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Title: Flying Circus Exhibition, |
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Description: On Tuesday afternoon May 19, 1919, the Victory Flying Circus engaged in a mimic aerial battle over Boston Common to support the liberty loan campaign. The Flying Circuses, toured with the fifth and final war bond campaign, staging mock air battles with foreign and American aircraft to raise money for the debt from World War I. Eleven airplanes, including captured German machines, piloted by allied aces comprised the largest "flying circus" in the United States. Five Curtiss planes circled over the city in formation, four planes scattered liberty loan literature, while the fifth took aerial pictures of the city. The photos were released by the liberty loan publicity department after twenty minutes of formation flying. During mimic battle, planes were pursued by two German Fokkers captured on the British front. The Fokkers stayed in bombing formation until they were driven off by four allied pursuit planes. These maneuvers exhibited the spectacular combat skills of the pilots and the planes. After the mimic battle, allied planes performed an acrobatic show. The personnel in the flying circus consisted of 24 officers and 60 enlisted men of the 139th and 148th aero squadrons who served on the western front. Major Henry J.F. Miller commanded the circus, and the other officers included were American, British, and Italian aces: Major Gerald Y.C. Maxwell, Captain H.W. Woolett, Major Maurice Connolly, Captain Arthur E. Simonim, Leroy Gahis, and Harry M. Smith. The flying circus squadron toured New England during the rest of the week of May 15th and gave an exhibition in one large city in every state. The flying circus did not remain in one city more than a day and toured six other cites before the campaign ended. |
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