Continuing our look at the 1st Aero Squadron during the Great War, today Stringbags would like to submit for your approval this photo of a Salmson 2A2 named 'Gertrude A', and two of her boys.
The guy in the turret is Lt. Arthur E. Easterbrook and the other fella is Lt. Arthur J. Coyle. As he taps the keys to write this, your blogmeister has learned little about the latter, but a fair bit about the former... including the fact that this crate was named for Easterbrook's gal back home.
San Diego Air & Space Museum
Along with the majority of Americans who fought in the Great War, Arthur Edmond Easterbrook got into the show rather late, enlisting in August of 1917. We're a bit unclear as to all the details of his time 'over there', but apparently he initially served with a British outfit, 9 Squadron RAF, as an observer flying in FE.8s. On August 20th, 1918 he was transferred to the 1st Aero Squadron and, during the final few months prior to the armistice, became one of the last aces of the Great War, netting two DFCs in the process.
Easterbrook's first victory came on October 6th, 1918, and has been identified only as an 'EA', 'enemy aircraft'. He scored two more victories on October 8th, both two-seaters of unknown (to us) type. His fourth victory came on October 22nd, another unidentified two-seater, and the fifth on November 4th, 1918... reported to be a Fokker D.VII. For the first four victories Easterbrook's pilot was Lt. William P. Erwin, but Lt. Arthur J. Coyle was pilot for the fifth, and the photo above was quite possibly taken upon the occasion of this last victory.
Here's a look at Lt. Erwin, Easterbrook's pilot for his first four victories. Erwin himself was credited with a total of eight victories, shared with the various observers with whom he flew.
San Diego Air & Space Museum
Unfortunately, your blogmeister knows nothing more of the exact circumstances under which Easterbrook's victories were scored. However, some details of his double-tally on October 8th are included in the citation for his second DFC, reproduced below...
Citation for Lt. Easterbrook's first DFC:
EASTERBROOK, ARTHUR EDMOND
First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army
Observer, 1st Aero Squadron, Air Service,
A.E.F.
Date of Action: September 12, 1918
General Orders No. 116, W.D., 1919
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented
to Arthur Edmonnd Easterbrook, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army,
for extraordinary heroism in action near St. Mihiel, France, September
12, 1918.
Because of intense aerial activity on the opening
day of the St. Mihiel offensive, Lieutenant Easterbrook, observer, and
Second Lieutenant Ralph E. De Castro, pilot, volunteered to fly over the
enemy's lines on a photographic mission without the usual protection of
accompanying planes.
Notwithstanding the low-hanging clouds, which
necessitated operation at an altitude of only 400 meters, they penetrated
4 kilometers beyond the German lines. Attacked by four enemy machines,
they fought off their foes, completed their photographic mission, and returned
safely.
Citation for Lt. Easterbrook's second DFC:
EASTERBROOK, ARTHUR EDMOND
First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army
Observer, 1st Aero Squadron, Air Service,
A.E.F.
Date of Action: October 8, 1918
General Orders No. 116, W.D., 1919
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented
to Arthur Edmond Easterbrook, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army,
for extraordinary heroism in action near Exermont and Varennes, France,
October 8, 1918.
Lieutenant Easterbrook, with Lieutenant Erwin,
pilot, successfully carried out a mission of locating our Infantry, despite
five encounters with enemy planes. During these encounters he broke up
a formation of three planes, sending one down out of control; killed or
wounded an observer in an encounter with another formation; and sent a
biplane crashing to the ground, besides driving away a formation of two
planes and several single machines.
Arthur Easterbrook went on to serve with the USAAC during the 1920s and 30s, and with the USAAF during the Second World War. He was a member of the staff for Chief of the Army Air Corps, General Henry 'Hap' Arnold, and later commanded AFWTC (Air Force Western Training Command) and was commanding officer of Santa Ana Army Air Base in California, retiring as a Brigadier General on August 21st, 1946.
Sadly, he spent the last couple years of his life in a wheelchair after falling from a tree in 1950, and died from a heart attack in 1952 at the age of of 58.
Fade to Black...
