Mysterious Find Inside a Picture Frame of US WW1 Pilot
Dear friends!
Today decided to clean a picture frame of unnamed US WW1 pilot.
And - SURPRISE!
An envelope with letters, documents and paperclips dated 1918!
I am not familiar with US abbreviations, if somebody could help with figuring the regiment - would appreciate it!
Pictures are attached.
Thanks in advance for your time and knowledge!
Wow, incredible!! Thanks a lot for sharing. That must have been so thrilling to discover all of that!
very nice find. i started to look at the abbreviations can you tell me which ones you need ? it looks like he was a pilot, rank was second lieutenant his sqn is fuzzy in the corner trying to get that one .
Nice find, I think it is the 27th Aero squadron
27th Aero Squadron - Wikipedia
Lt. Ivan Roberts, 27th Aero Sqdn., who was KIA 26 September 1918, the 34th victim of German ace Franz Büchner
Just a moment...
teddybear,
What an amazing little treasure trove! Thank you for sharing.
Regards,
Joel
Wonderful find and I’d say it’s unique. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Some photos of Army Air Corps pilot Lieutenant Ivan Roberts.
CONTENTdm
The German pilot who is credited with ‘the kill’, Franz Büchner of Jasta 13 (2 January 1898 in Leipzig, killed during Germany's post-war revolution on 18 March 1920 near Leipzig at the age of 22.
Franz Buchner
First World War.com - Who's Who - Franz Buchner
Modelling forum, with a built of Ltn. Franz Buchners aircraft
Eduard 1/72nd scale Fokker DVII (OAW), Ltn. Franz Buchner, Jasta 13, 1918... - Work in Progress - Aircraft - Britmodeller.com
Short talk about a painting
Ivan Roberts 27 Aero SPAD
This at an extract from a forum (can be found at the bottom).
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)
100 Years Ago Today - Page 219 - SUBSIM Radio Room Forums
More information about Franz Büchner. He was shot down 18 March 1920 by communists, while on a reconnaissance mission.
Franz Buchner - Wikipedia
Franz Büchner
Wow! That's fascinating! Amazing that he was Frank Luke's wingman! Luke was a famous "balloon buster" - busted 14 observation balloons and downed 4 aircraft! Very cool! You have quite the treasure there. Congratulations on an exceptional find!
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