[Sailor Steve]

September 12, 1918


Air War:

As part of the offensive of Saint-Mihiel, with American General John J. 'Black Jack' Pershing leading 110,000 French and American troops against the Germmans, the largest air force assembled to that date - 627 French and 611 American aircraft - is mostly grounded by the same high winds and rain that have limited air activity for several days. At one point the rain lets up and a fierce air battle rages over part of the sector.

0809 American 1st Lt Frank Luke Jr, flying a SPAD XIII, destroys a German observation balloon for victory number 1.

1000 German pilot Kurt Hetze, with Jasta 12, shoots down a Bréguet 14 for victory number 5. 1st Lt G.M. Crawford, 20th Aero USAS, is taken prisoner; 2nd Lt J.A. O’Toole, 96th Aero USAS, is killed.

1020 Two American SPAD XIII pilots share a victory over a Fokker D.VIII:
Charles Rudol d'Olive, S4630, victory number 1.
Leslie Jacob Rumell, serial number unknown, victory number 1.

1135 German ace Georg von Hantelmann, with Jasta 15, shoots down Bréguet 14 4495 for victory number 7. 1st Lt A. Gunderlach and 2nd Lt P.H. Way, 96th Aero USAS, are both killed.

1235 German pilot Robert Mossbacher, with Jasta 77, shoots down a Salmson 2.A2 for victory number 3. Cmdt ?? Rochard and Lt Carrelet de Loisy, Br 13, are both killed.

1310 German ace Oskar von Boegnigk, flying a Fokker D.VII, shoots down Salmson 2.A2 3203 for victory number 22. 1st Lt H. Aldrich, 1st Aero Sqdn, is wounded; 1st Lt D. Ker is killed.

1830 American ace David Putnam, in SPAD XIII 15137, shoots down a Fokker D.VIII for victory number 13.

1935 Georg von Hantelmann scores his second kill of the day, shooting down SPAD XIII 15137 for victory number 8. American 13-victory ace 1st Lt David Endicott Putnam, 139th Aero Sqdn USAS, is killed.

German ace Franz Büchner, with Jasta 13, scores three victories, numbers 21, 22 and 23:
DH.4 32143. 1st Lts H.W. Mitchell and J.W. Artz are both taken prisonder.
Bréguet 14. Sgt Charles Godin and MdL Paul Aligros, Br 132, are both listed as Missing.
DH.4 32298. 1st Lts H.L. Stevens and E.H. Gardiner, 50th Aero USAS, are both killed.

German pilot Ltn Grimm (no first name given), with Jasta 13, shoots down a Bréguet 14 for victory number 2. Sgt Etienne Carbone and Cpl Louis Mallet, Br 128, are both listed as Missing.