Navy Federal Credit Union

During World War II, David Archibald and Paul Olson were on patrol together in separate fighter airplanes when they were attacked by a vastly superior force of enemy FW-190’s. Each of them became a U.S. Army Air Forces ACE-IN-A-DAY, credited with shooting down 5 enemy aircraft in aerial combat on December 18, 1944. Archibald’s badly damaged airplane subsequently crashed southeast of Cologne, and his unconscious body was pulled from the wreckage by German soldiers and taken prisoner.

Awards Received

  • Prisoner of War Medal

    Service:

    United States Army Air Forces

    Rank:

    First Lieutenant (Air Corps)

    Batallion:

    368th Fighter Squadron

    Regiment:

    359th Fighter Group

    Division:

    Prisoner of War (Germany)

    Action Date:

    December 18, 1944 – May 1945

    NARA Database: Records of World War II Prisoners of War, created, 1942 – 37675

    First Lieutenant (Air Corps) David Barnes Archibald (ASN: 0-803926), United States Army Air Forces, was captured by German forces after his airplane crashed on 18 December 1944, and was held as a Prisoner of War until his return to U.S. Military Control at the end of hostilities in May 1945.