The Aerodrome Forum - View Single Post - Medal of honor DH-4

6 September 2002, 05:44 PM

Dear Saruffin,
You deserve induction into The Forum's Legion of Honor for that wonderful post...

Just to bring us "up to date" on the casualties of the 50th Aero Sqn, here's what Hudson wrote ( Hostile Skies, pages 267-268), beginning with Goettler and Bleckley's first mission of 6 Oct 1918:

"On the last long pass over the supposed location of Whittlesey's men, Goettler brought his De Havilland down to less than 200 feet. At this level the enemy's fire was murderous. German machine gunners located on the ridges were actually firing down at the American plane. Still, Goettler and Bleckley could see not panel signals or any signs of an American uniform. For their valiant try they picked up at least forty bullet holes in their DH-4.

"Several other 50th Squadron fliers were not so lucky on that flaming Sunday afternoon. Lieutenant Francis C. Slater was wounded in the foot and bearely succeeded in getting home. Lieutenants George Phillips and Michael Brown flew into a hail of machine gun fire which smashed the pilot's windshield and tore out the instrument panel. A few moments later the Liberty engine died at 300 feet. Barly skimming the trees, Phillips got his plane down in No-Man's Land, and the two men escaped by crawling from shell hole to shell hole back to the Allied lines. Lieutenantes Allen Tracy Bird and William Bolt were forced to crash-land their badly damaged plane at Vienne-le-Chateau, just behind the American positions.

"Late in the day the squadron suffered it heaviest blow. Goettler and Bleckley, the two who had started the day's work, volunteered for a second mission...

"As the sun dropped below the horizon, Lieutenant Maurice Graham, of Monrovia, California, and Lieutenant James McCurdy, of Century, Florida, completed what Goettler and Bleckley had started. McCurdy was shot through the neck, but Graham got him home in time to save his life.

"...During the night of 6-7 October, the desperate infantrymen crawled through the darkness to lay out panels marking their position. Lieutenants Robert M. Anderson and W. J. Rogers, flying the 50th Squadron's first mission on the morning of 7 October, spotted these markers and raced full throttle to the 77th Division's dropping ground with the new and accurate coordinates..."

6 September 2002, 05:44 PM	#17 (permalink)
CaptainLewis Guest Posts: n/a	Dear Saruffin, You deserve induction into The Forum's Legion of Honor for that wonderful post... Just to bring us "up to date" on the casualties of the 50th Aero Sqn, here's what Hudson wrote ( Hostile Skies, pages 267-268), beginning with Goettler and Bleckley's first mission of 6 Oct 1918: "On the last long pass over the supposed location of Whittlesey's men, Goettler brought his De Havilland down to less than 200 feet. At this level the enemy's fire was murderous. German machine gunners located on the ridges were actually firing down at the American plane. Still, Goettler and Bleckley could see not panel signals or any signs of an American uniform. For their valiant try they picked up at least forty bullet holes in their DH-4. "Several other 50th Squadron fliers were not so lucky on that flaming Sunday afternoon. Lieutenant Francis C. Slater was wounded in the foot and bearely succeeded in getting home. Lieutenants George Phillips and Michael Brown flew into a hail of machine gun fire which smashed the pilot's windshield and tore out the instrument panel. A few moments later the Liberty engine died at 300 feet. Barly skimming the trees, Phillips got his plane down in No-Man's Land, and the two men escaped by crawling from shell hole to shell hole back to the Allied lines. Lieutenantes Allen Tracy Bird and William Bolt were forced to crash-land their badly damaged plane at Vienne-le-Chateau, just behind the American positions. "Late in the day the squadron suffered it heaviest blow. Goettler and Bleckley, the two who had started the day's work, volunteered for a second mission... "As the sun dropped below the horizon, Lieutenant Maurice Graham, of Monrovia, California, and Lieutenant James McCurdy, of Century, Florida, completed what Goettler and Bleckley had started. McCurdy was shot through the neck, but Graham got him home in time to save his life. "...During the night of 6-7 October, the desperate infantrymen crawled through the darkness to lay out panels marking their position. Lieutenants Robert M. Anderson and W. J. Rogers, flying the 50th Squadron's first mission on the morning of 7 October, spotted these markers and raced full throttle to the 77th Division's dropping ground with the new and accurate coordinates..."