36 Nebraskaland • November 2024
so far behind in military aviation that he learned to fl y under
British instructors in Canada. (And he soloed after only two-
and-half hours of instruction!) As a fi ghter pilot, Ralston fl ew
British planes and spent the fi rst part of his combat duty
with a British squadron. Only two weeks after joining the
squadron, Ralston earned his fi rst combat victory, returning
to the aerodrome with three large holes in his wings.
"Oh, how much a fellow realizes how little he knows about
the game after he has been out here a while," Ralston wrote in
his diary. His combination of boldness and humility got him
through his early days as a novice fi ghter pilot. Within weeks
he was an experienced and deadly pilot racking up victories.
And then came Sept. 26. With his buddies in trouble,
Ralston attacked the nearest enemy and chased him into a
cloud, risking a mid-air collision in low visibility. Emerging
back into the sunshine, he shot down his foe at short range.
Ralston was then attacked by four enemy planes, but escaped
by ducking into another cloud. Back at the aerodrome, a
mechanic discovered that Ralston had fl own the mission
with a cracked cylinder that had no compression.
Ralston received the Distinguished Service Cross for that
encounter.
The war ended with an armistice on Nov. 11. In four
months of combat, Ralston shot down at least fi ve enemy
aircraft — making him Nebraska's only "ace" of the war — and
had other unconfi rmed victories. Back home in 1919, Ralston
spent a summer as a Chautauqua speaker to earn money
to fi nish dental school. He told audiences about his war
Ralston kept this photo of his friend and fellow Nebraskan Lt. Jarvis Off utt, who
became Omaha's fi rst air casualty on Aug. 13, 1918. Fort Crook's Off utt Field (now
Off utt Air Force Base) was named in his honor. NSHS RG2432-1-144
Royal Air Force S.E. 5 fi ghters lined up
for patrol, from Ralston's scrapbook.
Ralston fl ew an S.E. 5 with the RAF's 85th
Squadron before fl ying a Sopwith Camel
for the 148th American Squadron.
NSHS RG2432-1-337
