Charles J. Biddle (aviator)
| Charles John Biddle | |
|---|---|
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Charles J. Biddle, 1918
|
|
| Born |
13 May 1890 Andalusia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | 22 March 1972 (aged 81) Andalusia, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
Aéronautique Militaire (France) Air Service, United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917 - 1919 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit |
Aéronautique Militaire
|
| Commands held | 13th Aero Squadron |
| Battles/wars |
 World War I
|
| Awards | Legion of Honor, Croix de Guerre, Distinguished Service Cross, Order of Leopold II |
| Other work | Influential litigator and attorney |
Aéronautique Militaire
Air Service, United States Army
Major Charles John Biddle (13 May 1890 – 22 March 1972) was an American aviator, attorney, and author. He was a flying ace during World War I. Postwar, he launched a career in law and wrote his memoirs.
Charles John Biddle was born on 13 May 1890 at Andalusia, the Biddle family estate near Philadelphia. His father was Charles Biddle (1857–1923) and mother was Letitia Glenn. His grandfather Charles John Biddle (1819–1873) was a soldier in the Union Army and subsequently a member of the United States House of Representatives. Andalusia was the estate of his great-grandfather, banker Nicholas Biddle (1786–1844). He was an hereditary member of the Aztec Club of 1847.
He graduated from Princeton University in 1911, and from Harvard Law School three years later. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar, but interrupted his nascent career to serve in World War I.
Biddle joined the Lafayette Flying Corps in France on 8 April 1917. He was assigned to Escadrille 73 as a private on 28 July 1917, under the command and mentorship of Albert Deullin. He was promoted to corporal on 2 June and to sergeant on 1 December. Biddle initially fought several indecisive combats with a Spad VII, but success evaded him until 5 December 1917. Flying a SPAD XIII, he downed the Albatros two-seater of Leutnants Fritz Pauly and Ernst Sauter of FFA 45 despite a malfunction by both his Spad's machine guns.
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