Landis was the son of Judge Keneshaw Mountain Landis,
commissioner of American baseball in the 1920s. After the war he
became chairman of the American Legion and was a colonel with the
United States Army Air Corps during World
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He has carried
out offensive patrols with marked determination and dash, and he
has on all occasions engaged the enemy with marked skill and an
entire disregard of personal danger. On August 8, 1918, he
attacked an enemy kite balloon over Vitry-en-Artois. One observer
jumped clear with a parachute and the balloon burst into flames
and went down.
Personally he has accounted for enemy aircraft as follows: On
August 8, during a general engagement west of Douai, he engaged a
Fokker biplane and fired a short burst from point blank range. EA
went down vertically after emitting a huge cloud of smoke and
though the enemy machine was not seen to burst into flames, it was
evidently on fire. He then attacked a balloon over Vitry but
seeing a D.F.W. below it, he attacked the EA instead. He fired a
long burst from above; the enemy machine dived, started to spin
and crashed on the southern edge of Vitry-en-Artois village.
On August 7, while on offensive patrol in the vicinity of
Carvin, four enemy scouts were engaged. He selected one and fired
about 300 rounds closing at short range. EA spiraled steeply,
side-slipped at intervals and was seen to crash in the vicinity of
Carvin.
On July 14, when on offensive patrol, he fired about 150 rounds
into a Pfalz scout from 75 yards range. Enemy mahcine was observed
to crash near Epinoy. In addition to the above, this officer has
destroyed one EA and driven on down out of control." DFC citation.