Aalto, William Eric (32175470): Difference between revisions

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|surname=Aalto

|first=William

|middle=E.

|middle=Eric

|class_section=1B

|class_rank=~~T/Sgt~~

|class_rank=Technical Sergeant

|birth_year=1915

|death_year=1958

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|birth_date=30 July 1915

|death_date=11 June 1958

|birth_place=New York City~~, U.S.~~

|birth_place=New York City

|death_place=New York City~~, U.S.~~

|death_place=New York City

|branch=~~25px~~ International Brigades; ~~; 25px~~ Office of Strategic Services

|branch=International Brigades; Office of Strategic Services

|class_branch=~~25px~~ International Brigades; ~~; 25px~~ Office of Strategic Services

|class_branch=International Brigades; Office of Strategic Services

|years_of_service=1937–1938; 1941–1944

|rank_final=Captain; First Sergeant

|battles=Spanish Civil War<br />Battle of Teruel<br />Carchuna Raid<br />World War II

|photo=Wikipedia_Bill_Aalto_cleaned.jpg

|alias=William Oliver Ahlström

}}

William Eric Aalto (born William Oliver Ahlström, July ~~30,~~ 1915 – June ~~11,~~ 1958) was an American soldier ~~and member of~~ the ~~communist~~ Abraham Lincoln Battalion~~, a unit that volunteered to fight during~~ the Spanish Civil War ~~for~~ the ~~Popular Front~~.

'''William Eric Aalto''' (born William Oliver Ahlström; 30 July 1915 – 11 June 1958) was an American soldier who fought with the Abraham Lincoln Battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War and later served with the Office of Strategic Services and at [[Camp Ritchie]], Maryland, where he is listed with [[:Category:Class 5|Class 5]] and instructed in close combat and demolition.

</div>

== Biography ==

William Eric Aalto (born William Oliver Ahlström, July 30, 1915 – June 11, 1958) was an American soldier and member of the communist Abraham Lincoln Battalion, a unit that volunteered to fight during the Spanish Civil War for the Popular Front. William Eric Aalto, of Finnish extraction, was born in the Bronx, New York on July 30, ~~1915~~. ~~From 1937~~ to ~~1939~~, he served as Captain with the Abraham Lincoln Battalion (International Brigade) in Spanish Civil War. William worked for newspaper; Public Relations. He [Served as Captain with Loyalists in Spanish Civil War]. She enrolled in the local ~~communist party, educating her son with~~ Marxist ~~ideology~~. After leaving school, he worked as a truck driver and ~~was a member of~~ the Young Communist League. He was ~~later promoted to captain~~ on ~~June 5~~. ~~In September~~ 1938, ~~with~~ a Republican ~~defeat in sight~~, the Abraham Lincoln Battalion was withdrawn from the front ~~line~~ and ~~shortly afterwards~~ disbanded. During his time in Spain~~, Aalto~~ wrote: "A soldier who is politically conscious that he is right and who has a feeling of community with his society... will do his job well." With the help of his disability pension and the G.I. Bill, ~~he returned to further his education, studying~~ poetry at Columbia University~~. At this time, he~~ published ~~several~~ pieces ~~of his writings~~ in the New Masses. ~~Aalto then travelled to~~ Europe, where he met the poet W.H.

William Eric Aalto was born William Oliver Ahlström in the Bronx, New York, on 30 July 1915, into a family of Finnish extraction. His mother, who had emigrated to the United States about eight years earlier, joined the local Communist Party and raised him on Marxist ideas. After leaving school, Aalto worked as a truck driver and belonged to the Young Communist League.

Aalto reached Spain on 17 February 1937 and joined the International Brigades at Albacete, entering the Spanish Communist Party the following month. He volunteered for guerrilla operations that kept him behind enemy lines for weeks at a time; with fellow brigaders Alex Kunslich and Irving Goff he was trained by Soviet instructors in pressure-sensitive explosives for attacks on railways, bridges, and power lines, among them the main supply bridge over the Albarracín River, an operation that may have inspired Ernest Hemingway's ''For Whom the Bell Tolls''. At the end of 1937 he worked behind the lines again during the Battle of Teruel. On 23 May 1938, by then a lieutenant, Aalto led the amphibious raid on the Fort of Carchuna near Motril, which freed about 300 Republican prisoners, and he was promoted to captain on 5 June. When the Abraham Lincoln Battalion was withdrawn from the front in September 1938 and disbanded, he returned to the United States. During his time in Spain he wrote that "a soldier who is politically conscious that he is right and who has a feeling of community with his society... will do his job well."

Aalto enlisted at Camp Upton, New York, on 8 October 1941. Irving Goff recommended him to the Office of Strategic Services, and by December 1942 he was assigned to the OSS as a technical sergeant. After Aalto confided to Goff that he was gay, Goff and other Lincoln veterans in the OSS asked William Donovan to remove him from their team. Aalto was assigned to Camp Ritchie in January 1943 and in April joined Section VIII (Close Combat, including Demolition), training soldiers in demolition work. In 1943, while instructing a class, he lunged for a live grenade that a trainee had dropped; it exploded before he could throw it clear and severed his hand at the wrist. Later that year he was assigned to the 424th Infantry Regiment, promoted to first sergeant, and returned to Camp Ritchie, and he was afterward transferred to the 26th Infantry Division at Camp Campbell.

With the help of his disability pension and the G.I. Bill, Aalto studied poetry at Columbia University and published pieces in the ''New Masses''. He drifted away from the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, traveled in Europe, where he met W. H. Auden, and later worked in newspaper and public-relations work. He wrote little in his last years and struggled with alcoholism. Toward the end of his life he was the partner of the poet James Schuyler, who wrote about him in "Dining Out with Doug and Frank", and he appears as the one-armed "Nick Spain" in Jack Kerouac's ''The Subterraneans''. Aalto died of leukemia in New York City on 11 June 1958 and was buried in Long Island National Cemetery.

== Research notes ==

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Aalto

* Check ASN

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| row_source || both

|}

== Timeline ==

* 30 July 1915 — Born William Oliver Ahlström in the Bronx, New York.

* 1937 — 1939 Served as Captain with the Abraham Lincoln Battalion (International Brigade) in Spanish Civil War.

* 17 February 1937 — Arrived in Spain and joined the International Brigades at Albacete.

* 23 May 1938 — Led the amphibious raid on the Fort of Carchuna, freeing about 300 Republican prisoners.

* 5 June 1938 — Promoted to captain.

* 8 October 1941 — Enlisted at Camp Upton as Pvt (ASN: 32175470).

* December 1942 — Assigned to OSS as T/Sgt.

* January 1943 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie.

* 17 April 1943 — Assigned to Section VIII (Close Combat, including Demolition).

* October 1943 — Assigned to 424th Infantry Regiment (as Pfc).

* 30 October 1943 — Assigned to DEML.

* 1 November 1943 — Promoted to 1st Sgt.

* 20 November 1943 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie.

* 11 June 1958 — Died of leukemia in New York City; buried in Long Island National Cemetery.

* Transferred to 26th Infantry Division, Camp Campbell.

</div>

</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==

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* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)

* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)

* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of William E. Aalto for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 3 source documents reviewed)

* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Aalto, William E. for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 3 source files: WILLIAM (and FRED) AALTO.doc, WILLIAM E. AALTO (2021).docx, WILLIAM E. AALTO.doc)

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 |surname=Aalto
 |first=William
-|middle=E.
+|middle=Eric
 |class_section=1B
-|class_rank=T/Sgt
+|class_rank=Technical Sergeant
 |birth_year=1915
 |death_year=1958
@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 |birth_date=30 July 1915
 |death_date=11 June 1958
-|birth_place=New York City, U.S.
+|birth_place=New York City
-|death_place=New York City, U.S.
+|death_place=New York City
-|branch=25px International Brigades; ; 25px Office of Strategic Services
+|branch=International Brigades; Office of Strategic Services
-|class_branch=25px International Brigades; ; 25px Office of Strategic Services
+|class_branch=International Brigades; Office of Strategic Services
 |years_of_service=1937–1938; 1941–1944
 |rank_final=Captain; First Sergeant
 |battles=Spanish Civil War<br />Battle of Teruel<br />Carchuna Raid<br />World War II
 |photo=Wikipedia_Bill_Aalto_cleaned.jpg
+|alias=William Oliver Ahlström
 }}
 <div class="soldier-lead">
-William Eric Aalto (born William Oliver Ahlström, July 30, 1915 – June 11, 1958) was an American soldier and member of the communist Abraham Lincoln Battalion, a unit that volunteered to fight during the Spanish Civil War for the Popular Front.
+'''William Eric Aalto''' (born William Oliver Ahlström; 30 July 1915 &ndash; 11 June 1958) was an American soldier who fought with the Abraham Lincoln Battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War and later served with the Office of Strategic Services and at [[Camp Ritchie]], Maryland, where he is listed with [[:Category:Class 5|Class 5]] and instructed in close combat and demolition.
 </div>
 == Biography ==
-William Eric Aalto (born William Oliver Ahlström, July 30, 1915 – June 11, 1958) was an American soldier and member of the communist Abraham Lincoln Battalion, a unit that volunteered to fight during the Spanish Civil War for the Popular Front. William Eric Aalto, of Finnish extraction, was born in the Bronx, New York on July 30, 1915. From 1937 to 1939, he served as Captain with the Abraham Lincoln Battalion (International Brigade) in Spanish Civil War. William worked for newspaper; Public Relations. He [Served as Captain with Loyalists in Spanish Civil War]. She enrolled in the local communist party, educating her son with Marxist ideology. After leaving school, he worked as a truck driver and was a member of the Young Communist League. He was later promoted to captain on June 5. In September 1938, with a Republican defeat in sight, the Abraham Lincoln Battalion was withdrawn from the front line and shortly afterwards disbanded. During his time in Spain, Aalto wrote: "A soldier who is politically conscious that he is right and who has a feeling of community with his society... will do his job well." With the help of his disability pension and the G.I. Bill, he returned to further his education, studying poetry at Columbia University. At this time, he published several pieces of his writings in the New Masses. Aalto then travelled to Europe, where he met the poet W.H.
+William Eric Aalto was born William Oliver Ahlström in the Bronx, New York, on 30 July 1915, into a family of Finnish extraction. His mother, who had emigrated to the United States about eight years earlier, joined the local Communist Party and raised him on Marxist ideas. After leaving school, Aalto worked as a truck driver and belonged to the Young Communist League.
+Aalto reached Spain on 17 February 1937 and joined the International Brigades at Albacete, entering the Spanish Communist Party the following month. He volunteered for guerrilla operations that kept him behind enemy lines for weeks at a time; with fellow brigaders Alex Kunslich and Irving Goff he was trained by Soviet instructors in pressure-sensitive explosives for attacks on railways, bridges, and power lines, among them the main supply bridge over the Albarracín River, an operation that may have inspired Ernest Hemingway's ''For Whom the Bell Tolls''. At the end of 1937 he worked behind the lines again during the Battle of Teruel. On 23 May 1938, by then a lieutenant, Aalto led the amphibious raid on the Fort of Carchuna near Motril, which freed about 300 Republican prisoners, and he was promoted to captain on 5 June. When the Abraham Lincoln Battalion was withdrawn from the front in September 1938 and disbanded, he returned to the United States. During his time in Spain he wrote that "a soldier who is politically conscious that he is right and who has a feeling of community with his society... will do his job well."
+Aalto enlisted at Camp Upton, New York, on 8 October 1941. Irving Goff recommended him to the Office of Strategic Services, and by December 1942 he was assigned to the OSS as a technical sergeant. After Aalto confided to Goff that he was gay, Goff and other Lincoln veterans in the OSS asked William Donovan to remove him from their team. Aalto was assigned to Camp Ritchie in January 1943 and in April joined Section VIII (Close Combat, including Demolition), training soldiers in demolition work. In 1943, while instructing a class, he lunged for a live grenade that a trainee had dropped; it exploded before he could throw it clear and severed his hand at the wrist. Later that year he was assigned to the 424th Infantry Regiment, promoted to first sergeant, and returned to Camp Ritchie, and he was afterward transferred to the 26th Infantry Division at Camp Campbell.
+With the help of his disability pension and the G.I. Bill, Aalto studied poetry at Columbia University and published pieces in the ''New Masses''. He drifted away from the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, traveled in Europe, where he met W. H. Auden, and later worked in newspaper and public-relations work. He wrote little in his last years and struggled with alcoholism. Toward the end of his life he was the partner of the poet James Schuyler, who wrote about him in "Dining Out with Doug and Frank", and he appears as the one-armed "Nick Spain" in Jack Kerouac's ''The Subterraneans''. Aalto died of leukemia in New York City on 11 June 1958 and was buried in Long Island National Cemetery.
 == Research notes ==
-* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Aalto
 * Check ASN
@@ Line 111: / Line 117: @@
 | row_source || both
 |}
+== Timeline ==
+<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
+<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
+* 30 July 1915 — Born William Oliver Ahlström in the Bronx, New York.
+* 1937 — 1939 Served as Captain with the Abraham Lincoln Battalion (International Brigade) in Spanish Civil War.
+* 17 February 1937 — Arrived in Spain and joined the International Brigades at Albacete.
+* 23 May 1938 — Led the amphibious raid on the Fort of Carchuna, freeing about 300 Republican prisoners.
+* 5 June 1938 — Promoted to captain.
+* 8 October 1941 — Enlisted at Camp Upton as Pvt (ASN: 32175470).
+* December 1942 — Assigned to OSS as T/Sgt.
+* January 1943 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie.
+* 17 April 1943 — Assigned to Section VIII (Close Combat, including Demolition).
+* October 1943 — Assigned to 424th Infantry Regiment (as Pfc).
+* 30 October 1943 — Assigned to DEML.
+* 1 November 1943 — Promoted to 1st Sgt.
+* 20 November 1943 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie.
+* 11 June 1958 — Died of leukemia in New York City; buried in Long Island National Cemetery.
+* Transferred to 26th Infantry Division, Camp Campbell.
+</div>
+</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>
 == Sources ==
@@ Line 118: / Line 145: @@
 * NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
 * 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
+* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of William E. Aalto for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 3 source documents reviewed)
+* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Aalto, William E. for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 3 source files: WILLIAM (and FRED) AALTO.doc, WILLIAM E. AALTO (2021).docx, WILLIAM E. AALTO.doc)