[Sailor Steve]

September 18, 1918


Air War:

0630 Canadian RAF ace Gerald Bell, Flying SE.5a D3495 over the Italian Front, shoots down a Fokker D.VII for victory number 16.

1100 American pilot Howard Burdick, in Sopwith Camel F2141, shoots down an LVG two-seater for victory number 1.

1440 German ace Hans Böhning, with Jasta 79, destroys a British observation balloon for victory number 17.

1510 German ace Friedrich Noltenius, with Jasta 27, destroys a British observation balloon for victory number 10.

1520 German ace Carl Degelow, with Jasta 40, destroys a British observation balloon for victory number 14.

1610 Seven American SPAD XIII pilots from the 139th Aero Sqdn USAS share victories over two Pfalz D.IIIs:
Lt H.A. Garvie, victory numbers unknown.
Robert Opie Lindsay, victories 1 and 2.
Lt G.V. Moy, victory numbers unknown.
John Sidnew Owens, victories 1 and 2.
Wendel Robertson, victories 2 and 3.
Karl John Schoen, victories 1 and 2.
Lt R.D. Shelby, victory numbers unknown.

1640 Two American pilots SPAD XIII from the 27th Aero Sqdn share in the destruction of two German observation balloons:
Frank Luke Jr, victories 9 and 10.
Joseph Wehner, victories 5 and 6.

1645 German ace Georg von Hantelmann, with Jasta 15, shoots down SPAD XIII 7555 for victory number 16. American 6-victory ace Joseph Wehner, 27th Aero Sqdn USAS, is killed.

1645 Frank Luke is credited with three aircraft - two Fokker D.VIIs and a Halberstadt two-seater - for victories 11, 12 and 13.

1725 German ace Franz Büchner, with Jasta 13, shoots down SPAD XIII 15252 for victory number 30. 1st Lt David E. McClure, 213th Aero Sqdn USAS, is taken prisoner.

1730 German ace Hermann Becker, flying with Jasta 12, claims two DH.4s for victories 15 and 16. 1st Lts L.S. Harter, M. Stephenson, J.C. Tyler and H.H. Strauch, 11th Aero Sqdn USAS, are all killed.

1730 Franz Büchner scores his second kill of the day, shooting down SPAD XIII 4600 for victory number 31. 1st Lt Fred Philbrick, 28th Aero Sqdn USAS, is killed.

1730 German ace Ulrich Neckel, with Jasta 6, shoots down a DH.4 for victory number 26. 1st Lts V.P. Otis and R.P. Guthrie, 11th Aero Sqdn USAS, land safely on their own side of the lines.

1805 Three French pilots from Spa 154 share in the destruction of a German observation balloon:
Jacques Erlich, victory number 19.
Sgt ?? Peillard, victory number 2.
Paul Petit, victory number 6.

Franz Büchner gains his third victory of the day, shooting down SPAD XIII 4512 for number 32. 1st Lt William H. Taylor, 95th Aero Sqdn USAS, is killed.

German ace Gerhard Fieseler, in an Albatros D.III over the Macedonian Front, shoots down a Nieuport for victory number 18. Sgt J.C. Perrau, Serbian Escadrille 506, is killed.