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First Lieutenant Charles Rudolph d'Olive was a World War I
When d'Olive returned home, he went into business. For reasons that remain murky, d'Olive would not be officially recognized as an ace until 1963. He died of cancer on 20 July 1974.
In 2016, the
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...
, credited with five aerial victories. He was the last World War I aviator to be declared an ace, in 1963.
World War I
Although born in Alabama, d'Olive later lived inCedar Falls, Iowa
Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city population was 40,713. Cedar Falls is home to the University of Northern Iowa, a public university.
Cedar Falls along with neighbori ...
. He enlisted into aviation service in Memphis during Bloody April
Bloody April was the (largely successful) British air support operation during the Battle of Arras (1917), Battle of Arras in April 1917, during which particularly heavy casualties were suffered by the Royal Flying Corps at the hands of the Germ ...
1917. He trained in France, and was posted to the 93rd Aero Squadron
The 93d Aero Squadron was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I.
The squadron was assigned as a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron as part of the 3d Pursuit Group, F ...
on 23 August 1918 as a SPAD S.XIII
The SPAD S.XIII is a French biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War, developed by ''Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) from the earlier and highly successful SPAD S.VII.
During early 1917, the French designer Louis Bé ...
pilot. He scored the new unit's first victory on 12 September. The following day, he shot down three Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII is a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the '' Fokker-Flugzeugwerke''. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII ...
s, two in conjunction with George Willard Furlow; it was an exploit that earned d'Olive the Distinguished Service Cross. He scored once more, on 18 October 1918. Ten days later, he was transferred to the 141st Aero Squadron as a Flight commander
A flight commander is the leader of a constituent portion of an aerial squadron in aerial operations, often into combat. That constituent portion is known as a flight, and usually contains six or fewer aircraft, with three or four being a common ...
.
Post World War I
When d'Olive returned home, he went into business. For reasons that remain murky, d'Olive would not be officially recognized as an ace until 1963. He died of cancer on 20 July 1974.
In 2016, the USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
Historian Office commissioned a painting of d'Olive's three-victory flight, unveiling it at an event at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is ...
on October 1, 2016.
A number of historic items and documents from d'Olive's military service are on display at the 93d Bomb Squadron
The 93rd Bomb Squadron, sometimes written as 93d Bomb Squadron, is a squadron of the United States Air Force Reserve. It is assigned to the 307th Operations Group of Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. ...
offices at Barksdale Air Force Base
Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, in northwest Louisiana. Much of the base is within the city limits of Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwest ...
, Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
. In 2018, his daughter, Susan d'Olive Mozena, flew on a B-52
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Ai ...
training mission with the 93rd in honor of his World War I achievements.
Honors and awards citations
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
*Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
*Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
(DSC)
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Charles Rudolph d'Olive, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near St. Benoit, France, September 12, 1918, First Lieutenant D'Olive, in conjunction with another American pilot, engaged and fought five enemy planes. Outnumbered and fighting against tremendous odds, he shot down three enemy planes and outfought the entire enemy formation.(General Orders No. 123, W.D., 1918) as quoted at http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/dolive.php www.theaerodrome.com Retrieved on 27 June 2010.
See also
*List of World War I flying aces from the United States
The following is a list of flying aces from the United States of America who served in World War I.
Overview
Even before the United States entry into World War I in April 1917, many Americans volunteered to serve in the armed forces of Great B ...
References
Bibliography
* ''American Aces of World War I.'' Norman Franks, Harry Dempsey. Osprey Publishing, 2001. , . {{DEFAULTSORT:Dolive, Charles R. 1896 births 1974 deaths People from Clarke County, Alabama Aviators from Alabama People from Cedar Falls, Iowa Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) American World War I flying aces Burials at Vine Street Hill Cemetery