T/5 Alfred Martin Astrup

T/5 Alfred Martin Astrup was one of the Danish nationals enlisting in the US Army during the Second World War. He served in 851th Engineer Aviation Battalion, which built and maintained airfields in the UK and on the continent.

Alfred Martin Astrup was born on 7 May 1905 in Bælum south of Aalborg, to farm labourer Niels Peter Valdemar Astrup and district midwife Christine Astrup (née Pedersen).^[1]

Astrup emigrated to the United States in 1927, arriving in New York on 3 May 1927 onboard the SS Frederik VII. ^[2] He lived with with brother Christian ‘Christ’ Astrup in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he was employed as a carpenter. ^[3] He married Lorraine Olsen in 1934. ^[4] The couple and their children moved to Los Angeles in 1933/34. ^[5] The couple divorced in September 1942.^[6]

Astrup enlisted in the US Army as a private (39270818) in Los Angeles, California, on 14 December 1942. He was a Danish national at the time. ^[7] He was naturalised as a United States citizen nine months later, on 24 September 1943. At this time, he served as a private in 1915th Engineer Regiment at Geiger Field in Washington.^[8]

At some point, he was posted to 851st Engineer Aviation Battalion (EAB), which was part of IX Engineer Command. ^[9] The responsibility of this command was to built and maintained airfields in England and on the European continent. ^[10] Prior to D-Day, 851st EAB was based in Kent maintaining newly constructed advanced landing grounds (ALG). The unit moved to the continent in October 1944 at Le Bourget aerodrome outside Paris. From there they moved to other areas of France before moving into Germany constructing and maintaining airfields. ^[11] It is not clear if he was in fact with this unit at the time. He was promoted to Technician 5 while serving at this unit.

Astrup was released from service on 22 June 1945. He returned to Los Angeles, California, where he died on 1 April 1956.^[12]

Endnotes

[1] DNA: Parish register, Bælum sogn.

[2] Ancestry: New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957.

[3] Ancestry: 1930 United States Federal Census.

[4] Ancestry: U.S., Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-current.

[5] Ancestry: 1940 United States Federal Census.

[6] Ancestry: Wisconsin, U.S., Divorce Records, 1907-2015.

[7] Ancestry: U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946.

[8] Ancestry: Washington, U.S., Petitions for Naturalization, 1860-1991.

[9] Ancestry: U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963.

[10] 851st Engineer Aviation Battalion (EAB), IX Engineer Command, https://ixengineercommand.com/components/units/851st-eab/ (accessed on 9 November 2024).

[11] 851st Engineer Aviation Battalion (EAB), IX Engineer Command, https://ixengineercommand.com/components/units/851st-eab/ (accessed on 9 November 2024).

[12] Ancestry: U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1861-1985.