사용자:WaffenSS/번역실/라파예트 비행대

위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전.
파일:SPAD SXIII lafayette.jpg
A SPAD S.XIII in Lafayette Escadrille livery
파일:99-42515q.jpg
James Norman Hall (1887-1951) of the Lafayette Escadrille, 1917

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 volunteer pilots flying fighters.

Founding[편집]

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, the resulting publicity would rouse interest in abandoning neutrality and joining the fight.

(In actual fact higher numbers of American volunteers served with the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force during the conflict.)


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 like Sweden.

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, and ultimately their highest claiming, flying ace.

Combat[편집]

Squadron Insignia of the Lafayette Escadrille

The first major action seen by the squadron was at the Battle of Verdun, being posted to the front in May 1916 until September 1916, when the unit moved to 7 Army area at Luxeuil. The squadron, flying the Nieuport scout, 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, many Americans thereafter serving with other French air units. 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.

63 Corps 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 militaires and four Légions d'honneur. 11 of its members were deemed flying aces, claiming 5 air kills or more. The core squadron suffered 9 losses and was credited with 41 victories.[1]

The Escadrille had a reputation for daring, recklessness, and a party atmosphere.[출처 필요] 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. The 103rd PS claimed a further 49 kills up until November 1918.

Members[편집]

Memorials[편집]

Popular culture[편집]

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. A more complete historical fiction novel Valiant Volunteers by Terry L. Johnson (2005), tells the story of the origin of the squadron and follows two fictional characters through the point when the United States enters the war.

Lafayette Escadrille is also the name of a varsity dance team at Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri.

See also[편집]

Further reading[편집]

References[편집]

  • 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)
  • Terry L. Johnson, Valiant Volunteers, A Novel Based on the Passion and the Glory of the Lafayette Escadrille (Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse, 2005)
  • 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)

[[Category:Lafayette Escadrille| ]] [[Category:French Air Force squadrons]] [[Category:Military history of France]] [[Category:World War I aviation]] [[Category:Expatriate units and formations]]

  1. ↑ 'Over the Front', C. Shores, Grub street, 1992
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