[Sailor Steve]

September 26, 1918


Air War:

0552 American pilot Reed McKinley Chambers, flying a SPAD XIII, destroys a German observation balloon for victory number 1.

0710 German ace Max Näther, with Jasta 62, shoots down SPAD XIII 15195 for victory number 14. 1st Lt T.P. Evans, 13th Aero Sqdn USAS, is taken prisoner.

0730 American pilot James Dudley Beane, in a SPAD XIII, shoots down a Fokker D.VII for victory number 1.

0800 Three French pilots from three different units share a victory over a Fokker D.VII:
Emile Régnier, Spa 89, victory number 5.
S/Lt Schurck (no first name given), Spa 91, victory number 3.
Armand de Turenne, Spa 12, victory number 14.

0810 German ace Wilhelm Seitz, with Jasta 8, shoots down SPAD XIII 15102 for victory number 11. 2nd Lt V.H. Burgin, 13th Aero Sqdn USAS, is taken prisoner.

0830 German ace Fritz Höhn, flying with Jasta 60, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 14.

1025 German ace Karl Bohnenkamp, with Jasta 22, shoots down a Sopwith Camel for victory number 12.

1045 Canadian RAF pilot Henry Clappison, in Sopwith Camel F3243, shoots down a Fokker D.VII for victory number 2.

1145 French ace René Fonck, in a SPAD XIII, claims two German "Scouts" for victories 61 and 62.

1210 René Fonck gains his third victory of the day, shooting down a Halberstadt two-seater for number 63.

1215 German ace Walter Blume, flying with Jasta 9, shoots down a SPAD 2-seater for victory number 26.

1215 German ace Georg von Hantelmann, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down SPAD XIII 15129 for victory number 17. 1st Lt H.R. Sumner, 139th Aero Sqdn USAS, is taken prisoner.

1215 Fritz Höhn scores his second kill of the day, destroying a French observation balloon for victory number 15.

1220 Canadian RAF ace James White, in Sopwith Dolphin E7165, shoots down a Pfalz D.XII for victory number 9.

1300 German ace Gustav Dörr, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down a two-seat SPAD XI for victory number 30.

1300 English RAF ace pilot Chester Thompson and Irish observer William Tyrrell, flying Bristol F.2b C1035, ahoot down a Fokker D.VII. Victory number 10 for Thompson; number 4 for Tyrrell.

1315 Chester Thompson and William Tyrrell score their second kill of the day, shooting down another Fokker D.VII. Victory number 11 for Thompson; number 5 for Tyrrell.

1350 German ace Rudolf Francke, with Jasta 8, shoots down SPAD XIII 7660 for victory number 15. 1st Lt I.J. Roth, 49th Aero Sqdn USAS, is killed.

1400 German ace Fritz Rumey, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down Bristol F.2b E2163 for victory number 43. 2nd Lt C.A. Harrison and Lt J.A. Parkinson are taken prisoner.

1430 German ace Christian Mesch, with Jasta 26, shoots down Sopwith Camel D8168 for victory number 13. Capt A. Storey, 208 Sqdn RAF, is wounded.

1510 English RAF ace George hicks, flying an SE.5a, ahoots down a DFW D.V for victory number 8.

1535 German ace Max Näther, with Jasta 62, destroys an American observation balloon for victory number 15. 1st Lt S.V. Clarke and 2nd Lt S.E. White, 9th Balloon Company USBS, parachute safely.

1545 Max Näther scores his second victory of the day, ahooting down a SPAD XIII for victory number 16.

1645 German ace Oskar Hennrich, with Jasta 46, destroys a British observation balloon for victory number 17.

1645 Two French pilots with Spa 57 share in the destruction of a German observation balloon:
Cpl Beaume (no first name given), victory number 1.
Marcel Nogues, victory number 13.

1710 German ace Ernst Udet, flying a Fokker D.VII, shoots down a DH.9 for victory number 61.

1720 German ace Johannes Klein, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down a DH.9 for victory number 16.

1720 Ernst Udet scores his second kill of the day, shooting down another DH.9 for victory number 62.

1727 German ace Bernhard Ultsch, with Jasta 77, shoots down a DH.9 for victory number 10. In all, 99 Sqdn RAF lost six DH.9s this day.

1755 German ace Hans von Freden, with Jasta 50, destroys a French observation balloon for victory number 10.

1805 Fritz Rumey scores his second kill of the day, shooting down a DH.4 for victory number 44.

1810 René Fonck gets his fourth victory of the day, bringing down a Fokker D.VII for number 64.

1820 René Fonck claims his fifth and sixth kills of the day, two more Fokker D.VIIs for numbers 65 and 66.

1825 American RAF pilot Malcolm Howell, in Sopwith Camel E1535, shoots down a Fokker D.VII for victory number 4.

1845 Three French pilots from Spa 12 share a victory over a German observation balloon:
S/Lt Herlemont (no first name given), victory number 2.
Sgt Maurio (no first name given, victory number 2.
Armand de Turenne, victory number 15.

German ace Hermann Becker, flying with Jasta 12, shoots down DH.4 32915 for victory 17. 1st Lts P.N. Rhinelander and H.C. Preston, 20th Aero Sqdn RSAS, are both Killed.

Hermann Becker scores his second victory of the day, shooting down DH.4 32819 for victory number 18. 1st Lt R.P. Matthews and 2nd Lt E.A. Taylor, 20th Aero Sqdn USAS, are both killed.

German ace Ernst Bormann, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down a Sopwith Camel for vicory number 11.

German ace Franz Büchner, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down SPAD XIII 7519 for victory number 33. 2nd Lt Ivan Andrew Roberts, 27th Aero Sqdn USAS (3 victories), is listed as Missing.*

Franz Büchner scores his second kill of the day, shooting down Salmson 2.A2 5229 for victory number 34. 1st Lt J.F. Richards and 2nd Lt A.F. Hanscom, 1st Aero Sqdn USAS, are both killed.

Franz Büchner gains his third victory of the day, shooting down SPAD XIII 4505 for number 35. 2nd Lt Alan Nutt, 94th Aero Sqdn USAS, is killed.

Franz Büchner obtains his fourth victory of the day, another SPAD XIII, for number 36. 1st Lt Alden B. Sherry, 94th Aero Sqdn USAS, lands safely.

French ace Gustave Daladier, with Spa 93, destroys a German observation balloon for victory number 10.

Gustave Daladier scores his second kill of the day, shooting down an "Enemy Aircraft" for number 11.

German ace Hans von Freden, with Jasta 50, shoots down a Salmson 2.A2 for victory number 11. Sgt Henri Lemaire, Sal 16, is wounded; Lt Champagnet (no first name given) is unharmed.

German ace Albert Haussmann, flying a Fokker D.VII, shoots down SPAD XIII 7515 for victory number 15. 1st Lt H.A. GArvie, 139th Aero Sqdn USAS, is taken prisoner.

German ace Bruno Loerzer, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down a Sopwih Camel for victory number 43.

Bruno Loerzer scores his second kill of the day, another Sopwith Camel, for victory number 44.

Canadian RAF ace Donald MacLaren, in Sopwith Camel F2137, shoots down a Fokker D.VII for victory number 51.

*Following the death of his best friend and wingman Joe Wehner on September 18th, Frank Luke was so despondent that he botched his take-off on the next day's mission and crashed into an anti-aircraft gun position. Major Harold Hartney, commander of the 1st Pursuit Group, and fellow ace Eddie Rickenbacker threw a party for Luke that night. With his latest victory Frank had taken Eddie's place as the American "Ace of Aces", and Rickenbacker thought that was fine. Hartney gave Luke a seven-day pass to go to Paris. When he arrived there Frank Luke found himself to be a major celebrity. At the same time The Arizona Republican carried an article praising Frank's record of nine German balloons, which came as a shock to his family because to save them worry he hadn't even told them he was at the front. They thought he was still ferrying planes from staging bases to various squadrons.

After five days in Paris Frank Luke returned to the 27th Aero, having quickly become bored with the night life. He was put back on the flight line, and his new wingman was Ivan Roberts, nicknamed "Robbie". On September 25th they were given what would in a later war be called a "Milk Run". They were to fly to the American trenches and drop packs of cigarettes and candy to the troops below. This went well and the next day they were given a combat patrol. They were attacked by German planes and became separated. Frank Luke managed to escape, but didn't score, and Ivan Roberts was shot down.

Friedrich Wilhelm "Fred" Zinn was an American, of German descent, who was visiting in France when the war started in August 1914. He joined the French Foreign Legion. He was wounded twice, and in February 1916 he transferred to the French Air Force. As a gunner and bombardier he helped pioneer aerial photography. When the United States joined the war Zinn, now a captain, worked in the personnel division. Feeling a personal responsibility toward the men he sent to the front, many of whom died there, Zinn remained in Europe after the war and made it his life's work to track down all the American aviators listed as "Missing". he continued this work through the Second World War. One of the Missing Zinn couldn't find was Ivan Roberts. "Robbie" was missing in more ways than one. The volume New England Aviators Lists all the pilots from New England, But not Ivan. His hometown of Berkshire, Massachusetts, published an Honor Roll all the men and women from the town who ever served in the military. He's not on it, though his brother Thomas Jr is. In official accounts, if he's mentioned at all it is always as "Frank Luke's other wingman who died". One account says that when Roberts crashed he was seen to jump out of his wrecked SPAD and dive into a shell crater. In October 1919 The International Red Cross told Roberts' family that he had been severely wounded and died six days later. One thing that made it hard for Zinn was that Roberts had been logged with the British aviators' fatality list rather than the Americans. Another problem was that the overly meticulous Germans somehow never logged him as a Prisoner Of War. This may be because he was taken directly to a field hospital and never went to a POW camp. He may simply have been buried quickly in a trench, along with fallen German soldiers.

Thomas Roberts, Ivan's father, and Robbie's sister Elizabeth, spent the rest of their lives trying to find word of their missing son and brother. According to Blaine Pardoe, there were only five or six airmen that Fred Zinn couldn't find. Ivan Roberts is one of them.
(Terror of the Autumn Skies, by Blaine Pardoe, 2008)