Fighting the Flying Circus
Eddie Rickenbacker
Read by Brett W. Downey
This is the WWI memoirs of Medal of Honor winner, Capt Eddie Rickenbacker. He fought in and eventually became commander of the 94th "Hat-in-the-Ring" Squadron, which ended the war with the highest number of air victories of any American squadron. The circus mentioned in the title refers to the German squadron commanded by the famous Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen. (Introduction by Brett W. Downey) (10 hr 6 min)
Chapters
| 01 - INTRODUCING ARCHY | 15:14 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 02 - THE AERODROME | 17:21 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 03 - OUR FIRST SORTIES | 24:28 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 04 - DOWNING MY FIRST HUN | 12:25 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 05 - JIMMY MEISSNER STRIPS HIS WINGS | 17:12 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 06 - JIMMY HALL'S LAST FIGHT | 15:59 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 07 - NEW RESPONSIBILITIES | 13:38 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 08 - A VICTORY AND A NARROW ESCAPE | 15:08 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 09 - DOWN IN FLAMES | 15:32 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 10 - LUFBERY IS KILLED | 16:04 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 11 - SQUADRON FESTIVITIES | 17:33 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 12 - JIMMY MEISSNER AGAIN | 15:11 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 13 - AMERICA'S FIRST ACE | 15:05 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 14 - RUMPLER NUMBER l6 | 16:40 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 15 - CAMPBELL'S LAST FIGHT | 17:10 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 16 - BECOMING AN ACE | 16:50 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 17 - A PERPLEXING BANK OF FOG | 14:27 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 18 - STRAFING THE DRACHEN | 17:05 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 19 - THE CHATEAU-THIERRY SALIENT | 17:17 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 20 - THE DEATH OF QUENTIN ROOSEVELT | 19:08 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 21 - THE FLYING CIRCUS SCORES HEAVILY | 14:51 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 22 - OUR SPADS ARRIVE | 17:18 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 23 - BACK CLOSE TO VERDUN | 16:34 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 24 - THE ST. MIHIEL DRIVE | 19:26 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 25 - AMERICAN ACE OF ACES | 17:24 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 26 - CAPTAIN OF THE HAT-IN-THE-RING SQUADRON | 16:32 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 27 - AN EVENTFUL D DAY | 17:56 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 28 - FRANK LUKE STRAFES HIS LAST BALLOON | 16:14 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 29 - A NIGHT-MISSION | 17:29 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 30 - A DAY'S WORK SIX VICTORIES | 18:06 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 31 - SEEING THE WAR | 18:00 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 32 - A REGULAR DOG-FIGHT | 18:31 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 33 - AN AEROPLANE MOVIE SHOW | 18:46 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 34 - AN OVER-ZEALOUS ALLY | 16:17 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 35 - THE END DRAWS NEAR | 17:08 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
| 36 - LAST VICTORY OF THE GREAT WAR | 16:34 | Read by Brett W. Downey |
Reviews
amazing reader & captivating story
jaded_grl
first off, an amazing reader! loud peppy voice sounds like you are listening to a "newsreel" announcer from the 20s. i love the little bit at the end of the book where the reader says "also from the great state of ohio", very cute. this book will bring you to a realization of just how fast airplane design changed in the few years of the war. the constant death of war is present, but this writer dix uncle sam a favor in making death sound great & honorable instead of terrible. i appreciate the few occurrences where the pilots arranged to escort a prisoner back instead of shooting down helplessly injured planes. a must read book. fast pace, each chapter is its own story - so if you zone out during a chapter you dont have a "plot line" to miss. make sure you read a war story from the trenches to compare with this one - same war vastly different stories.
Amazing Story, Most Excellent Reader
mnels
It is appalling how much history is not taught in school nor depicted on screen in documentaries with truth and honestly. This is an absolutely amazing story and should be shared with any boy or young man aspiring to be the best he came be. Brett W. Downy read this as if he were Eddie Rickenbacker and had lived every one of the events that happened.
This is pro colonization
Bill Cosby
totally ignored the role of transgendered LatinX Americans in fighting to great war. It focuses entirely on white cis gendered descendants of European heteronormative ancestry. By listening to this audiobook you are oppressing BIPOCs. Instead of free audio books, you should be listening to paid audio books curated by billionaire liberal elites who definitely most assuredly have the best interests of oppressed BIPOCs at heart
Wonderful book. All I needed to know about flight in WW1
D
Well written journal of an American WW1 fighter pilot. Have right me many interesting facts about that war. Book has given me vivid picture of a pilot, many things I'm sure have not changed since then. Book well worth my time and recommend to any war enthusiast.
Great recollection, well read
Dennis Berry
This is an excellent recollection by Rickenbacker of hi time on the front lines in France during WW I. Downey is a wonderful reader. I felt as though I were listening to Rickenbacker himself. If you enjoy aviation and military history, this is definitely a book worth listening to...
EXCELLENT
GonzoRanch
Goofy title, but this is REALLY interesting, w/ an engaging & compelling writing style. It's very long, but NEVER gets boring or slow. The reader - it felt like he / she really was the author. Kudos Dude / Dudettes.
Great story!
Seven Archers
A rare glimpse into what it was like to be the first, and best, warriors of the air when flying was still in it's infancy by one of the greatest aviators this nation every produced.
Superb reading of a fascinating account
beeker
This is my first foray into Librevox and I'm delighted and surprised by the quality of this presentation. Excellent work by Brett!