David Endicott Putnam (1898–1918) was an American fighter ace during World War I. Although he lodged combat claims for at least 34 victories, he was credited with only 13 confirmed aerial victories while flying combat for both French and American units. While 16 unconfirmed victories are listed, data on the remainder of the unconfirmed combat claims are unavailable.[1][2]
The victory list
editConfirmed victories in this list are numbered and listed chronologically, rather than in order of confirmation.
| No. | Date | Foe | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 January 1918 | Enemy two-seater | Nogent-l'Abbesse, France |
| 2 | 27 January 1918 | Albatros | Vaudesincourt, France[note 1] |
| Unconfirmed 1 | 12 February 1918 | C-type | |
| Unconfirmed 2 | 14 March 1918 | Albatros | Nauroy, France |
| 3 | 15 March 1918 | Rumpler C-type | |
| Unconfirmed 3 | 12 April 1918 | Scout | Saint-Hilaire-le-Petit, France |
| Unconfirmed 4 | 12 April 1918 | Scout | Saint-Hilaire-le-Petit, France |
| Unconfirmed 5 | 23 April 1918 | Enemy aircraft | |
| Unconfirmed 6 | 23 April 1918 | Enemy aircraft | |
| Unconfirmed 7 | 23 April 1918 | Enemy aircraft | |
| Unconfirmed 8 | 15 May 1918 | Enemy aircraft | Somme Py, France |
| 4 | 1 June 1918 | Two-seater reconnaissance aircraft | Le Godat |
| 5 | 2 June 1918 | Albatros | Reims, France[note 2] |
| 6 | 2 June 1918 | Albatros | Reims, France |
| 7 | 5 June 1918 | Albatros D.V | Fère-en-Tardenois, France |
| Unconfirmed 9 | 5 June 1918 | Enemy aircraft | Fère-en-Tardenois, France |
| Unconfirmed 10 | 5 June 1918 | Enemy aircraft | Fère-en-Tardenois, France |
| Unconfirmed 11 | 5 June 1918 | Enemy aircraft | Fère-en-Tardenois, France |
| Unconfirmed 12 | 5 June 1918 | Enemy aircraft | Fère-en-Tardenois, France |
| Unconfirmed 13 | 14 June 1918 | Enemy aircraft | Northeast of Reims, France[note 3] |
| Unconfirmed 14 | 14 June 1918 | Enemy aircraft | Northeast of Reims, France[note 4] |
| Unconfirmed 15 | 14 June 1918 | Enemy aircraft | Northeast of Reims, France[note 5] |
| 8 | 15 June 1918 | Two-seater reconnaissance aircraft | La Neuvilette |
| 9 | 15 June 1918 | Observation balloon[note 6] | Mersy |
| 10 | 30 June 1918 | Rumpler C-type | Viéville-en-Haye, France |
| Unconfirmed 16 | 12 July 1918 | C-type | |
| 11 | 15 August 1918 | Fokker D.VII | Flirey, France |
| 12 | 22 August 1918 | Rumpler C-type | Raulecourt, France |
| 13 | 12 September 1918 | Fokker D.VII | Limey, France[1][2] |
Abbreviations from sources utilized were expanded by editor creating this list.
Footnotes
edit- ^ Victory shared with three French pilots.
- ^ Victory shared with French aircrew.
- ^ Victory shared with French pilot.
- ^ Victory shared with French pilot.
- ^ Victory shared with French pilot.
- ^ As crucial artillery direction posts, observation balloons were heavily defended by antiaircraft guns and patrolling fighters. (per Guttman, pp. 7-9)
Citations
edit- ^ a b The Aerodrome webpage on Putnam
- ^ a b Franks & Bailey 1992, p. 66.
Bibliography
edit- Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank W. (1992). Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918. London, UK: Grub Street. ISBN 978-0-948817-54-0.
- Jon Guttman. Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1 . Osprey Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1-84176-877-4, ISBN 978-1-84176-877-9