Louis Goetter Bernheimer

Additional curator's notes:

Louis Goetter Bernheimer was a hero in World War I, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross with bronze leaf cluster and the Silver Star citation. He was also made Chevalier, Belgian Order of the Crown by King Albert for his bravery.

Louis was the son of Sidney Bernheimer and wife Fannie Goetter. He was born December 5, 1894 in New York City. He studied at Yale, graduating in the class of 1917, where he went out for freshman football. He worked with the Hope Mission and contributed to the Yale Literary Magazine.

With war seeming inevitable, he trained at the Gunnery School and became a member of Yale Battery, during the summer of 1916, and took Artillery Training at Tobyhanna. He attended officers' training at Plattsburg, where he entered the Air Service in June 1917. Upon graduation, he went overseas as a cadet with the 88th Air Squadron in November, 1917.

In August 1918, he was the pilot of a photo-reconnaissance plane that ran into a German air-group of several monoplanes and war planes. He successfully evaded being shot down while maneuvering to allow his photographer to continue shooting film. He received his first Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for this action and was promoted to Lieutenant.

In November of that year, he flew fifteen miles behind enemy lines with a photographer to gain valuable information about the enemy movements and the condition of the bridges across the Meuse River. For this act of bravery, he was awarded the bronze oak leave cluster for his DSC.

He also received the Silver Star for bravery in action near Dun-sur-Meuse, France,October 30, 1918, while on a visual reconnaissance mission.

Louis returned to the United States on January 5, 1919, and given his discharge January 11; in March, 1919, he was made a Chevalier of the Belgian Order of the Crown, received a medal for aviation from the State of New York and one from the Aero Club of America.

He became a partner in his father's firm, Sidney Bernheimer & Company in 1920 and stayed two years. He was also engaged in writing for the Sunday Magazine department of the New York World in 1922. After that time he spent his time in traveling and writing, living abroad the greater part of the time.

Louis married (1) actress and singer Mary Ellis about 1920. The marriage ended in divorce after a year. He married (2) actress Lillian Kemble-Cooper but that marriage also ended in divorce. There were no children from either marriage.

Louis G. Bernheimer died in Los Angeles, California on January 10, 1930, after an accidental fall from a window. He was buried at Salem Fields Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York. He was survived by his parents and his sister Laura.

Many thanks are due a small group of Geni members who willingly helped with the research for this brief bio. They make a curator's task so much easier. Maria Edmonds-Zediker, March 22, 2014

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Links to additional material:

• http://www.mocavo.com/The-Yale-Banner-Volume-1913-1914/555202/466 - Yale University
• http://www.nmajmh.org/exhibitions/catalog-hallOfHeroes/cat39.php - Hall of Heroes
• http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F20E11FF395D147A9...
• http://projects.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient...
• http://mssa.library.yale.edu/obituary_record/1925_1952/1929-30.pdf - obituary
• http://www.neilpiwovar.com/genealogy/tngfiles912/getperson.php?pers...
• http://americanjewisharchives.org/publications/fajf/pdfs/stern_p070...
• http://americanjewisharchives.org/publications/fajf/pdfs/stern_p324...
• http://www.hohenemsgenealogie.at/en/genealogy/getperson.php?personI...
• http://www.mundia.com/us/Person/5001569/-312858394