Crusaders of the sky

[Music] [Applause] on August 3rd 1914 the major powers launched the war and nobody wanted it was to be the most devastating of all time in the first month the gray armies clashed in a series of murderous battles finally ending in a stalemate stretching from Switzerland to the North Sea it was during these early weeks that the airplane came into its own since the Wright brothers historic flight in nineteen three the plane have seen but a toy for the rich in eccentric [Music] military soon discovered that these early planes though flimsy could play an essential role through aerial observation and photography [Music] when the skies became crowded with planes from both sides a few of the more imaginative pilots tried to demolish their foes with pistols hand grenades and even bricks soon the rapidly improving planes were equipped with machine guns and piloted by men who were quickly learning the tactics of aerial warfare these men fought alone guided by the codes of an earlier age they were the Knights of the sky below in the mud of the trenches surrounded by death on a mass scale millions watched with fascination the Battle of the skies among them were a group of Americans although America was not at war these men had rallied to the colors of France motivated only by their faith and deep-rooted idealism some had joined the American field service or the Red Cross others joined the Foreign Legion which required known national oath of allegiance looking skyward this small band of Americans saw a way to escape the prison of the trenches and grasp of threat of private glory finally in April 1960 after a year of frustrating attempts the Escadrille American was formed with a total of seven pilots later after an official protest by the German ambassador in Washington the French changed the name to the Lafayette Escadrille the group began training in northeastern France [Music] although they all had a common purpose their backgrounds were diverse and unusual included among this group were Bill thaw who at attended Yale and Norman Prince a friend from Harvard it was Prince who had conceived the idea of an American squadron and with God's help was responsible for the creation of the Escadrille Tiffin Rockwell fresh from the Foreign Legion was a southerner and a fighter he would be the first to score a victory James McConnell came over from the ambulance service where he'd been a driver at the front Victor Chapman member of an old New York family was carefree in reckless he would be the first to die under the guidance of the French instructors the men studied the principles of aviation learned how to handle machine guns and through trial and error they began to master the Newport [Music] their first missions were exhilarating but for the inexperienced Americans filled with hazards once in the air they soon forgot the principles of formation flying and when charging off after the enemy several crash landings and angry tunnel ashens from their furious superiors finally helped - well the Lafayette Escadrille into a fighting unit [Applause] although there were other Americans flying with the French and British squadrons it was this handful of men who captured the attention of the world and their fellow countrymen a year before America was to join the war to a world exhausted by a seemingly endless war these man appeared carefree and light-hearted [Music] but their lion mascots whisky-and-soda they seem to epitomize America and their people bursting with life humor and practical jokes they brought fresh blood to a battle-scarred Europe these young men could still laugh at themselves and at the world fliers were able to spend Pleasant days behind the lines where life could still be filled with good times but they were still willing to sacrifice everything for a cause they thought was right for the realities of war were just as grim for them as for all pilots the life expectancy for combat for fire was only three weeks [Music] as the fame of the estable spread other Americans joined the ranks among them was Raul luff Barrett who became America's first ace essentially a loner and a world adventurer he had a romantic image of life buff Barry was a professional who methodically mastered the arts of aerial combat you had to be a professional to survive in the skies against men like Baron Manfred von Richthofen who led his famous flying circus and a constant search for the enemy after 80 victories however Richtofen like most of the great aces met his death in a fiery plunge it was the dogfight which captured the imagination of America the lonely pilot in this flimsy machine diving swooping lunging among the murderous enemy fire for all the world to see events moved swiftly finally inevitably America entered the war in 1917 the men of the Lafayette Escadrille were no longer alone newspaper and magazine stories of their heroism and exploits had helped America focus on why they were there now they would be followed by millions of others willing to join together for a common cause these lone pioneers had become national heroes helped the United States create an Air Force some members of the Escadrille returned home to serve as instructors the majority however continue to serve in France until early in 1970 when they were absorbed into rapidly forming American squadrons [Music] new name soon joined the roster of American aces perhaps the most famous was a former racing car driver Eddie Rickenbacker wonder the guidance of Raoul of berry soon became the leading ace but 27 victories and the commander of the famed 94th squad he knew the days of the lone pilot were numbered and he worked effectively to develop squadron teamwork or at the end of the war bill thaw was decorated for his contribution as in Hammond and as one of the organizers of the Lafayette Escadrille but there was one ace who could not be decorated Raoul offeri had been waiting impatiently to revenge a fallen comrade one spring morning he saw his chance and went off alone after a German plane and suddenly his plane burst into flames but Barry leaped to his death he was given an Airman's funeral the days of Luft Barry McConnell Rockwell Chapman and prints were gone forever now there were hundreds of planes flying information this was the beginning of an era of close cooperation not only in the air but between all the services the lone pioneers of the Escadrille that blazed of trail which would be followed by a future generation serving in their nation's defense [Music] what Barry's death that marked the end of a crusade and the beginning of the legend of the young men of the Lafayette Escadrille who had given themselves to a noble cause I over the fields of Flanders and France [Music]