Knights of the Sky

Knights Of the Skies

The Aces were the top pilots of each nation who had downed at least 5 enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The governments promoted them to raise morale, civilians adored them for their courage, and skill, and the press were to memorialize them as "Knights Of The Skies". Aces presented a vision of war based on past virtues like chivalry and decorum. They became modern day heroes flying machines, instead of riding horses.

The first aircraft of the collection is the one that became famous because it was the machine that Capt. Roy Brown used to chase Baron von Reichtofen over the Somme on 21st April 1918. A flight from which the Baron did not return. Brown had fired at the Baron’s Dr1, and upon landing was told that he had shot it down. (This machine was then flown by Capt. O W Redgate, who scored two more victories in it that same month.) There were 3 white bars on the fuselage sides, one ahead of where a roundel might have been, and two aft. A red chevron, edged in white, appeared on the top wing across the centre section.