The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-08-24

when | was sure the Tokker was done
for ! looked around for Them
Thaw Is Wounded.
Thaw's fellow-airmen weren't there,
but two airplanes of the enemy were.
MY ~quick-firer had stuck and as | had
no other arms l got a little out Of the
enemy's way preparatory to arrang-
ing the gun. Unfortunately, l did not
get far enough and when l vas reach
ing for the quick-frer I got a bullet
through my arm. / turned toward our
lines and the bullets hit my little
Newport in several places. When one
of the missiles struck my gasoline
tank. tearing the bottom open, l shut
OIL the motor and dived for the French
trenches"
Thaw's first "big league" experience,
SO to speak, is cited simply as an in
dtcation of what the Americans forced
themselves to do from the very first.
Ihey shirked no responsibility nor
danger II battled their way to the
thickest of the clashes between the
~ WV AlNlSIi I'LL loICcS, WHICH,
became more and more frequent as
the Importance Of aerial warfare in
creased.
Side by side with Thaw was Raoul
Lufbery, who was the first American
mentioned for bringing down five hos
tile planes. His case was rather
unique, in that his parents died when
very young and he was brought up by
4 family at Bourges. At thirteen he
kan away from home. his tours finally
bringing him in contact With the avia-
tor. Marc Pourpe, who trained him TO
be his assistant.
Lufbery was of French nationality.
but when he desired to enlist il the
French army at the start of the war
he was turned down because it was
discovered he was an American. At
ter many appeals he was allowed to
go with Pourpa rs his mechanic,
Lufbery Swears Vengeance.
Pourpa was killed soon afterward
and Lufbery swore to avenge him. He
im%portuned his superiors to allow him
to train as Il pilot. and his request was
finally granted and shortly after he re-
ceived his pilots certificate he vas
transferred to the American flying
corps.
The fact that IL was not talking
idly when he swOre to aven-e lis
friends death is shown by the fact
that he is the premier "ace'' of the
+ q ca 0-nffn EcoolriJn Nov, U,,;pc{rc ~
a machine behind the German lines
means nothing, or rather not as much
rs bringing them down behind the
French lines, because the latter is a
much more difficult feat. To bring
down five German planes In back Of
quisite to be termed an "ace." Luf-
berry. who comes from New Haven,
was the first American aviator to turn
the trick.
So month by month as the Esca-
drille grew, with more and more Amer
leans attracted to 1t by its exploits,
the number Of German planes destroy
ed by the American airmen grew in
number. Very few weeks passed but
what the Lafayette Escadrille was
mentioned in the official French COM
muniques, and there are so many or
binary feats of bravery performed ev-
cry day on the firing line that II re-
quires something above the ordinary
to break into official reports.
Thaw and then Lufbery were given
medals Of honor and several times
cited for bravery. Others followed,
the last being Sergeant Andrew Camp
bell, to whom official recognition came
but last week, and who could safely
be called a superman from his deeds
OF the past month or two.
Death Toll Heavy.
Naturally, the death toll was com
~paratively heavy. Among those who
we're rated as good fighters and who
gave their life for France were Victor.
Chapman, Norman Prince, James Nc
Cornell. Renald Heskier. Kenneth
Rockwell and Edward Genet. Others.
however, took their places, it being
only a MONTH or SO ago that eight
young Americans of prominent fam
lilies left for the front for service.
They We're selected from one hundred
applicants for the service.
Such is the brief record of the La
fayette E~scadrille, an organization that
has fought as Americans should. Its
record will not be sunk in its trans
fer to General Pershing's forces. for
sentiment on the part of both Ameri-
can and French army chiefs favor the
retention of the distinctive name.
At present plans call for the com.
missioning Of Lieutenant Thaw as a
major, with present members Of the
squadron being named as captains and
~lieutenants, to take charge of Ameri-
can aviators who will shortly join Per-