The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-09-15
RECORD OF LAFAYETTE ESCADR|LLE
ONE FOR AMERICANS TO REMEMBER
FAMOUS Group Of Amen Recently Transferred From Service I'm
DER the French Flag to the Stars and Stripes Renders
Invaluable Aid to the Allies on the Western
Front-Deeds Will Live Long,

New York.-The transfer of the La
1ayette Escadrille from service under
the French flag to the Stars and Stipes
recalls the record of the famous group
OF American airmen on tho western
front.
From an humble beginning the Es-
cadrille has fought its way up to
point where 1t is recognized as rem
der1ng invaluable assistance TO the
eforts of the allies TO defeat Germany.
lt started to az purposes, shortly az
Ter the outbreaNpf war, when William
Thaw II Of Pittsburgh was in France
for aviation purposes.
Thaw Immediately volunteered his
services to the French government
and as private In the infantry wal
lowed In the mud of the trenches for
SIX months until the French authOri-
ties, realizing the Importance of avia-
ton as a war move, called for vol
unteers.
Thaw applied. He had already had
considerable experience in aviation.
having amazed society at Palm Beach
and Newport with his mastery over
airplanes, and his services were there
fore accepted.
His lead was followed by others. I'M
til quite number of American men Of
courage were enrolled in the French
aviation section. The formation of the
Lafayette Escadrille followed shortly
after.
Young Thaw, for he had but reached
his majority when the war broke out,
was commissioned q lieutenant, and
with his comrades quickly made the
Escadrille a thing to be feared by the
Hun airmen.
Gets Baptism Of Fire.
On May IT, 1916, the American flo
tilla of the air took part in an ex-
petition over the German lines for the
first time as a unit. Bullets were spat-
tered at them by the thousand from
the German anti-aircraft guns, strlk.
ang the tail piece and propeller Of
Lieutenant Thaw's machine. Corporal
Victor Chapman's plane was also hit,
but both managed to return behind the
French lines in safety.
The second expedition took place
two weeks later and while the Ameri-
can squadron was accommodating five
of the American machines attacked ID
German aircraft, hoping to drive them
behind the German lines. The Ger
mans opened fire with machine guns
np6 tho Americans rpSnnndad Tho
explosive bullets used by the Germans
did great damage and soon two Ameri-
can machines were forced to the
ground, one with a ripped gasoline
tank and the other with a broken gun.
Then two German machines were
forced down by the fire of remaining
American pilots. Corporal Mcconnell,
who had two machine guns on his
swift machine, did great execution
with them, but finally after nine bull
lets had struck his machine he was
forced to descend.
Such was the baptism Of fire en-
countered by those Americans who
risked expatriation because Of their
desire to fight. Repatriation" is cor
rect, inasmuch as when Thaw desired
to visit his folks after year at the
front he travelled home on a French
passport. The status Of these men is
as yet undecided. incidentally.
Exploits Attract Attention.
1t was not long after the formation
OF the Escadrille that its members
started to battle their way to niche
of recognition. One after another,
they lived up to the ideals Of America
and winged" Boche airmen and con-
Quoted successful expeditions back Of
the German trenches.
Nor was 1t long before the exploits
of the American airmen attracted such
attention that readers Of American
r,apers became accustomed to know |
what the name meant in the headlines
and began to realize that, whatever
the home authorities might be doing, |
some Americans were fighting along
side the French and British In q
manner that brought naught but credit |
to the United States.
Thaw was the first to gain wide
spread attention. During the first OF
the raids Of the Escadrille he was
wounded in the arm, while attacking
three German planes near Verdun
He had been out with the squadron
for several hours and was waiting to
learn by telephone that Germans had
been signaled as coming toward
France when the telephone operator
GOT a report that three machines OF
the enemy were in sight.
Immediately four American airmen
hurried to their machines with Thaw
the first off. His plane quickly out
distanced the others and soon after
ne sighted a Fokker headed his way
and not very far behind it two Ger
man machines. He was over German
territory when he climbed up to at
tack. thinking it impossible for the
eneroy TO aim at him without going
into a steep dive. This advantage
worked out to such purpose that ne
was able to get close to the German.
"I was so close" said Thaw at the
time. that I felt like calling to Hmm
10 get out of the way before pulled
rae trigger of the quick-frer. The
fact that the gun damned after few
shots did not prevent enough bullets
from hitting him to send him below.
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