History of the American Fighter Ace
During the First World War, the airplane became a primary weapon system. True, the earlises flights were strictly observation missions, but it was inevitable the English and French air crews would sight German aircraft. Eventually they flew close enough to exchange a friendly wave. The knights of medieval days had progressed to become knights of the air. However, just as in hockey, basketball or football, the gentle thoughts of the adversaries took a violent turn and means were rapidly devised to crush the enemy. Finally, at one historic meeting, a pisto was drawn and shots actually fired. The race was on, and some 60 plus years later the limits still have not been reached.
The French were the first to recognize the most successful pilots of aerial combat in WWI. They bestowed the "Ace" designation upon their pilots when a tenth aerial kill was accomplished. It was in the form of a "knighthood" and was considered perhaps the most glamorous distinction a man could achieve.
The British, too, informally recognized 10 aerial victories as qualifying for "acedom" although nothing official ever developed. It was not until the Americans jined the comat that the greatest impetus was exhibited and the AEF aritrarily established five aerial victories as qualifying one as an Ace. The Germans were seriously engaged in war at this time and gave little thought toward estalishing such a term as "ace", but they did bestow a form of knighthood upon their ;more successful pilots with the award of the Pour le Merite.
Before the arrival of American units in action, however, there were quite a number of eager young men who had left their homes in the United States to cast their lot with the Allied cause in WWI. Some journeyed to Canada and England to join the Royal Fllying Corps while others went to France and joined the French Foreign Legion as a means of getting into flight training.
The first American to shoot down five enemy aircraft was a Colorado cowboy, Frederick Libby. Libby had seen service in the trenches with the Canadian Army efore he was trained as an observer. In the capacity of gunner/observer he was credited with downing 10 enemy aircraft. Libby went on to complete pilot training and became a fighter pilot ace with 14 victories to his credit. The man who must be recognized as America'a first fighter pilot ace of WWI is Captain Alan M. Wilkinson who flew with the Royal FlhyingCorps. Wilkinson entered combat in Janujary 1916 and scored five kills between May 16th and August 31st of that year. At war's end the American was credited with nineteen victories and had been awarded the British Distinguished Service Order.
A number of the Americans flying with the French were joined together to form the famed Escadrille Lafayette. The colorful unit spawned a number of American fighter aces, the foremost being Major Raoul Lufbery. This international adventurer was not only a fine pilot, but an excellent tactician of the day. To combat the "Flying Circus" tactics of the Germans he devised the "Lufery Circle" as a defensive maneuver. While his fame as a fighter ace may have waned, his maneuver is just as alive today as it was during World War I.
Lufberry scored his first aerial kill on July 30, 1916, and was an ace before Christmas. He was commissioned a Major in the U.S. Air Service in January 1918 and sent to command the 94th Aero Squadron. Unfortunately, he was killed in aerial combat before he could increase his score of seventeen that had been scored while flying with the French.
The first U.S. Air Service unit victory did not come until April 14, 1918, when Lieutenants Douglas Campbell and Alan F. Winslow shot down two German pursuit planes over Gengault airdrome. Campbell went on to become the first ace of the American Air Service when he downed his fifth enemy aircraft, a Rumpler two-seater, on May 13, 1918.
America's two most celebrated aces of World War I were the antithesis of one another. Captain Eddie Richenbacker, who had been told that he was too old to be a pilot, went on to become the ace of aces with 26 confirmed victories to his credit. Captain Eddie was a mature, cool and calculating pilot. He was aggressive, but not foolish and his capability as a pilot and marksman are indicated by his success.
Lieutenant Frank Luke, the "Arizona Ballon Buster" was young, reckless and placed little value on his own life. He was a lone wolf who chose to stalk his prey, usually a balloon, without thought as to the plausibility of the attack or the chances of survival. Luke's meteoric rise to fame was brief. He was killed on September 29, 1918, following an attack in which he downed three balloons. He was forced to crash land and chose to shoot it out with German soldiers rather than surrender. His final three balloons gave him a total of 13 balloons and 4 enemy aircraft destroyed.
At the end of World War I there had been 111 Americans qualify for the title of fighter ace. This included those who had flown with the British and the French. A distictive ace of that conflict is Rear Admiral David S. Ingalls, USNR, who was the only U.S. Navy ace. Ingalls was trained by both the French and the British before being posted to Dunkirk with a U.S. Navy unit. To relieve the boredom of his patrol flights he joined in the combat missions of an R.A.F. unit. Flying Sopwith Camels with the ritish he became the navy's one ace of World War I.
The next opportunity for American fighter pilots to enter into combat came in the mid-1930's during the Spanish Civil War. A number of ppilots from the U.S. cast their lot with the Loyalist forces and did battle in the air with the Nationalists forces and the German Luftwaffe Condor legion that abetted their cause. Two Americansbecame fighter aces in that conflict. Lt. Frank Tinker downed eight aircraft as did Lt. Albert J. "Ajax" Baumler. Baumler wnt on to score another five victories fling with the 23rd Fighter Group in China in World War II to become the first American to be an ace in two wars.
When the drums of war began to beat in Europe in 1939 the eyes of young Americans were turned in that direction once more. As the German blitzkrieg began to roll and country after country fell before its assault these men began their migration to England and Canada to join in the fight. Very few Americans were in the ranks of the Royal Air force during the Battle of Britain, but by 1941 there were sufficient numbers to band them into the first Eagle Squadron, No. 71. The first American ace of World War II was a man that had gone to war with the Canadians as an infantryman. Pilot Officer William R. Dunn joined the Eagle Squadron flying Hawker Hurricanes ans shot down his first German on July 2, 1941. He became a fighter ace on July 27th in a wild air battle over France. By the time the pilots of three Eagle Squadrons of the RAF transferred to the U.S.Army Air force in 1942 there were three more American aces in their ranks; Chesley Peterson, Gus Daymnd and Carroll McColpin. Other Americans became fighter aces flying with the RAF on Malta and in North Africa.
...to be continued
Source: American Fighter Aces Album
Copyright (C) The American Fighter Aces Association
First Printing 1978
Second Printing 1979
Edited by: William N. Hess, Recording Secretary
Produced by: Kenneth Davidson
Printed by: Taylor Publishing, Dallas, TX, Covina, CA
Layout Editor: Ann Ankney
Library of Congress Catalog Card No: 78-65455