Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-16
CHAPTER II.
Norman Prince and His Great Idea.

A Ii three of the friends declared
~ that they had pilots certificates
a Thaw managed to pass the test
4 u flights with the help of Capt
Degorge. commander of Esca-
drille Deperdussin. No. 6. but the other
two didn't fare quite so well. Hall played
his bluff out and climbed into the ship
given him for his test. although he had
never before seen an airplane except at
o distance.
OF he went. zigzagging like drunk
en- duck" writes Capt. Georges Then
ault of the French army. He actually
left the ground. but crashed headlong
into the wall of hangar The ma
chine was in pieces, but the instructor
picked Hall UP unhurt to hear their
verdict on his qualifications as a pilot.
Then he began his training at the be-
ginning.
Thaw was quickly assigned to Caudron
Is. bombing escaorille, but Hall and
Bach had to stay at the aviation school
at Avord until they mastered the tech
nique OF flying. Then they were sent
to Pau to learn the control of the dead
" NieupontS Frances new masterpiece
among fighting planes.
Meanwhile the young eagles were
gathering in America. Outraged by the
rape of Belgium and stirred by the
growing fear of HohenZollern "wetpoli-
tx" and "schreckligkeit." one by one
they took fight for France. where the
red pit of he'll roared before the gates
Of Paris.
Norman Princes Great Idea.
Norman Prince came from Boston and
Elliot Christopher Cowdin from New
York. both sons of Harvard, they en-
listed together in the French Air Serv-
ice. Prince brought with him an idea
which was to blossom into one OF the
most dramatic chapters of the war. He
planned to organize flying corps
whose members should comprise the
American pilots then in French service
or eager 10 join 1t. In his plan the OBJ
iections of French bureaucracy were TO
be overcome by financing the purchase
Of the necessary airplanes and offering
to the imperial nation fully equipped
fighting unit.
princes enthusiasm was infectious
and the non-combatant Americans In
Paris quickly formed a committee to
further the plan. electing William <.
Vanderbilt TO the onerouS position OF
chairman. DR.. Edmund Gros. who had
been working on similar plan. joined
the committee. as did Frederick Allen
of the American Ambulance Division
and Robert Bacon. They took up the
long battle with French officialdom,
while Prince and Cowdin. impatient OF
delay. joined bombing Escadrille Vol
sin l03.
Other Americans left the ambulance
division and through the good Offices OF
Frederick Allen were sent TO Pau for
training in aviation so that they might
be ready for the day when the first
Yankee escadrille would take TO the air.
Lawrence Rumsey of Buffalo, Clyde
Baisiey of e Paso, Tex: Dudley Hill OF
Peekskin. N. Y; James Mcconnell of
Carthage, N. c.. and Charles Choteau
those who had driven ambulances un-
der fire Until they longed for a chance
70 do some shooting of their own.
At the close Of 1915 seven American
fiyers in the horiZon-blue uniform OF
France were serving at the front-Thaw,
Lufberv. Prince, Hall, Bach. Cowdin and
Asasson. Still Vanderbilt and his COM
n1ittee were stubbornly fighting the bat
tie Of Paris
This last was a long struggle. Al
though without the threat Of physical
danger TO the participants. it called for
al the virtues Of courage and persist
ence 50 necessary IN the moral equip
ment of the soldier
Early In the fight. Capt. Georges The
nault Of the French aviation had ex-
pressed his desire 10 aid the furtherance
OF the committees American flying unit.
Tnenault's natural diplomacy and wide
acquaintance In the French air service
made his part In the preliminary work
an exceedingly valuable one.
Slowly one French official after an
other withdrew his objections and be-
came a member OF the growing group
working for the success Of Norman
Princes idea. In February. 1915. Col.
Regnier was made director OF aero
naut1cs for the French army: the COM
nlittee closed down on him like pack
II wolves. On March 3. 1915, they wrote
him this now historic letter:
Following our letter Of January "a,
addressed 70 Ii. Rene Eesnard, and of
which a copy Is attached. allow us 10
respectfully cali your attention 10 the
situation Of the Americans enlisted in
the French Army. NJ Millerand. Gen.
Hirschauer and H. Besnaro, after care
ful study Of the questions, have decided
that the Americans should be united In
one squadron. General headquarters
also took this view. and IL was further
more decided thai Americans should fy
the kieuport flying planes.
Notwithstanding this. only four have
beer grouped at Piessls- Bellev!lie The
others are scattered. and most Of them
have not been assigned 10 Eieup0rts
The Franco American committee which
has taken upon itself the task Of select
ing volunteers from the United States
would be very grateful If you could find
II possible u carry ost fhe decisions