Background
Odd Bull was born on June 28, 1907. He traces his family origins back to 1700 when the family patriarch, a ship's captain named Jacob Bull, first settled in Norway (Odd Bull's unusual name comes from the juxtaposition of Odd, a common Norwegian given name, and Bull, the Anglo-Saxon surname). Jacob Bull's descendants retained their seafaring connection until the arrival of Odd Bull's father Gjert, who did not go to sea but became manager of a tobacco factory instead.
Odd Bull grew up in Oslo and received the first twelve years of his education at Vestheim School. At his leaving examination in 1925, he did worse than expected and decided to spend twelve months at a military academy. He enjoyed the experience so much that he eventually decided to take the two year officer training course, graduating in 1928 as a First Lieutenant in the 4th Infantry Division. During his training however, he had become interested in flying, and in 1929 he applied and was accepted into the Army Flying School. After two years of flying experience he became a flying instructor in 1931.
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