Other editions of book Fighting the Flying Circus

1918. The tides of war are turning. America enters the air and bullets cut living streaks of fire into the enemy.Eddie Rickenbacker's WWI memoirs were first published in 1919 and reveal the bravery of men leaping into dangerous contraptions 15,000 feet above the Earth, fighting for their cause and fighting for life.Over the misty, blood-stained fields of France Eddie Rickenbacker, ‘Rick’, takes us from his tentative, rookie steps aboard his plane during reconnaissance over enemy lines, through to the last victory of the Great War.His initial elation and fear as enemy squadrons hurtle past and artillery guns singe the air are soon tempered with experience and, after the disappearance of Captain Jimmy Hall, Rick must take command of his squadron himself.Rick flies on the new and experimental wings at the cutting edge of the Great War. Lessons are learned through victories and losses and men, comrades and captains, sadly lost.Ultimately, Rick’s 94th regiment ended the war in France with the highest number of air victories of any American squadron, earning him the Medal of Honour.These memoirs tell that tale from the humble beginnings. Men survive on a wing and a prayer, unable to distinguish an enemy’s colours from an ally’s. As death and destruction plough through France’s landscape below and an unforgiving enemy stalks the skies, Rick’s "Hat-in-the-Ring" Squadron are pushed to extremes unimagined prior to this conflict.Filled with technical insights and dramatic revelations, this is a tense and exciting account from the eyes of a celebrated and revered WWI American fighter pilot witnessing the trials and triumphs of the blistering skies.Eddie Rickenbacker (1890 - 1973) was one of the world’s top racing car drivers before enlisting with the U.S. Army upon their entrance into the Great War in 1917. By September 1918 he had become America’s most successful fighter ace with 26 aerial victories, receiving the Medal of Honour and the adulation of his countrymen and allies. With the end of the war Rickenbacker elected to leave the air service and established his own automotive company before becoming General Manager of Eastern Airlines.

Captain 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 which 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.

Captain 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 which 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.

"'Undoubtedly a thrilling narrative...reinforced the public impression that Captain Eddie had...earned demigod's wings." -Enduring Courage (2014)"Rickenbacker's Fighting the Flying Circus...described his tour of duty as a fighter pilot in World War I...26 confirmed victories." -Flying Magazine (Apr. 1968)"An elegant narrative...far more polished than the diary and reports." -Eddie Rickenbacker: An American Hero (2005)America's greatest ace relates in this incomparable volume his.thrilling experiences as a flyer during the past World War. Captain Rickenbacker's "Hat-in-the-Ring" squadron (94th Squadron, U. S. Air Service) was the heroic group of fighters who did so much to put the German Von Richtofen's Flying Circus out of business. It will go down in history as the first American squadron to go over the enemy's lines; the first to destroy an enemy plane, and the one to bring down the last Hun machine that fell in the war; and as the only American fighting squadron selected to move into Germany with the Army of Occupation. Read this volume and learn the experiences of this flyer. Captain Rickenbacker deserves the gratitude of the American people, not only because he is the American Ace of Aces — not only because he destroyed twentysix 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 airfighters who were under his leadership.CONTENTSI Introducing "Archy" II The Aerodrome III Our First SortiesIV 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 DrachenXIX The Chateau-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 s XXXIV An Over-zealous Ally XXXV The End Draws Near XXXVI Last Victory Of The Great War Official Victories Of The 94TH Aero Squadron

Manfred von Richthofen’s “Flying Circus” was one of the most formidable fighter pilot units in history.How do you combat such a force that revolutionized aviation tactics?Who on earth could even hope to survive in the air against these battle-hardened German veterans?Entering the war in 1917 the men of the American air force were hoping to swing the war in the allies favor, but the odds seemed to be stacked against them.Yet, through the example and leadership of men such as Eddie Rickenbacker, the American air force was certainly able to make a huge difference in the air war that took place above the trenches of northern France.Rickenbacker’s story charts his own progress from patriotic and hopeful young pilot to become the American Ace of Aces by the end of the war.His rise to become a formidable ace occurred at remarkable speed.After a number of months of training and learning how to control his aircraft he shot down his first enemy on April 29th, 1918. By the end of May he had already shot down a further four planes and had become an ace.Rickenbacker’s account of this time provides brilliant insight into the life of one of America’s greatest pilots and what it was like to fight in the skies during the First World War.“I always thought Eddie Rickenbacker was larger than life. This combat diary added an unexpected touch of humility to him. I highly recommend this book to any reader interested in the history of the United States Air Force." ---Major Joel Rudy, USAFEddie Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. With 26 aerial victories, he was America's most successful fighter ace in the war. After the war he continued to work in aviation as a designer and a consultant. His book Fighting the Flying Circus was first published in 1919 and he passed away in 1973.

Manfred von Richthofen’s “Flying Circus” was one of the most formidable fighter pilot units in history.How do you combat such a force that revolutionized aviation tactics?Who on earth could even hope to survive in the air against these battle-hardened German veterans?Entering the war in 1917 the men of the American air force were hoping to swing the war in the allies favor, but the odds seemed to be stacked against them.Yet, through the example and leadership of men such as Eddie Rickenbacker, the American air force was certainly able to make a huge difference in the air war that took place above the trenches of northern France.Rickenbacker’s story charts his own progress from patriotic and hopeful young pilot to become the American Ace of Aces by the end of the war.His rise to become a formidable ace occurred at remarkable speed.After a number of months of training and learning how to control his aircraft he shot down his first enemy on April 29th, 1918. By the end of May he had already shot down a further four planes and had become an ace.Rickenbacker’s account of this time provides brilliant insight into the life of one of America’s greatest pilots and what it was like to fight in the skies during the First World War.“I always thought Eddie Rickenbacker was larger than life. This combat diary added an unexpected touch of humility to him. I highly recommend this book to any reader interested in the history of the United States Air Force." — Major Joel Rudy, USAFEddie Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. With 26 aerial victories, he was America's most successful fighter ace in the war. After the war he continued to work in aviation as a designer and a consultant. His book Fighting the Flying Circus was first published in 1919 and he passed away in 1973.

The tides of war are turning. America enters the air and bullets cut living streaks of fire into the enemy.Eddie Rickenbacker's WWI memoirs were first published in 1919 and reveal the bravery of men leaping into dangerous contraptions 15,000 feet above the Earth, fighting for their cause and fighting for life.Over the misty, blood-stained fields of France Eddie Rickenbacker, ‘Rick’, takes us from his tentative, rookie steps aboard his plane during reconnaissance over enemy lines, through to the last victory of the Great War.His initial elation and fear as enemy squadrons hurtle past and artillery guns singe the air are soon tempered with experience and, after the disappearance of Captain Jimmy Hall, Rick must take command of his squadron himself.Rick flies on the new and experimental wings at the cutting edge of the Great War. Lessons are learned through victories and losses and men, comrades and captains, sadly lost.Ultimately, Rick’s 94th regiment ended the war in France with the highest number of air victories of any American squadron, earning him the Medal of Honour.These memoirs tell that tale from the humble beginnings. Men survive on a wing and a prayer, unable to distinguish an enemy’s colours from an ally’s. As death and destruction plough through France’s landscape below and an unforgiving enemy stalks the skies, Rick’s "Hat-in-the-Ring" Squadron are pushed to extremes unimagined prior to this conflict.Filled with technical insights and dramatic revelations, this is a tense and exciting account from the eyes of a celebrated and revered WWI American fighter pilot witnessing the trials and triumphs of the blistering skies.Eddie Rickenbacker (1890 - 1973) was one of the world’s top racing car drivers before enlisting with the U.S. Army upon their entrance into the Great War in 1917. By September 1918 he had become America’s most successful fighter ace with 26 aerial victories, receiving the Medal of Honour and the adulation of his countrymen and allies. With the end of the war Rickenbacker elected to leave the air service and established his own automotive company before becoming General Manager of Eastern Airlines.

Captain 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 which 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.

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Fighting the Flying Circus' contains an exciting collection of stories about air battles in France by Eddie Rickenbacker, and is a perfect book for anyone with an interest in the German Air Service looking for an unusual read. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.