Robin Olds [2] (July 14, 1922 - June 14, 2007) was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the United States Air Force (USAF). At about 4,000ft (1,200m), the Jerry, still way out of my range, turned under me and slightly to the right. Promoted to brigadier general on June 1, 1968, he worked to restore pride in the school after a large cheating scandal had blackened its reputation. His mother, Eloise, died when he was 4. [52] He completed his first combat tour on November 9, 1944, accruing 270 hours of combat time and six kills. [75] Following his Pentagon assignment, Olds attended the National War College in Washington D.C., graduating in 1963. His wife is Ella Raines (6 February 1947 - 1975) ( divorced) ( 3 children) Robin Olds Net Worth His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. He was a 2001 inductee of the National Aviation Hall of. with Robin McGraw," the 66-year-old admitted that she did have a cosmetic procedure a few years back, just not a face-lift. [104][105], Robin Olds' ribbons as they appeared at retirement. Traveling to Britain, he commanded No. Olds scored his first kill on August 14, 1944, when he turned a Focke-Wulf 190 into a fiery German-filled inferno, but it was on a particularly balls-out mission 11 days later that Captain Robin Olds truly made a name for himself as a man that needed to have a special flight suit constructed just to contain his ridiculously-oversized steel testicles. "[98] Olds started the mustache in the wake of the success of Operation Bolo and let it grow beyond regulation length because "It became the middle finger I couldn't raise in the PR photographs. James flew 78 combat missions into North Vietnam and helped Olds to plan and lead the famed . If you ever wanted to fly a P-51 Mustang in combat over Germany or shoot down a MiG over North Vietnam flying your F-4 Phantom, reading this is the closest you can get without actually doing it. Completing the course of study, Olds was accepted to West Point in July 1940 and played for the renowned coach Red Blaik, compiling so stellar a record as a tackle on both offense and defense that in 1985 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Scat XXVII (F-4C-24-MC 64-0829) was retired from operational service and placed on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Robin Roberts is an engaged woman. He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general. [67], Olds went to England under the U.S. Air Force/Royal Air Force Exchange Program in 1948. Olds had administrative and staff duty assignments at the Pentagon between 1958 and 1962 as the Deputy Chief, Air Defense Division, Headquarters USAF. Selecting service in the U.S. Army Air Forces, Olds completed his primary flight training in the summer of 1942 at the Spartan School of Aviation in Tulsa, Oklahoma. General McConnell stuck a finger under Colonel Oldss nose and commanded, Take it off., Robin Olds, 84, Fighter Ace and Hero of Big Vietnam Battle, Dies, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/20/us/20olds.html. A later marriage, to Morgan Olds, ended in divorce. He really was "larger than life." His father Robert was an aviation pioneer from the WW I era so the boy grew up in the company of airpower greats like Hap Arnold, Billy Mitchell, and Tooey Spaatz. I was the only one to return homeWhen I tested the stall characteristics of my wounded bird over our home airfield, I found it quit flying at a little over 175mph (282km/h) indicated and rolled violently into the dead wing (note: the right flap had been blown away and two large holes knocked in the same wing). Welch may have been one of the most popular sex symbols of 1960s and 1970s. Ella Raines died on May 30, 1988, Sherman Oaks, California from throat cancer. Gen. Robin Olds, a World War II fighter ace who became an aviation legend by commanding the Air Force wing that shot down seven MIGs over North Vietnam in the biggest air battle of the. 6/15/2007 - U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) -- Legendary fighter pilot, retired Brig. The wing had converted to the F101 and he loved to show us what it could do during annual air shows. I rolled over on my back, following him and gave him an ineffective burst at long range. [73], Most of their 29-year marriage, marked by frequent extended separations and difficult homecomings, was turbulent because of a clash of lifestyles,[113] particularly her refusal to ever live in government housing on base. John Darrell Sherwood, in his book Fast Movers: Jet Pilots and the Vietnam Experience,[4] posits that Olds' heavy drinking hurt his post-Vietnam career. After he received a conditional commitment for nomination from Pennsylvania Congressman J. Buell Snyder, Olds moved to Uniontown, Pennsylvania, where he lived in the YMCA and supported himself working odd jobs. The kids on base loved it. View military histories of over 2 million, If you are a veteran, reconnect with people. [42], On an escort mission to Wismar on August 23, his flight was on the far left of the group's line abreast formation and encountered 4050 Messerschmitt Bf 109s near Wittenberge, flying north at the same 28,000ft (8,500m) altitude in a loose formation of three large vees. [39] Olds flew a new P-38J Lightning that he nicknamed Scat II. He asserted that his superior at Third Air Force attempted to have him court-martialed, but the commander of USAFE, General Gabriel P. Disosway, instead authorized his removal from command of the 81st TFW, cancellation of a recommended Legion of Merit award, and transfer to the headquarters of the Ninth Air Force at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. He had . [76] James and Olds worked closely together for a year as a command team and developed both a professional and social relationship which was later renewed in combat. He retired in 1973 as a Brigadier General of the United States Air Force (USAF) after 30 years of service. Leaving the 8th TFW in September 1967, Olds was made Commandant of Cadets at the US Air Force Academy. [27] During his Academy years Olds also acquired a strong contempt for alumni networking, commonly called "ring knocking",[28] to the degree that he went out of his way to conceal his West Point background. Bailout seemed the logical response, but here's where sentiment got in the way of reason. In this first "closed course" jet race, six P-80s competed against each other on a three pylon course 30miles in length. He began cleaning house. After fatally damaging the Bf 109 he dived away and restarted his engines. All photographs included in this website are credited to U.S. Air Force Photo, unless otherwise indicated. The mustache became my silent last word in the verbal battleswith higher headquarters on rules, targets, and fighting the war. Following graduation, he commanded the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Bentwaters. Robin Olds was born in Honolulu. By Kayla Keegan Updated: Jan 4, 2023. He was commissioned on June 1, 1943, and completed his pilot training later that year. Lt Col James was as motivational whenever I saw him speak. As viewers may know, the ABC co-host never . The remainder of his career was spent in non-operational positions, as Commandant of Cadets at the United States Air Force Academy and as an official in the Air Force Inspector General's Office. [22], Olds played on the varsity college football team in both 1941 and 1942. Anyone can read what you share. Copyright 2003-2021. Col Olds had several general assemblies with the support staff and they were always motivational. From dead astern, he fired a five-second burst and observed many hits. She is currently not legally married, however, confirmed on Jan. 2 she plans to wed Amber in 2023 Robin has been in a longtime. I was stationed at RAF Bentwaters while Col Olds was the wing commander and Lt Col Chappy James was the DO. He was no less than one of the greatest fighter pilots in U.S. history a triple ace who scored at least 17 victories in World. His father died of pneumonia on April 28, 1943, after hospitalization for constrictive pericarditis and Libman-Sacks endocarditis,[108][109] at the age of 46, just prior to Olds' graduation from West Point.[110]. [45][46] His combat report for that date concluded: Still in a shallow dive, I observed a P-38 and a Me 109 going round and round. This called for 8th TFW F-4s to mimic F-105 operations in an effort to draw enemy aircraft into combat. Returning to Europe in January 1945, he was promoted to Major the following month on February 9, and received his seventh aerial victory the same day, using his P-51Ds new K-14 gunsight to calculate the deflection and hit a Bf-109 at 450 yards over Magdeburg with his first burst, a result that surprised even Maj. Olds. 146 AFHRA, Brigadier General Robin Olds. As a Colonel, I had to check with some general for permission to visit the latrine., Unlike many pilots who regarded airplanes as tools, Olds could be sentimental about his machines. [71] A lack of aggressiveness and sense of purpose in the wing had led to the change in command (Olds' predecessor had flown only 12 missions during the 10 months the wing had been in combat). Robin's oldest daughter, Susan lead off the remembrances with stories of being a teenager living at the Academy while Robin was Commandant of Cadets for 3 years. Robin Hugh Gibb was born on 22 December 1949 in Jane Crookall Maternity Home in Douglas, Isle of Man, to Barbara Gibb (ne Pass) and Hugh Gibb.He was the fraternal twin of Maurice Gibb and was the older of the two by 35 minutes. Cadets applying to the Air Corps were classified as Air Cadets, with a modified curriculum which provided flying training but eliminated Military Topography and Graphics required for Ground Cadets. The free-wheeling environment at Ubon fueled morale, and the Wolfpacks was stratospheric. Postwar after VE-Day, he returned to the States and reverted to his permanent rank: a 23-year-old Captain. Olds returned to West Point, hoping to graduate early and see action in the war. His father was Captain (later Major General) Robert Oldys (later Olds; 18961943),[2] an instructor pilot in France during World War I, former aide to Brigadier General Billy Mitchell from 1922 to 1925,[5] and a leading advocate of strategic bombing in the Air Corps. [56][57] South of Bremen, Olds noticed contrails popping up above a bank of cirrus clouds, of aircraft flying above and to the left of the bombers. 39 Robin Olds Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 39 Robin Olds Premium High Res Photos Browse 39 robin olds stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. In February 1946, Olds obtained a transfer to the 412th Fighter Group at March Field, California, and trained on the P-80 Shooting Star. For math, science, nutrition, history . [21] Olds completed Millard Prep and applied for admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point. [37], Olds was promoted to first lieutenant on December 1, 1943. He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 17victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. In 1946, while based at March Field, Olds met Hollywood actress (and "pin-up girl") Ella Raines on a blind date in Palm Springs. After her fathers death, Christina spent years combing through her fathers notes, diaries and unfinished memoir to complete a captivating, intimate memoir of the consummate fighter pilot. Seen as a rising star, Olds was selected for a U.S. Air Force-Royal Air Force exchange program in 1948. He was an All-Star player for the West Point Academy football team, a husband and father of two daughters. Mar 11, 2023 [Civil War, Ambrotype] New Hampshire Soldier & Wife $350. Olds., National War College, P-38J aircraft, P-51 Mustang, P-51 pilots, P-51D's, P-80 Shooting Star, Palm Springs, Robert Olds, Robin Olds, Royal Canadian Air Force, SR-71 Blackbird, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Air Force-Royal Air Force, U.S. Army Air Forces, United States, United States Air Force, US Air Force Academy, USAF, World War II. He knew from his sources that all was not well in the 8th TFW and resolved to see it from the perspective of the FNG (the freaking new guy). Mar 11, 2023 [Civil War] Dashing Image of an Armed Soldier Before . A triple ace, he achieved a combined total of 16 victories in the Second World War and the Vietnam War. He was married to the actress Ella Raines from 1947 to 1976, and he married Morgan Barnett in 1978 and remained married to her until 1993. Save Article. U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Robin Olds (July 14, 1922-June 14, 2007), son of Army Air Corps Major General Robert Olds, is a Triple Ace fighter pilot who flew combat missions in WWII and Vietnam. Olds replied, "Yes, sir.". Gen. Billy Mitchell. To make a wonderfully long story short, they lost.. [94][95], Olds was known for the extravagantly waxed (and decidedly non-regulation) handlebar moustache he sported in Vietnam. 1 Squadron at RAF Tangmere and flew the Gloster Meteor. He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 17 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general. . (It) was the most direct order I had received in twenty-four years of service. Not Robin Olds. Cape Town - Police in Limpopo have opened a case of murder as well as an inquest docket after the husband shot and killed his wife and, later, turned the gun on himself on Sunday.Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the couple worked as paramedics.Mojapelo said the 44-year-old wife had obtained a protection order against her husband.The pair were estranged at the . In his first two dogfights, he was alone with his wingman, having left formation to hunt on his own. ChristinaOlds is the daughter of Robin Olds, an Americanfighter pilotand general officer in theU.S. Air Force. The 479th arrived in Scotland on May 14, 1944, and entrained for RAF Wattisham, in eastern England, where it arrived the next day. Air Force pilots, he reported to the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen John D. Ryan (a former SAC general and bomber pilot often at odds with the tactical fighter community), "couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag," because of a systemic lack of interest by the USAF in air-to-air combat training for fighter crews. Olds did not want to live in that world. He later reflected on the hazards of such missions: I was hit by flak as I was pulling out of a dive-strafing pass on an airfield called Tarnewitz, up on the Baltic. He was flying so low, he said in an interview that year, that it seemed the gunners on roofs were shooting down at him. As children in Manchester, Gibb and his brothers began committing crimes such . I broke left as well as my plane could and the Jerry overshot. It caught us unprepared because we weren't allowed to learn it or practice it in training. He nursed his crippled Mustang back to base but found that it stalled at 175 mph, rolling violently. Copied by his men, they referred to them as bulletproof mustaches. During this time, he avoided shooting down a fifth MiG as he had been alerted that should he become an ace over Vietnam, he would be relieved of command and brought home to conduct publicity events for the Air Force. Remaining abroad for three years, he later oversaw the Weapons Proficiency Center at Wheelus Air Base, Libya. His ashes were interred at the US Air Force Academy. His fourth MiG kill in Vietnam was recreated in the season 2 episode "No Room For Error". On August 11, Olds conducted a strike on the Paul Doumer Bridge in Hanoi. On the evening of June 14, 2007 he died from congestive heart failure in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a month before his 85th birthday. You can download the book in thee-book format of your choice at AmazonorSmashwords. Her earliest memory was the Transatlantic crossing from New York to England on the Queen Mary. What he valued most was the courage and skill of his aircrews. He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general, after 30 years of service. Returning to the US, Olds was assigned to West Point to serve as an assistant football coach to Earl Red Blaik. Lincoln's wife and Spider-Man's aunt," Field . It was the best assignment I had during my almost 12 years in the USAF. Your orders have to be legal and proper. [120], Olds is remembered as the Class Exemplar of the Academy Class of 2011, which had begun Basic Cadet Training, the first step towards becoming Air Force officers, two days before Olds' funeral.[121]. He was a triple ace, with a combined total of 16victories inWorld War IIand theVietnam War. [62][63][64], In April 1946, he and Lieutenant Colonel John C. "Pappy" Herbst formed what he believed was the Air Force's first jet aerobatic demonstration team. And even as a commanding officer, he made a point of placing himself on the flight schedule as a rookie pilot under officers his junior. Hell, if I was one of them Id have got 50 of us!. September 26, 2022 by John Groove. Robin Olds (1922-2007) was a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot. Robin married Abigail Morgan Sellers Barnett in January 1978, and they divorced after fifteen years of marriage. General Olds, rated a triple ace for having shot down a total of 16 enemy aircraft during World War II and the Vietnam War, served his country in assignments . Olds was promoted tobrigadier generalafter returning from Vietnam and became Commandant of Cadets at theUnited States Air Force Academy. On August 25, during an escort mission to Wismar, Germany, Olds shot down three Messerschmitt Bf 109s to become the squadrons first ace, making him the last P-38 ace of the Eighth Air Force and the last in the European Theater of Operations. Olds, briefly hospitalized during the incident for facial cuts, pleaded guilty in return for charges of weaving and felony vehicular eluding being dropped. Jane Ridley. His 259 total combat missions included 107 in World War II and 152 in Southeast Asia, 105 of those over North Vietnam. The engagement marked the only combat appearance of Sonderkommando Elbe, a German Air Force squadron formed to ram Allied bombers. Following his exchange assignment, Olds returned to March AFB to become operations officer of the 94th Fighter Squadron of the 1st Fighter Group, flying North American F-86A Sabres, on November 15, 1949. Dubbing his P-38J aircraft the Scat II (every fighter he flew in combat was named Scat and numbered sequentially), Olds worked closely with his crew chief to learn about aircraft maintenance. Despite her impressively long resume, she'll probably always be best remembered for her role in . He said "It sounds like an exaggeration but I managed to pull out, right above this wheat field near the town of Rostock." He also reasoned that the drag of the pod would both degrade the performance characteristics of the F-4 while not gaining it any advantage against the more maneuverable MiG-17s and MiG-21s, result in unnecessary losses strafing worthless targets, and reduce the number of bombs carried by the Phantoms, the delivery of which was the 8th's primary mission.[102]. Robin Olds was a "triple ace" American fighter pilot with a combined total of 17 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) -- Retired Brig. The oldest of four, Olds spent the majority of his childhood at Langley Field, Virginia where his father was stationed as an aide to Brig. March 16, 2015 12:01am. 28 Feb 2023 16:56:21 As our way to help you celebrate the New Year, were offering the first book in the Hamfist series FREE! I straightened out and gave him a burst. For a brief time his father was married to Nina Gore Auchincloss, making General Olds a stepbrother of the writer Gore Vidal. The incident left its mark on Olds such that when he became Commandant of Cadets at the Air Force Academy, use of the Honor Code as an instrument for integrity rather than as a tool for petty enforcement of discipline became a point of emphasis in his administration. ", David Hartman, Aviation writer and original host of Good Morning America. Olds with his trademark mustache, conducting a pre-combat mission walk around inspection of his F-4 fighter, at, 1971 inspector general tour and 1973 retirement, A private site asserts that this was a derogatory comment, and that they were usually referred to as ". Olds attended Hampton High School where he was elected president of his class three successive years,[20] and played varsity high school football on a team that won the state championship of Virginia in 1937. Olds left the 81st in 1965 after forming an aerial demonstration team without command authorization. Years later, Wetterhahn compared Olds arrival with that of Brig. En route he arranged with the 4453rd Combat Crew Training Wing, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, (where Col. James was now Deputy Commander of Operations) to be checked out in the Phantom, completing the 14-step syllabus in just five days. Gen. Robin Olds, a World War II fighter ace who became an aviation legend by commanding the Air Force wing that shot down seven MIGs over North Vietnam in the biggest air battle of the Vietnam War, died last Thursday at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colo. He served as commandant of cadets for three years and sought to restore morale in the wake of a major cheating scandal. Naturally he wanted to follow in their footsteps. Join us as we chronicle and celebrate this larger-than-life Renaissance man with an informative look into what made Robin Olds the legend that he is today. Olds was also selected as an All-American as the cadets compiled a 63 record, beating Lafayette College, Cornell, Columbia, Harvard, VMI, and Princeton, and falling to Notre Dame, Penn, and Navy. General Olds went on to serve in many countries and positions, including assignments to Air Force headquarters and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He warned that losses would be severe in any resumption of aerial combat. While pulling hard on the yoke and turning hard left at 90. He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general. Olds was promoted to brigadier general on June 1, 1968, with seniority dating from May 28. Christina Olds, daughter of the late Brig. . He thought about the words, absorbed, them, and passed them along. He brought three-year-old Robin with him to court, dressed in an Air Service uniform, and posed with him for newspaper photographers before testifying. Army's record in 1941 was 531, with wins over The Citadel, VMI, Yale, Columbia, and West Virginia, a scoreless tie with Notre Dame, and losses to Harvard, Penn and Navy. Their son is named after Robin, whose middle name was McLaurin. Born on July 14, 1922 in Honolulu, Olds was the son of Robert Olds, a fighter pilot in World War I and later an aide to Billy Mitchell. [119], In March 2007 Olds was hospitalized in Colorado for complications of Stage 4 prostate cancer. Olds was aggressive, even mean, as a player, and received offers to attend Virginia Military Institute and Dartmouth College on football scholarships. Decades later he said, As a Major, I was responsible for feeding and housing my men, training my men, and rewarding or punishing them. When the MIGs responded by attacking what seemed to be F-105s, the F-4s downed seven of them. US Air Force Brigadier General. Olds observed a Bf 109 of Sonderkommando Elbe attack the bombers and shoot down a B-24. He says "I went on into the fight, got another one, BE (His wing man) got two others with one pass. As recognized by the American Fighter Aces Association, Olds was the only pilot to "make ace" in both the P-38 (5 victories) and the P-51 (8 victories). Olds ruled over a fiefdom like a feudal baron, enjoying the excitement of the hunt by day and discussing the great game with his men at arms by night. The son of U.S. Army Air Forces Major General Robert Olds, educated at West Point, and the product of an upbringing in the early years of the U.S. Army Air Corps, Olds epitomized the youthful World War II fighter pilot. A stunning success, Operation Bolo effectively eliminated the MiG threat for most of the spring of 1967. On February 14, he claimed three victories, two Bf 109s and an Fw 190, but one of the former was credited only as a "probable". At a time when the Air Force was focused on nuclear strategy, General Olds argued for strengthening conventional warfare capabilities. Because do you know what that is? In a gesture of individuality, he grew an enormous, meticulously waxed handlebar mustache. Robin Olds was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the United States Air Force. In an ultra-low-level attack, leaving rooster tails on the paddies behind them, Olds and two wingmen put their bombs on target. In Vietnam, he led the Eighth Tactical Fighter Wing, which scored 24 such kills, an unsurpassed total for that conflict. [69] Discouraged and at odds with the Air Force, in which he was seen as an iconoclast, Olds reportedly was in the process of resigning when he was talked out of it by a mentor, Maj Gen Frederic H. Smith Jr., who brought him to work at Eastern Air Defense Command headquarters at Stewart AFB, New York. First, he cut loose the deadwood, the ticket punchers and careerists who had sniveled some counters - missions that counted toward completion of a tour when in fact they had not gone north. Brigadier General Robin Olds' next assignment was as Commandant of . When is Robin Roberts Marrying? 367K views 7 years ago The USAF F-4 Phantom II, painted up in the colors of triple ace Robin Olds, performs flybys during the Saturday night airshow at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015. Operation Bolo, and P-38 dogfights Olds experienced were recreated using computer animation in the episode "Air Ambush", of The History Channel Dogfights series, first telecast on November 10, 2006. Returning to the United States after the war, Olds was assigned at West Point as an assistant football coach for Red Blaik. Increasingly unhappy with the U.S. Air Force, despite promotions to Lieutenant Colonel (1951) and Colonel (1953), he debated retiring but was talked out of it by his friend Maj. Gen. Frederic H. Smith, Jr. By the end of World War II, Olds had established his reputation as a talented fighter pilot in the P-51 Mustang, having shot down 12 enemy aircraft and destroyed another 11.5 on the ground, all in . He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 16 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Olds attempted to join the Royal Canadian Air Force but was thwarted by his father's refusal to approve his enlistment papers. The son of an Army Air Corps general, Robin Olds (July 14, 1922 - June 14, 2007) is best known as a Triple Ace combat pilot who was willing to break a few rules to get the job done. When the 479ths first commander was shot down in August 1944, Hub Zemke moved over from the fabled 56th Fighter Group and rejuvenated the Mighty Eighths last fighter outfit. [46] Olds became an ace on both of his combat tours and was twice awarded the Silver Star, for the mission of August 25 and for the achievements of himself and his squadron during his combined tours.[60]. [107], Olds was briefly a stepbrother of author Gore Vidal after Olds' father married for the fourth time in June 1942, to Nina Gore Auchincloss. [91][92], He was awarded a fourth Silver Star for leading a three-aircraft low-level bombing strike on March 30, 1967, and the Air Force Cross for an attack on the Paul Doumer Bridge in Hanoi on August 11, one of five awarded to Air Force pilots for that mission. Most everybody grew a mustache. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In contrast, todays sedate, sober young professionals are superbly educated, highly competent, and terrified that they might say something that somebody would find objectionable.

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