Lieutenant George Willard Furlow (1893–1959) was a
World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.
Furlow was posted to the 103rd Aero Squadron on 25 July 1918 as a
Spad XIII pilot. On 11 August, he shared his first win over a German
Albatros two-seater with
Edgar Tobin
Edgar Gardner Tobin (July 12, 1896 – November 6, 1954) was an American World War I flying ace, businessman, and pioneer in aerial photography. Tobin was born to a prominent San Antonio family and was educated at Texas Military Institute.
Worl ...
. Over a month later, on 13 September, he shared a double triumph over
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qu ...
s with
Charles R. d'Olive
First Lieutenant Charles Rudolph d'Olive was a World War I flying ace, credited with five aerial victories. He was the last World War I aviator to be declared an ace, in 1963.
World War I
Although born in Alabama, d'Olive later lived in Cedar Fal ...
. He shot down another D.VII four days later, and finished out his victory string on 27 October 1918, when he teamed with
Thomas Cassady and another pilot to destroy a
Halberstadt reconnaissance machine.
Citations of honors and awards
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
*Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
*Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
(DSC)
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to George Willard Furlow, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near
Charey
Charey () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.
See also
*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department
*Parc naturel régional de Lorraine
Lorraine Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional ...
, France, September 13, 1918. Lieutenant Furlow, while leading a patrol of three monoplace planes at an altitude of 400 meters, met and attacked an enemy patrol of seven monoplace planes. Despite numerical superiority, he destroyed two of the enemy's planes and with the aid of his companions forced the others to withdraw.
Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) Oak Leaf Cluster
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to George Willard Furlow, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action in the region of
Vernéville
Vernéville (; german: Wernheim) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
See also
* Communes of the Moselle department
The following is a list of the 725 communes of the Moselle department of France.
...
, France, September 17, 1918. Lieutenant Furlow, while on a patrol with two companions, met and attacked an enemy formation of eight planes. In the course of the combat which ensued, Lieutenant Furlow's plane was severely damaged by the enemy's fire. Despite the damage, he continued the attack until he had destroyed one hostile aircraft, and with his patrol forced the remainder of the enemy to retire.
[(General Orders No. 20, W.D., 1919) as quoted at http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/furlow.php Retrieved on 29 June 2010.]
Victory list
Date/time/unit/aircraft flown/aircraft downed/location
----
*- 11 Aug 1918, 1005 103rd SPAD XIII Albatros C.I
Flirey
Flirey () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.
Birthplace of Rin Tin Tin
Following advances made by American forces during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, Corporal Lee Duncan, an aerial gunner of the U.S. Army A ...
*- 13 Sep 1918, 1700 103rd SPAD XIII
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qu ...
Charey
Charey () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.
See also
*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department
*Parc naturel régional de Lorraine
Lorraine Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional ...
*- 13 Sep 1918, 1700 103rd SPAD XIII Fokker D.VII Charey
*- 17 Sep 1918, 1620 103rd SPAD XIII Fokker D.VII
Vernéville
Vernéville (; german: Wernheim) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
See also
* Communes of the Moselle department
The following is a list of the 725 communes of the Moselle department of France.
...
*- 27 Oct 1918, 1500 103rd SPAD XIII Halberstadt C
Cumières-le-Mort-Homme
Cumières-le-Mort-Homme is a ghost commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
Since the end of the Battle of Verdun in 1916, it has been unoccupied (official population: 0), as have Bezonvaux, Beaumont-en-Verdunois, H ...
See also
*
List of American Aero Squadrons
*
List of World War I flying aces
The following are lists of World War I flying aces. Historically, a flying ace was defined as a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The term was first used by French newspapers, describ ...
*
List of World War I flying aces from the United States
References
Bibliography
* ''American Aces of World War I.'' Norman Franks, Harry Dempsey. Osprey Publishing, 2001. , .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Furlow, George W.
1893 births
1959 deaths
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
American World War I flying aces