This article may require copy editing for style.(November 2024) |
Hilbert Leigh Bair | |
---|---|
Born | 15 November 1894 New York City, New York, United States |
Died | 24 November 1985 Hawaii, USA |
Buried | Section CT2-D, Row 400, Site 423, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii |
Allegiance | United States |
Service | Royal Air Force (United Kingdom) Air Service, United States Army |
Rank | Lieutenant |
Unit | Royal Air Force |
Battles / wars | World War I World War II |
Awards | American Distinguished Service Cross, British Distinguished Flying Cross |
Other work | Returned to service for World War II |
Lieutenant (later Lieutenant Colonel) Hilbert Leigh Bair began his service career as a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. [1]
Bair joined the U.S. Army Air Service on 18 July 1917. He was forwarded to the Royal Air Force for seasoning, and was assigned to 24 Squadron on 5 July 1918. On 22 August, he shared his first win with fellow ace William Lambert and a couple of other pilots, driving a Fokker D.VII down out of control. Bair also shared one of his two 29 August victories with another pilot. The next day, Bair and Horace Barton cooperated in the destruction of an Albatros reconnaissance plane. Bair singlehandedly destroyed a Fokker D.VII on 8 September. A week later, for his last triumph, he again teamed with Barton in the destruction of a Hannover recon plane. In October, Bair transferred back to an American unit, the 25th Aero Squadron. [2]
In World War II, Hilbert Bair returned to service in the U.S. Army Air Force as a lieutenant colonel. [3]
Air Vice Marshal George Roberts Howsam, CB, MC was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 13 victories. Serving in the newly formed Royal Canadian Air Force in the inter-war years, Howsam served as the RCAF's Director of Training during World War II.
Lieutenant Lawrence Kingsley Callahan was a World War I flying ace credited with five victories.
Lieutenant Harry Neville Compton was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.
Lieutenant George William Gladstone Gauld was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.
Lieutenant Harold Arthur Sydney Molyneux was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. During World War II, he returned to service in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Lieutenant Orville Alfred Ralston was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. He returned to service for World War II, only to die in a B-17 crash.
Lieutenant William Dolley Tipton began his military career as a World War I Sopwith Camel pilot. The U.S. Air Force officially credits him with four aerial victories during the war, although other sources claim he had five, and thus was a flying ace. He was one of the founding officers of what would become the Maryland Air National Guard. As a member of the Maryland National Guard, he was mobilized during World War II. He rose to the rank of colonel during the war. He died on December 12, 1945, in an aircraft accident. Tipton Airport in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, is named in his honor.
Captain Henry Gordon Clappison was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.
Lieutenant James Alfred Keating was an American World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories, including four triumphs during a running battle on 9 August 1918.
Howard Clayton Knotts was a prominent American aviation lawyer who served in World War I as a flying ace credited with six aerial victories.
Lieutenant George Edgar Bruce Lawson was a South African World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.
Lieutenant Cleo Francis Pineau was an American World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. He was a renowned motorcycle racer both before and after the war. He later became an executive in the steel industry.
Captain Ronald Sykes (1899-1977) was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.
Lieutenant Cecil Robert Thompson was a South African World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.
Lieutenant Earl Frederick Crabb was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. After World War I, he was an aviation pioneer and bush pilot. He returned to military aviation during World War II. He flew as a commercial pilot until he was 72 years old.
Lieutenant Kenneth Russell Unger was an American World War I flying ace credited with fourteen aerial victories. His candidacy rejected by his own nation, Unger applied to the British Royal Flying Corps for military pilot training in June 1917. Once trained, he was assigned to the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). As the RNAS was merged into the Royal Air Force, Unger scored his aerial victories between 26 June and 1 November 1918. In later life, Unger remained involved in aviation and served again during World War II. He also joined the U.S. Navy Reserves, rising to the rank of rear admiral.
Lieutenant Gavin Lynedoch Graham DFC, LdH, CdG was a South African World War I flying ace credited with thirteen confirmed aerial victories.
Lieutenant Chester Ellis Wright was an American World War I flying ace credited with nine confirmed aerial victories. He was the top scoring ace for his squadron.
Lieutenant Robert Miles Todd was an American World War I flying ace credited with five enemy planes destroyed.
Lieutenant Frederick Ernest Luff was an American flying ace during World War I. He was credited with five aerial victories, and awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross.
Above the Trenches: a Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920. Christopher F. Shores, Norman L. R. Franks, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1990. ISBN 0-948817-19-4, ISBN 978-0-948817-19-9.