Wilbert Wallace White

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Wilbert Wallace White, Second Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action in the regions of Etain and Chambley, France, September 14, 1918. While protecting three allied observation planes in the region of Etain, Lieutenant White was attacked by three Halberstadt fighters. He engaged them immediately, successfully fighting them off and leading them all away from the observation planes, which were thus permitted to carry on their work unmolested. While returning home he dived through a cloud to attack an enemy balloon near Chambley, bringing it down in flames. Two Fokker scouts then attacked him; and, although he was alone, with intrepid courage he attacked the first Fokker head on, shooting until it went down into a vertical dive out of control. Pulling up sharply, he fired a long burst at the second Fokker as it went over him, putting it to immediate flight.

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Wilbert Wallace White, Second Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Toul, France, October 10, 1918. Lieutenant White was in command of a patrol of four planes, which was attacked by five German Fokkers. He attacked the enemy plane which was hard pressing a new pilot. The German Fokker had gotten at the tail of the American plane and was overtaking it. Lieutenant White’s gun having jammed, he drove his plane head-on into the German Fokker, both crashing to earth, 500 meters below.