Lafayette Escadrille

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A SPAD S.XIII in Lafayette Escadrille livery
A SPAD S.XIII in Lafayette Escadrille livery
James Norman Hall (1887-1951) of the Lafayette Escadrille, 1917
James Norman Hall (1887-1951) of the Lafayette Escadrille, 1917
From left to right: Didier Masson, Willis Haviland, and Raoul Lufbery
From left to right: Didier Masson, Willis Haviland, and Raoul Lufbery

The Lafayette Escadrille (from the French Escadrille Lafayette) was a squadron of the French Air Service, the Aéronautique Militaire, during World War I composed largely of American fighter pilots.

Contents

[edit] Founding

The squadron was formed in April 1916 as the Escadrille Américaine (number 124) in Luxeuil prior to U.S. entry into the war. Dr. Edmund L. Gros, director of the American Ambulance Service, and Norman Prince, an American expatriate already flying for France, led the efforts to persuade the French government of the value of a volunteer American air unit fighting for France. The aim was to have their efforts recognized by the American public and thus, it was hoped, to rouse interest in abandoning neutrality and joining the fight.

The squadron was quickly moved to Bar-le-Duc, closer to the front. A German objection filed with the U.S. government led to the name change in December over the actions of a supposed neutral nation. The original name implied that the U.S. was allied to France when it was in fact neutral.

The planes, their mechanics, and the uniforms were French, as was the commander, Captain Georges Thenault. Five French pilots were also on the roster, serving at various times. Raoul Lufbery, a French-born American citizen, became the squadron's first flying ace.

[edit] Combat

Squadron Insignia of the Lafayette Escadrille
Squadron Insignia of the Lafayette Escadrille

The first major action seen by the squadron was at the Battle of Verdun. The squadron suffered heavy losses, but its core group of 38 was rapidly replenished by other Americans arriving from overseas. So many volunteered that a "Lafayette Flying Corps" was formed in part to take the overflow. Altogether, 265 American volunteers served in the Corps.

Although not formally part of the Lafayette Escadrille, other Americans such as Michigan's Fred Zinn, who was a pioneer of aerial photography, fought as part of the French Foreign Legion and later the French Aéronautique Militaire.

Sixty-three members died during the war, 51 of them in action against the enemy. The Corps is credited with 159 enemy kills. It amassed 31 Croix de Guerre, and its pilots were awarded seven Médailles Militaire and four Légions d'Honneur. Eleven of its members were flying aces. The core squadron suffered nine losses and was credited with 34 victories.

The Escadrille had a reputation for daring, recklessness, and a party atmosphere.[citation needed] Two lion cubs, named "Whiskey" and "Soda", were made squadron mascots.

Lufbery himself had gotten into trouble for hitting an officer who was so unwise as to lay hands on him during an argument. He was rescued from jail by his squadron mates. He was a man after the heart of French ace Charles Nungesser who came calling on the escadrille during one of his convalescences. He borrowed a Spad and shot down another German plane even though he was officially grounded.

On February 8, 1918, the squadron was transferred to the United States Army Air Service as the 103rd Pursuit Squadron. For a brief period it retained its French planes and mechanics. Most of its veteran members were set to work training newly-arrived American pilots.

[edit] Members

[edit] Memorials

The Aviator
The Aviator
  • A statue by the sculptor Gutzon Borglum titled The Aviator (1919) was erected on the grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia in the memory of James R. McConnell, a member of the squadron who was killed during the War. Before he was killed McConnell wrote a first-hand account of the war, Flying in France, that gives the reader invaluable insight into the war in France from 1915 until his death in 1917. Letters added to the end of the book include an account of McConnell's demise. The book is now available through the Gutenberg Project (see link).
  • Lafayette Escadrille Memorial, Villeneuve Park, St. Cloud, Marnes-la-Coquette, outside of Paris, France, 1928
  • Norman Prince tomb, Washington National Cathedral
  • James R. McConnell. Two Memorials are located in Carthage, North Carolina. The first is a granite column flanked by two cannon, the other is a granite stone inscribed in the French language at the community house.

[edit] Popular culture

The story of the Lafayette Escadrille has been adapted into at least two films: Lafayette Escadrille (1958), a William Wellman movie starring Tab Hunter, and Flyboys (2006), directed by Tony Bill and starring James Franco. A portion of the historical fiction novel To the Last Man by Jeffrey Shaara tells the story of the Lafayette Escadrille and Raoul Lufbery.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • Time Life Books, Knights of the Air (Time Life Books Aviation Series, 1996)
  • Walt Brown, Jr., An American for Lafayette: The Diaries of E.C.C. Genet, Lafayette Escadrille. (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1981)
  • Edwin W. Morse, America in the War: The Vanguard of American Volunteers in the Fighting Lines and in Humanitarian Service, August, 1914 --April, 1917. New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1919
  • Jeff Shaara, To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War (New York: The Random House Publishing Group, 2004)
In other languages