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Robin OldsBrigadier General, United States Air Force
Date of Birth: 14.07.1922
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Robin Olds: American Fighter Ace
- West Point and World War II
- Fighter Pilot in Europe
- Post-World War II Service
- - August 14, 1944 - 2 Fw.190s
- Career Frustrations and Vietnam
- Combat Leadership in Vietnam
- Ace of Aces in Vietnam
- Leadership and Legacy
Robin Olds: American Fighter Ace
Early Life and EducationRobin Olds, a Brigadier General in the United States Air Force and a renowned fighter ace in World War II, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, but spent much of his childhood in Hampton, Virginia. After the loss of his mother at age four, Olds was raised by his father, Robert Olds, who had been a World War I aviator and former aide to General Billy Mitchell, a seminal figure in the history of American military aviation. Olds flew for the first time at age eight as a passenger in his father's plane. By age 12, he had set his sights on attending the United States Military Academy at West Point to become an officer and military pilot. In addition to aviation, Olds' other passion was American football, which he played for his high school team that won the Virginia state championship in 1937.
West Point and World War II
Following high school graduation in 1939, Olds enrolled not in college but in a preparatory school in Washington, D.C., that groomed young men for entry into military academies. When Germany invaded Poland that same year, sparking World War II, Olds attempted to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force but was denied permission by his father (which was required despite Olds' exaggerated age of 19).
On June 1, 1940, Robin Olds was accepted into West Point. His class was scheduled to graduate in 1944, but wartime conditions accelerated the curriculum, and those cadets intending to serve in the United States Army Air Corps (the forerunner of the USAF) received primary flight training. Olds graduated from West Point on June 1, 1943, and was awarded his pilot wings by General Henry Arnold. While at the Academy, Olds continued to play football with great distinction; he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
Fighter Pilot in Europe
After completing fighter pilot training, Lieutenant Olds was assigned to the 434th Squadron of the 479th Fighter Group. He arrived in the United Kingdom with his unit in May 1944. Flying the P-38J "Lightning" heavy fighter-bomber, which he nicknamed "Scat" (he would later use this name for all his aircraft), Olds claimed his first victories on August 14, shooting down two Fw.190s near Montmirail. On August 25, he fought perhaps his most notable battle. Leading a four-ship flight that was clearing the way for an American bomber raid near Berlin, Olds' flight encountered a group of 55 German Bf.109s. Two pilots in his formation broke away and headed home, but Olds and his wingman engaged, claiming three kills despite being outnumbered 27 to 2. Olds' P-38 was heavily damaged, but he managed to return to base, formally becoming an ace that day. Olds' unit received P-51D "Mustang" fighters in September. Olds scored his first victory in the new aircraft on October 6, but would not add to his tally again until the following February. In the closing days of the war, in April 1945, he participated in raids on German airfields, destroying multiple enemy aircraft on the ground. While strafing parked aircraft may seem relatively low-risk, Olds recalled that these missions were actually hazardous. On a raid against the Tarnewitz airfield, for instance, only Olds' badly damaged Mustang returned out of five that had attacked.
Post-World War II Service
Major Olds ended the war with a total of 12 confirmed and one probable aerial victories, as well as 11.5 enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground.
- August 14, 1944 - 2 Fw.190s
- August 25, 1944 - 3 Bf.109s- October 6, 1944 - 1
- February 9, 1945 - 1 Bf.109
- February 14, 1945 - 2 Fw.190s, 1 Bf.109 (only Fw.190s credited)
- March 19, 1945 - 1 Fw.190, 1 Bf.109
- April 7, 1945 - 1 Bf.109
From February 1946, Olds served with the 412th Fighter Group in California, which was equipped with P-80 "Shooting Star" jet fighters. Around this time, he and fellow World War II ace Lieutenant Colonel John Herbst founded an aerobatic team, essentially the first in the USAF and a precursor to the famous "Thunderbirds." In 1948, Olds was exchanged to the British Royal Air Force, where he flew Meteors and even commanded No. 1 Squadron. Upon his return to the US, he was assigned to the 71st Fighter Squadron, which was part of Air Defense Command. This assignment prevented Olds from flying in the Korean War, despite his repeated requests for deployment.
Career Frustrations and Vietnam
Emerging career frustrations led Olds to consider leaving the Air Force. However, he was advised to stay by his mentor, General Frederick Smith. In the ensuing years, Olds reluctantly served in various staff positions. In 1955, he finally returned to an operational role, commanding the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Group, which flew F-86 "Sabre" jets based in Landstuhl, West Germany, for a year. He then held further administrative and staff positions, and graduated from the National War College in 1963. From 1963 to 1965, he commanded the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing (F-101 "Voodoo" fighter-bombers) at RAF Bentwaters, UK. Here, he also established an impromptu aerobatic team, which (by his own admission) almost got him court-martialed but ultimately resulted in his being relieved of command and reassigned to the US.
On September 30, 1966, Colonel Robin Olds was given command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing "Wolf Pack" based at Ubon, Thailand, which was engaged in combat in Vietnam.
Combat Leadership in Vietnam
Upon arriving in Ubon, Olds immediately placed himself on the flight schedule under junior but combat-experienced pilots. He explained that they would teach him their skills, as he would ultimately be leading them into battle. Unlike his predecessor, who had flown just 12 combat sorties during his tenure, Olds flew regularly, like his fellow pilots.
In late 1966, North Vietnamese fighter activity intensified dramatically, and their kill ratio began to climb rapidly. Olds proposed a retaliatory operation, which he was tasked with planning. Operation "Bolo" involved F-4 "Phantom" II fighters mimicking F-105 "Thunderchief" strike aircraft to lure enemy aircraft into an ambush. The operation unfolded on January 2, 1967, resulting in the decimation of the North Vietnamese Air Force's 921st Fighter Regiment. American pilots claimed seven confirmed and two probable victories over MiG-21s that day. The Vietnamese admitted losing six aircraft, but both sides agreed that no American aircraft were shot down. Robin Olds personally led the strike force and claimed his first aerial victory in Vietnam. After the loss of two more aircraft on January 6, the North Vietnamese Air Force virtually ceased combat operations for two months.
Ace of Aces in Vietnam
In May 1967, Olds scored three more kills, making him the highest-scoring American fighter pilot since the start of the war. He could have likely achieved one more (it is believed he had at least 10 potential opportunities), but he deliberately avoided doing so. Olds was aware that becoming the first American ace since Korea, with five kills, would make him a "media hero" and result in him being sent home, away from the risks of combat. This had previously happened to Joseph McConnell and his rival "Pete" Fernandez, who, after becoming triple aces in Korea, were both immediately grounded and returned to the US. For Olds, commanding a wing in active combat was more important than adding a fifth star to the fuselage of his Phantom.
Of fighter pilots, Olds famously said, "There are pilots and there are pilots; the good ones are natural. You can't teach it." He was a lifelong advocate for the value of aerial maneuvering, which fell out of favor during the "missile madness" era preceding Vietnam and the USAF's shift towards nuclear warfare. In 1962, Olds was ordered by his commander to cease writing a research paper about the importance of tactical aviation in limited conventional warfare. Olds lamented that "Maneuvering wasn't something we were allowed to do. Very little attention was paid to low-level attacks, dive attacks, use of rockets, that sort of thing. It was considered irrelevant." In the air battles of Vietnam, Olds employed vertical maneuvering, which was not commonly practiced by American pilots at the time. Those who observed him in action marveled at his ability to anticipate and control the rapidly changing conditions of aerial combat.
Leadership and Legacy
Beyond his aerial achievements (which included the Air Force Cross, the Air Force's second-highest award for valor, for his August 11, 1967, raid on the Paul Doumer Bridge in Hanoi), Olds was known for his trademark handlebar mustache, which violated military regulations. Many pilots in the 8th Wing grew mustaches in imitation of him.
