To the Last Man - Jeff Shaara [394]
The escadrille is credited with fifty-seven confirmed kills. Raoul Lufbery receives confirmation of sixteen of them, yet not one of his victims hits the ground on the French side of the lines. Like so many French and British pilots, most of their confrontations occur over German-held territory. Since confirmations are granted only when ground observers witness the outcome of the duel, Lufbery is denied what many believe to be his rightful place among the most accomplished aces of the war, a distinction that means far more to his fellow pilots than to him. Everyone who serves with him records many instances of enemy planes going down under his guns, including one memorable day in September 1917, when he engages six German fighters, and shoots down five of them. Estimates of Lufbery’s actual number of victories range from thirty-five to as many as sixty.
On July 4, 1928, a permanent memorial is dedicated to all the American pilots who flew for France in the Great War. Financed by private donations from thousands of American and French citizens, the Memorial de L’Escadrille Lafayette stands in the park of the Villeneuve L’Etang, between Paris and Versailles. Intended as a tomb to house the remains of every American pilot who gave his life to the Allied cause, the monument remains mostly empty. Among the six escadrille pilots who are buried there is Raoul Lufbery.
After his death, Lufbery continues to be an inspiration to the “Hat in the Ring” Ninety-fourth Aero Squadron, which becomes the most celebrated flying wing in the history of the American Air Service, known now, of course, as the United States Air Force.
BILL THAW
He continues to lead the 103rd Pursuit Squadron for the AEF until August 1918, when he is promoted to group commander in the newly created First Army Air Service. On November 12, 1918, the day after the armistice is signed, he is promoted to lieutenant colonel. He returns to the States, and is given command of Rockwell Field, near San Diego, California, named for his friend Kiffin Rockwell. He seeks and is granted discharge from the army in July 1919, pursues the commercial use of balloons as recreation, a business that founders.
He is married in 1921 to Marjorie Priest, of St Louis. They have no children.
In 1924, Thaw is contacted by Dr. Edmund Gros, who is seeking the means to construct the monument to the Lafayette Escadrille outside of Paris. Thaw enthusiastically supports the idea, though he is confronted by the influential father of fallen pilot Norman “Nimmie” Prince, who expends considerable energy to place himself and his late son at the center of the escadrille’s glory. After considerable controversy and bad blood between Thaw and Frederick Prince, Thaw receives the support of several escadrille families, and the elder Prince, one of America’s wealthiest and most powerful men, is forced to admit publicly that his son was not the sole shining star of the Lafayette Escadrille.
Thaw pursues the growing sport of air racing, but in September 1928, he is nearly killed when his racing plane crashes in Indiana. The crash only adds to the considerable damage his body suffers from his activities in the war, and he considers the crash to be a warning that his flying days are past. Though still a young man, his health begins to fail, and among other ailments, he suffers from Bright’s disease. Though he travels a great deal, and continues his passionate quest for fishing, his health drains the spirit out of the man who could always be relied on for a hearty laugh.
The Great Depression takes a serious toll on the Thaw family businesses, and the family mansion in Pittsburgh falls into ruin. Returning there in 1934, Thaw is stricken with pneumonia and after