“An Air Rescue,” by Harry Everett Townsend

This painting depicts U.S. Navy Ensign Charles Hammann rescuing Ensign George Ludlow off Pola, Austria-Hungary, on August 21, 1918. Austrian fighters shot down Ludlow’s single-seat Italian Macchi M-5. Hammann risked attack to rescue Ludlow. It was the earliest aerial action awarded the Medal of Honor.