Eddie Rickenbacker: The Ace
Clip: Season 29 Episode 8 | 1m 40s
How a race-car driver came to be one of the most famous fighters of the Great War.
Eddie Rickenbacker downed his first German airplane on April 27, 1918, and he never looked back. As Rickenbacker’s score mounted, the public fell in love with him. But unlike some early pilots of the First World War, who had reveled in the image of the gallant, chivalrous airman, Rickenbacker had seen too many friends go down in flames to romanticize combat flying.
Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
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Eddie Rickenbacker: The Ace
Clip: Season 29 Episode 8 | 1m 40s
Eddie Rickenbacker downed his first German airplane on April 27, 1918, and he never looked back. As Rickenbacker’s score mounted, the public fell in love with him. But unlike some early pilots of the First World War, who had reveled in the image of the gallant, chivalrous airman, Rickenbacker had seen too many friends go down in flames to romanticize combat flying.
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Related to This Clip
The Great War: Part 1
The Great War: Part 2
The Great War: Transformed
The Great War: Culture Change
The Great War: Why we made it
The Great War: An Inside Look
The Great War, Part 1: Trailer
The Great War, Part 2: Trailer
The Great War, Part 3: Trailer
The Great War: Chapter 1
Woodrow Wilson: The Decider
Eugene Bullard: An American in France
Ralph John: The Soldier
Eddie Rickenbacker: The Ace
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Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.