Image of the Air Force wings with the museum name underneath

Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week
FREE Admission & Parking

Lt. Harold Goettler Writing Case

Note: This item is currently in storage.

This item was used by the donor’s brother, Lt. Harold E. Goettler, who was a pilot with the 50th Aero Squadron and posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor. The pages are all blank. The only handwriting present is Goettler’s name and address written on the inside of the front cover.

On Oct. 6, 1918, Goettler and Lt. Erwin R. Bleckley piloted their DH-4 aircraft, plane No. 6, from Remicourt, France, to locate and supply the 77th Division near the Argonne Forest. Their DH-4 was shot down near the town of Binarville, France, and both Goettler and Bleckey were killed in the crash. Their burial site is in the American Military Cemetery in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, which is in the Lorraine region of France.

For their actions during the war, Goettler and Bleckley received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Both of these decorations are on exhibit in the museum's Early Years Gallery.

Donated by Edna Goettler.

Click here to return to the Featured World War I Artifacts index.

 

Find Out More
Line
Related Fact Sheets
Lt. Harold E. Goettler
Line
Note: The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the National Museum of the USAF, the U.S. Air Force, or the Department of Defense, of the external website, or the information, products or services contained therein.