Nieuport 28 Display Model, US Army 147th Aero Sqn, Ralph A. O'Neill, 1918
Processing...

Nieuport 28 Display Model, US Army 147th Aero Sqn, Ralph A. O'Neill, 1918

WW-WW13003
In Stock
$34.95

Product Details


Wings of The Great War WW13003
Nieuport Nieuport 28 Display Model
US Army 147th Aero Sqn, Ralph A. O'Neill, 1918

Limited Edition

1:72 Scale   Length   Width
Nieuport Nieuport 28   3.25"   4.25"

Ralph Ambrose O'Neill (December 7, 1896 - October 23, 1980) was a flying ace from World War I credited with five aerial victories. O'Neill was born in Durango, Durango, Mexico on 17 December 1896 to an American father and a Mexican mother. He was raised in the United States and entered the United States Air Service in August 1917. In March 1918, he was assigned to the 147th Aero Squadron, flying the Nieuport 28 and the SPAD S.XIII. From 2 July to 31 October 1918, teaming with such squadron mates as Kenneth Porter, James Meissner, Francis Simonds, and James Healy, he shot down five German airplanes. He won a Distinguished Service Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Croix de Guerre with palm in the process. In August 1920, he signed a five-year contract to set up a functional Mexican Air Force and train Mexican pilots, as Mexico was undergoing numerous rebellions and coups. In 1923, he flew several combat missions against Adolfo de la Huerta's rebellion. He left Mexico in December 1925 with the rank of general, and began a career in civil aviation. He founded the New York, Rio, and Buenos Aires Line, flying the first airmail from Argentina to Miami in a Sikorsky S-38.