William E. Brotherton

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to William E. Brotherton, Second Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Fere-en-Tardenois, France, on August 1, 1918. An enemy Rumpler plane being reported over the airdrome, Lieutenant Brotherton, with another officer, ascended and soon uncounted six Fokker planes that were protecting another Fokker serving as a decoy. Disregarding the enemy’s superiority in numbers, he maneuvered so as to secure the advantage of the sun and dived on the decoy plane; pouring in air destructive fire, he killed the pilot and crashed the machine to the ground.