Doug Campbell won distinction in W.W.I by becoming America’s first American trained A.E.F. pilot to score a victory and also in becoming the first A.E.F. Ace.
Doug was assigned to the 94th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group on March 1st, 1918. He became the first A.E.F. pilot to score a victory when he shot down an enemy aircraft above his airdrome on April 14, 1918 (a piece of fabric from this kill, a photo, and letter from Doug to Jim Parks is framed next to Doug’s uniform at the museum).
On June 5th, 1918, Doug became America’s first A.E.F. Ace when he, “accompanied by another pilot, attacked two enemy battle planes at an altitude of 5,700 meters over Eply, France. After a spirited combat, he was shot through the back by a machine gun bullet, but in spite of his injury he kept on fighting until he had forced one of the enemy planes to the ground where it was destroyed by artillery fire, and had driven the other plane back into its own territory.”
Doug Campbell was a good friend of the Parks family. Jim Parks’ second oldest son, Ted Parks, MD, observed Campbell’s hip surgery while studying medicine at Yale in the mid 1980’s.
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