On this Day (WWI aviation news)

[PJ Fisher]

Americans 'Fight' for Freedom... and New Swimming Pool
This full-page advertisement was placed on this day in 1918 by the airmen at Taylor Field, which was the first military flying facility in the state of Alabama (established in late 1917 after the US joined the conflict).  The purpose of this 'greatest exhibit of flying ever witnessed in the South' was to raise funds not for war bonds but rather... to build themselves a 'badly needed' pool.  Alas, the Armistice would occur just five days before this great 'Aerial Circus' was to be held, presumably dashing their noble dream.  Just five months later, in April 1919, the airfield was shut down.

It would seem that these aspiring aviators neither got the chance to fly overseas nor take a collective plunge at home before the war was called off... however, the wikipedia entry on Taylor Field notes: "All the former hangars and structures of the military airfield have been torn down, though the remnants of a swimming pool remain"!
(from the Birmingham Age Herald, 3 November 1918):

[PJ Fisher]

Boelcke's Burial: Brits Honor Enemy While Comrade Swears Revenge
Despite the British having sent a wreath for Boelcke's casket, this graveside cry was allegedly uttered by Hermann von der Lieth-Thomsen, the commanding general of the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte, and winner of the Pour le Merite, even though he was not directly involved in air combat. Leith-Thomsen's son was already a POW having been shot down over England.  Clearly he never forgot this oath, since he served the Nazis in WWII as General der Flieger, even though by that time he had gone blind.
(respectively from the New York Sun and the New Britain Herald, 4 November 1916):

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[PJ Fisher]

'Prince of Pilots'
This spotlight on maverick French ace Charles Nungesser mentions little and misspells his name, though it does succinctly summarize his two renowned traits: an accumulation of accolades and a penchant for pain.  Regarding the latter, wikipedia quotes a medical summary of his many wounds:

"Skull fracture, brain concussion, internal injuries (multiple), five fractures of the upper jaw, two fractures of lower jaw, piece of anti-aircraft shrapnel imbedded [sic] in right arm, dislocation of knees (left and right), re-dislocation of left knee, bullet wound in mouth, bullet wound in ear, atrophy of tendons in left leg, atrophy of muscles in calf, dislocated clavicle, dislocated wrist, dislocated right ankle, loss of teeth, contusions too numerous to mention."

Yet he never stopped flying.  Nine years after this article was published, Nungesser was last seen flying westward over Ireland in a failed attempt to cross the Atlantic... just two weeks before the American Charles Lindberg achieved his triumphant 'Lindy Hop' in the opposite direction.
(from the Evening Star, 5 November 1916):

[PJ Fisher]

British Airmen Rescue Fallen Flier Then Traverse Egyptian Desert
Here's an interesting tale from the lesser-known Sinai & Palestine campaign of the Middle Eastern Theatre involving a daring flight by No. 30 Squadron, RFC following the bombing of a Turkish airfield.  I'm guessing this was achieved in a Royal Aircraft Factory B.E. variant, though I'm not certain.
(from the Anchorage Daily Times, 6 November 1916):



As a bonus, from the AWM archives, here's the view of the aerodrome at Kantara, Ismailia (El Qantara today) that these three airmen would likely have seen upon their return, along with a view inside their repair hangar:


And from a 1/72-scale perspective, here's a build of mine depicting a converted B.E.2b sent to join No.30 Squadron in Ismailia, Egypt, where it was operated against the Turks in defense of the Suez Canal throughout 1915.  I recall my 'diorama' was another low-budget affair comprising some brown fabric draped over a cardboard box and sprinkled with a mix of curry and mustard powder with a pinch dried fennel.
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[PJ Fisher]

Pigeons, Chickens and Crows Employed As Aerial Early-Warning System
(from the Spokesman-Review, 7 November 1915):

[PJ Fisher]

Trouble and Triumph Through Twenty-One Thousand Feet
The unnamed aviator noted in this almost-unbelievable combat story must be none other than William George Barker, the "most decorated war hero in the History of Canada, the British Empire, and the Commonwealth of Nations" (according the plaque on his tomb).  The legendary dogfight tore up the sky over the Western Front on 27 October 1918.  It resulted in Barker 'single-handedly' earning the Victoria Cross, though it took him months to recover from his grave injuries.  Ironically, Barker, like several other Great War aces reported on here, died not during combat, but from a simple flying accident.
(from The Sun, 8 November 1918):



And here's a modern recollection excerpted from acepilots.com:

"He took off in his Snipe, #E8102, started for England... Over Bois de Marmal, he first encountered a Rumpler 'C' two-seat recon plane. Its skillful pilot and observer/gunner kept him at bay, and the gunner hit Barker's Snipe. Eventually Barker circled away and, relying on his accurate gunnery, fired from 200 yards, killing the gunner. He quickly scored more hits on the now-vulnerable Rumpler, breaking it up in the air.  But in his focus on his victim, he missed a Fokker that got behind him. The Fokker's gunfire smashed into his right leg. Although badly injured, Barker was able to get into a circling contest, which only ended when his bullets struck the Fokker's gas tank, setting the plane afire.

At this moment, Barker's... found himself in the midst of a flight of Fokker and Albatros biplanes patrolling at high altitude. Spandau guns opened up from every direction and another bullet smashed into his other leg. Somehow, he managed to shoot down two of these opponents before he fainted and went into a diving spin. The rush of air revived him and he came to, still in the midst of German fighters. As they all fired at him, he selected one opponent and flew right at him, guns firing. As they closed, he blew it apart and then realized that his left elbow had been hit too.

Virtually crippled, with three limbs shattered, he passed out again. For a second time, he revived amidst enemy aircraft, now quite low. Incredibly, he dispatched another DVII. As he struggled to reach the safety of the British lines, a German bullet struck his gas tank. Luckily, it didn't catch fire and Billy switched over to reserve. Seconds later, the Snipe crash-landed, skidding sideways and then flipping over. The men of a Scottish infantry regiment, who had witnessed his epic aerial battle, pulled him from the wreckage... Barker had claimed another six victories."

Check out forum member Will Levesley's 1/72 Eastern Express build of Barker's Sopwith Snipe that also survived this legendary dogfight: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=12998.msg242497#msg242497

[PJ Fisher]

Machine Gun Duel
In contrast to yesterday's news chronicling perhaps the last great aerial battle from the last few weeks of the war, here's an article from 1914, when the conflict was just a few months underway and aerial combat was still somewhat of an uncodified novelty.  This duel involved the legendary aviation pioneer Louis Paulhan who taught himself to fly in 1909 an was among the first ten Frenchmen to obtain a pilot's license.
(from the Brattleboro Daily Reformer, 9 November 1914):

[PJ Fisher]

American Aviation Pioneer Falls Flying For Russia
He flew the plane from which the first parachute jump was made (March 1912).  He was the world's first airline airplane pilot (January 1914).  He test-piloted the prototype Curtiss 'Jenny' (July 1915).  And for a year Tony Jannus was stationed in Sevastopol training Russian pilots how to fly... until he plunged into the Black Sea when his Curtiss H-7 suffered engine trouble on 12 October 1916.  His body was never found.

Since 1963, the Tony Jannus Award for 'outstanding achievement in scheduled air transportation' has been awarded annually; past recipients include Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Chuck Yaeger, Richard Branson and Captain Sulley (hero of the 'Miracle on the Hudson').
(from the Fayette Falcon, 10 November 1916; badass image ℅ wikipedia):

 

Check out this 1/48 scale Lindberg build of a Curtiss Jenny shared by forum member ermeio:  https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=6106.msg111180#msg111180

[PJ Fisher]

Good News / Bad News
From the same front page of Frank Luke's home-state newspaper we're given two exciting headlines. First, revelation that the World War is over.  We're also informed that Luke, who was America's second-highest-scoring ace in their Expeditionary Force, has been awarded the Medal of Honor.  Luke was one of only thirteen aviators to earn 'ace in a day' status during the conflict. America's top ace, Eddie Rickenbacker would note (℅ wikipedia):

"He was the most daring aviator and greatest fighter pilot of the entire war. His life is one of the brightest glories of our Air Service. He went on a rampage and shot down fourteen enemy aircraft, including ten balloons, in eight days. No other ace, even the dreaded Richthofen, had ever come close to that."

Amazingly, though Luke had been killed in action back and buried by the Germans back in September, he was still being erroneously reported as missing by the American press.  This article suggests he was being held prisoner.  The full story of Luke's legendary last flight would not be revealed for another week or two.

In this same article, we also told of a war medal going a few other notables, including the Italian nationalist poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, who made his now-famous 1200-kilometer 'Flight over Vienna' (in an Ansaldo SVA) to drop 50,000 copies of his own propaganda poem. More on that story here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_over_Vienna
(from the Arizona Republican, 11 November 1918):





Check out forum member Mike Norris' 1/32 scale Hobbycraft build of Luke's Spad S.XIII: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=9691.0

And here's forum member xan's 1/48 scale Ansaldo SVA: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=12846.msg239482#msg239482

[PJ Fisher]

Saved by Whiskey and Soda
Who knows what is fact or fiction in this article, but it's a great tale of how the La Fayette Escadrille was spared from annihilation by a Gotha raid during the supposed first attack on the American flag on the Western Front.  'Whisky' and 'Soda' were, of course, the two famous lion-cub mascots belonging to the squadron. I wonder if anyone has ever written about all the wonderful Great War Mascots?  Sargeant Stubby is my personal favorite.
(from the South Bend News-Times, 12 November 1917):



Check out this blurb on Whiskey and Soda from a website for the recent documentary film, which includes a trailer: https://thelafayetteescadrille.org/whiskey-soda

[PJ Fisher]

Three Volleys for the Dead
The demise of the German ace Kurt Wintgens was reported here a few weeks back. Today's headline covers his dramatic burial; which, per the flyer's request, occurred near as possible to where he fell.  Hundreds attended.  Wreaths were dropped by air.  Several Blue-Max recipients joined the funeral procession, including: Ernst Freiherr von Althaus, Walter Höhndorf, Hans-Joachim Buddecke, and Wilhelm Frankl.  Within eighteen months all but Althaus (who ceased flying in 1917) would also be dead in the ground.
(from the Clarksburg Daily Telegram, 13 November 1916):




I couldn't find any completed examples for Wintgens' plane in the forum, but here member rhallinger's 1/32 WNW scale build of Buddecke's Fokker E.III: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=11986.msg226157#msg226157

[PJ Fisher]

Brit Grabs Bullet Out of the Sky
Probably another tall tale today, though still a fun read.
(from the Smyrna Times, 14 Nov 1917):

[PJ Fisher]

'Supremely Grotesque... Riotous Orgy'
Here's what reads like a snobbish art critic's opinion of German camouflage schemes.
(from Popular Mechanics, November 1917):

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And for your viewing pleasure here's a 'fantastic kaleidoscopic' Albatros by forum member drdave (1/32 scale WNW): https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=11844.msg220661#msg220661

[PJ Fisher]

Inside a Gotha Gun Tunnel
(from Popular Science, November 1917):



Check out forum member ClayMore Guy's 1/48 build of a Gotha G.IV which features a good view of the gun tunnel:  https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=12767.msg237877#msg237877

[PJ Fisher]

Clearly this reporter is all mixed up, but here's a little profile on the Caudron R.4, with an early example of nose art.  Apparently no one on the forum has posted a build of this machine...  another under-appreciated plane!
(from the Meridian Times, 17 November 1917):