September 1, 1917
Air War:
British liner SS Lapland arrives at Liverpool, England carrying the US Army 1st Aero Squadron. The unit immedeately boards a train for Southampton.
0750 German ace Manfred von Richthofen, flying Fokker F.I 102/17, shoots down RE.8 B782 for victory number 60. Lt John Bristo Culley Madge is wounded and taken prisoner. 2nd Lt Walter Kember is killed.
(This is the first victory scored in the new Fokker Triplane. The first two, 102/17 and 103/17, are designated F.I. All subsequent Triplanes will be designated Dr.I. This aircraft is painted in standard Fokker cammoflage - olive streaked over bare linen with a brush above and turquoise belosw.)
Quote:
Flying my Triplane for the first time, I attacked, together with four of my gentlemen, a very boldly flown artillery-reconnaissance aircraft. I approached and fired twenty shots from a distance of 50 metres, whereupon the adversary fell out of control and crashed this side, near Zonnebeke. Apparently the opponent had taken me for an English Triplane, because the observer in the machine stood upright without making a move for his machine gun.
- Manfed von Richthofen
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0810 German pilot Karl Hammes, in Albatros D.V 2336/17, shoots down SPAD VII B3569 for victory number 2. 2nd E.M. Sant is taken prisoner.
0815 German ace Wilhelm Reinhard, in an Albatros D.V, shoots down an unidentified Sopwith Camel for victory number 6.
0920 Australian Flying Corps pilot Ross MacPherson Smith, in BE.12 A6311, shoots down an Albatros D.III for victory number 1.
1940 Italian ace Francesco Baracca, in a SPAD VII, shoots down a Hansa-Brandenburg C.I for victory number 18.
Bohemia-born Austro-Hungarian pilot Eugen Bönsch, flying Austro-Albatros D.III 53.57, shoots down an Italia Nieuport for victory number 1.