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I recently stood once again on the fields just south of Gettysburg Pennsylvania where 51000 men fell killed or wounded in a 3 day period in the summer of 1863. These men faced massed rifle and cannon fire. They fought using obsolete tactic designed for the smooth bore muskets of an earlier generation, because that was how their leaders were trained. They were brave men, dedicated to their various causes. I would not call their actions foolhardy, as I have more respect for them than that.
As I have previously stated, combat in a linen covered open cockpit biplane was cold, loud and highly deadly. These men served their countries in full knowledge that the deck was stacked against them. Operational casualties due to accidents were unacceptable high by the standards of today. The airplanes were little frail things. A boy with an icepick could cause irrepairable damage to a SPAD in seconds, and that was one of the STRONGER machines. The risk of enemy action was huge. I would not like to think that these men were fools. I've never had to face those risks in my life, I've been lucky.
Tom
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