Rickenbacker's SPAD

This posting is in response to a posting asking what happened to E. V. Rickenbacker's SPAD XIII S4523 nicknamed "Old Number One."

I replied directly to the gentleman asking the question. As I am new to this Forum, I could not easily find:

1. How to post that e-mail as a Forum reply, and

2. How to enter this Aircraft's S/N in your rather useful S/N table.

I direct interested parties to my article in a 1968 issue of the CROSS & COCKADE JOURNAL describing in almost boring detail a search of several years for information on this aircraft. Summarizing for those not able to find 35+ year old articles:

EVR claimed several times that he flew only one SPAD in combat. He should be forgiven a minor error. Of his 26 victories, 6 were in N.28 aircraft, 18 were in this aircraft (#4523), and two -- only two -- were in another SPAD after 4523 was heavily damaged in combat. (#4523 did return to combat asfter the repairs cited.)

I have good reason to believe that one of the causes for his error was that there were TWO SPADS in his Squadron painted in his personal markings. I've seen photographic evidence to back this claim. Personally I believe the actual final number of SPADs marked as Rickenbacker's was exactly TWO as I've never found reliable evidence for a third.

#4523 was supposed to be sent to the States after the Armistice. There are two versions of what happened -- one was that it never made it to the States, and the other is that it was burned at Wright-Patterson. Either way, it was destroyed when it should have been displayed.

My 1968 article was carefully reviewed by several experts before C&CJ published it. Among these were Royal D. Frey, long time Curator of the Air Force Museum and a long-time friend as well as by Rickenbacker himself.

In addition, Arthur Raymond Brooks (whose SPAD XIII is displayed in the Smithsonian) was a friend and we discussed several times how his plane came to be sent there. I can assure everyone that Ray Brooks had no part in the decision to "swap" his plane for Rick's.

I am willing to answer some questions on this affair if one is clearly a serious historian.

H. Larry Elman
MIT '60
COLONEL, USAF Ret'd.

Thanks IBaldEagle for hte post. I surely hope that this issue is resolved on Ol' Rick Spad. Thanks again






S!~
Jamie