Fighting the Flying Circus

One of the best first-hand accounts of air combat in World War I, by an American “ace of aces.” Eddie Rickenbacker had an extraordinary career: inventor, race car driver, fighter ace, Medal of Honor winner, and finally president of Eastern Air Lines. In this book he recounts how he achieved 26 confirmed kills in less than a year of combat on the Western Front, rising from the ranks to lead the famed “Hat-in-the-Ring” squadron. Early pilots had to contend with primitive engines, unreliable guns, no parachutes, no oxygen, and wings that could tear off in a dive. Just surviving was a daily challenge, and Rickenbacker saw many friends and comrades die through no fault of their own. In this book he unflinchingly explains all of the errors that he made in combat, and how he learned to become a better dogfighter. He also gives the reader a glimpse of the tremendous psychological pressure that came from being America's leading ace – every previous holder had been shot down – and from his own leadership style of leading from the front. This ebook edition includes an active table of contents and 17 photographs, maps, and combat illustrations.


Table of Contents:

 • Foreword

 • Glossary

 • I. Introducing “Archy”

 • II. The Aerodrome

 • III. Our First Sorties

 • IV. Downing My First Hun

 • V. Jimmy Meissner Strips His Wings

 • VI. Jimmy Hall’s Last Fight

 • VII. New Responsibilities

 • VIII. A Victory and a Narrow Escape

 • IX. Down in Flames

 • X. Lufbery is Killed

 • XI. Squadron Festivities

 • XII. Jimmy Meissner Again

 • XIII. America’s First Ace

 • XIV. Rumpler Number 16

 • XV. Campbell’s Last Fight

 • XVI. Becoming an Ace

 • XVII. A Perplexing Bank of Fog

 • XVIII. Strafing the Drachen

 • XIX. The Château-Thierry Salient

 • XX. The Death of Quentin Roosevelt

 • XXI. The Flying Circus Scores Heavily

 • XXII. Our Spads Arrive

 • XXIII. Back Close to Verdun

 • XXIV. The St. Mihiel Drive

 • XXV. American Ace of Aces

 • XXVI. Captain of the Hat-in-the-Ring Squadron

 • XXVII. An Eventful “D” Day

 • XXVIII. Frank Luke Strafes His Last Balloon

 • XXIX. A Night-Mission

 • XXX. A Day’s Work – Six Victories

 • XXXI. “Seeing the War”

 • XXXII. A Regular Dog-Fight

 • XXXIII. An Aeroplane Movie Show

 • XXXIV. An Over-Zealous Ally

 • XXXV. The End Draws Near

 • XXXVI. Last Victory of the Great War

 • Official Victories of the 94th Aero Squadron