Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1917-09-08

New York.-The transfer of the La
fayette Escadrille from service under
the French flag to the Stars and Supes
recalls the record of the famous group
Of American airmen on the western
front.
From an humble beginning the Es-
cadrille has fought its way up to a
point where 1t Is recognized as rem
dering invaluable assistance to the
efforts of the allies to defeat Germany.
1t started, to all purposes, shortly al
ter the outbreak Of war, when william
Thaw III of Pittsburgh was in France
for aviation purposes.
Thaw Immediately volunteered his
services to. the French government
and as a private In the infantry wal
lowed in the mud of the trenches Tor
six months until the French authori-
ties, realizing the Importance of ayia-
ton as 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 a number of American men or
courage were enrolled In the French
aviation section. The formation of the
Lafayette Escadrille followed shortly
after.
Young Thaw, for he had but reached
mis- majority when the war broke out,
was commissioned a lieutenant, and
with his comrades quickly made the
EscadrilIe 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, strik-
ing 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 IA
German aircraft, hoping to drive them
behind the German lines. The Ger
mans opened fire with machine guns
and the Americans responded. The
explosive bullets used by the Germans
did great damage and soon two Ameri-
can machines were forced to the
ground, one with ripped gasoline
tank and the other with 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
let's 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
10 visit his folks after q year at the
front he travelled home on French
passport. The status Of these men is
IS yet undecided, incidentally.
Exploits Attract Attention.
1t was not long after the formation
# 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
noners became accustomed to know
what the name meant In the headlines
and began to realize that. whatever
the home authorities might be DONG,
some Americans were fighting along
side the French and British in
manner that brought naugbt but credit
to the United States.
Thaw was the first to gain wide
snread 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 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
he sighted Fokker headed his way
and not very far behind 1t two Ger
man machines. He was over German
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