This article is from the Ozarks Heritage Welcome Center in West Plains. More information is available on their Facebook page.
Stephen W. Thompson, born in West Plains in 1894, holds a special distinction in military aviation history. On this day, in 1918, he was the first person in U.S. military service to shoot down an enemy plane in air-to-air combat. Thompson grew up in West Plains and left home after high school to attend the University of Missouri, Columbia. He was a senior there when the U.S. entered WWI in 1917. The college offered seniors early graduation to encourage joining the service, so Thompson enlisted in the Army at 23 years old.
From the website of the National Museum of The United State Air Force, here is a description of his history-making accomplishments:
“The first man in U.S. military service to shoot down an enemy airplane was Lt. Stephen W. Thompson….Since his American squadron had not yet started flying missions, Thompson visited a nearby French bombing squadron on Feb. 5, 1918, to observe preparations for a combat flight. A French observer became ill, and Thompson was invited to replace him. Once inside German territory, Thompson’s Breguet bomber was attacked. While defending it, Thompson shot down an Albatros fighter over Saarbrucken. Because of Thompson’s unique status on this mission, he was not granted credit for his victory during the war. However, with the assistance of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, he was finally granted official recognition for the victory in 1967.
“The sock with bullet holes and the German bullet on display [at the museum] are mementoes of another of Thompson’s memorable flights. While Thompson was an observer of with the 12th Aero Squadron, German fighters attacked his Salmson airplane on July 28, 1918. He shot down two enemy planes before his own plane was shot down by the famous German ace Erich Lowenhart. Thompson’s pilot, Lt. John C. Miller, was able to land the Salmson inside friendly lines before he died of a bullet wound in the stomach. Thompson received a bullet in the leg and, because of the lack of immediate first aid in the front-line area, he had to dig the bullet from his leg with a pocketknife.”
(The image shown here is a U.S. Air Force photo which also appears on the website, nationalmuseum.af.mil)
At the end of the war, Lt. Thompson returned home to West Plains as a local hero. Around 1920 he moved to Dayton, Ohio, where he lived for the rest of his days, passing away in 1977. We have included a brief biography of him in the 2025 Explore West Plains guidebook. Pick up a free copy at the Ozark Heritage Welcome Center, M-F, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
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