlin Day".
Robert Edlin....The Fool Lieutenant....passed away on April 1, 2005.
Robert Parks is a special contributor to KRIS 6 News. Parks was a history teacher at Carroll High School for 19 years and is now retired. His knowledge of Corpus Christi history makes him a unique expert in the subject.