Balloon Ace: The Life of an Early Airpower Visionary

by Charles D. Dusch Jr.

Overview

In 1927, when aviator Charles A. Lindbergh flew his famous monoplane in a triumphant tour of the United States, the Spirit of St. Louis touched down in Wheeling, West Virginia, for his visit to the Linsly School. There, Lindbergh laid a wreath at the foot of the Aviator—a statue erected by Sallie Maxwell Bennett bearing the likeness of her son, Louis Bennett Jr., West Virginia's only First World War flying ace. Though largely unknown today, Bennett was an airpower innovator whose tragically short combat career would have an enduring impact on American flight and on war memorials both at home and abroad.

In Balloon Ace: The Life of an Early Airpower Visionary, historian Charles Dusch reconstructs Louis Bennett Jr.'s lost legacy. Advocating for a national aviation reserve years before the writings of "Billy" Mitchell, Bennett created a state aerial militia in 1917, complete with supporting airbases and an airplane factory. When the US Army refused to accept his unit, a frustrated Bennett joined the Royal Air Force to fight on the Western Front, destroying nine German balloons and three aircraft in a matter of days before he himself was shot down. In the second act of Bennett's story, Dusch traces Sallie Bennett's quest to clandestinely recover her son's body. Posing as a journalist, Sallie traveled to Europe searching the cemeteries on the Western Front and later commissioned twelve memorials to Bennett, including a chapel in France, the RAF window in Westminster Abbey, and the Aviator at Linsly. Moved by the vast destruction of the continent, she would eventually cross political boundaries to bring much-needed publicity to other mothers' demands for the US government to repatriate their own fallen loved ones.

From West Virginia to the Western Front and back again, Balloon Ace is more than a multifaceted and insightful account of the pioneer aviators who prepared the United States for combat in the first air war—it is also a remarkable look at the commemoration culture that spanned the American Civil War to war-torn Europe in the early twentieth century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781985901605
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	02/04/2025
Series:	Aviation & Air Power
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Charles D. Dusch Jr. is a founding member of the United States Space Force History Program and a former Air Force Academy Command Historian. His work has been published by Air University Press, Naval Institute Press, Sorbonne Université Presses, and the Journal of Military History, among others. He is a retired Air Force aviator with over two thousand fighter hours and earned a PhD in history from West Virginia University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: I'll Never Forget: The Impact of Commemoration on Generations
1. In Stonewall's Shadow: Shaping a Generation for Total War
2. The War to End All Wars through the Lens of College Boys
3. Aerial Militia: Americans Prepare for War beyond the Borders
4. "a more distinguished way of doing greater good": Americans Lurch towards War
5. Unusual Courage: Becoming a Pursuit Pilot
6. Most Remarkable Work: "a son to be proud of indeed"
7. To Die a Fiery Miserable Death: Air Combat on the Western Front, 1918
8. Mothers of Heroes: Waiting for News on the Homefront
9. A Job So Sacred: Women, Governments, and Care for the Fallen
10. The Gratitude of All Those Present: Commemoration on the World Stage
Conclusion: Ready to Serve: The Monument as Exemplar

Editorial Reviews

Balloon Ace tells the captivating story of Louis Bennett Jr., a young man driven by a legacy of service and a passion for aviation. Bennett's relentless pursuit of his dream to establish a national aerial reserve force showcases his visionary spirit and determination. Dusch masterfully weaves together Bennett's personal journey with the broader historical context of World War I, offering a unique perspective on an often-overlooked figure in aviation history.

Michael S. Neiberg

Major Dusch weaves the story of Louis Bennett Jr. into the fabric of American history, from collective memories of the Civil War to the birth of military aviation, the old world of Yale men with an extraordinary sense of duty, and a grieving mother determined to memorialize her son's sacrifice.

Steve Zdatny

Balloon Ace not only tells the fascinating story of one adventurous young Great War pilot and visionary, Louis Bennett, Jr., but also the equally interesting saga of his family's struggles to make sense of his service and his sacrifice. In doing so, Balloon Ace tells us a great deal about the American people, their experiences with World War I, and their efforts to understand it.

Mark Grotelueschen

Balloon Ace tells the story of West Virginia native Louis Bennett in a way that captures the enthusiasm and drama of the early Air Age, the sacrifice and tragedy of the Great War, and the complex social and emotional process of mourning and commemorating those lost in that war.

Jay Lockenour

Chuck Dusch has created a brilliant biography, weaving Lou Bennett's Great War experience with larger issues of American preparations for war, US–British relations, and memorializing the fallen. With solid research and a rare collection of illustrations, this book is a must-read for airpower historians of World War I.

John Abbatiello

Balloon Ace tells the story of the enormous courage and sacrifice of the first generations of American aviators who went to war in 1917. It recounts the exploits of Louis Bennett Jr. of Wheeling, West Virginia who, after America's entrance in World War I, dropped out of Yale and formed the all-volunteer West Virginia Flying Corps. Although stymied by the War Department, who refused to accept his unit into US Army Air Service, Bennett remained undeterred and saw service with the Royal Flying Corps in France. Charles D. Dusch Jr., the noted aviation historian, does not end the story of Bennett with his death in combat, but describes the remarkable efforts of his mother to preserve the memory of her son that included the dedication of a memorial window in Westminster Abbey. This is a book that will interest not only historians of military aviation, but also those who want to understand questions of mourning, commemoration, and memory in the aftermath of World War I.

G. Kurt Piehler

With Balloon Ace, former US Air Force officer and historian Chuck Dusch has made a valuable contribution to the literature of the Great War, the infancy of military aviation, and American military culture. This story is engaging and well written. It will be a welcome addition to the library of any serious student of military history.

Chuck Steele