Lot 907

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Description:

WORLD WAR I ACES (23)
Good lot of 23 items signed by various aces and others, almost all American aces. Includes: JAMES NORMAN HALL, served in Lafayette Escadrille, co-author with Charles B. Nordhoff of 'The Lafayette Flying Corps and 'Mutiny on the Bounty', T.L.S., Tahiti, [n.d.]: 'Arué is quite a distance from Paea in these days of gasoline rationing & poor transportation...'; WILLIAM T. BADHAM, ace with five kills, A.L.S., 1966: '...Putnam, Luke, Rickenbacker, Fonck, Richthofen ... all were great pilots and Bishop (Canadian) very good. Putnam if he had lived longer undoubtedly would have been very great...'; DAVID E. PUTNAM 13 Kills. DFC. KIA, Sept. 18, 1918, cut signature affixed to card with a magazine photo; EDWARD M. HAIGHT A.L.S., Jan. 4. 1967, vivid, first hand descriptions of combat experience: '...I attacked a single-seater Fokker and it spun to a grand crack-up. Suddenly I was attacked by 4 or 5 Fokkers... fought down to land behind German lines... Ground troops tried to attack my SPAD and at last minute managed to take off and slip away... bullet holes in my ship...[I] sat on an iron stove cover which stopped several bullets from coming up through my seat mat... I consider Lt. David E. Putnam of 139 Sqdn. 2nd Pursuit Group, AEF, the greatest...', with signed photo; LEO KIMBALL Pioneer pilot, member Lafayette Escadrille, A.L.S., 1971 about a photo taken in 1912; RICHARD CHAMBERS I.S.P. in RFC uniform with many
decorations; EDWARD P. CURTIS D.S.C., Croix de Guerre. Major General in WW II, T.L.S. March 22, 1966, mentions top pilots, Rickenbacker, Fonck, Richthofen and Billy Bishop; HILBERT L. BAIR T.L.S., 1967 '... first time I got into a 'dog fight' with the Germans at between 19,000 and 20,000 feet I fainted.... open cockpits... I came to after spinning to 9,000 ft.... hit by an incendiary bullet, I dove for about 10,000 ft.'; J. P. EDGERLY A.L.S., Feb. 15, 1917 about training pilots during WW I and a 'falling leaf' landing he made with a British pilot; FRANK R. HAYS. 13th Pursuit Squadron, S.P. in RAF uniform, 1919, A.L.S. 1986; JAMES R. KEATING snapshot photo signed on verso, with A.L.S. Aug. 22, 1966 '... As for my pick of the top pilot in WW I...we all have our bias...This goes for our side or the enemy... I would have to vote for Lieut. Luke, KIA, but not before...ample victories...'; HOWARD BURDICK seven kills, signed card: 'Howard Burdick Lieut. of Air Service. US Army 17th Aero Sqdn.'; SUMNER SEWALL signature; JAMES KNOWLES A.L.S., [n.p, n.d.] about 'articles by WW I aces including me by myself'; CHARLES G. GREY five kills, signature on gold-trimmed card; DOUGLAS CAMPBELL six kills, member Rickenbacker's 94th 'Hat-in-the-Ring' Squadron, A.L.S. June 4, 1986 about book 'Let's Go Where the Action Is': '...which contains the letters I wrote my parents from France in 1917/18....'; GEORGE A. VAUGHN, JR. 13 kills., ace in both RAF and U.S. Air Service, S.P. in uniform signed adding '1st Lieut. USAF 17th Squadron AEF 1918'; CLINTON JONES eight kills, signature cut from check; HARRY D. COPLAND T.L.S., April 2, 1971: '... I made my 1st solo...1911. In WW I, I served... with the RFC & the RFA...I am a member, past pres. of the Early Birds of Aviation, the OX-5 Club, Quiet Birdmen, War Birds of the RAF, WWI Overseas Flyers Assoc., etc.'; J.J. SMITH 'Researcher, WW I Aviation Personnel', T.L.S., May 3, 1971, mentions ace Frederick Lord, meetings with German aces, aerial combat Sept. 16, 1918 near Metz; GERALD E. NASH Canadian ace, T.L.S., Feb. 14, 1968: 'On June 25, 1917, Mel Alexander, Raymond Collishaw [2nd ranking Canadian Ace]...were flying about 4,000 ft. over enemy territory through cloud. I looked down and saw two Ger. Albatross planes attacking two British R.E.8's... I found myself fighting Manfred Richthofen and Allenroder...I had had many encounters with the Red Circus prior to this dogfight. I was in a dogfight with the two Ger. aces. One would engage me in gun fight and the other would climb and shoot at me from above... one of the rudder control wires of my machine was shot... my machine gave out ...' Overall very good. 23 pieces.

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July 29, 2022 10:00 AM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000