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Capt. Edward Rickenbacker of Columbus, Ohio, was a famous race car driver before the United States' entry into World War I. As the United States prepared to send troops to Europe, Rickenbacker was offered a position as General Pershing's chauffeur.
After a final 500-mile (800 km) race in 1941, he closed the Speedway to conserve gasoline, rubber, and other resources during World War II. [54][75] In 1945, Rickenbacker sold the racetrack to the businessman Anton Hulman Jr. [75]
During the early part of WWII, he served as the personal observer of Secretary of War Stimson in a flight over Leningrad. On his return to Washington to report on German war damage of the Russian city, his plane was followed down in the Pacific, but he survived a long ordeal on a raft and was eventually rescued.
Having raced in the first Indy 500 in 1911, he knew the importance of the race as a testing ground for automotive technology. The photograph shows Eddie with the Borg-Warner Trophy at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1936. Eddie closed the Speedway during World War II.
In World War II American aces ran up their scores flying 350-mph fighters armed with banks of .50-caliber machine guns. But Rickenbacker fought in an age that relied on two rifle-caliber weapons, 100-mph mounts, and a native ability to seek out and destroy the target.
Apr 29, 2020 · His 26 confirmed kills during WWI, a result of repeatedly attacking enemy aircraft alone or outnumbered, was a record that stood until the later part of WWII. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor and a record eight Distinguished Service Crosses, as well as the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre by France.
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Apr 27, 2023 · dward Vernon Rickenbacker, or “Captain Eddie” to many, was America’s “Ace of Aces” in World War I. In a scant six months, he shot down 26 German aircraft and balloons.
