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Frederick
Libby was born on a ranch in Sterling, Colorado, and became the first American ace of World War I. He passed away in 1970.
Horses Don't Fly: The Memoir of the Cowboy Who Became a World War I Ace
eBook
$14.95
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ISBN-13:
9781611454499
- Publisher: Arcade Publishing
- Publication date: 03/15/2012
- Sold by: Barnes & Noble
- Format: eBook
- Pages: 296
- Sales rank: 46,671
- File size: 1 MB
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Growing up on a ranch in Sterling, Colorado, Frederick Libby tamed countless horses, drove cattle, and even roped an antelope. When World War I broke out, he enlisted in the Canadian army with the same happy-go-lucky daring and grit with which he approached all things. In France, he became an aviator with the Royal Flying Corp, downing an enemy plane on his first day of battle over the Somme. He went on to become an ace, with 24 victories to his credit, just two less than Captain Eddie Rickenbacher. This is a rare piece of Americana, told in as pure and compelling a voice from the vernacular heart of this country as you will ever hear.
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Winston Groom
...fascinating...captures the panorama of the war years...an important piece of previously unpublished history...a gripping and uplifting story to read....
W.E.B. Griffin
...long overdue...a great event...More than a cowboy or a flying ace, Captain Libby was a genuine American hero....
Clayton Reynolds
Frederick Libby has a marvelous capacity for recalling specific details of his life as horseman, aviator, soldier, and consummate citizen of the 20th century....
Library Journal
It is surprising that this remarkable World War I memoir, written shortly after 1918, has remained unpublished for 82 years. Author Libby survived the war and died in 1970, but he left a powerful account of his three years of aerial combat over the trenches in France, first as an observer/gunner and later as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps. Libby was an American cowboy from Colorado. By 1914, at age 22, he was in Canada and joined the Canadian Army for the travel and adventure offered by a world war. The first half of the book is Libby's tale of cowpunching and horsebreaking in the last decades of the Old West. Even better, however, is the second half, where he vividly relates his at once hilarious and terrifying experiences as an American flying in a British aircraft against swarms of German fighter planes. Credited with 24 aerial victories, Libby was the first American to be awarded England's Military Cross for valor, presented by King George V himself. By volunteering before America entered the war, Libby lost his citizenship, but he clearly has no regrets. This colorful, stirring memoir leaves no doubt that he made the right decision, and it serves as a grim reminder of the archaic chivalry and cold-blooded nature of early aerial warfare. Strongly recommended for all public libraries.--Col. William D. Bushnell, USMC (ret.), Harpswell, ME Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\
Booknews
Libby's memoir of World War I recounts his experiences as a pilot and gunner in the Canadian army, the Royal Flying Corps, and the American army. It begins by describing his youth on a ranch in Colorado, follows him through numerous aviation battles of the First World War, and ends shortly after his return to the United States. Written in 1961, the memoir is now being published for the first time. Included in this volume are eight pages of b&w photographs, an introduction by Winston Groom (author of ), and an afterword by Sally Ann Marsh, Libby's granddaughter. No index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Horses Don't Fly: A Memoir Of World War I is the story of Frederick Libby who went from breaking wild horses in Colorado to fighting the Red Baron's squadrons in the skies over France. When World War I broke out, Libby was in Calgary, Alberta where he joined the Canadian army. In France, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as an "observer" the gunner in a twoperson biplane. Libby shot down an enemy plane on his first day in battle over the Somme. This was also the first day he ever flew in a plan or fired a machine gun! He went on to become a fighter pilot and fought against the legendary German aces Oswald Boelcke and Manfred von Richthofen. He became the first American to down five enemy planes and won the Military Cross. When the United States entered the war, Libby became the first person to fly the American colors over German lines. He achieved the rank of captain before being transferred back to the United states. A tremendous and welcome contribution to U.S. military in general, and World War I studies in particular, Horses Don't Fly is Libby's military autobiography written in 1961 and is here published for the first time.
Kirkus Reviews
A reticent yet sharply impressed memoir of a turn-of-the-century cowpuncher who enlisted in the Canadian Royal Flying Corps and was decorated for valor in WWI.