C9 FDC Addressed To "Major R. S. Lytle"

I recently acquired the following:



I decided to pretend I was wt1 and see what I could find out about the addressee. It turned out to be quite a story.

Robert Scott Lytle was an early aviator, a Captain in the United States Marine Flying Corps at the time the First Marine Aviation Force was deployed to France in WW I. Captain Lytle was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his exploits on October 2 and 14, 1919. Here is the citation awarding the medal, with a picture I found supposed to have been taken on or about October 2-3, 1918:



At the time, the Navy DSM did not exist. It was created in 1919, but awarded for service back to 1917. It was the second highest medal in the Navy at the time, ranking above the Navy Cross and under the Medal of Honor. It was actually intended primarily for flag officers whose command service was especially meritorious or notable. But it could be awarded to anyone in command, and I imagine Lytle was quite honored to have received it. Another picture:



This is said to be his grave stone at Arlington National Cemetery:



Assuming this is indeed his grave, I wish I knew the story behind why it identifies him as US Army, and not Marine Corps. I haven't found a date of birth, but in 1940 Lytle would have still been relatively young: if he was, say, 30 in 1918, he would have been just 52 when he passed away.

There is a lot more I could write, but I'll just finish with this. It was 1918. Want to venture a guess what kind of aircraft he trained in? Hint: it carried the mail, and even was pictured on a stamp or two.

Nice detective work! That plane might look something like this?

regards, Theron

Yes, in researching this, I learned that the "land" based Marine Corps aviators trained with Jennies.

It was not unusual during the period between the World Wars for officers to switch services, especially within the fledgling air branches. Many were "recruited" to training and doctrine development positions. Found a history of his unit here >http://www.marin-turpin.com/images/bff06.pdf< Here's a short passage:

Talbot played a part in another, bigger raid two days later. Captain Robert S. Lytle,
commanding officer of Squadron 9, took out five DH-4s and three DH-9As to strike the
German' held railroad yards at Thielt, Belgium. They dropped a ton of bombs. On the
way home, 12 German fighters â€" eight Fokker D-VIIs and four Pfalz D-IIIs â€" jumped
Lytle's eight DC Havillands. In the melee, the Germans singled out the DH-4 flown by
Talbot with Corporal Robert G. Robinson in the hack seat. Captain Lytle's engine failed
as be tried to come to Talbot's aid. Robinson brought down one attacking plane with his
twin Lewis guns. Two others closed in from below. Robinson took a bullet in his elbow,
but clearing a jammed gun with his one good hand, he continued to fire until he was hit
twice more. With Robinson unconscious in the back seat, Talbot whipped his DH-4
around and got a second German with his front guns. He then for his damaged plane
into a long dive, clearing the German lines at 50 feet and coming in safely at a Belgian
airfield. Robinson was taken to a field hospital, and the surgeon general of the Belgian
Army operated on his arm and saved it.
Lytle, meanwhile, came down without power and made a dead-stick landing in front of
the Belgian lines, and he and his observer scrambled to safety. That night, under cover
of darkness, a Marine working party dismantled his plane and brought it hack in
through the lines.

Thanks for the link to the PDF. It inspired me to search for the source, because it referenced a color photo of Lytle's "October 10" (the date is wrong) mission. I found the original here:

http://www.usni.org/magazines/naval...estern-front

The image, with its caption:



From all other sources I've seen, the date is wrong. The flight was October 14, not October 10. According to another source:



Talbot was killed a few days later when the engine of his plane malfunction and it crashed and burned. The observer in the back seat, 2nd Lieutenant Colgage Darden was flown clear. He went on to become Governor of Virginia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colgate_Darden). All in all, this small band of Marine brothers were quite remarkable men.

Thank you for posting this! Amazing stuff you came up with! I love these sort of posts and the subject matter is outstanding and of my intense interest! -Jeff

blcjr,

I know this is an old post but thanks for posting it. If you still have it please do contact me before you pass it along.

Thanks

MDS