Shortly after the Lafayette Escadrille was officially formed, the
pilots were joined by Raoul Lufbery. Lufbery would soon become
America's first ace and one of the most remembered, famous, and
outstanding figures of aviation during World War I. Raoul Lufbery
was a man who kept to himself while serving in the
Escadrille. He was raised in France and spoke with a thick
accent, although he rarely held conversations with those around
him. It seemed by others that Lufbery was devoid of fear as well
as any emotion. However, he is not remembered for his lack of
emotions but rather he is remembered for his incredible flying
skills. Lufbery fought not for courage, or respect, or
honor. On the contrary, he fought for revenge. When he was
younger, Lufbery met a daring French aviator named Marc Pourpe
while in Calcutta. The two were inseperable and Lufbery viewed
Pourpe as a father figure, sending all of his emotion to this man, the
father he never had. In the summer of 1914 the war was declared
by France and both men immediately enlisted. Pourpe enlisted as a
military aviator while Lufbery enlisted as his mechanic. One day,
Pourpe never returned from a flight over German lines. During one
of the first battles in sky, Pourpe lost his life. Lufbery seemed
stoic when learning of the news, but he swore an oath to himself of
unrelenting, merciless vengeance. To carry out this oath, Lufbery
transferred to a military school for pilots. Ironically, Lufbery
was a terrible student at pursuit flying. His instructors
recommended he be sent back to bombing, but Lufbery persisted in his
efforts to become the best American pilot of World War I.
Raoul Lufbery officially joined the Lafayette Escadrille on May 24, 1916. He scored his first official victory on July 30th of the same year in a single-handed combat on the Verdun sector east of Etain. That same day he scored his second official victory and set a record in the French Army as the first double ever. During the war he faced many German aces including Oswald Boelcke. The two fought one on one until both of their ammunition was completely gone after which they went their seperate ways with mutual respect. Lufbery had 17 official victories during World War I but it is agreed that the damage he caused far exceeded this number. Many victories occured so far over enemy lines that no confirmation was possible, leaving those victories unofficial and therefore uncounted in his credit. He was endowed with many medals and decorations but the finest tribute he received was the Medaille Militaire. The medaille militaire was awarded to him by Joffre himself.
On May 19, 1918 Lufbery was killed during a battle in which he was shot by enemy fire. To avoid a fiery death, Lufbery abandoned his plane and fell to the earth. He landed on top of a picket fence in the village of Maron.
Raoul Lufbery officially joined the Lafayette Escadrille on May 24, 1916. He scored his first official victory on July 30th of the same year in a single-handed combat on the Verdun sector east of Etain. That same day he scored his second official victory and set a record in the French Army as the first double ever. During the war he faced many German aces including Oswald Boelcke. The two fought one on one until both of their ammunition was completely gone after which they went their seperate ways with mutual respect. Lufbery had 17 official victories during World War I but it is agreed that the damage he caused far exceeded this number. Many victories occured so far over enemy lines that no confirmation was possible, leaving those victories unofficial and therefore uncounted in his credit. He was endowed with many medals and decorations but the finest tribute he received was the Medaille Militaire. The medaille militaire was awarded to him by Joffre himself.
On May 19, 1918 Lufbery was killed during a battle in which he was shot by enemy fire. To avoid a fiery death, Lufbery abandoned his plane and fell to the earth. He landed on top of a picket fence in the village of Maron.
He was buried
with full military honors at the Aviators Cemetery at Sebastapol,
France. His remains were later moved and buried at the Lafayette
Memorial du Parc de Garches in
Paris. In 1998, Lufbery was
enshrined in the National
Aviation Hall of Fame.