Major David McKelvey Peterson was a 1915

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epis ...

graduate who became a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

. He achieved six aerial victories, one of which was earned in the

Lafayette Escadrille The La Fayette Escadrille (french: Escadrille de La Fayette) was the name of the French Air Force unit escadrille N 124 during the First World War (1914–1918). This escadrille of the ''Aéronautique Militaire'' was composed largely of Ameri ...

; five were officially credited during his tenure with the

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

. He was killed in an aviation accident in

Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, on March 16, 1919.

Biography

Born in

Honesdale, Pennsylvania Honesdale is a borough in and the county seat of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough's population was 4,458 at the time of the 2020 census. Honesdale is located northeast of Scranton in a rural area that provides many recrea ...

, on July 2, 1894, Peterson joined the French air service in 1916. He gained his first victory while in the Lafayette Escadrille, on September 19, 1917. Commissioned as a captain in the

in January 1918, he was one of seventeen pilots in the French air service to be assigned to the original flying echelon of the American

103rd Aero Squadron The 103rd Aero Squadron was an aviation pursuit squadron of the U.S. Air Service that served in combat in France during World War I. Its original complement included pilots from the disbanded Lafayette Escadrille and Lafayette Flying Corps. One ...

on February 19, 1918. This echelon was the first unit of the Air Service to see combat in World War I. Peterson transferred to the

94th Aero Squadron The 94th Aero Squadron was the United States Army Air Service designation for the current 94th Fighter Squadron that fought on the Western Front during World War I.. The squadron was assigned as a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron as part of th ...

, flying a

Nieuport 28 The Nieuport 28 C.1, a French biplane fighter aircraft flown during World War I, was built by Nieuport and designed by Gustave Delage. Owing its lineage to the successful line of sesquiplane fighters that included the Nieuport 17, the Nieu ...

, and scored his first victories in American service, on May 3 and twice on May 15. Two days later, he became a Flight Commander in the

95th Aero Squadron The 95th Aero Squadron was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I. It was the first American pursuit (fighter) squadron to fly in combat on the Western Front, beginning on 8 March 1918.Order ...

, scoring his fifth win. Three days later, he tallied his final victory. He was awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses. The citation for the first was: "For extraordinary heroism in action near Luneville, France, on May 3, 1918. Leading a patrol of three, Captain Peterson encountered five enemy planes at an altitude of 3,500 meters and immediately gave battle. Notwithstanding the fact that he was attacked from all sides, this officer, by skilful maneuvering, succeeded in shooting down one of the enemy planes and dispersing the remaining four." The citation for the second was: "For extraordinary heroism in action near Thiaucourt, France, on May 15, 1918. While on patrol alone, Captain Peterson encountered two enemy planes at an altitude of 5,200 meters. He promptly attacked despite the odds and shot down one of the enemy planes in flames. While thus engaged he was attacked from above by the second enemy plane, but by skilful manoeuvering he succeeded in shooting it down also." His recognized aerial victories included: Date Time Unit Opponent Location *1 Sep 19, 1917, 1540, N124 Albatros D.V Montfaucon *2 May 3, 1918, 1040, 94 Scout Amenencourt *3 May 15, 1918, 1205, 94 Rumpler C Thiaucourt *4 May 15, 1918, 1210, 94 Rumpler C Thiaucourt *5 May 17, 1918, 2100, 95 LVG C.VI

Saint-Mihiel Saint-Mihiel () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Geography Saint-Mihiel lies on the banks of the river Meuse. History A Benedictine abbey was established here in 708 or 709 by Count Wulfoalde and his wif ...

*6 May 20, 1918, 95 Two-seater Pont-a-Mousson

Post-war flying career and death

Post-war, Peterson was killed in an aviation accident in

, on March 16, 1919."American Ace Dies at Daytona," ''The Miami Herald'', March 17, 1919. An

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

Post in

Honesdale Honesdale is a borough in and the county seat of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough's population was 4,458 at the time of the 2020 census. Honesdale is located northeast of Scranton in a rural area that provides many recrea ...

was named after him.

References

Bibliography

* Looking Backward, A Lehigh University Scrapbook, Lehigh University, 1991 * ''Nieuport Aces of World War 1.'' Norman Franks. Osprey Publishing, 2000. , . * ''American Aces of World War 1'' Harry Dempsey. Osprey Publishing, 2001. , .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, David M. 1894 births 1919 deaths Lehigh University alumni United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I United States Army officers People from Honesdale, Pennsylvania American World War I flying aces Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Military personnel from Pennsylvania

Biography

Post-war flying career and death

See also

References

Bibliography

External links