Editing Eddie Rickenbacker (section)

== World War I ==

[[File:Rickenbacker uniform.jpg|thumb|Rickenbacker's uniform on display at the [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]]]]

=== Pre–U.S. entry ===

While in England, Rickenbacker watched [[Royal Flying Corps]] airplanes fly over the Thames from the [[Brooklands]] aerodrome. He began to consider a role in aviation if the United States entered the European war. The month before, while he had been in Los Angeles, Rickenbacker had had two chance encounters with aviators. [[Glenn L. Martin|Glenn Martin]], founder of [[Glenn L. Martin Company]] and more recently with [[Wright-Martin|Wright-Martin Aircraft]], gave Rickenbacker his first ride aloft. Next, Major [[Townsend F. Dodd]] was stranded with his plane in a field and Rickenbacker diagnosed a magneto problem. Dodd later became General [[John J. Pershing]]'s aviation officer and an important contact in Rickenbacker's attempt to join air combat.<ref>{{cite book |last=Maurer |first=Maurer |title=The U.S. Air Service in World War I, Volume II: Early Concepts of Military Aviation |year=1978 |pages=75–88 |publisher=DIANE Publishing |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref>

Back in the United States after the revelation of the [[Zimmermann Telegram]], Rickenbacker shared his idea for an aero squadron composed of race car drivers and mechanics with a ''[[New York Times]]'' reporter: "War would practically put a stop to racing, and we have a training that our country would need in the time of war. We are experts in judging speed and in motor knowledge."<ref>"Flying Corps of Daring Racing Drives Plan if War Comes." ''The New York Times''. February 18, 1917, p. XX2.</ref> His theory was that such men, accustomed to tight confines and making split-second decisions at high speeds, would make excellent fighter pilots, though his idea was ignored by the military. After the April 6 declaration of war by the United States, Rickenbacker went to Washington, D.C. to propose his idea without success.

=== Flight training ===

[[File:Edward Vernon Rickenbacker.jpg|thumb|Rickenbacker with airplane]]

In late May 1917, a week before he was to race in Cincinnati, Rickenbacker was invited to sail to England with General [[John J. Pershing]].<ref name=":23">Driggs, Laurence La Tourette. "Introduction". ''Fighting the Flying Circus'' by Eddie Rickenbacker. Frederick A Stokes Company, 1919. p.&nbsp;vi – via Google Books.</ref> By mid-June, he was in France, where he enlisted in the United States infantry.<ref name=":23"/> He was assigned to drive Army officials between Paris and A.E.F. headquarters in [[Chaumont, Haute-Marne|Chaumont]], and on to various points on the Western Front. Rickenbacker earned the rank of [[Sergeant First Class]] but never drove for General Pershing.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=April 5, 1919 |title=A Profile of Captain Eddy Rickenbacker |url=http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/article-summary/WW1_Ace_Fighter-Pilot_Eddie_Rickenbacker_article#.YxQUy3bMLrc |journal=The Literary Digest |via=Old Magazine Articles}}</ref> Rather, he mostly drove for Major Dodd. A chance encounter with Captain James Miller on the [[Champs-Elysees]] put Rickenbacker on the track to becoming a fighter pilot. Miller asked Rickenbacker to be the chief engineer at the flight school and aerodrome he was establishing at [[Issoudun Aerodrome|Issoudun]]. Rickenbacker bargained for the chance to learn to fly at the French flight school outside [[Toul-Croix De Metz Airfield|Toul]]. He received five weeks of training or 25 hours in the air in September 1917. Then, he went to Issoudun to start constructing the [[United States Army Air Service|United States Air Service]]'s pursuit training facility,<ref name="frey">{{cite journal |last=Frey |first=Royal D. |year=1968 |title=Air Service Relived |journal=Air University Review |volume=22 |issue=Nov–Dec |url=http://www.airpower.au.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1968/nov-dec/frey.html#frey |access-date=August 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221112004/http://www.airpower.au.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1968/nov-dec/frey.html#frey |archive-date=February 21, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

During the next three months, Rickenbacker took time from his work schedule to continue his flight training, standing in at the back of lectures and taking airplanes up on his own to practice new maneuvers. In January 1918, Rickenbacker finagled his way into a release for [[Cazaux Air Base#American presence|gunnery school]], the final step to becoming a pursuit pilot.

In February and March, Lieutenant Rickenbacker and the officers of the nascent [[1st Operations Group|1st Pursuit Group]] completed advanced training at [[Villeneuve-les-Vertus Aerodrome|Villeneuve–les–Vertus Aerodrome]]. There he came under the tutelage and mentorship of the French flying ace, [[Raoul Lufbery|Major Raoul Lufbery.]] With regards to flying, Rickenbacker said, "All I learned, I learned from Lufbery".<ref>Boyne, Walter J. A''ces in Command: Fighter Pilots as Combat Leaders''. Washington, DC: Brassey's, 2001, p. 34.</ref> Lufbery took Rickenbacker and [[Douglas Campbell (aviator)|Douglas Campbell]] on their first patrol before their [[Nieuport 28]]s were outfitted with machine guns. Rickenbacker earned the respect of the other fliers, who called him "Rick".

Both squadrons relocated to Toul, in the [[Battle of Saint-Mihiel#Background: The Saint-Mihiel salient|St. Mihiel sector]], where Rickenbacker had begun his training with the French seven months earlier. Now the American air service had its aerodrome at nearby [[Toul-Croix de Metz Airfield#World War I|Gengoult]]. Before beginning their patrols, the two squadrons chose an insignia to paint on their planes. The [[95th Aero Squadron|95th]] chose a kicking mule. The [[94th Aero Squadron|94th]] chose an Uncle Sam stovepipe hat, tipped inside a surrounding circle. One officer remarked, "Well, I guess our hat is in the ring now!", and the squadron became known as The Hat-in-the-Ring Gang.<ref>Frandsen, Bert. ''Hat in the Ring: The Birth of American Air Power in the Great War''. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books, 2003, p. 78.</ref>

=== Early aerial combat ===

[[File:Bombers of WW1.ogg|thumb|right|Film footage of Rickenbacker on a bombing run over German lines]]

Rickenbacker's first [[sortie]] was with [[Reed McKinley Chambers|Reed Chambers]] on April 13, 1918. It almost ended in disaster when both became lost in the fog and Chambers was forced to land. Flight commander David Peterson called Rickenbacker a "bloody fool for flying off in a fog".<ref>Frandsen, Bert. ''Hat in the Ring: The Birth of American Air Power in the Great War''. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books, 2003, p. 89.</ref> Two weeks later, on April 29, Rickenbacker shot down his first enemy plane. On May 28, he claimed his fifth victory and became an [[Flying ace|ace]]. Rickenbacker received the French [[Croix de Guerre]] that month.<ref name=":24">Rickenbacker, Eddie (1919). ''Fighting the Flying Circus''. Frederick A Stokes Company. p. 44. – via Google Books.</ref> However, Rickenbacker was not perfect: he almost fired on friendly planes several times, his gun jammed, and he nearly crashed when his Nieuport's fabric wing tore off in a dive.

On May 30, 1918, he achieved his sixth victory, but it would be his last for three and a half months. In late June, he had a fever and ear infection that turned into an abscess and grounded him most of the [[Battle of Château-Thierry (1918)|Chateau Thierry campaign]].<ref name=":19">{{Cite web |date=2022-05-29 |title=This is how Eddie Rickenbacker earned 7 service crosses and the Medal of Honor |url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trending/this-is-how-eddie-rickenbacker-earned-7-service-crosses-and-the-medal-of-honor/ |access-date=2022-09-04 |website=We Are The Mighty |language=en-US}}</ref> While recovering in a Paris hospital in July, Rickenbacker reflected on his shortcomings as a pilot, deciding he needed more self-discipline and less impetuosity.<ref>Rickenbacker, Edward V. ''Fighting the Flying Circus''. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1919, p. 132.</ref>

Rickenbacker was out of the hospital in time for the [[Battle of Saint-Mihiel|St. Mihiel offensive]] based out of [[Rembercourt Aerodrome]] on September 12, 1918. By this time, the 94th and the other squadrons of the 1st Pursuit had converted from their agile but temperamental Nieuport airplanes to the more rugged, higher-powered [[Spad S.XIII|Spad XIII]]. The Spad was a good fit for Rickenbacker's style of attack.<ref>Lewis, W. David. ''Eddie Rickenbacker: An American Hero in the Twentieth Century,'' Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2005. pp. 189.</ref> He made another kill on September 14 against a [[Fokker D.VII|Fokker D-VII]], and another the day after that. Although Rickenbacker's performance was rising, the 94th squadron's was still disappointing. After a sluggish summer at Chateau Thierry, [[Harold Evans Hartney|Major Harold Hartney]] wanted new leadership to lead the Hat-in-the-Ring Gang to its former greatness. He chose Lieutenant Rickenbacker over several captains as the new commander of the [[94th Fighter Squadron|94th Squadron]].

=== Commander of the 94th Aero Squadron ===

[[File:Captain Edward Rickenbacker, America's premier Ace officially credited with 22 enemy planes and the proud wearer of th - NARA - 533720.jpg|thumb|Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, [[United States Army Air Service]], {{c.}} 1919]]

Rickenbacker went to work turning his men "back into a team".<ref>Rickenbacker, Edward V. ''Fighting the Flying Circus.'' New York: Frederick A. Stokes, 1919. p. 260.</ref> He gathered his pilots and exhorted them to stay focused on their mission. Reminding the mechanics that he was one of them, he stressed the crucial importance of their work. Above all, he let them know that he was a "gimper" or "a bird who will stick by you through anything"<ref>Ross, John F. ''Enduring Courage: Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2014, p. 258. {{ISBN|978-1-250-03384-0}}</ref> and "would never ask anybody to do anything that [he] would not do [him] self first or do at the same time."<ref>Ross, John F. ''Enduring Courage: Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2014, p. 197. {{ISBN|978-1-250-03384-0}}</ref> To underscore his point, Rickenbacker took a solo patrol over the line and shot down two enemy planes the next morning. His victories above Billy, France, earned him the [[Medal of Honor]], awarded by President [[Herbert Hoover]] in 1931.

Building on the leadership skills he developed with [[#Automobile Racing, 1910-1916|Maxwell]], Rickenbacker turned the 94th Squadron into a winning team. He was determined to "blind the eyes of the enemy" by taking out their [[observation balloon]]s.<ref name=":0">Woolley, Charles. ''The Hat in the Ring Gang: The Combat History of the 94th Aero Squadron in World War I''. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 2001, p. 173.</ref> The giant gas bags appeared easy to bring down, but were heavily guarded and dangerous to attack. Rickenbacker led planning sessions for multi-squadron raids of as many as fourteen planes. One reporter likened him to a football coach, "boning up for the season ahead" with "conferences on methods, blackboard talks, and ideas for air battle tactics".<ref>Woolley, Charles. ''The Hat in the Ring Gang: The Combat History of the 94th Aero Squadron in World War I''. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 2001, p. 261.</ref> Rickenbacker was credited with bringing down five balloons,

[[File:111-SC-30940 - NARA - 55221127 (cropped) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Lieutenant General [[Hunter Liggett]], commander of the U.S. First Army, decorating Captain Eddie Rickenbacker with the DSC at [[Remicourt, Marne]], France, November 10, 1918.]]

Rickenbacker inculcated into the squadron with his new principles of engagement, which germinated while he was confined in the hospital: Never attack unless there is at least a fifty-fifty chance of success, always break off an engagement that seems hopeless, and know the difference between cowardice and common sense.<ref>Lewis, W. David. ''Eddie Rickenbacker: An American Hero in the Twentieth Century,'' Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2005. p. 198. {{ISBN|978-0-8018-8244-9}}</ref> He continued to fly aggressively, but with calculated caution. He also flew more patrols and spent more hours in the air than any other pilot in the service—a total of 300 combat hours. He brought down fifteen aircraft in the final six weeks of the war. In September 1918, he received the rank of captain. At the end of the war in France, the 94th had the highest number of air victories of the American squadrons.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |title=Fighting the Flying Circus |url=http://www.wtj.com/archives/rickenbacker/ |access-date=2022-09-04 |website=War Times Journal}}</ref>

When Rickenbacker learned of the [[Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)|Armistice]], he flew an airplane above the [[No man's land#World War I|No Man's Land]] to observe the ceasefire as it occurred at 11:00&nbsp;a.m. on November 11, 1918. He later wrote, "I was the only audience for the greatest show ever presented. On both sides of no man's land, the trenches erupted. Brown-uniformed men poured out of the American trenches, gray-green uniforms out of the German. From my observer's seat overhead, I watched them throw their helmets in the air, discard their guns, wave their hands."<ref name="Rickenbacker, Edward V. 1967. p. 159">Rickenbacker, Edward V. ''Rickenbacker: an Autobiography.'' Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1967. p. 159. {{ISBN|978-0-13-781005-5}}</ref>

=== Military achievements ===

Rickenbacker received the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]] a record number of eight times.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Office of the Adjunct General of the Army |url=https://archive.org/details/americandecorati00unit/page/523/mode/1up?view=theater&q=rickenbacker |title=Decorations United States Army 1862-1926 |publisher=United States Government Printing Office |year=1927 |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=523 |language=en |access-date=September 1, 2022 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> In 1930, one of these awards was upgraded to the [[Medal of Honor]].<ref name=":6"/> In addition, he received the [[Legion of Honor]] and the [[Croix de Guerre]] from France.<ref name=":20">{{Cite web |title=Capt Edward Vernon Rickenbacker |url=https://www.afhistoryandmuseums.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Article/994278/capt-edward-vernon-rickenbacker/https://www.afhistoryandmuseums.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Article/994278/capt-edward-vernon-rickenbacker/ |access-date=2022-09-04 |website=Air Force History and Museums |language=en-US}}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

He brought down 26 aircraft during the war, making him the United States [[List of aces of aces|ace of aces]] for the war.<ref name=":19"/> His 26 victories remained the American record until [[Richard Bong]]'s forty victories in World War II. The following data is from Rickenbacker's book, ''Fighting the Flying Circus.'' New York: Frederick A. Stokes, 1919, pp.&nbsp;363–364.

[[File:First Lieutenant E. V. (Eddie) Rickenbacker, 94th Aero Squadron, American ace, standing up in his Spad plane. Near... - NARA - 530773.tif|thumb|Rickenbacker in his [[SPAD S.XIII]]]]

[[File:SPAD XIII USAF.jpg|thumb|SPAD XIII in the colors of the 94th Aero Squadron. The aircraft is marked as Eddie Rickenbacker's aircraft.]]

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Verified Aerial Victory
!Date
!Time
!Aircraft
!Opponent
!Location
|-
|1
|{{dts|1918|Apr|29}}
|1810
|Nieuport
|[[Pfalz D.III]]
|[[Saint-Baussant|Baussant]]
|-
|2
|{{dts|1918|May|7}}
|0805
|Nieuport
|Pfalz D.III
|[[Pont-à-Mousson]]
|-
|3
|{{dts|1918|May|17}}
|1824
|Nieuport
|[[Albatros D.V]]
|[[Ribécourt-la-Tour|Ribécourt]]
|-
|4
|{{dts|1918|May|22}}
|0912
|Nieuport
|Albatros D.V
|[[Flirey]]
|-
|5
|{{dts|1918|May|28}}
|0925
|Nieuport
|[[Albatros C.I]]
|Bois de Rate
|-
|6
|{{dts|1918|May|30}}
|0738
|Nieuport
|Albatros C.I
|[[Jaulny]]
|-
|7
|{{dts|1918|Sep|14}}
|0815
|[[SPAD S.XIII|SPAD XIII]]
|[[Fokker D.VII]]
|[[Villecey-sur-Mad|Villecey]]
|-
|8
|{{dts|1918|Sep|15}}
|0810
|SPAD XIII
|Fokker D.VII
|[[Waville|Bois de Waville]]
|-
|9
|{{dts|1918|Sep|25}}
|0840
|SPAD XIII
|Fokker D.VII
|[[Billy-sous-Mangiennes|Billy]]
|-
|10
|{{dts|1918|Sep|25}}
|0850
|SPAD XIII
|[[Halberstadt CL.II|Halberstadt C]]
|[[Spincourt|Forêt de Spincourt]]
|-
|11
|{{dts|1918|Sep|26}}
|0600
|SPAD XIII
|Fokker D.VII
|[[Damvillers]]
|-
|12
|{{dts|1918|Sep|28}}
|0500
|SPAD XIII
|[[Observation balloon|Balloon]]
|[[Sivry-sur-Meuse]]
|-
|13
|{{dts|1918|Oct|1}}
|1930
|SPAD XIII
|Balloon
|[[Puzieux, Moselle|Puzieux]]
|-
|14
|{{dts|1918|Oct|2}}
|1730
|SPAD XIII
|[[Hannover CL]]
|[[Montfaucon-d'Argonne|Montfaucon]]
|-
|15
|{{dts|1918|Oct|2}}
|1740
|SPAD XIII
|Fokker D.VII
|[[Vilosnes-Haraumont|Vilosnes]]
|-
|16
|{{dts|1918|Oct|3}}
|1707
|SPAD XIII
|Balloon
|[[Dannevoux]]
|-
|17
|{{dts|1918|Oct|3}}
|1640
|SPAD XIII
|Fokker D.VII
|[[Cléry-le-Grand]]
|-
|18
|{{dts|1918|Oct|9}}
|1752
|SPAD XIII
|Fokker D.VII
|[[Dun-sur-Meuse]]
|-
|19
|{{dts|1918|Oct|10}}
|1552
|SPAD XIII
|Fokker D.VII
|[[Cléry-le-Petit]]
|-
|20
|{{dts|1918|Oct|10}}
|1552
|SPAD XIII
|Fokker D.VII
|[[Cléry-le-Petit]]
|-
|21
|{{dts|1918|Oct|22}}
|1555
|SPAD XIII
|Fokker D.VII
|[[Cléry-le-Petit]]
|-
|22
|{{dts|1918|Oct|23}}
|1655
|SPAD XIII
|Fokker D.VII
|Grande Carne Ferme
|-
|23
|{{dts|1918|Oct|27}}
|1450
|SPAD XIII
|Fokker D.VII
|[[Grandpré, Ardennes|Grandpré]]
|-
|24
|{{dts|1918|Oct|27}}
|1505
|SPAD XIII
|Fokker D.VII
|Bois de Money
|-
|25
|{{dts|1918|Oct|27}}
|1635
|SPAD XIII
|Balloon
|[[Saint-Juvin]]
|-
|26
|{{dts|1918|Oct|30}}
|1040
|SPAD XIII
|Balloon
|[[Remoiville]]
|}