Gunnar Kolbjorn Olsen was born at Chicago, Cook County, Illinois on April 4, 1925. His parents were Kolbjorn Olaf Olsen (23 Nov 1894 – 22 Jan 1945), who was born at Oslo, Norway and immigrated to America about 1912; and Marie M. (Evensen or Evenson) Olsen (31 Jul 1896 – Aug 1987), who was born at Oslo, Norway and immigrated to America about 1914. Apparently his father went by his middle name, Olaf, for much of his life. Olaf and Marie Olsen married at Chicago, Illinois on September 18, 1920.

He had an older sister, Norma Magdalene (Olsen) Pahr (8 Aug 1922 – 2 Sep 2019), who was born at Chicago, Illinois. In 1930 the family lived at 2326 Kostner Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. His father was a machinist who, in 1930 to 1940, supported the family by driving a truck to deliver dairy products and eggs. By 1935 the family lived at 4326 McLean Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, his home of record.

He registered for the draft at Chicago on April 5, 1943. He was 6 feet tall, weighed 170 pounds, and had blue eyes and red hair. He enlisted in the Army in 1943. Prior to entering Aviation Cadet training, he was assigned to the 34th College Training Detachment (Air Crew) at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Then he completed Army Air Forces navigation training, and was assigned to the heavy bomber crew of Lt Daniel C. Smoke Jr.

Lt Smoke's crew completed B-17 operational training at Biloxi, Mississippi, and was sent to Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia before deploying to England.They were assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 by February 26, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.

On March 19, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched thirty aircraft to bomb a communications center at Zwickau, Germany. The Smoke crew flew B-17G 43-38038 on this mission. Because of poor weather over England, the Group assembled into formation over A-71, the Allied advanced landing ground near Clastres in northeastern France. F/O Olsen and his eight crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft collided with Lt John R. Virgin's B-17G 43-37969 'Beverly Jean' during formation assembly. All of Lt Virgin's crew bailed out and survived, but none of Lt Smoke's crew was able to bail out. F/O Olsen and his crewmates perished in the subsequent crash of their aircraft near Couvron, France.

The dead were buried initially at the temporary U.S. Military Cemetery Champigneul #1 near Chalons-sur-Marne, France. (Chalons-sur-Marne was renamed Chβlons-en-Champagne in 1998.) Flight Officer Olsen's remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Irving Park cemetery in Chicago, Illinois on November 20, 1948. He is buried next to his parents.

B-17G 43-38038 crew:
• Smoke Jr, Daniel C – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Pendarvis, George H – F/O – Copilot – KIA
• Olsen, Gunnar K – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Strong, John H – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• White Jr, John – Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Stone, Harold J – Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Sala, David W – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Koepsell, Elmer E – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Burres, Richard E – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA

Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com