The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to Aviation Pilot First Class Arthur Alfonzo Rittel (NSN: 3420261), United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as pilot and bow gunner on an anti-submarine patrol over the Bay of Biscay, 1 August 1943. Aviation Pilot First Class Rittel succeeded in damaging several enemy planes despite overwhelming odds. He pursued the enemy relentlessly until a hostile shell exploded in the bow compartment.