Even before the United States entered the war, American flyers were volunteering to fight for the Allies. In 1915, Norman Prince (a Harvard Law School graduate living in France) organized a group of American pilots called the American Escadrille – later renamed the Lafayette Escadrille after German protests of neutrality violations – to help the French military. After the United States declared war, 93 pilots from the Lafayette Escadrille joined the U.S. Army Air Service, including Major Raoul Luftberry, who became its top-ranking ace. The squadron captured the imaginations of the American public when local newspapers printed stories of their daring missions—and the antics of their lion mascots, Whiskey and Soda. This talk will delve into the stories of the men who mythologized early aviation in the Great War and explore this myth’s legacy on their remembrance.
Presentation given as part of the National WWI Museum and Memorial’s 2023 Symposium Milestones & Cornerstones
For more information about the National WWI Museum and Memorial visit http://theworldwar.org
4 Comments
To clarify, Charles Nungesser was French. He came from Paris.
Thank You for your video. It was quite informative.
After WW1 some American pilots joined Polish Army and fought in war against Bolshevik Russia in 1920. Their squadron was called after another participant of American War of Independence – Tadeusz Kościuszko.
i saw the book by Nathan Hale a kids book it came out not long ago but it is a great book and it goes in detail on just this and it is a good recomendation they put all their sources in the book for any age interested read it and read the other books as well by him and if you want to understand the book better read the books “treaties trenches mud and blood” and “one dead spy” first both made by hale to better understand