Fighting the Flying Circus (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Fighting the Flying Circus What such an all-star unit might have accomplished in France fires the imagination! Mindful of the delays which the consummation of his plan might occasion, Eddie Rickenbacker suddenly accepted General Pershing's invitation to sail with him next day. He enlisted in the infantry and became the driver of the General's automobile at the front, where he wisely foresaw he would find a quicker opportunity for entering the flying service. In eighteen months he returned, the American Ace of Aces! Captain Rickenbacker deserves the gratitude of the American people, not only because he is the American Ace of Aces - not only because he destroyed twenty-six German aircraft in combat - but more especially because the extraordinary inspiration of his example at the front and his ability as a Squadron leader brought very remarkable success to many other American air-fighters who were under his leadership. After having visited some sixty-odd British flying squadrons at the front, many of the French Esca-drilles and all of the American Squadrons, I was given the pleasure of entering Germany, after the Armistice was signed, as the guest of the Hat-in-the-Ring Squadron, of which Captain Rickenbacker was and is the Commanding Officer. In no other organization in France did I find so great a loyalty to a leader, such true Squadron fraternalism, such subordination of the individual to the organization. In other words, the Commander of 94 Squadron had perfected the finest flying corps I have ever seen. This recognition of the author's character is essential to an adequate appreciation of his story. Between the lines one is impressed with the constant desire of perfecting himself that permeates his every combat. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.