DAYTON, Ohio -- American Air Combat Stories exhibit in the Early Years Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Air combat in World War I was as varied as the people who flew and fought in the skies over Europe. The stories of four Americans and their personal effects on display at the museum illustrate their experiences. One of them was the first American serviceman to shoot down an enemy plane, and one was the second-ranking U.S. ace of the war. Another enthusiastically flew the Stars and Stripes from his fighter, and yet another was the first member of the U.S. Army Air Service to die -- though mysteriously -- on a combat mission.
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