Flying ace after he became the first pilot to down five German aircraft. The British initially used the term "star-turns" (a show business term), while the Germans described their elite fighter pilots as "Überkanonen" (which roughly translates to "top guns"). The successes of such German ace pilots as Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke were much publicised for the benefit of civilian morale, and the "Pour le Mérite", Prussia’s highest award for gallantry, became part of the uniform of a leading German ace. In the "Luftstreitkräfte" the "Pour le Mérite" was nicknamed "Der blaue Max"/The Blue Max, after Max Immelmann, who was the
John Smith (flying ace) John Smith (flying ace) John Lucian Smith (December 26, 1914 – June 10, 1972) is an American Medal of Honor recipient and Marine Corps flying ace who, as Commanding Officer of VMF-223, shot down 19 Japanese planes in World War II and led his squadron to a destroy a total of 83 enemy aircraft during the Solomon Islands campaign. John Lucian Smith was born on December 26, 1914 in Lexington, Oklahoma. He attended the University of Oklahoma where he was a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps, graduating in May 1936. During the same month, he was appointed a