Country: United States. Rank: Lieutenant, Services: United States Air Service. Squadrons: 22nd Aero. Victories: 10. Died: 7 July 1963. Place of Death: Los Angeles, California. Buried: Arlington National Cemetery
Notes
On the afternoon of 8 September 1918, Swaab was wounded while scoring his first three victories near Cirey-Saarburg. Having shot down a two-seater, he was about to land at a German aerodrome when he realized his mistake. Enemy fighters scrambled to intercept Swaab’s SPAD S.XIII and he shot down two Fokker D.VII’s while making his escape. On 23 October, Swaab shot down a Fokker D.VII that had just destroyed an American balloon. Evidence suggests the German pilot was Max Näther of Jasta 62. In 1938,
Swaab served as technical advisor on the “Dawn Patrol,” a Hollywood motion picture starring David Niven and Errol Flynn. He was also a member of the American Cross and Cockade Society.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard