This rare compilation of historic, silent World War I footage and photographs shows the Lafayette Escadrille, the American air force in France. These compilations were made from original 35mm elements in the 1960s.
Segments include:
The Lafayette Escadrille at Ham 00:09 The aerodrome at Ham (actually closer to Eppeville near the Somme) was home to the Lafayette Escadrille after April 7, 1917.
The death of Lufbery 1:28 Shows the loss of Gervais Raoul Lufbery (March 14, 1885 – May 19, 1918) who was a French and American fighter pilot and flying ace in World War I. Because he served in both the French Air Force, and later the United States Army Air Service in World War I, he is sometimes listed alternately as a French ace or as an American ace. Officially, all but one of his 17 combat victories came while flying in French units.
Escadrille Americaine Luxeuil 3:46 Shows members of the Escadrille Americaine – who were flying Nieuport 17 C-1 fighters in 1916 and flew their first official patrol on the 13th of May, 1916.
Luxeuil, was not far from the Swiss border.
Kiffen Rockwell at Luxeuil 7:17 Rockwell is credited with being the first American to shoot down a German airplane, a feat he accomplished on May 18, 1916, while flying over the Alsace battlefield. This earned him France’s highest military award, the Medaille Militaire, as well as the Croix de Guerre with palm. He was killed in action on Sept. 17, after his plane’s wing was shot off in a dogfight.
Lufbery at Verdun 10:56 Shows Lubery scoring his first victory on 30 July 1916 over Verdun. By 12 October 1916, he had downed five enemy planes, making him an ace, and earning him a promotion to adjutant. It was during this time that the “Lufbery circle” maneuver became named for him. Although most aviation scholars agree that Lufbery did not actually invent the maneuver, it was popularized among Allied flyers.
Ted Parsons 13:11 Shows Edwin Charles Parsons (24 September 1892 – 2 May 1968) who became a Rear Admiral of the United States Navy, served as a French Foreign Legionnaire, was a WWI flying ace, Hollywood aviation technical advisor, FBI Special Agent, and author. Parsons flew in Mexico with the Mexican Air Corps, and then went to France at the end of 1915. He served with the United States Ambulance service before enlisting in the French Foreign Legion. In 1916, he became a pilot in the Aéronautique Militaire (French Air Service) and, beginning in January 1917, he flew with the famed Lafayette Escadrille. He was credited with one victory and flew many times as Raoul Lufbery’s wingman.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
