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| Name: |
Frank Kerr Hays |
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| Country: |
United States |
| Rank: |
2nd Lieutenant |
| Services: |
United States Air Service |
| Units: |
13th Aero |
| Victories: |
6 |
| Born: |
03 November 1896 |
| Place of Birth: |
Louisville, Kentucky, USA |
| Died: |
29 February 1988 |
| Place of Death: |
Carmel, California, USA |
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The son of Charles L. and Bertha L. (Snyder) Hays of Chicago, Illinois, Frank Kerr Hays attended the University of Illinois before he joined the United States Signal Corps, Aviation Section, on 15 August 1917. After ground school at Champaign, Illinois, he attended flying school at Kelly Field in Texas and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. On 20 May 1918, he was aboard the Saxonia, enroute to London, England. Posted to France, he was assigned to the 13th Aero Squadron on 29 August 1918. With this unit he scored 6 victories flying the SPAD XIII. Hays was discharged from the Army at Garden City, Long Island, New York on 25 February 1919. |
Combat Report, 15 September 1918 |
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| Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) |
| The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Frank Kerr Hays, Second Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action in the region of Chambley, France, September 13, 1918. Lieutenant Hays was one of an offensive patrol of five planes, attacked by seven enemy scouts (Fokker type), that dived down on them from the clouds, catching the American patrol in a disadvantageous position. In the course of the combat which followed, both of Lieutenant Hays' machine guns jammed. By an extraordinary effort he cleared his guns and drove off the adversary. He then observed his flight commander in a dangerous situation with two enemy planes behind him. He attacked and destroyed one and forced the other to withdraw.
General Orders No. 143, W.D., 1918 |
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| Victories |
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Date |
Time |
Unit |
Aircraft |
Opponent |
Location |
| 1 |
13 Sep 1918 |
1835-1955 |
13th |
SPAD XIII |
Fokker D.VII 1 |
Chambley |
| 2 |
13 Sep 1918 |
1835-1955 |
13th |
SPAD XIII |
Fokker D.VII 1 |
Chambley |
| 3 |
13 Sep 1918 |
1835-1955 |
13th |
SPAD XIII |
Fokker D.VII 1 |
Chambley |
| 4 |
15 Sep 1918 |
1030 |
13th |
SPAD XIII |
Fokker D.VII 2 |
Vaux |
| 5 |
04 Nov 1918 |
1245 |
13th |
SPAD XIII |
Fokker D.VII |
Fontaine |
| 6 |
04 Nov 1918 |
1315 |
13th |
SPAD XIII |
Fokker D.VII |
Fontaine |
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| 1 |
Shared with Lt R R S Converse, Lt J D Este, Lt D W Howe, Lt John Seerley |
| 2 |
Shared with Lt Murray Guthrie |
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| Books |
- American Aces of World War 1
- by Norman Franks, Harry Dempsey (Illustrator) / Paperback / Osprey Publishing (September 25, 2001)
- Over the Front
- by Norman L. R. Franks, Frank W. Bailey / Hardcover / Grub Street the Basement (May 1992)
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