On February 5, 1918, United States Army Air Service aviator Stephen Thompson became the first American in history to shoot down an enemy airplane. Thompson had been infatuated with flying since his army training in Norfolk, Virginia, and applied for duty in the Air Service soon after his first ride in a plane.

A Historical Newspaper Perspective

"The young American lieutenant, who had the honor of shooting down his first German airplane while accompanying a French esquadrille on a bombing expedition Tuesday night had never operated a machine before in his life while in flight and never before had been over the enemy's line," reported the Janesville Daily Gazette on February 9, 1918. "He got his man over the German city of Saarburg."

"The bombing squadron was over Saarburg and in the act of dropping bombs when enemy airplanes were seen approaching rapidly. By the time the bomb dropping had been completed the enemy was close at hand and the French formation with this American and another American aviator, who had accompanied him as gunner, was at an altitude of 12,000 feet."

"The lieutenant, who is a Missourian, took off his glove so that he might operate his machine gun more effectively, when he saw an enemy plane driving in from the side and firing his gun. The bullets went close to the French machine before the American acting as gunner could get his piece into action. Then he turned a stream of bullets into the enemy and before the first drum was exhausted the enemy machine toppled and started to spiral. Then it flopped and fluttered down with a flare of smoke and flames in its wake."

Thompson was awarded the croix de guerre (cross of war) by France for his actions.