Reed Landis

Reed Landis

Name: Reed Gresham Landis
Country: United States
Rank: Major
Services: Royal Air Force U.S. Air Service
Units: 40 (RAF) 25th Aero (USAS)
Victories: 12
Date Of Birth: July 17, 1896
Place of Birth: Ottawa, Illinois
Date Of Death: May 1975
Place of Death: Lake Ouachita, Arkansas 

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.