Other editions of book Fighting the Flying Circus

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

Fighting the Flying Circus is the personal account of Eddie Rickenbacker, an American pilot who is considered to have been the most successful one in the American air forces. In this wartime journal, the former pilot details his missions, his mistakes, his development as a pilot and the race for wins that probably made him the most recognized American Ace of the Great War. Eddie Rickenbacker is the top surviving ace of the First World War. He has 26 confirmed aerial victories which he somehow managed while piloting older plane models than the Germans had. He has been the leader of the Aero Squadron that has not only made a name of itself in the war, but it has also managed to obtain important victories on the Western Front. The name of the novel comes from the infamous Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte or German Air Force that was dubbed The Flying Circus. The fierce and skilled talented German pilots were led by the most famous pilot of the entire war, the Red Baron. Eddie Rickenbacker shares his experiences while in battle against these formidable adversaries while also reflecting on how he felt about the war and how he viewed conflicts and wins. Eddie Rickenbacker modestly writes about his volunteer missions to fly alone above enemy lines, or how he selflessly engaged in battle to secure wins for his team even though he was outnumbered. The former pilot does not share the same views of infantry men, as his missions keep him far above the mud of the trenches that characterized the Great War. Readers will be both entertained and astounded by the courage this man managed to show during his service in what was the first scale conflict to make use of planes beyond the scouting scope.

The Shelf2Life WWI Memoirs Collection is an engaging set of pre-1923 materials that describe life during the Great War through memoirs, letters and diaries. Poignant personal narratives from soldiers, doctors and nurses on the front lines to munitions workers and land girls on the home front, offer invaluable insight into the sacrifices men and women made for their country. Photographs and illustrations intensify stories of struggle and survival from the trenches, hospitals, prison camps and battlefields. The WWI Memoirs Collection captures the pride and fear of the war as experienced by combatants and non-combatants alike and provides historians, researchers and students extensive perspective on individual emotional responses to the war.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1919 edition. Excerpt: ... heavenward. After thirty minutes industriously occupied in throwing my pursuers off my trail, I ventured out of concealment and gratefully made my way home. There on the field two of my dear old comrades were waiting for me to come in. What anxiety they would have suffered if they had known what I had just been through! "Hello, Rick! Why the devil didn't you wait for us? " Doug Campbell inquired, as I began to climb out of my machine. "We chased you all over France trying to catch up with you!" "Where did you go, Eddie, after we lost you in those clouds?" demanded Charley Chapman, looking at" me interestedly as he leaned against my suspended leg. "We've been home almost half an hour!" Here, it seemed were the two pilots -- American instead of B-oche -- who had been chasing me. I. thought very intently for a quarter of a second. Then I pushed Chapman away and descended from my machine. "I thought I remembered seeing a Boche back in Germany and went back to make sure," I replied easily. "But I guess I was mistaken." CHAPTER IV DOWNING MY FIRST HUN IT will be noticed that my preparation for combat fighting in the air was a gradual one. As I look back upon it now, it seems that I had the rare good fortune to experience almost every variety of danger that can beset the war pilot before I ever fired a shot at an enemy from an aeroplane. This good fortune is rare, it appears to me. Many a better man than myself has leaped into his stride and begun accumulating victories from his very first flight over the lines. It was a brilliant start for him and his successes brought him instant renown. But he had been living on the cream at the start and was unused to the skim-milk of aviation. One day the cream gave out and the first dose of skim-milk...

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

Edward Vernon Rickenbacker (1890-1973) was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation. During his lifetime, Rickenbacker worked with many influential civilian and military leaders. He had keen insight into technology, and vision for future improvements. Among other events, he participated in or observed Armistice Day on the Western Front. Rickenbacker described his WWI flying experiences in his memoirs, Fighting the Flying Circus, published in 1919.

Captain Eddie V. Rickenbacker, originally from Ohio, was best known as one of the commanders of the 94th "Hat-in-the-Ring" Squadron, a crack unit of pilots that included many former members of the famed Lafayette Escadrille. The 94th ended the war in France with the highest number of air victories of any American squadron. Captain Rickenbacker later belonged to an association of pilots and Great War air veterans who, in the years immediately following the Second World War, invited many of the new "young" aces from the Pacific and European theaters for informal lectures. These men never lost their keen interest in aviation.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.