Lieutenant Frederick Ernest Luff was an American

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

during World War I. He was credited with five aerial victories, and awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross. Although he survived the war, he was injured in an air accident in May 1919 at

Lorain, Ohio Lorain () is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of ...

. He subsequently lived an invalid's life before expiring at home in Cleveland, Ohio in late April 1931.

Early life

Frederick Ernest Luff was born in Cleveland, Ohio on 9 July 1896.''Over the Front'', p. 57.

World War I

Luff joined the

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...

during World War I and was trained as a pilot. He was then forwarded to the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

for service. They posted him to pilot's duty with No. 74 Squadron RAF to fly a Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a. He destroyed three German Fokker D.VII fighters and two observation balloons between 19 August and 15 September 1918, earning a Distinguished Flying Cross for his deeds. On 19 September, he rejoined the USAAS and was assigned to the 25th Aero Squadron. He and the 25th moved into combat on 9 November 1918, but the war ended two days later. The present-day U.S. Air Force unit, the 25th Space Range Squadron, traces its lineage back to the 25th Aero Squadron and recognizes Luff as a founding member. 25th Aero Squadron.jpg, 25th AS Officer Corps, Lt Luff pictured right of mascot 25th AS Frederick Ernest Luff.jpg, Posing with 25th AS mates, Lt Luff pictured on far right

Post-war

Luff returned to the United States after the war, and survived an airplane crash at

in May 1919. However, injuries suffered in the accident left him an invalid until he died in his parents' home on 27''Above the Trenches'', p. 246. or 28 April 1931.

References

Bibliography

* ''Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920''. Christopher F. Shores,

Norman Franks Norman Leslie Robert Franks (born 1940) is an English militaria writer who specialises in aviation topics. He focuses on the pilots and squadrons of World Wars I and II. Biography He published his first book in 1976. He was an Organisation ...

, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1990. , . * ''Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'' Norman Franks, Frank W. Bailey. Grub Street, 1992. , .

External links