Gold Star Award for Shooting Down an Enemy Aircraft?

[world war I nerd]

Forum member Jagjetta sent me the following information regarding the possibility that an embroidered gold star, presumably unofficially awarded, to in this case, an observer that had shot down an enemy plane.

 

The information is contained within the description of a grouping that once was the property of 1^st Lieutenant (Field Artillery) Austin T. Foster who served as an observer in the 186^th and 90^th Aero Squadrons.

 

The grouping was sold some time ago by Advance Guard Militaria, but Jagjetta was able to forward both the images and the description to me.

 

Another forum member whose knowledge of all things related to WW I aviation is far greater than mine has told me that he’s never encountered any reference, official or otherwise to such an award.

 

Nevertheless, my question is has anybody ever heard, seen or read anything about WW I aviators or observers being awarded an unofficial embroidered gold star for shooting down an enemy aircraft ... All opinions, as well as actual facts are welcome!

 

The relevant portion of the text is highlighted:

1st Lt. of Field Artillery Austin T. Foster of Derby Line, Vermont, was an observer in the 186th and 90th Aero Squadrons. While serving in the latter, he flew with Lt. Bovard during the Argonne-Meuse offensive. On November 4, 1918, he was flying with Lt. Loren E. Rohrer when four Fokker D.VIIs singled them out and attacked. Foster fired about 80 rounds from each of his guns before they jammed. By the time he cleared his guns, five more Fokkers joined pursuit. Rohrer dropped the plane to 100 meters to attempt escape. When Foster was able to start firing, he managed to shoot down one of the Boche planes and the others broke off the attack. General Orders No. 28 from the First Army Air Service notes and credits Rohrer and Foster for their air victory.

 

This large grouping all came from Foster and is filled with surprises. First, his tunic, made by Aero Tailoring of Baltimore (and inscribed on label with Foster's name) has bronze U.S. and crossed cannons collar insignia, coffin-style lieutenant's bars, Third Corps shoulder insignia and three overseas stripes. The buttons are the gilt style as adapted in 1923 (so this tunic is furnished in its 1923-1926 appearance when the standing collars disappeared). Foster's bullion on blue wool observer's wing is pinned above the left pocket. Some light staining low on the front of the tunic and very minor, scattered moth nips.

Tailor-made breeches are of a slightly darker wool than the tunic. Overseas cap is almost a gray-green wool fabric with a mustard color twill lining and silver lieutenant's bar. Foster's privately purchased leather flight helmet (made by Spalding), goggles, leather gauntlets and officer's boots accompany the lot.

 

Two period photos of Foster show him, not in this particular helmet or goggles, but with other privately purchased gear. Six other photos show planes, aerial views and some wreckage. Also included is a felt "Aviation" in-service window flag as well as Foster's French binoculars and "Liaison For All Arms" book.

 

Now for one of the surprises in the group: A modern handwritten note (in very shaky penmanship), reads, "The enclosed star was given for shooting down an enemy plane. We never wore them because we were told that we would be out of uniform and arrested by the MPs when we went into Paris."

 

And finally, the last surprise in the group. Remember that Foster--the observer--shot down a Fokker D.VII? Well, he souveniered a bit of fabric and it is included with this lot! The approximately 14cm x 15cm piece of extremely thin fabric still retains about 80% of the ruddy brown paint. Written in pencil on the back is simply, "Airplane material." Two modern reprints of the "The Ninetieth Aero Squadron" (one in hardcover the other soft) are included. This is one of those groups that cause us to pull out the adjectives, "amazing" and "historical."

[MAW]

Personally, I've never seen that reference before.

 

I've seen stars used for the first hundred thousand, and for voluntary enlistment.

 

Really interesting group. Maybe on some localized level, the vet was issued the star for the action.....(?)

[world war I nerd]

Thanks for the input MAW.

 

To me, it's doubtful that the observer who earned the star misrepresented or misremembered what the purpose of the gold star was in his hand written note. I would imagine that shooting down an enemy plane in combat would have been a big deal back in 1918 and something that would be hard to forget over the years for the person responsible for downing the plane.

 

But then again, if awarding gold stars for shooting down an enemy plane was a common practice during the war, one would think that somebody would have mentioned it once or twice over the course of the last 100 years?

[Dave]

It's too bad that by the time I owned Foster's group the gold star (and letter) were gone. Still was a really nice group though! Wish I had a better photo of the group...here it is on display as I had it. If the letter and gold star were with it, they would have been in the hanging frame..

[MAW]

Well....that makes things interesting.

 

If the letter and star weren't with it when Dave owned it....which came first, the chicken or the egg?

 

When did AGM have the set, and when did Dave own it? It would be useful to recreate the timeline.

[Dave]

I bought the group from Bay State Militaria in 2007. The original data on the below picture (off their website when I bought it) was March 2007, which seems about right...I probably bought it in March or April of that year. Given the photo from Bay State, I don't think the letter and star were there then.

[Dave]

I sold the group, I think, in 2008. I'm looking through my photos of 2007 (and then 2008) to see where I have other photos of the group, as I'm sure I took more...I just can't remember how I named them!

 

The photo of the group in my display was taken in November 2007, according to the date on the file.

[Dave]

Well...nevermind my above post. For whatever reason, I don't have photos of the group. I photographed my entire collection in December 2007 as I deployed at the beginning of 2008. After I returned, I decided to sell my entire WW1 collection and then re-photographed everything nicely...the group isn't in either photo session - so I'm forced to assume I sold it in late November/early December 2007.

[RustyCanteen]

I saw that one too; Dave I didn't know you owned it. I think the star was with it though (look to the left of the lighter).

[Dave]

I saw that one too; Dave I didn't know you owned it. I think the star was with it though (look to the left of the lighter).

 

 

Could have been...but I have no recollection of it. That's not saying much though...I owned the group for about six or seven months, and it might have been in a pocket or something. I still don't recall the letter, and I'm typically pretty good about that sort of thing - which is also why I think it's strange I didn't take photos of it before I sold it!

 

Wish I could add more to the story!

[RustyCanteen]

Hi Dave,

 

 

You would know since you actually owned it. Is it possible the letter was in one of the books? I think the small item in the Baystate picture is the star, but I can't be certain of that and your word is good enough for me.

 

You don't happen to have a larger (or higher rez) copy of the Baystate photo do you? I tried to enlarge it and crop it; AGM's photo is on the left, and Baystate's on the right. That glob on the right appears to be about the same dimensions as the wool square, and there is a discolored area suggestive of the bullion star.

 

[Dave]

No, unfortunately...that's the best I had from Bay State. I find it strange that I didn't realize that the star and/or letter were there...but so much has happened since I owned that uniform, they could have well been there and I never noticed them (though I remember flipping through the book.)

Still frustrated I don't have better photos of the group. I wonder if I might have sent it to AGM to sell? It just seems shocking to me that I don't have photos of it for selling it.

[Dave]

After looking through my unedited photos from that time period (I had some NICE stuff in my collection back then!) I did find the originals of the one I posted earlier. Click on them for full size.

[Dave]

And...

[Dave]

Oh...forgot to mention...the point of the above photos is this: if I had known the star and letter were there, I would have displayed them. I can't fathom they were in a pocket or folded up in the book...but anything's possible. When I bought this, I had just started my department head tour in the Navy, jumping straight into our training cycle and then headed overseas for training for three months...I sold it shortly after I returned in late November/early December. In short, I was probably home for a total of a couple weeks while I owned this group...

[RustyCanteen]

Yeah that is what I was thinking too (that you would have at least seen them if you framed the stuff).

 

 

Nice stuff though; if you see any more old photos you might as well post them. It's a mini-museum.

 

RC

[BigJohn#3RD]

I checked the Military Times Hall of Valor web site and found that Lt Foster was awarded an AEF Citation Star GO No. 2 (June 3, 1919). The award evolved into the Silver Star Medal. As most know the Silver Citation Star is in the middle of a Gold Star pendent. I'm going to guess that the aged Austin Foster may have confused the Citation Star, the first 100,000 Volunteer Star and the Silver Star Medal in his old age. Just a SWAG; if the current owner reads this he or she should order the AGO Card to see if Mr. Foster applied for the Silver Star Medal after it was instituted in 1932.

Thanks for starting this thread.

John

[MAW]

I checked the Military Times Hall of Valor web site and found that Lt Foster was awarded an AEF Citation Star GO No. 2 (June 3, 1919). The award evolved into the Silver Star Medal. As most know the Silver Citation Star is in the middle of a Gold Star pendent. I'm going to guess that the aged Austin Foster may have confused the Citation Star, the first 100,000 Volunteer Star and the Silver Star Medal in his old age. Just a SWAG; if the current owner reads this he or she should order the AGO Card to see if Mr. Foster applied for the Silver Star Medal after it was instituted in 1932.

Thanks for starting this thread.

John

This is a completely different thing. The original AEF citation star looks like an oversized campaign star that is attached to a victory ribbon and/or medal. Very small chance that this would be confused with the bullion device pictured here.

[hawk3370]

I have been dabbling in WW1 Aviation for a number of years now and never heard of a gold star being awarded for shooting down an enemy plane. More often than not if you shot down an enemy plane especially if you were an observer you were awarded a Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). Perhaps Cliff has run across this somewhere in his travels, the man has more smarts in this area than god me thinks.

 

Terry

[ocsfollowme]

I would not know what to look for. This feature can be useful sometimes.

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20070415000000*/http://www.baystatemilitaria.com/

[jagjetta]

The star and note were, indeed, among the materials when AGM acquired the group (from Dave, as I recall). It was a "Wow, gee whiz! moment when I discovered the star and note, as Jeff didn't know it was part of the group when he acquired it. It was, without a doubt, the only reference to such a star we had ever seen!

 

As to stars and their meanings, collectors are not the first to be confused. page 1 of the June 28, 1918 issue of Stars and Stripes has a centrally-placed article:

STARS FOR SERVICE ARE NOT AUTHORIZED

No One in A.E.F. Entitled to Wear Widely Rumored Decoration

 

"No one in the AEF is entitled to wear a star or any other insignia inside the V of his service chevron. The story has grown up, gone around, and gradually believed even by high divisional officers that men who came over in the first contingent or before a certain date--no one seems to know exactly which--were entitled to the decoration. This newspaper has bee fairly flooded with queries.

 

"The answer is simple. They are not. GHQ has not authorized such a decoration.

"The only stars apart from generals' which AEF soldiers are authorized to wear are those referred to in General Order 26 which concerns awards, wound and service chevrons and decorations, generally. It says:

 

"Other citations for gallantry in action published in order from headquarters of a force commanded by a gneral officer will be indicating in each case by a silver star, thrr-sixteenths of an inch in diameter worn upon the riband of the Distinguished Service cross and upon the corresponding ribbon."

 

January 24, 1919 issue, page 1, under "Ship's Tailors Lead Busy Life:"

 

"The wound and service stripe market took a terrible slump at Brest last week when the news filtered back from outbound transports that a new brand of inspection was being held for every batch of home-going members of the AEF. It was discovered that anybody whose sleeves didn't pass inspection and check with the little old service record had to report to the company tailor for an amputation.

 

"For several weeks the needles in the base ports have been working nights, sewing six-months chevrons on five-months-and-twenty-nine-day veterans, decorating right cuffs of heroes whose only wounds are located in their pride, and attaching neat little French capmaign badges that proclaim participation in every event...

 

"Another emblem that rated high on the Heroe's Bourse was the silver star also showed on a few sleeves for the 'first 100,000.' But when the men hit the deck for the first assembly, both faded in the sea fog like a pint of cognac before an MP.

 

"Hereafter the extra stars and stripes will go home in the barracks bag, and if they reappear at all it will be in the back parlor with the curtains drawn..."

In an article titled, "Some of them are Getting Away with a Pretty Slick Line of Stuff" April 4, 1919 issue (page 4) notes:

 

"Comes then the New York Herald with a picture in its rotogravure section of Feb 2 showing:

'Bob Slay of New York City. Has the distinction of being one of the most decorated and wounded men of the 77th Division...Among other of Bob's decorations as shown in the picture were a star above his two service chevrons,..." The article goes on to cite War Department Circular 87, Feb 19, 1919, paragraph 3:

"...Such decorations as gold and silver stars on the sleeves, unauthorized campaign ribbons, gold chevrons presumed to denote the wear has been a prisoner of war, or denoting service other than prescribed for such chevrons are not authorized and will not be permitted."

 

Article goes on:

"When Pvts. Louisi Bostie..and Gilber Davis reached Kansas City, the Post received them and allowed their wanderings two columns of illustrated space '...and wover with the Fighting Fifth. They wear the Croix de Guerre with palm, French Legion of Honor Citation cord, two wound stripes, two service bars, and two gold chevrons.

denoting one year of foreign service'."

 

A later issue, May 9, 1919, "outed" another soldier, Sgt Kelly of the 102nd Infantry wears, "...the red fourragere and a number of mysterious decorations, including a gold star on his sleeve, a mysterious chevron and a number of unofficial campaign badges, including an Allied bar, which has only been rumored in the AEF..."

Stars and Stripes from May 23, 1919 (page 7), makes reference to all sorts of "unauthorized" insignia that could result in disciplinary actions, including:

"Gold Star--Erroneously supposed to represent the fact that the wearer was among the first 50,000 to go overseas.

Silver Star--Erroneously supposed to represent the fact that the wearer enlisted voluntarily and was not drafted."

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dave]

The star and note were, indeed, among the materials when AGM acquired the group (from Dave, as I recall). It was a "Wow, gee whiz! moment when I discovered the star and note, as Jeff didn't know it was part of the group when he acquired it. It was, without a doubt, the only reference to such a star we had ever seen!

 

 

 

 

That would make sense, then, why I didn't photograph it. I can only think the letter and star must have been in the pocket or something, as I don't recall them...but at the same time, as noted above, I had a lot of other stuff going on at the time and it's not impossible that I either overlooked them or have just forgotten about them (my brain moved on to other priorities over the next couple of years!)

[MAW]

Really interesting thread.

 

I still have to wonder if, considering the elderly hand that wrote the note, the star was for shooting down a plane or, perhaps, came to represent that meaning to the aged veteran.

 

Great group...and a nice curious mystery.

[world war I nerd]

John, what an excellent job of researching! Thanks for taking the time to find all of the period "press" devoted to the various stars, bars and chevrons and other unauthorized decorations that evidently, so many Doughboys opted to embellish their sleeves with prior to the big trip back to the U.S.

 

Although it seems unlikely that a gold star was ever unofficially or officially awarded for downing an enemy airplane in combat within any organization of the AEF, we've not really heard much in respect to that in this topic. But at least John has solved the mystery of whether the star and note were both present in Mr. Foster's group at the it was in Dave's possession!

 

The question still remains; was Lt. Foster awarded a gold star or was the note penned in a spidery hand just the ramblings of a confused WW I veteran?

 

It would be nice if we could somehow compile a list of the various non-regulations awards and decorations, along with the reasons for wearing them, as I suspect they were numerous, based on the small amount of information that has so far come to light.

 

Thanks to all for adding a bit more to our knowledge on the mysterious subject of unauthorized AEF stars, bars and awards.

[RustyCanteen]

 

 

That would make sense, then, why I didn't photograph it. I can only think the letter and star must have been in the pocket or something, as I don't recall them...but at the same time, as noted above, I had a lot of other stuff going on at the time and it's not impossible that I either overlooked them or have just forgotten about them (my brain moved on to other priorities over the next couple of years!)

 

 

Dave, don't feel bad. That glob in the picture was probably the star, and Baystate might have slipped it into the pocket to keep it from getting lost in shipping; only to get overlooked instead.