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The Det
WARTIME ENEMY ACES CLASP HANDS
[[IMAGE]]
COL. E. V. RICKENBACKER
RECOUNT OLD BATTLES THEY FOUGHT OVER FRENCH FRONT
Special to Free Press and Chicago Tribune

CLEVELAND, Aug. 31-The two greatest living aces of the American and German air forces met here at the National Air Races this afternoon, 13 years after they met, as leaders of their respective commands, miles above the Chateau Thierry, Argonne and St. Mihiel sectors, and lost themselves in memories of air battles that, for all the new and faster types of planes, contained some of the most desperately fine flying ever seen.

Col Edward V. Rickenbacker, of Detroit, American ace and commander of the famous wartime 94th Pursuit Squadron, traded stories with Maj. Ernst Udet, who took command of Baron von Richthofen's flying circus after the baron was shot out of the sky.

Udet was a member of the Richthofen circus when it flew above Chateau Thierry just after the United States entered the war and it was over that sector he and Rickenbacker met in a dog fight.

I remember one day I took my squadron over your lines, as escort to a photographic and bombing missions, and we passed your Nieuports," Udet said.  "We were about 5,000 meters, you were about 3,000 meters and seven miles away.  We wondered how you happened to have two Fokkers in your squadron.

"We saw your insignia, the hat in the circle, but then we didn't know whether you were French or American.

"That was my squadron," Rickenbacker declared.  "I was flying one of the Fokkers.  Those Nieuports were so rotten we used your planes whenever we got one down without it cracking up."

"You remember, we didn't stop, but went on over?" Udet asked.
"Yes, I wondered whether you were running away at the time, but when we heard about the bombing later, I understand why," the American said.
"Well, we didn't run away on the way back," Udet said.
"No, that was a grand flight-let's see, we lost 20 men between us, wasn't that it?"
"About that-I know two of your men were forced down behind our lines and I learned for the first time you were commanding the 94th.
"Yes, and did you see me working on that Fokker?"
"You didn't seem to want to hit it."
"Oh yes, I did, but my Fokker 
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Maj. Ernst Udet
was falling apart, and I'd picked that one out to replace it and was trying to hit the motor to force it down behind the lines."
"Ah, I understand."
Again the two met, over the Argonne sector in several special air battles, in which Udet led the former Richthofen air circus of 80 planes and Rickenbacker led his 94th Squadron.  Then Udet was a first lieutenant and Rickenbacker a captain.  In all, Udet is credited with 62 planes and Rickenbacker with 26.  They met a third time over St. Mihiel when the great American drive was on and Udet's division fought desperately to cover the German retreat from the terrific ground strafing of American planes.  Rickenbacker's old squadron, the 94th, is here as part of the First Pursuit Group from Selfridge Field.