#flying ace

I have not been able to stop thinking about this post since I saw it the other day and like many of you am having bucktommy thoughts about it. I have fallen into a bit of a research spiral and found out that this photograph is of two men who were part of the 8th division of the US Air Force in WWII. This division was responsible for half of the casualties of the air force in world war one. So after talking with @a-mel0n I am maybe.....maybe writing something a little angsty. About this. Here is the (rough, maybe) beginning.

"And this," Tommy said proudly, slapping the side of the last plane in the line up, "is the best one of all. My girl, Barbara Jean. BJ, if you're lucky."

"And the only woman Kinard knows," Chim joked, slapping his hand down on Tommy's shoulder.

"Very funny, Howie," Tommy said. The quirk of his lips gave him away.

"But not the only bj he knows!" Sal called out lewdly from across the tarmac.

"You're a real comedian, DeLuca!" Tommy yelled back, grin stretched full across his face now. Buck's head pings back and forth between the men as they banter, brow furrowed like he's missing something but isn't sure what.

"Wh-what does he mean by that?" Buck asked Tommy after Chim had wandered away. He didn't want to sound stupid in front of the other men, but somehow asking Tommy didn't feel quite so daunting.

Tommy gave him an incredulous look at the question, one that immediately softened when Buck flushed with shame. "Kid," he said. "Believe me. If you don't already know, there's no use learning."

Buck ducked his down and tried not to scuff his boots—still a little shiny—against the asphalt. Taking pity on him, Tommy threw and arm around his shoulder pulling him away from the planes.

Milestone Monday

Aces High

On April 21, 1918, the famous German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, widely known as the Red Baron, was killed during World War I. This is the subject of the book, The Day the Red Baron Died, published in New York by Bonanza Books in 1970, which is presented here. Written by Dale M. Titler Sr. (1926-2014), an aviation and military history writer, it provides a detailed account of Richthofen’s death, which occurred while he was engaged in a dogfight over the Somme River in France. He was ultimately brought down by a single bullet. 

The exact circumstances of his death are disputed. It is widely believed that he was shot by Canadian pilot Arthur “Roy” Brown. However, some accounts suggest that the fatal shot may have come from anti-aircraft troops, as argued by Titler. 

From the jacket of the book:

This is the most detailed and colorful biography of the many that have been written about Manfred von Richthofen—the famed ‘Red Baron,’ so named for the all-red triplane he flew and was flying the day he was shot out of the sky. As a documentary it is a story that evokes the romantic legend of the knight of the air, white silk scarf and all.  Ever since World War I the manner of death of Germany’s most famous ace has remained a controversy--until the publication of this book. The Day the Red Baron Died presents the facts that prove conclusively that von Richthofen was not shot down by a fighter but was brought down by ground fire.

This groundbreaking work shakes up old stories and enriches our understanding of one of aviation's most iconic legends.

Our copy of this book comes from our George Hardie Aviation and Aerospace History Collection.

-View more Milestone Monday posts