Ace of the Month

[Barrett]

It's ALMOST too late, but here's our final Ace of the Month for the year--NOT the millennium, dammit. I'm one of those decimal-based rednecks who still believes that a series ENDS with Zero, not begins with it!!!
Where was I?
Oh yes. Our Ace of the Month is the American, David Endicott Putnam.
Descended from Revolutionary War general Israel Putnam, DEP was born in Massachusetts on 10 Dec. 1898, making him one of the youngest US aces of The Great War. Primed for success, he entered Harvard (Ha-vad?) in the Class of '20 and was elected president of the class.
However, taken with aviation, he was determined to fly with any allied air service that would accept him, and he received his French pilot rating in October 1917, just 18 years old. Assigned to the Escadrille Lafayette, he entered combat in December and claimed his first victory on January 19, 1918. A natural talent, he began scoring multiple victories, not all of which could be confirmed. Most of his French experience was obtained with SPA.38.
In July, then a USAS 1st Lt. with 6 credited victories, Putnam transferred to the 139th Aero as a flight leader. Apart from numerous aerial engagements he became known for low-level attacks on German ground forces.
On 12 Sept, with one wingman, Putnam was attacked by an estimated 15 enemy aircraft, downing one before disengaging. Returning to base, he saw a friendly 2-seater swarmed by as many as 8 Germans but did not hesitate to pile in. Though he protected the observation plane, Putnam was killed in action. He was buried near Toul, not far from Raoul Lufbery's grave. He is credited with 12 official victories and perhaps 22 unconfirmed. He was 3 months short of his 20th birthday.
Watch this space for a special ace recognition feature early in Y2K.

Did he go to Harvard after he died?????

Graham

[mike_baram]

He was in the class that graduated in '20. But Hahvahd people seem to feel that a Hahvahd education confers immortality (or at least a superior intelligence) so the confusion is understandable.
(Oh, ceerapp.....I forgot. Al Gore went to Harvard. That throws MY theory out the window, doesn't it?)

[Barrett]

Mike is correct, of course; not even the Ivy League has arranged for posthumous enrollment in its institutions (though apparently quite a few Democrats have managed to vote posthumously on occasion. The GOP must be envious.)
The Class of '20 entered Old Alma Mater (by whatever name you choose) in '16. In the case of the impressive young Mr. Putnam, he'd have been 17 at time of admission.
Note that the service academies graduated classes a year early during wartime. The USMA/USNA Class of '43, ferinstance, graduated in '42; Class of '45 in '44, etc.
More Trivia: Which school produced more aces--West Point or Annapolis?
Drum roll...the envelope please. And the award goes to (we can't have WINNERS, ferpetesake, it's almost 2000!)...Canoe U, by about 3 to 1. Nobody knows just why, but I theorize that naval aviation permitted more diverse career tracks than the AAF, so a larger portion of Golden Wingers got fighter assignments at various times.

[Richard_Schrader]

Barrett;
Maybe the fact that most Navy kills were of Japanese planes. Most of these planes did not have self-sealing fuel tanks, or armor for the pilots. Just one bullet in the wrong place and sizzle, sizzle, wonk!
Mean while tha AAF was fighting a well armed, and well manned German Air Force in the ETO. Go get them 354th!!! Happy holidays to all from someone shot down by the flu.
Richard

[mike_baram]

Richard makes a good point. In addition, fighter pilots in the ETO devoted a lot of their time to bomber escort which somewhat limited the amount of time they could seek out the baddies. (Add to that the limited range of most US fighters in the early days of US involvement.)
In the Pacific we carried the war to the enemy from the outset via our carriers. When you're deliberately seeking out the enemy, you'll have more opportunities to tangle with him.
And now, with Rossini's "William Tell Overture" playing in the background, I bid a final farewell to that heroic icon of my youth, Clayton Moore. The Lone Ranger will always "ride again".

[stephen]

According to the research of a trusted friend, Putnam had 36 victory claims submitted though of course only a handful were confirmed. He is truly among the great American aces and gets virtually no recognition. His victory-per-time at the front ratio compares favorably with any ace of the war, MvR included. And he sustained it over significant period of time (Jan-Sept), and was only defeated when he was outnumbered and trapped by one of Germany's outstanding late-war aces (Hantlemann and company). That's not USA favoritism; like Britain's McKeever or Germany's Jacobs, Putnam is among the great unsung aces of the war but will never get his due because of where his claims took place.

Barrett,
Navy and Marine pilots could've also had more aces due to their skill level at flying. It takes more flying skills to land on an 819 ft "floating postage stamp" than it does to land at a three mile strip on land. And it takes a huge amount of skill to fly CAS on a constant basis for a long period of time, so perhaps these same squadron pilots skills allowed them to become aces in WW2. Also 'the spirit of attack borne of a brave heart.'

Stephen,
Could that be because Putnam's victories were over German lines? Just wondering.
VBR,
Jim

[mike_baram]

Jim,
While it takes a special set of talents to be able to land a plane on a moving carrier, that does not necessarily mean that one would have better skill in a dogfight situation. Carrier landing demands concentration and the ability to keep the plane lined up and steady during the approach, taking into account ship movement, etc.
Combat (in the pre-Sidewinder era) demanded constant shifting of eyes, rubbernecking, making lightning decisions in rapid succession, yadayada.
I still think the reasons I mentioned above still hold true (greater opportunity for engagement in the Pacific being the main one).
VBR,
Mike

"Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est."


Translation: "The designated hitter rule has got to go."

[Paul Forster]

I once read that Putnam may have flown an all red Spad in combat.Has anyone else heard this rumor?