WWI Aviators Killed Aiding ‘Lost Battalion,’ Later Awarded Medal of Honor

Oct. 6, 1918

Army 2nd Lt. Harold E. Goettler (pilot) and 2nd Lt. Erwin R. Bleckley (observer) are killed by ground fire while attempting to drop supplies to a battalion of the Army’s 77th Division, which has been cut off in the Argonne Forest near Binarville, France. Even though they were subjected to heavy ground fire on their first attempt, they flew at a lower altitude on the second trip to get the packages more precisely on the designated spot. The duo is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions.

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