The aviation part of the Lost Battalion story...

[Lufbery]

All,

Could somebody please tell me the full story behind the plane (or planes) that spotted the "Lost Battalion" and dropped food to them?

Thanks,

[BobE]

Luf,
The only info I have is from the book "The Lost Battalion" by Johnson and Pratt. It's pretty sketchy on the air side of things.The Squadron involved was the 50th Aero. They had a hard time locating the battalion and dropped food and supplies to the Germans as a result.The squadron was equipped with DH-4s. According to a sheet posted by Peter L from one of the old "Profile" publications, DH-4,Serial# 32098 was "famous for finding "The Lost Battalion". As far as I can tell,two planes were lost;one to ground fire and one due to a faulty prop. This is not much info but all I've got. From a comment he made when the A&E movie was coming out, I suspect Dan-San may know a little more. I would be interested myself.
Bob E

From Sloan's WINGS OF HONOR, page 357:
"The first of 50th Sqdn mission to locate the 308th Regt came on Oct. 5th, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, in very poor visibility. There were more mssions the next day but little evidence of even partial succcess. George Phillips and Mitchell Brown were shot down, crash-landing at Binarville, and they made their way back to the American lines unhurt. "Tracey" Bird and William Bolt did the same an hour later, near Vienne-le-Chateau.
"Then Harold Goettler [pilot] and Irwin Bleckley [observer] failed to return from their second sortie and the worst was feared. The team thought they had sighted the Battalion in their first flight of the day and went back. But they crashed at Binarville, poossibly from enemy ground-fire. Goettler was instantly killed and Bleckley died of wounds, according to American soldiers.
"At that moment there was no real evidence that Goettler and Bleckley had made contact with the "lost battalion." They, and their comrades of 50th Sqdn, had flown into the jaws of death, and they made the supreme sacrifice. Both wee awarded the D.S.C., later upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
"The day ended with but six serviceable airplanes on hand. More teams went out on 7th October; Robert Anderson and Woodville Rogers, after repeated dives into the supposed location, saw a small panel set out by Whittlesey's men, and they rushed a message to the Division P.C. at about 11:30 a.m. By 6:00 p.m. the 77th Division troops made a breakthrough and the 308th was saved. It was an epic rescue, with much tragedy. Of 463 men in the Battalion, 69 were killed, another 159 wounded, and all were in exhausted condition.They owed their lives to the correct report of their position by Anderson and Rogers."

[Lufbery]

Thanks for the info guys. Is there more? What about the pilot who landed, handed over his map covered in his own blood, and died of his wounds?

I had read that story before the movie came out, so I was glad to see it in the film. But now I'm not so sure about its veracity having read what's written above. What's the story supposed to be, and is it true?

Reagards,

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Lufbery:
I thought you might like to read the citation for the Distinguished Service Cross awarded to Lt. Goettler,
The pilot of the D.H.4. It is from "Heros All", page 165.
"Goettler, Harold Ernest, Second Lieutenant, Deceased. Pilot, Air Service, 50th Aero Squadron. For extraordinary heroism in action near Binarville, France, October 6, 1918. Lieutenant
Goettler with his observer, 2cd Lieutenant Erwin R. Bleckley, 130th Field Artillery, left the airdrome late in the afternoon on their second tripto drop supplies to a Battalion of the 77th divisionwhich had been cut off by the enemyin the Argonne Forest. Having been subjected on the first trip to violent fire from the enemy, they attempted on the second trip to come in still lower in order to get the packages even more precisely on the designated spot. In the course of thi mission the plane was brought down by enemy rifle and machine gun fire from the ground, resulting in the instant death of Lieutenant Goettler. In attempting and performing this mission Lieutenant
Goettler showed the highest possible contempt of personal danger, devotion to duty, courage, and valor. next of kin, Mrs.Gertrude Goettler, mother, 4630 Dover Street, Chicago,Ill."
The citation for the Distinguish service Cross to Second Lieutenant Erwin R. Bleckley reads the same except it said "he died on the way to the hospital. Next of kin, E.E.Bleckley, father, Fourth National Bank,Wichita, Kan."
I thought you might find the truth here.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

[Lufbery]

Thanks Dan-San,

I finally found the story as I first read it. This was posted on another message board, and I haven't had the chance to verify its source. The story seems to match the DSC citation pretty well, but there's some really detailed information in it, and I wonder where the detail came from.

Anyway, here's the story. Let me know what you (and the other folks on this board) think:

__________________________________________________
From "The Fighters" - Thomas R. Funderberk p179

Of the 95 Congressional Medals of Honor awarded by the United States for service in the Great War, four went to members of the Air Service: Captain Rickenbacker of the 94th Aero Squadron, Lieutenant Frank Luke of the 27th, and Lieutenants Harold Goettler and Erwin Bleckley of the 50th.

The 50th Aero Squadron was a DH4 squadron that took part in the battle for the Argonne Forest in October 1918. Based at Remicourt, its job was the usual two-seater job of observation.

On October 2, Major Charles Whittlesey, commanding the First Battalion, 308th Infantry, 27th Division, and supported by the Second Battalion under Captain (acting Major) George McMurtry with additional detached units, began an advance through the Argonne Forest on the American left flank. His object was to penetrate the forest and dig in on the far slope of the Charlevaux Valley. Whittlesey and his 550 men were the only Allied troops in the sector who had obtained their objective by night. The next morning he realized the awful truth that the Allied offensive had stalled and he and his men were surrounded. The only contact with the rear was by means of carrier pigeons, so Whittlesey sent off a message to Division requesting artillery support and supplies to enable the two battalions to hold out until direct contact could be re-established. The first organized enemy attack began, and in a few hours Whittlesey's men suffered 50 percent casualties. The survivors did not sleep that night, but lay huddled and cold waiting and watching. In the morning the enemy fire began again.

The New York editor who received the short story about the trapped Americans sent back to the correspondent at 77th Division headquarters for more details on the "Lost Battalion" and played it up as a human interest story. Like many catch-words it was a little bit wrong but was chosen because it was easy to say. It was actually not a question of one "lost" battalion, but two; and they were not lost, geographically speaking. They knew where they were. The confusion lay with the rest of the Americans who were trying to find them.

On October 4 the 50th Aero tried to supply Whittlesey and his men by air drop. They flew over the area but could not spot the Americans, who were naturally lying low. The 50th crews kept trying to find the men, but without luck. The suspense continued through the next day. On October 6th the squadron flew a series of missions during which the aeroplanes flew so low that two of them were shot down and a third came home with a badly wounded pilot. Lieutenants Goettler, pilot and Bleckley, observer had made a number of trips without getting wounded but without finding the Americans either. They had made passes at 500 feet, then at 200. At 200 feet they were flying through a ravine, and the German soldiers on the high ground were firing down on them with rifles, machine guns and pistols.

Goettler and Bleckley volunteered to make one more try. They would find the Americans by the process of elimination. They would fly so low that they would draw the fire of the Germans on the floor of the ravine who had hitherto held their fire so as to avoid revealing their positions.

It was a dangerous method, but it worked. And that is why Lieutenants Goettler and Bleckley of the 50th Aero Squadron, USAS, were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously. That evening the trapped Americans, and the Germans surrounding them, saw the big two-seater with the "Dutch-Girl" insignia on the fuselage skim the trees and drop into the ravine. The Germans opened up with everything they had and the DH plowed through a curtain of fire. At the end of the ravine the machine zoomed, turned, and came back. Both men were hit many times and the DH itself was shot up so badly that tatters of fabric were streaming back in the slip stream, the engine was misfiring, and pieces were flying off. Bleckley slumped down in the rear cockpit and Goettler struggled weakly to get the nose up to clear the trees at the end of the ravine. The DH lurched up and over the obstacle and dropped heavily into the French lines. Goettler was dead: Bleckley pressed the map into the hands of a French officer and then he too was dead. Clearly outlined on the bloody map was the one spot where there had been no ground fire, the one spot where the "Lost Battalion" had to be.

The next day a hastily organized expedition broke through and brought out the survivors.

[Lufbery]

All,

It seems that there's some controversy that I was unaware of. According to "The Fighters" (in the excerpt that I posted), Goettler and Beckly found the Lost Battalion, but according to Wings of Honor (cited by Capt. Lewis), that honor should really go to Anderson and Rogers.

The DSC citation provided by Dan-San quite properly praises the courage of Goettler and Beckly, but makes no mention of them pinpointing the position of the LB. If I've read things correctly, there were two other 50th Aero planes shot down that day, but the crews were unhurt.

Is there a controvery here?

Regards,

Dear Drubery,
THERE IS NOW...
Actually, I suppose what we have here is an example of popular myth encountering actual fact. The myth is something that we want to believe, because it's "good copy": that Colin Kelly rammed and sank a Japanese battleship, that Voss was 'kind' to two-seater crews... While the fact not only stops us in our tracks, it's often better, "deeper" than the myth...
In this case, it's possible-- I believe even likely-- that that team did find the Battalion; but they were in such a state that they were unable to convey such intelligence. Of course, in the myth, the team's final report-- for, in myths, all reports are 'final'-- was handed over, bloodstained-- everything in myths is 'bloodstained'-- and, with their dying breath-- for, according to mythic convention, all breaths are assumed to be your last-- etc, etc, etc ...
We'll have to read the report(s)-- I assume written by the Flight Leader or Squadron Commander-- to understand just what was perceived and concluded at the time...
Were they awarded a DSC (later upgraded to a MoH) for a failed mission? We can assume that they did not 'find' the Battalion. Were they rewarded for futility, then? I would say that they were an example of self-sacrifice, and for that, they are fully deserving of their medals and for our remembering them...
Every day, on my way to work, along Queens Blvd in NYC, I pass 'The Lost Battalion' Hall of the VFW; with the VFW still occupying 'in perpetuity' the second floor, this building is a recreation center for our young people. Personally, I think that's great!
On a later post, I'll key a contemporary newspaper account of "The Lost Battalion"; the claptrap will appear without comment on my part.

[Lufbery]

Dear Drubery,
THERE IS NOW...

Cute. Except that I don't think you can blame this one on me. :-X

Actually, I suppose what we have here is an example of popular myth encountering actual fact. The myth is something that we want to believe, because it's "good copy": that Colin Kelly rammed and sank a Japanese battleship, that Voss was 'kind' to two-seater crews... While the fact not only stops us in our tracks, it's often better, "deeper" than the myth...
In this case, it's possible-- I believe even likely-- that that team did find the Battalion; but they were in such a state that they were unable to convey such intelligence. Of course, in the myth, the team's final report-- for, in myths, all reports are 'final'-- was handed over, bloodstained-- everything in myths is 'bloodstained'-- and, with their dying breath-- for, according to mythic convention, all breaths are assumed to be your last-- etc, etc, etc ...

Ha ha! It's like in The Lord of the Rings movie, Boromir's dying words weren't "I would follow you, my captain...My King!...Ow, this really hurts!"

We'll have to read the report(s)-- I assume written by the Flight Leader or Squadron Commander-- to understand just what was perceived and concluded at the time...

I wonder how one would get those reports. It seems like the 50th had a hell of a couple of days with three planes and two aviators lost. They should have all been commended for bravery.

Were they awarded a DSC (later upgraded to a MoH) for a failed mission? We can assume that they did not 'find' the Battalion. Were they rewarded for futility, then? I would say that they were an example of self-sacrifice, and for that, they are fully deserving of their medals and for our remembering them...

Agreed. I wasn't questioning their bravery, just questioning the account of their bravery in the book by Funderberk.

Every day, on my way to work, along Queens Blvd in NYC, I pass 'The Lost Battalion' Hall of the VFW; with the VFW still occupying 'in perpetuity' the second floor, this building is a recreation center for our young people. Personally, I think that's great!

That is great. Now, too, they can watch the A&E movie and find out just what the story is for the 77th.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. Warm regards,

From the ASSOCIATED PRESS, October 11, 1918 (condensed):
"With the American forces northwest of Verdun-- The brightest spot in the herioc and amazing story of the now famous "lost battalion," as yet untold, was the climax to the fourth day of the siege in the Argonne Forest.
When the men had been for a long time without food and when many were weak from exhaustion, but not one despairing, an American who had been taken prisoner by the Gremans suddenly appeared at the little camp surrounded by the valley. He had been sent blindfolded from the German headquarters with a note to Major Whittlesey, the battalion commander, reading:
'Americans, you are surrounded on all sides. Surrender in the name of humanity. You will be well treated.'
Major Whittlesey did not hesitate a fraction of a second.
'Go to hell!' he shouted. His men, despite their weariness and hunger, and in imminent danger every moment, cheered so loudly that the Germans heard them from their observatin posts.
The same spirit animating them to plunge ahead in the forest to their perilous position maintained them at that moment, and every man, wounded or well, enthusiastically approved Major Whittlesey's abrupt answer.
A composite story, gleaned from a dozen recitals, reveals that the battalion when ordered to advance last Friday, in the eagerness to catch up with the retreating Germans, gradually spread out and widened its ranks. This allowed the Germans to infiltrate unseen behind the Americans.
The enemy had planned to catch the Americans in a hollow surrounded on all four sides by heights, the greatest of which was a steep hill directly ahead. The Americans, filled with eagerness, dashed into this hollow without stopping to think that the enemy might be awaiting them. The battalion proceeded half way up the hill, then discovered that the Germans on both sides had jointly flanked them and had closed in on their rear.
Daily American aviators, searching vainly for the battalion, flew overhead, but no outcry the men could make brought anything but a volley of shouts and laughter from the Germans in front and behind and to the right and left of them. The beleaguered men discovered that there were German machine-gun nests all around them, every fifteen feet or so, and for a man to show himself was the signal for a sweeping rain of bullets.
As the days passed the Americans grew more and more emaciated, but they never gave up hope. There was nothing but a grim determination to hold out until the last man was finished.
Major Whittlesey had his entire battalion behind him to a man, and the correspondent was told that the men jeered at the idea of surrender, declaring that they never would have given up."