George Miller Dyott (1883--1972) was an early aviator; veteran of the Royal Naval Air Service; aircraft designer; and explorer. This collection contains approximately 1 cubic foot of material pertaining to Dyott's aviation career including correspondence; photographs; financial records; technical drawings; military records; news clippings; a World War I field diary; calling cards; and an annotated manuscript entitled, "Flying," written by Dyott.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains approximately 1 cubic foot of material pertaining to George Miller Dyott's aviation career including correspondence; photographs; financial records; technical drawings; military records; news clippings; a World War I field diary; calling cards; and an annotated manuscript entitled, "Flying," written by Dyott. Photographic formats include black and white prints of various sizes (some of which are mounted on cardstock or matted) and 5 by 7 inch glass plates. Many of the photographs, including one entire album, are devoted to Dyott's service with the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) during World War I. Aircraft pictured in the photographs include the Dyott Monoplane; Dyott Bomber; Walden IV 1910 Monoplane (identfied here as the Walden-Dyott Monoplane); an unidentfied model of Deperdussin; Nieuport 17; Vickers (UK) E.F.B.5 Gunbus; a Sopwith Baby fitted with Le Prieur Rockets; Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2; Handley Page O/400; Morane-Saulnier Type L (Mo.S.3); Blériot XI; Farman (Henry) H.F.20 (Type Militaire Biplane); and a later photo of a Bellanca Pacemaker CH-300. There are also photographs of a Royal Navy non-rigid airship and the wreck of the Zeppelin LZ 76 (Navy L 33), as well as early equipment such as searchlights; anti-aircraft guns; an anti-aircraft armored vehicle; and various types of bombs. In addition to Dyott, other well-known people in the photographs include Henry W. Walden; Patrick Hamilton; Francisco Madero (33rd President of Mexico); Arthur W. Bigsworth; and Reginald A. J. Warneford. The collection also contains one photograph of Harriet Quimby. There are also four technical drawings dating to 1914 in the collection ranging in size from approximately 24.25 by 15.5 inches up to 41 x 14 inches. Three of the drawings are on coated cloth and one is on waxed paper. Two are for a small promotional aircraft made from an ale bottle and powered by an 80-hp Gnome engine, one is marked "Worthington Ales" and the other is marked "Little Peter." The third drawing is a three-view of a "Hydro-Aeroplane for Tropical Rivers" powered by two 100-hp Mercedes engines, and the fourth is a side drawing of an unspecified type of biplane (undated). In addition to the drawings, there is a graph on waxed paper (14.5 by 13.25 inches) tracking altitude, time, and speed for an unknown aircraft (undated). The collection also includes records relating to the design and production of the Dyott Monoplane and Dyott Bomber.
Arrangement:
Some of the material in this collection arrived grouped together in folders or envelopes. This material was housed accordingly and original folder titles were kept where applicable. The rest of the collection is organized by type of material. Folder titles created by archivist, or additional information added to original folder titles by archivist, are in brackets. Within folders, material is arranged chronologically.
Biographical / Historical:
George Miller Dyott (1883--1972) was an early aviator; veteran of the Royal Naval Air Service; aircraft designer; and explorer. Dyott was born in New York in 1883 to an American mother and a British father. Dyott was educated in the United Kingdom before returning to the United States where he learned to fly at Curtiss Field in New York. Dyott was awarded Royal Aero Club aviator's certificate 114 in August of 1911. Around this time, Dyott partnered with Henry W. Walden designing monoplanes. In the autumn of 1911, Dyott and Patrick Hamilton began making a tour of exhibition flights with two Deperdussin monoplanes (one single and one double seater) which started in New York and included stops in the Bahamas and Mexico, where they carried then-President Francisco Madero as a passenger. Dyott then returned to the United Kingdom where he designed the Dyott Monoplane, manufactured by Hewlett & Blondeau, which he brought to the United States to fly a six month demonstration tour beginning in April 1913. Dyott entered military service in 1914 and served as a squadron commander for the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I. Around this time, Dyott designed a large twin-engine biplane for use in exploring. The Royal Naval Air Service saw a potential in this design for military use so Dyott made some modifications and two prototypes were ordered from Hewlett & Blondeau in 1916. The two Dyott Bomber prototypes were built and flight tested with various engines and armament, with the second being service tested in France, but the model never entered production. After World War I, Dyott became an explorer and joined the Royal Geographical Society. In 1927, Dyott was hired to lead an expedition retracing the steps of the Roosevelt–Rondon Scientific Expedition which confirmed Theodore Roosevelt's claims about the group's discovery and exploration of the Rio Roosevelt ("River of Doubt"). In 1928, Dyott led an expedition into Brazil searching for missing explorer Percy Fawcett. Dyott also founded Dyott & Company, Ltd. in Lima, Peru taking aerial photographs and other scenic views that were sold as post cards. Dyott wrote several books about his adventures (one of which was adapted into a feature film, Manhunt in the Jungle, in 1958), and also starred as himself in two documentary films (Hunting Tigers in India in 1929 and Savage Gold, which he also co-wrote, in 1933). In the mid-1930s, Dyott retired to Ecuador where he lived largely in isolation. He conducted two expeditions searching for Inca treasure in the late 1940s before returning to Ecuador where he stayed until returning to New York to reunite with his wife and children shortly before his death.
Provenance:
Michael Dyott, Gift, 2016, NASM.2016.0019.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
0.05 Cubic feet (2 folders, 23 black and white 8 x 10 inch print photographs; two 4 x 5 inch color transparencies)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Date:
1917-1919
Summary:
This collection consists of 23 black and white photographs taken by Herbert Emerson Garrison (1896-1986), during his service with the 95th Aero Squadron in France during World War I and includes informal views of both aircraft and personnel. The collection also includes two copy color transparencies of a Salvation Army post card stating that Garrison had arrived safely back in New York City after the war.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 23 black and white photographs copied from a scrapbook which was loaned to the National Air and Space Museum Archives by Walter Garrison, son of Herbert E. Garrison, the photographer. The images feature informal views of both aviation personnel and American and French aircraft, including the Nieuport 11 (XI) Sesquiplane, Nieuport 17, Nieuport 28, Morane-Saulnier Model LA (Mo.S.4), Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b, Spad XIII, and a Voisin 8 BN.2 (Type LAP). Also seen are two captured German biplanes, an Albatros D.Va (L24) and a Fokker D.VII which later became part of the collection of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM). On November 9, 1918, two days before the end of the war, Lieutenant Heinz Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay landed this Fokker D.VII at a forward American airfield being used by the 95th Aero Squadron, near Verdun. The pilot and airplane were captured by three American officers before Beaulieu-Marconnay could set fire to his aircraft. The captured Fokker D.VII is seen in the Garrison photographs embellished with the "Kicking Mule" insignia of the 95th Aero Squadron. The collection also includes two copy transparencies of a Salvation Army post card sent to Minnie Owens (whom Garrison later married) to let her know that Garrison had arrived safely in New York City on his way home from the war in France.
Arrangement:
The black and white images in this collection were copied as Smithsonian Institution negative numbers 98-15105 through 98-15118 and 98-15188 through 98-15196. The front and back of the post card were copied as numbers 98-15296 and 98-15297. The copy images are physically arranged in negative number order. The images have been arranged online in this finding aid into subject groups which are presented roughly in chronological order.
Biographical / Historical:
The 95th Aero Squadron, organized on August 20th, 1917, and demobilized on March 18th, 1919, was part of the 1st Pursuit Organization stationed in France on the Western Front during World War I. The squadron was assigned as a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron and was the first American squadron to fly in combat, doing so on March 8, 1918. The 95th Aero Squadron shot down 35 enemy aircraft and 12 observation balloons, participating in the following military campaigns: Champagne-Marne Defensive, Aisne-Marne Offensive, St. Mihiel Offensive and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Among the squadron's pilots were six air aces and Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt. Herbert Emerson Garrison (1896-1986), the donor's father, served as a mechanic for the 95th Aero Squadron during World War I.
Related Materials:
Related artifacts in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum collection:
Fokker D.VII, A19200004000.
Provenance:
Walter Garrison, originals loaned for copying, 1998, NASM.1998.0029
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Wings of war; an account of the important contribution of the United States to aircraft invention, engineering, development and production during the world war, by Theodore Macfarlane Knappen, with an introduction by Rear-Admiral D. W. Taylor. With 43 illustrations
Author:
Knappen, Theodore Macfarlane 1871-1938 Search this
Physical description:
xv, 289 p. front., plates. 21 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
United States
Date:
1920
Topic:
World War, 1914-1918--Aerial operations Search this
This collection consists of three oversized certificates presented to William Thaw, 1918 – 1919.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of the following three oversized certificates: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur, presented to Lieutenant Colonel William Thaw on April 9, 1919; Distinguished Service Cross, presented to Colonel William Thaw on October 16, 1918; and United States Citation to Colonel William Thaw, on April 19, 1919.
Arrangement:
No order, only three certificates.
Biographical / Historical:
William Thaw II (1893 – 1934) was a World War I ace and is believed to be the first American to engage in aerial combat in the war as one of the original nine members of the Lafayette Escadrille. Born into a prominent Pittsburgh family, Thaw attended Yale University but left to learn to fly at the Curtiss School of Aviation at Hammondsport, New York, in 1913. Soon after he was the first to pilot an aircraft up New York City's East River and fly underneath all four bridges. By the summer of 1914, Thaw was in Paris, along with his personal Curtiss Motel E Hydro, and had received the Aero Club of France F.A.I. Hydro License 2. When war started, Thaw joined the French Foreign Legion and by December he was transferred to the French aviation unit, first as an observer, then as an active pilot. In May of 1916 Thaw was commissioned as first lieutenant and shortly after he was shot in the arm during combat. After his recovery, he resumed active duty and in November he was transferred to the American Air Service and commissioned a major. In January 1918 Thaw was given command of the American Lafayette Escadrille, 103rd Pursuit Squadron and in August he was given command of the 3rd Pursuit Group and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. After the war, he returned stateside and from January to June 1919 he was the commanding officer at Rockwell Field, San Diego, California. He was honorably discharged in July of 1919. During his service he received many honors and decorations.
Provenance:
Found in Collecton, Transferred from the NASM Aeronautics Department, 2022, NASM.2023.0009
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
This collection consists of correspondence, newspaper articles, and a photograph album documenting James Rogers McConnell's life, especially his World War I service in the Lafayette Escadrille.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of correspondence, newspaper articles, and a photograph album documenting James Rogers McConnell's life, especially his World War I service in the Lafayette Escadrille. This collection contains material pertaining to both McConnell's service as well as the service of his fellow Lafayette Escadrille members, including Kiffin Rockwell, Victor Chapman, and Raoul Lufbery. The correspondence includes letters from McConnell to his family and friends, as well as condolence letters from McConnell's friends to his family after his death. The photographs include images of McConnell, his friends--both ambulance drivers and pilots, aircraft, his grave, his crypt in the Lafayette Memorial, and also his memorial in Carthage, North Carolina. The newspaper articles include ones written by McConnell about his war service.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged by type of material.
Biographical / Historical:
James Rogers McConnell (1887-1917) was a member of the Lafayette Escadrille. Born in Chicago, McConnell attended two years of schooling at the University of Virginia before leaving the law school in 1910 to join his family in Carthage, North Carolina. There, he served as a land and industrial agent of the Seaboard Airline Railway and as secretary of the Carthage Board of Trade. After war broke out in Europe, McConnell arrived in France to enlist with the American Ambulance Corps. McConnell withdrew from the Ambulance Corps and entered the aviation training program, becoming one of the first members of the Lafayette Escadrille. McConnell first flight was on May 13, 1916, in which he flew a Nieuport biplane. McConnell was shot down and killed on March 19, 1917 above the Somme Battlefields. He was the author of the book Flying for France.
Provenance:
James M. Truitt, gift, 1963, NASM.XXXX.0232
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Images of the National Air and Space Museum's Stropp Albatros D.Va circa 1919.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of three historical photographs of the National Air and Space Museum's Stropp Albatros D.Va. Images on the CD depict the aircraft on display outside possibly in California and on a Victory Loan Special train circa 1919.
Arrangement:
Original order.
Biographical / Historical:
The Albatros series of single-seat fighters produced between 1916 and 1918 were among the most numerous and distinctive aircraft of the First World War, the Albatros D.Va remaining in production until April 1918. Despite their numbers, only two Albatros fighters have survived (both D.Va models). One, bearing a distinctive marking of "Stropp" on the side of the fuselage, has been in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum since 1952 [A19500092000]. The Museum completed its restoration of the Albatros D.Va in 1979.
Provenance:
Greg Van Wyngarden, Gift, 2004, NASM.2004.0051
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
This accession is a collection of military records, including orders, travel papers, memos, equipment lists, and other correspondence concerning Don Swann while he was stationed in Paris in 1918.
Scope and Contents:
This accession is a collection of military records, including orders, travel papers, memos, equipment lists, and other correspondence concerning Don Swann while he was stationed in Paris in 1918. Also included are: a souvenir program from the International Jacques Schneider Cup Races, dated October 24, 1925, and annotated by Swann with notes about the pilots of the day; an American Expeditionary Forces Headquarters Tentative Equipment Manual for Supply Squadron; April 20, 1918 propaganda leaflets in German regarding President Wilson's speech; and miscellaneous notes by Swann written about early aviation in Baltimore, MD, his hometown.
Arrangement:
Materials in this collection are grouped into two series by type: Documents (Series 1) and Photographs (Series 2).
In 1998, the six photographs in this collection were reproduced on the second side (Side B) of National Air and Space Museum Archival Videodisc 7, a LaserDisc CAV format 12-inch (30 cm) optical disc published by the Smithsonian Institution. Print numbers applied during videodisc production are used as item-level image numbers (print numbers NASM 7B06404 to NASM 7B06409, videodisc frame capture numbers VD-7B06404 to VD-7B06404) and the images are stored in videodisc number order.
Biographical / Historical:
Samuel Donovan "Don" Swann (1899–1954) was a World War I aviator and an American artist. Fascinated by aviation from the time he was 17, Swann attended St. John's College in Annapolis as a cadet. In November 1917, Swann was sent to Kelly Field, Texas, to attend Ground Officer's Training School, where he graduated as a first lieutenant. During World War I Swann was an officer in the Signal Reserves Corps, Aviation Section, until January 1918, at which point he was assigned to the 62nd Squadron with the American Expeditionary Forces in France. During his service overseas, Swann was placed in charge of supplying Air Service material for all aviation training schools in France. As he was interested in flying, he petitioned to be switched over to piloting and by the beginning of October 1918, he received dispensation to be allowed to make flights. After his discharge at the end of the war, Swann was employed as the superintendent of the American Propeller Manufacturing Company of Baltimore which was a primary source of aeronautical propeller supplies. He later also worked at the Monumental Aircraft Company at College Park, Maryland, which consisted entirely of aeronautical supplies. As an artist, Swann studied in Germany and Italy, and was known for historic Americana; his art was exhibited in many United States cities and is part of many permanent collections, including the Metropolitan Museum and the Smithsonian Institution.
Provenance:
Mr. S. Donovan Swann, Jr., Gift, 1987, NASM.1987.0062
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
This collection consists of approximately 1.46 cubic feet of historical maps and photographs collected by Dieter Gröschel.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of approximately 1.46 cubic feet of historical maps and photographs collected by Dieter Gröschel. The maps, which are various sizes, date from approximately 1884 to 1941 and were produced in Germany, France, and England. They show parts of Russia; Germany; France; Belgium; Holland; Bavaria; and Africa; and many have hand-drawn notations including battle lines, locations of troops, etc. Some of the maps are linen-backed and designed for use in an aircraft. The collection also contains numerous black and white historical photographs including aerial photographs of Germany and France taken in 1917 and 1918; photographs of personnel, facilities, and operations relating to Feldflieger-Abteilung Nr. 5 which date from 1915 to 1918; aerial photographs taken in 1918 of Flanders and Zeebrugge by Karl Keppler and Max Greiner of Fliegerabteilung 291 (A); a French set of 32 black and white aerial photographs on ten pages, with interpretation, used for training observers in World War I; an unbound German World War I album containing black and white photographs and post cards; and a photo album belonging to a paymaster of the Jagdstaffelschule I during World War I. The album, which measures approximately 14 x 10 inches, is linen-covered and contains photographs of the front-lines in France and Italy; personnel, including members of the Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 144; aircraft, including crashes; and personal family photographs relating to the album's creator. Aircraft depicted in these photographs include an Albatros D Series Fighter and a captured Nieuport fighter. There is also a 3.5 x 5.5 inch color post card dating to 1915 with an illustration of French pre-World War I era infantry looking up at an Etrich Taube (Dove) type aircraft included in the collection. Finally, this collection contains a selection of manuals which includes the following titles: Instructions Concerning Battle Maps, US Army War College, 1917 (Translated from French edition of 1916); List of Conventional Signs and Abbreviations in Use on French and German Maps, compiled by Second Section, General Staff (Topography), American Expeditionary Forces, 1918; Catalogue of Maps, General Staff, American Expeditionary Forces, 1918; List of Places in Argonne-Verdun District with their Locations, Supplement A, General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces, November 7, 1918;
Notes on Map Reading for Use in Army Schools, His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1918; Basic Field Manual, Vol. 1, Chapter 5 - Map and Aerial Photograph Reading, US War Department, 1938; Basic Field Manual, Conventional Signs, Military Symbols, and Abbreviations, US War Department, 1939; Basic Field Manual, Military Intelligence, Military Maps, US War Department, January 6, 1941; Basic Field Manual, Elementary Map and Aerial Photograph Reading, US War Department, April 12, 1941; and Basic Field Manual, Advanced Map and Aerial Photograph Reading, US War Department, September 17, 1941.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged by type of material. Some of the large maps are arranged by size.
Provenance:
Dieter H. M. Gröschel., Gift, 2015, NASM.2015.0046
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection provides extensive documentation on the flying career of Paul R. Stockton from his entry into the New York Air National Guard through his service in France and Germany and eventual discharge in 1919. Included in this collection is documentation of the activies, personnel and equipment of Stockton's squadron, as well as are excellent aerial photographs of airplanes and before and after photographs of target areas. Many of the photographs show Marie, the Belgian police dog Stockton raised during the war. (Marie later appeared in motion pictures with Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino and others). One image is purportedly from one of the aircraft of Baron von Richtofen's "Flying Circus." Also included in this scrapbook are certificates of Stockton's appointments to corporal and to 1st lieutenant, hotel menus, copies of leaflets dropped by US aviators behind the German lines, examples of European currency, train and bus tickets, fabric swatches from aircraft, Stockton's pilot license and other such ephemera.
Biographical / Historical:
Paul R. Stockton (1880-1962) enlisted in the Signal Corps from 1906-1909 and served in Cuba and Puerto Rico. He made his first flight in 1916 as a member of the First Aero Company, New York State National Guard at Mineola, New York. In 1917 Stockton was ordered overseas and served as the Commanding Officer of the 12th Aero Squadron of the American Expeditionary Forces. Stockton was discharged in 1919, and was later a member of the Early Birds.
Provenance:
No donor information, gift, unknown, XXXX-0283, unknown
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Topic:
World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations Search this
John Guy Gilpatric (1896-1950) was one of America's earliest aviators. Although not officially an Early Bird, he first learned to fly in 1912 at the age of sixteen. That same year he gained notoriety by setting a new American record when he reached an altitude of nearly 5,000 feet with a passenger on board. During his teenage years, Gilpatric gave flying lessons and flew in air exhibitions, eventually becoming employed as a test-pilot. He later worked as an aviation instructor in Toronto, Canada, teaching the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. Following the United States' entry into World War I in 1917, Gilpatric enlisted in the Army Air Service as a First Lieutenant, where he was stationed overseas as Engineering Officer, First Aero Squadron, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). The collection contains four scrapbooks, photographs, correspondence, licenses and identity cards, newspaper clippings, newsletters, and periodicals, which chronicle his aviation career and military service.
Scope and Contents:
The collection contains four scrapbooks, photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, newsletters, and periodicals. The collection also includes Gilpatric's Aero Club of American issued pilot license and his American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) identity and pilot identity card. Correspondence includes three letters from Glenn H. Curtiss and Jimmy Doolittle. The scrapbooks contain photographs, clippings and ephemera, including the follow subjects: Gilpatric's early aviation career as both an aviator and an instructor with the Moisant Flying School, Sloane Aviation School, the Royal Canadian air cadets; early aircraft such as the Sloane Flying Boat, the Nieuport 27, Curtiss JN-2, as well as Wright, Bleriot, Farman, and Deperdussin aircraft; and early aviators Charles Niles; DeLloyd Thompson; Art Smith; Bert Acosta; Claude Grahame-White; George W. Beatty; William Knox Martin; George M. Dyott; John E. Sloane; and Robert Y. Hoshino, a Japanese aviator. One scrapbook focuses on Gilpatric's service in the AEF in World War I with photographs of zeppelins, soldiers and aviators, aerial reconnaissance photography, destroyed villages, and graves. Photographs found in the videodisc prints are most likely copied from the scrapbooks or smaller images that had been removed from albums.
Note: Where indicated, the digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
Arrangement:
Materials were arranged by physical location.
Biographical / Historical:
John Guy Gilpatric (1896-1950) was one of America's earliest aviators. Although not officially an Early Bird, he first learned to fly in 1912 at the age of sixteen. That same year he gained notoriety by setting a new American record when he reached an altitude of nearly 5,000 feet with a passenger on board. During his teenage years, Gilpatric gave flying lessons and flew in air exhibitions, eventually becoming employed as a test-pilot. He later worked as an aviation instructor in Toronto, Canada, teaching the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. Following the United States' entry into World War I in 1917, Gilpatric enlisted in the Army Air Service as a First Lieutenant, where he was stationed overseas as Engineering Officer, First Aero Squadron, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). Upon returning to the United States in 1919, he left the world of aviation behind and worked in advertising. Gilpatric is probably best known, however, for his subsequent career as a writer, during which time he wrote the Saturday Evening Post series, "Colin Glencannon," among numerous other books and articles.
Provenance:
Unknown, gift, unknown, NASM.XXXX.0220
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Nathan Blumberg (1897--1982) served with the US Army Air Service, 27th Aero Squadron, during World War I. This collection consists of a scrapbook compiled by Blumberg which mainly documents the activities of his unit during the war.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a scrapbook compiled by Nathan Blumberg which mainly documents the activities of the 27th Aero Squadron during World War I. Photographs in the scrapbook include images of members of the squadron; graves of some of the pilots killed in action; aircraft including the SPAD XIII (S.13), Dorand Type A.R.2 A2, Nieuport 28 C18, and the de Havilland (Airco) D.H.4; and views of various locations in France. The images are captioned by Blumberg. The scrapbook also includes some military records, poems, news clippings, and photographs and memorabilia from the squadron's reunions in 1966 and 1973. A number of news clippings in the scrapbook relate to Frank Luke, Jr., a pilot from the 27th Aero Squadron who was killed in action during World War I and was awarded the Medal of Honor. The scrapbook also contains some clippings about Edward Vernon "Eddie" Rickenbacker and some of Blumberg's enlistment records from World War II.
Arrangement:
The scrapbook in this collection is in original order. The collection also contains some loose items which are housed separately.
Biographical / Historical:
Nathan Blumberg (1897--1982) enlisted in the US Army Air Service at Fort Slocum, New York on November 27, 1917 and was initially attached to the 233rd Aero Squadron before being transferred to the 659th Aero Squadron in December 1917. In February 1918, Blumberg was attached to the 27th Aero Squadron and remained with that unit, serving in France from February 1918 until March 1919 when he was honorably discharged at the rank of corporal. Blumberg re-enlisted in the US Army Air Forces in October 1942 and served during World War II as a warrant officer.
Provenance:
Leonore B. Sheldon, Gift, 1991, NASM.1991.0028
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests