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Submit- Full
name
OLSON, John Walter - Date of
birth
24 December 1915 -
Age
26 - Place of
birth
Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts -
Hometown
Hyde Park, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-430684 -
Rank
Captain -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
367th Bombardment Squadron,
306th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
9 October 1942 - Place of
death
On the railroad to Tournai, at Néchin, Belgium
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 11 | 24 |
Immediate family
-
Members
John Olson (father)
Blenda M. (Bentson) Olson (mother)
Svea O. Olson (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
41-24510 -
Data
Type: B-17F
Nickname: Snoozy II
Destination: Vendeville, France
Mission: Bombing of the airfield
MACR: 6706
More information
Capt John W. Olson attended King College and was a flaower grower before he joined the Air Corps of the Army of the United States in Boston, Massachusetts on 1 May 1941.According to Capt. Henry W. Terry, III, he saw Lt Olson's aircraft over Ménin after leaving the target, with Nos. 1 and 4 engines smoking. He stayed in formation until they caught fire, then dropped back. Several enemy aircraft pounced on him and the plane dropped seemingly out of control.
The plane was shot down by Hptm Priller of III/JG26.
According to witness statements of surviving crew member, Capt Olson was hit by a canon shell from an enemy fighter. He sat unconscious in his seat when they bailed out.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, André Koch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.fold3.com - MACR 6706, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, www.wwiimemorial.com - Bruce MacLellan