In the column on the right, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker (1890 – 1973) recalled his experiences in W.W. I France.
“I learned pretty fast. Long practice in driving a racing-car at a hundred miles an hour or so gives first-class training in control and judging distances at high speed…”
Arriving rather late in the game (March, 1918), Rickenbacker quickly racked up 26 kills, a Croix de Guerre, a Distinguished Service Cross, the Legion d’Honeur and the Congressional Medal of Honor (which would not be approved and awarded until 1930). In his later life, he would go on to become one of the founders of Continental Airlines.
Click here to read about aerial dog fighting during the First World War.
