There were many good gunners of the sky in WWI, but the aces of the sky stand out over the rest of them. They shot down many enemy planes, and became legends from their actions. These aces come from many different countries from around the world, and on different alliances.
Probably the most famous ace of all in WWI would have to be Manfred von Richtofen. Most of his allies knew him as der Rote Kampfflieger. But his enemies knew him as the RED BARON. He was born on May 2nd 1892 in Breslau. Manfred enrolled in a military school when he was just 11. In his early military career he was a cavalry officer. Later he transferred to the German air force. At the end of his career he had shot down 80 enemy fighters, before being shot down by a Canadian pilot named Arthur Brown. He was buried in France by the British with full military honors.
Another ace during WWI was an American fighter named Eddie Rickenbacker. Eddie was born in 1890. Before Eddie enlisted in the U.S. army in April 1917 he was one of the world’s top race car drivers. He was consequently a driver for Commander and Chief John J. Pershing’s staff in France. Later he found a air pioneer named Billy Mitchell which led to Eddie transferring to the U.S. air services in August 1917. By the close of the war Eddie had collected 26 kills making him America’s most successful fighter pilot of the war. He earned the Medal of Honor in 1930 due to his service. He resigned from the air force at the end of the war and opened his own automotive company in 1935. Eddie Rickenbacker died in 1973, the same year that he published his book Fighting the Flying Circus.
These legendary fighters were only a few of the aces of World War I. Many men lost their lives in the sky and the war. It took great skill to dog fight back in World War I. Their names will never be forgotten as long as we are still here.