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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Military
Albert Schlegel was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1919. Lacking the two college certificates required by the US Army Air Corp, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), flight training was in Ontario, Canada, final service training taking place in England at an RAF Operational training Unit (OTU) on Hurricanes. By the time of his transfer to the US Army Air Force in January 1943 he had logged 249.3 flying hours and was a Flight Sgt. Upon transfer he gained the rank of Flight Officer. He was stationed at Debden and flew Spitfires until they were replaced by P-47 Thunderbolts in March 1943. He was assigned to the 335th Fighter Squadron of the 4th Fighter Group and was promoted to First Lieutenant.
His first victory occurred on 2 October 1943, an Me-109. In March 1944 the group switched to P-51 Mustangs and Schlegel became a Flight Leader. His activities picked up, and he began to have victories to the extent that he became an "Ace" on 22 April 1944, and two days later he added two more 109s and shared a third.
Now a Captain, he went on leave to the United States. When he returned he became the 335th's Squadron Operations Officer, an office he held for only ten days. On 28 August 1944, he was shot down by flak, baled out, captured, interrogated at Valmy train station, subsequently executed by the enemy. Killed in Action (KIA). He had scored 13.5 confirmed [8.5 Air] [5 Ground] and 2.5 probables.
Awards: DFC [4 OLC], AM [3 OLC], PH.
His name is on the Tablets of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery. In January 2016, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency exhumed the remains of an Unknown Soldier buried in Plot B Row 5 Grave 66 at Epinal American Cemetery with the belief that an identification could be made. Laboratory analysis and circumstantial evidence were used to positively identify the remains as belonging to Capt. Albert L. Schlegel.
His name remains permanently inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing. When an individual’s remains have been accounted for by the U.S. Department of Defense, a rosette is placed next to the name on the Wall/Tablet/Court of the Missing to mark that the person now rests in a known gravesite.
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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Group
Some of the pilots of the 4th Fighter Group had seen many hours of combat by the time they joined the 4th Fighter Group as they had volunteered with the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Air Force. The three 'Eagle Squadrons' of RAF Fighter...
Squadron
The 335th Fighter Squadron was the offspring of No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron RAF. Formed on 21 May 1941, No. 121 was the second of the three Eagle Squadrons composed of American volunteers flying out of England. They were known as the "Chiefs" and were...
P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 335FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. Aborted escort mission to Karlsruhe, due to engine problems, on return to base, pilot Lt Eliot H Shapleigh abandoned A/C. Evaded capture EVD. 27-May-44. MACR 5724.
P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 335FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. A/C struck by flak while strafing targets NW of Strasbourg, France. 28-Aug-44 - Pilot Capt Albert Schlegel Killed in Action KIA. MACR 8299.
P-51 Mustang
One-time personal aircraft of Lt Albert Schlegel and Lt Eliot H Shapleigh.
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Assigned 335FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF.
28 August 1944
Mustangs P-51D of the 4th FG, 335th FS were engaged in a strafing mission on transportation targets along the French-German border, in order to prevent numerous German units to go back to Germany after the Battle of Normandy and liberation of Paris....
Military site : airfield
RAF Debden, construction of which began in 1935, is perhaps most famous as a Battle of Britain fighter airfield, partly responsible for the defence of London in 1940. In 1942 it was also home to three RAF 'Eagle Squadrons’ of volunteer American pilots...
Event | Location | Date |
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Born | Cleveland, OH, USA | 20 August 1919 |
Son of Albert Lewis Sr and Lillian Olive [Honsberg] Schlegel. |
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Enlisted | Toronto, ON, Canada | 3 March 1941 |
Joined Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF, 3-Mar-41. Aircraftsman 2nd Class. |
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Service flight training | Goderich, ON, Canada | 24 March 1941 |
Ground and primary flight training RCAF Air Station, Goderich, Ontario on the shores of Lake Huron. |
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Flight training | Aylmer, ON N5H, Canada | June 1941 |
Single engine fighter training at Alymer, Ontario. |
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Graduated [pilot] / Promotion | Ontario, Canada | 23 October 1941 |
Awarded wings when he graduated on 23-Oct-41, as Sgt pilot. |
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Overseas deployment to ETO | England, UK | 23 November 1941 |
Deployed to England, 23-Nov-41. Posted to the Bournemouth |
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Operational service training | England, UK | 7 December 1941 |
Posted to an RAF Operational Training Unit (OTU). |
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Wounded in crash / Hospitalised | England, UK | 8 February 1942 – August 1942 |
Wounded in accident in Lorry with ran into a bomb crater. Suffered broken right leg and foot, facial injuries, a concussion. Hospitalised. 8-Feb-42. |
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Returned to flight status | England, UK | September 1942 |
Returned to flight status in September 1942. |
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OTU training | England, UK | 7 October 1942 – 29 December 1942 |
Resumed OTU training on 7-Oct-42 completing it on 29-Dec-42. |
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Promotion | Debden, Saffron Walden CB11, UK | 29 December 1942 |
Commissioned Flight Officer 29-Dec-42. |
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Transferred USAAF / Promoted F/O | Debden, Saffron Walden CB11, UK | 25 January 1943 |
Transferred USAAF Jan-43. Promoted to Flight Officer. |
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Honourably discharged RCAF | Debden, Saffron Walden CB11, UK | 25 January 1943 |
Honourably discharged from the RCAF 25-Jan-43. 249.30 flying hours mostly in Hurricanes. |
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Transitional training | Debden, Saffron Walden CB11, UK | February 1943 – 3 July 1943 |
Transitioned to USAAF fighters, Spitfires, P-39's and laterly P-47's. |
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Based | Debden | 3 July 1943 – 28 August 1944 |
Assigned to 335FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. |
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Promotion | Debden, Saffron Walden CB11, UK | August 1943 |
Promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. |
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E/A destroyed | Germany | 2 October 1943 |
Me109 destroyed. |
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Promotion | Debden, Saffron Walden CB11, UK | 28 January 1944 |
Promoted to 1st Lieutenant. |
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Crashed | Debden, Saffron Walden CB11, UK | 4 March 1944 |
Landing Accident Gear collapsed Debden/Sta 356 Cat 3 damage Capt Albert L Schlegel, 4-Mar-44. P-51B 43-6770 - 335FS 4FG 8AF. |
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Flight Leader | Debden, Saffron Walden CB11, UK | 5 March 1944 |
Flight Leader 335FS, 4FG, 8AF. |
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E/A destroyed | 17100 Saintes, France | 21 March 1944 |
He111 destroyed. South of Saintes. |
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E/A destroyed [2], shared [1], damaged [1] | Brunswick, Germany | 8 April 1944 |
1 x Fw190 destroyed, 1 x Fw190 shared, 1 x Me109 shared, 1 x Fw190 damaged [ground], Brunswick, Germany. Also train Loco damaged. |
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E/A destroyed [2] | Kassel, Germany | 22 April 1944 |
2 x Me109 destroyed. Kassel, Germany. |
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E/A destroyed [2], shared [1] | Worms, Germany | 24 April 1944 |
2 x Fw190 destroyed. 1 x Fw190 shared. Worms, Germany. |
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Promotion | Debden, Saffron Walden CB11, UK | 28 April 1944 |
Promoted to Captain. |
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Died | 51800 Valmy, France | 28 August 1944 |
Shot down by flak, baled out in vicinity of Valmy, executed by enemy. Killed In Action (KIA). 28-Aug-44. MACR 8299. |
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Buried | Valmy, France | 28 August 1944 |
Unmarked grave, near train station, Valmy, France. |
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Buried | 51150 Champigneul-Champagne, France | 18 November 1944 |
Interred unknown as X-73 |
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Buried | 1945 | |
Tablets of the Missing |
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Buried | Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial | 6 December 1948 |
Re-Interred unknown as X-73 |
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Buried | Beaufort National Cemetery, Beaufort, SC | 30 March 2017 |
Post Identification |
Date | Contributor | Update |
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04 January 2021 20:03:20 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, events and unit associations |
Sources | ||
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56660489/albert-l-schlegel |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
03 December 2020 22:09:57 | decwriter | Changes to service number and awards |
Sources | ||
Per the photo, he is wearing one bronze star on the EAME Campaign Medal. His Flight Officer number is verified through NARA files. |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
02 April 2017 13:22:55 | Al_Skiff | Changes to biography, events and place associations |
Sources | ||
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbmpilot.asp?Pilot=Schlegel&Submi... |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
02 April 2017 10:29:53 | Al_Skiff | Changes to biography and events |
Sources | ||
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbmpilot.asp?Pilot=Schlegel&Submi... |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
01 April 2017 17:28:47 | Al_Skiff | Changes to suffix, nickname, role, events and unit associations |
Sources | ||
Perry R Nuhn Colonel [Retd] USAF nephew of Albert L Shlegel via email |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
21 March 2017 17:37:22 | Lucy May | Changes to role, biography, awards, events and place associations |
Sources | ||
Date | Contributor | Update |
27 June 2016 22:45:52 | perryr | Changes to nickname |
Sources | ||
Nick name was furnished with photo from 4th Fighter Group Association. Details of their file below. 4th Fighter Group Association details |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
10 March 2015 20:01:45 | apollo11 | Changes to highest rank, biography, awards, events and place associations |
Sources | ||
Personal research & 'Eighty-One Aces of the 4th fighter Group' by Frank Speer. |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:03:09 | AAM | AAM ingest |
Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 8299 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list |