Campbell, Douglas, 1LT

World War I Flying Ace. Born the son of astronomer William Wallace Campbell, head of the Lick Observatory, in San Francisco, California. He attended Harvard University, leaving his senior year after the U.S. entered the First World War, and enlisted in May 1917, in the United States Signal Corps, Aviation Section, training at the School of Military Aeronautics. He shipped out to France in July 1917. He took additional training at the Army Flying School in early 1918 at Issoudun and Casaux, and was then assigned to the 94th Aero Squadron, known as the "Hat in the Ring" squadron, of the First Pursuit Group. Six days after being assigned to the western front, he and fellow pilot, Alan Winslow, engaged in their first aerial dogfight with enemy aircraft, the first Americans to do so. In a battle fought over the Allied Squadron Aerodrome at Toul, France, they succeeded in shooting down two German Albatross on April 14, 1918. He shot down a second enemy flier in his first dogfight flying with American Expeditionary Forces. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French. He downed a third enemy flier on May 19 and a fourth on May 27. The following day, he attacked another plane, but its destruction was not confirmed. On May 31, the 22-year-old lieutenant was credited with his fifth confirmed kill, and earned the designation of ace, the first American-trained pilot to be so designated. He shot down a sixth plane on June 5. During this last mission, he was wounded by an exploding shell, and was sent back to the U.S. to recuperate. He was reassigned to his squadron in November 1918, but saw no further action before the Armistice of November 11,1918, less than a week later. He received the American Distinguished Service Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster. After the war, he went to work for W. R. Grace & Company. In 1935, he was named assistant treasurer of Pan American Grace Airways (Panagra). He was named a Vice President in 1939, and became its General Manager in 1948. He retired in 1963. His wartime exploits were recounted in the 1984 book 'Let's Go Where The Action Is: The Wartime Experiences of Douglas Campbell,' by Jack Eder. He succumbed to respiratory failure at age 94.

CAMPBELL, DOUGLAS
(First Award)
First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army
Pilot, 94th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, Air Service, A.E.F.
Date of Action: May 19, 1918
Citation:
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Douglas Campbell, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action on May 19, 1918. First Lieutenant Campbell attacked an enemy biplane at an altitude of 4, 500 meters, east of Flirey, France. He rushed to the attack, but after shooting a few rounds his gun jammed. Undeterred by this accident he maneuvered so as to protect himself, corrected the jam in midair, and returned to the assault. After a short, violent action, the enemy plane took fire and crashed to the earth.

Other Award: Five Total Awards: Distinguished Service Cross (WWI) 

CAMPBELL, DOUGLAS
(Second Award)
First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army
Pilot, 94th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, Air Service, A.E.F.
Date of Action: June 5, 1918
Citation:
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Douglas Campbell, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action on June 5, 1918. Accompanied by another pilot,  Lieutenant Campbell attacked two enemy battle planes at an altitude of 5, 700 meters over Epley, France. After a spirited combat he was shot through the back by a machine-gun bullet, but in spite of his injury he kept on fighting until he had forced one of the enemy planes to the ground, where it was destroyed by artillery fire, and had driven the other plane back into its own territory.


CAMPBELL, DOUGLAS
(Third Award)
First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army
Pilot, 94th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, Air Service, A.E.F.
Date of Action: May 31, 1918
Citation:
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Douglas Campbell, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action on May 31, 1918.  Lieutenant Campbell took the offensive against two German planes at an altitude of 2, 500 meters over Lironville, France, shot down one of them, and pursued the other far behind the German lines.



 

CAMPBELL, DOUGLAS
(Fourth Award)
First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army
Pilot, 94th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, Air Service, A.E.F.
Date of Action: May 28, 1918
Citation:
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Douglas Campbell, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action on May 28, 1918.  Lieutenant Campbell saw six German Albatross aeroplanes flying toward him at an altitude of 2, 000 meters, near Bois Rata, France. Regardless of personal danger, he immediately attacked, and by skillful maneuvering and accurate operation of his machine gun he brought one plane down in flames and drove the other five back into their own lines.

CAMPBELL, DOUGLAS
(Fifth Award)
First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army
Pilot, 94th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, Air Service, A.E.F.
Date of Action: May 27, 1918
Citation:
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Douglas Campbell, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action on May 27, 1918.  Lieutenant Campbell encountered three enemy monoplanes at an altitude of 3, 000 meters over Montsec, France. Despite the superior strength of the enemy, he promptly attacked, and fighting a brilliant battle, shot down one German machine, which fell in three pieces, and drove the other two well within the enemy lines.
 

• He was the first American aviator flying in an American unit to achieve the status of ace.
  Although Campbell's official victory count stands at six, Eddie Rickenbacker in his autobiography Fighting the Flying Circus credited his fellow ace with downing at least seven aircraft during the war. He also concluded that had he remained healthy, Campbell could have surpassed him and become America's leading ace of the war.