Balloon ace : the life of an early airpower visionary / Charles D. Dusch, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dusch, Charles D., Jr., 1959- author.

Series:

Aviation and air power

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

World War, 1914-1918--Aerial operations, British.

World War, 1914-1918.

Fighter pilots--United States--Biography.

Fighter pilots.

Soldiers' bodies, Disposition of.

World War, 1914-1918--Monuments.

Bennett, Louis, Jr., 1894-1918.

Bennett, Louis.

Physical Description:

269 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Lexington, Kentucky : University Press of Kentucky, [2025]

Summary:

"In 1927, when aviator Charles A. Lindbergh flew his famous monoplane in a triumphant tour of the United States, the Spirit of St. Louis touched down in Wheeling, West Virginia, for his visit to the Linsly School. There, Lindbergh laid a wreath at the foot of the Aviator-a statue erected by Sallie Maxwell Bennett bearing the likeness of her son, Louis Bennett Jr., West Virginia's only First World War flying ace. Though largely unknown today, Bennett was an airpower innovator whose tragically short combat career would have an enduring impact on American flight and on war memorials both at home and abroad. In Balloon Ace: The Life of an Early Airpower Visionary, historian Charles Dusch reconstructs Louis Bennett Jr.'s lost legacy. Advocating for a national aviation reserve years before the writings of "Billy" Mitchell, Bennett created a state aerial militia in 1917, complete with supporting airbases and an airplane factory. When the US Army refused to accept his unit, a frustrated Bennett joined the Royal Air Force to fight on the Western Front, destroying nine German balloons and three aircraft in a matter of days before he himself was shot down. In the second act of Bennett's story, Dusch traces Sallie Bennett's quest to clandestinely recover her son's body. Posing as a journalist, Sallie traveled to Europe searching the cemeteries on the Western Front and later commissioned twelve memorials to Bennett, including a chapel in France, the RAF window in Westminster Abbey, and the Aviator at Linsly. Moved by the vast destruction of the continent, she would eventually cross political boundaries to bring much-needed publicity to other mothers' demands for the US government to repatriate their own fallen loved ones. From West Virginia to the Western Front and back again, Balloon Ace is more than a multifaceted and insightful account of the pioneer aviators who prepared the United States for combat in the first air war-it is also a remarkable look at the commemoration culture that spanned the American Civil War to war-torn Europe in the early twentieth century"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction. I'll never forget : the impact of commemoration on generations

In Stonewall's shadow : shaping a generation for total war

The war to end all wars through the lens of college boys

Aerial militia : Americans prepare for war beyond the borders

"A more distinguished way of doing greater good" : Americans lurch toward war

Unusual courage : becoming a pursuit pilot

Most remarkable work : "a son to be proud of indeed"

To die a fiery "miserable death" : air combat on the Western Front, 1918

Mothers of heroes : waiting for news on the home front

A job so sacred : women, governments, and care for the fallen

The gratitude of all those present : commemoration on the world stage

Conclusion. Ready to serve : the monument as exemplar.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781985901612

1985901617

9781985901605

1985901609

OCLC:

1432472443

Publisher Number:

90100932359