8th Air Force
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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Olger Ivan Aal
Military
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1/Lt. Olger Aal. Taken in December 1943.
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Memorial at the church of Drieslinter in Belgium to the three Allied airmen who died nearby. It was inaugurated on 10 May 2015. The airmen were First Lieutenant Olger I Aal, the pilot of P-47 44-19580 and the two crew of a Mosquito, Australian pilot William Searle Vale, 27, and Flight Lieutenant Alfred E D Ashcroft, 24, a navigator and wireless operator from Surrey.
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The Drieslinter church in Belgium. The memorial to the three Allied airmen can be seen to the right of the church doorway.
Assigned to 350FS, 353FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) bombing mission to Brussels, one of five A/C bombing Diest aerodrome, failed to rejoin after attack, cause unknown 29-Aug-44. 1st Lt Aal Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 8312.
3 x victories.
Awards: DFC, AM (3OLC), PH.
Service
Units served with
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353rd Fighter Group
Group
The 353rd Fighter Group was assigned to the Eighth Air Force on 7 June 1943. The group flew P-47 Thunderbolts, and from October 1944, P-51 Mustangs, as escorts for bombing missions across occupied Europe and to strafe targets on the ground. Tactical... -
350th Fighter Squadron
Squadron
Aircraft
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44-19580 Rat A Dat
P-47 Thunderbolt
Associated Place
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Raydon
Military site : airfield
Although never used as such, Raydon was built during 1942-43 as an Eighth Air Force bomber base, with three concrete runways, 50 loop and one pan hardstandings, and two dispersed T2 hangars. Initially on loan to the Ninth Air Force, it was first... -
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Born | Williston, North Dakota, USA | 3 January 1923 |
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Son of Ole A and Clara Otelia [Peterson] Aal. |
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| Lived in | Williston, ND 58801, USA | 1940 |
| Enlisted | Los Angeles, CA | 17 August 1942 |
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Los Angeles, California |
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| Based | Raydon | 1944 – 29 August 1944 |
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Assigned to 350FS, 353FG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Crashed | Airport Blvd, Galveston, TX 77554, USA | 17 March 1944 |
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Forced Landing due to Engine Failure Galveston AAF Texas Cat 4 damage, pilot 2nd Lt Olger I Aal, 17-Mar-44. P-47D 42-23276 - 515FBS, 407FBG. |
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| Died | Linter, Belgium | 29 August 1944 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) bombing mission to Brussels, one of five A/C bombing Diest aerodrome, failed to rejoin after attack, cause unknown 29-Aug-44. 1st Lt Aal Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 8312. |
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| Buried | St Trond, Belgium | 31 August 1944 |
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Airfield Cemetery |
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| Buried | 1946 | |
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Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2020 08:45:48 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, service number, biography and events |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/628240690 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 30 March 2020 14:43:15 | Andycole0 | Changes to place associations |
| Sources | ||
American Battle Monument's Commission, www.abmc.gov |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 June 2016 17:00:01 | Al_Skiff | Changes to role, biography, events, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbmpilot.asp?Pilot=Aal%2C+Olger |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 June 2015 13:02:58 | Lucy May | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
https://www.abmc.gov/search-abmc-burials-and-memorializations/detail/WWI... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 11 February 2015 17:06:08 | Lucy May | Changes to service number, highest rank, biography, awards and events |
| Sources | ||
Findagrave record: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=55846995 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 22 November 2014 18:07:28 | Deemax | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
http://www.fieldsofhonor-database.com/index.php/american-war-cemetery-ar... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 06 October 2014 11:11:39 | PhillWray | Changes to awards |
| Sources | ||
Associated with award from short biography. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:20:45 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Jonah's Feet Are Dry, p.634 / MACR 8312 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list |
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