Gervais Raoul Victor Lufbery (March 14, 1885 – May 19, 1918) was a French and American fighter

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

and

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

in World War I. Because he served in both the

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...

, and later 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 ...

in World War I, he is sometimes listed alternately as a French ace or as an American ace. Officially, all but one of his 17 combat victories came while flying in French units.

Early life and service

Raoul Lufbery was born at Avenue de la Poudrière in

Chamalières Chamalières (; Auvergnat: ) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, central France. With 17,276 inhabitants (2019), Chamalières is the fourth-largest town in the department. It lies adjacent to the west of Clermo ...

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2021, it had a population of 662,285. Lufbery's paternal grandfather was Charles Samson Lufbery, who had emigrated to the United States from Great Britain in the mid-19th century and settled in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Lufbery's father, Edward moved to Chamalières in 1876, joining his elder brother, George and soon met a local Frenchwoman, Anne Joséphine Vessière, who would later become his wife.Lafayette Escadrille: America's Most Famous Squadron
p. 36
Raoul was the youngest of their three sons. Edward was an American chemist working for a Parisian chocolate company. When Lufbery was one, his mother died and his father returned to the United States, where he lived in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, and then Wallingford,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

in the United States, leaving him to be raised by his maternal grandmother, Madeline Vessière Greniere in France. Lufbery worked in a chocolate factory in

Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher Departments of France, department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the mos ...

and

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, , ; or simply ; ) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area () had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 ...

until 1904. While working in France, Lufbery sent money to his father, who had started a second family in the United States. He ran away from his grandparents' home at 19, and travelled to such places as Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, the Balkans, and Turkey. In 1906, Lufbery, along with his middle brother, Charles took a trans-Atlantic liner to the US to search for his father, not knowing that his father had just left for business on an ocean liner heading to France. However, he managed to visit other family members in Connecticut. He then stayed in Walllingford with his relatives for two years, working at a silver-plating factory. Lufbery served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

from 1907–1909 as a rifleman and saw service in the Philippines. He was first assigned from the recruit depot of Fort McDowell, Angel Island to Company F, 20th Infantry Regiment, at the newly established

Fort Shafter Fort Shafter is a census-designated place Page 4/ref> located in the City and County of Honolulu, Hawai‘i. It is the headquarters of the United States Army Pacific, which commands most Army forces in the Asia-Pacific region with the exceptio ...

Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territories of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from Apri ...

on 13 December 1908. On 1 April 1909, he was stationed with Company M, at the

Presidio of Monterey, California The Presidio of Monterey (POM), located in Monterey, California, is an active United States Army, US Army installation with historic ties to the Spanish colonial era. Currently, it is the home of the Defense Language Institute, Defense Langua ...

. In 1910, he was sent to Cuartel de España, Manila. After his time with the US Army, he saw India, Japan, and China. In 1912, Lufbery traveled to

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

, where he took a job as a mechanic for French aviation pioneer Marc Pourpe, whom he met in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

the same year. When war broke out in France, Pourpe joined the

(Aéronautique Militaire) as a pilot. Meanwhile, Lufbery joined the Foreign Legion and later transferred into the Aéronautique Militaire as a mechanic. Pourpe's death in a crash ignited Lufbery's desire for revenge and he applied for pilot's training.

Early aerial service

Late in 1914, Lufbery was accepted into the pilot training program and was assigned to fly reconnaissance missions with Escadrille VB 106. He later applied for a transfer to fighter planes and was trained on the

Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

. Although he became an ace, Lufbery was not a naturally gifted pilot. His success was due to perseverance and attention to mechanical detail. He was often harassed by fellow pilots for working with the mechanics on his plane. Lufbery also inspected and polished each bullet in his gun's drum to help avoid jams, a frequent problem of the Lewis gun.

Lafayette Escadrille

In 1916, a group of American volunteers formed the '' Escadrille Américaine'' (shortly to be renamed N-124 '' Escadrille Lafayette'') to aid France's war effort against the Germans. The squadron was renamed at the request of the American Secretary of War after heavy protest from Germany that an American squadron was a violation of the United States' neutrality. The squadron was largely made up of upper-class Americans with little flight experience. Lufbery, as an American citizen with aeronautics experience, was recruited and joined the unit on 24 May 1916 and was assigned a

fighter. However, his first encounters with his unit members did not go smoothly. Lufbery spoke English with a thick French accent and had little in common with his comrades, most of whom were from wealthy families and were

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of eight Private university, private Research university, research universities in the Northeastern United States. It participates in the National Collegia ...

educated. Once in combat, though, his dogged determination and success earned him the respect and admiration of his peers. One night while the squadron was resting in Paris, a fellow pilot bought a lion which had been born on a boat from Africa. After taking him around Paris, the pilots attempted to take "Whiskey", so named for the cub's affinity for drinking a saucer full of whiskey, aboard a passenger train after receiving orders to ship out to

Luxeuil Luxeuil-les-Bains () is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Saône Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté west of Mulhouse in eastern France. History Luxeuil (sometimes rendered Lux ...

. Although assured that the lion was harmless, the conductor was inclined to believe otherwise after Whiskey roared and attempted to bite his finger. Two Escadrille pilots were then inclined to stay behind to crate up the animal and bring him the next day. Lufbery raised this lion, named Whiskey, for several years. Later, Whiskey got another lion playmate, named Soda since she got on so well with Whiskey, as the pilots felt the lion needed a female companion. Soda was much wilder than Whiskey and would spit and claw at anyone who came near, with the notable exception of Lufbery. Although both the animals were fond of Lufbery, Whiskey followed him around the aerodrome like a pet dog. Eventually the pair were taken to a Paris Zoo. His first victory came on 30 July 1916 over

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

. By 12 October 1916, he had downed five enemy planes, making him an ace, and earning him a promotion to

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

. It was during this time that the "

Lufbery circle The Lufbery circle or Lufbery wheel, also spelled Lufberry or Luffberry, is a defensive air combat tactic first used during World War I. While its name derives from the name of Raoul Lufbery, the leading fighter ace of the Lafayette Escadrille, h ...

" maneuver became named for him. Although most aviation scholars agree that Lufbery did not actually invent the maneuver, it was popularized among Allied flyers. In addition, according to

Eddie Rickenbacker Edward Vernon Rickenbacker (born Edward Rickenbacher, October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.

American service

He was commissioned in the

in late 1917 with the rank of Major. He had claimed 16 air kills by this time, with another unconfirmed. Most of his victories were solo, though he had shared one each with fellow aces Victor Sayaret, Paul Malavialle, and Achille Rousseaux.Retrieved on 29 March 2010.
/ref> In the spring of 1918, Lufbery was chosen to become the commanding officer of the yet-unformed

94th Aero Squadron The 94th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service fighter squadron that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I.. The squadron was assigned as a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron as part of the 1st O ...

with the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. Lufbery's principal job was to instruct the new pilots such as Eddie Rickenbacker in combat techniques. The

was equipped with

Nieuport 28 The Nieuport 28 C.1, a French biplane fighter aircraft flown during World War I, was built by Nieuport and designed by Gustave Delage. Owing its lineage to the successful line of sesquiplane fighters that included the Nieuport 17, the Nieupor ...

fighters, but due to supply problems, many lacked armament. The 94th's first combat patrol on 6 March 1918, saw Lufbery leading Rickenbacker and fellow flyer Doug Campbell in unarmed airplanes. Lufbery had unconfirmed claims in April 1918, on the 12th and the 27th, while leading 94 Squadron.

Death

On 19 May 1918, Lufbery took off in a

in an attempt to intercept a German Albatros C.III near to the 94th's home airfield. As Lufbery closed in to attack, the German gunner's fire hit the Nieuport. What happened next has been a matter of debate. At an altitude variously estimated between 200 and 600 feet, Lufbery was said to have jumped out of the plane, either to avoid a fiery death or as an attempt to land in the nearby

Moselle River The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A small part of Belgiu ...

, rather than being thrown from the cockpit after it flipped over above the village of

Maron Maron, also called Maroun or Maro (, '; , '; ; ), was a 4th-century Syriac Christian hermit monk in the Taurus Mountains whose followers, after his death, founded a religious Christian movement that became known as the Maronite Church, in full ...

. His falling body struck a metal garden picket fence, causing his death. However, on-site research by Royal D. Frey of the

National Museum of the United States Air Force The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is ...

(then the Air Force Museum) established in 1962 that witnesses on the ground below the action saw the plane, not burning, flip over, and Lufbery was thrown out, having unfastened his seat belt to clear a jam in his machine gun during his final fight. Frey went on to explain the social dynamics that led to the "historical inflation." Lufbery was buried with full military honors at the Aviators Cemetery at Sebastapol, France. His remains were later removed to a place of honor at the ''Lafayette Memorial du Parc de Garches'' in Paris. Although he received credit for only 17 victories in his career, his fellow pilots related many instances when he shot down German planes that he was not credited for. His actual number of victories has been unofficially estimated at anywhere between 25 and 60.

Awards

Legacy

A sculpture of Lufbery and an airplane form the Harmon International Trophy, an award given annually beginning in 1926 to honor achievements in aviation. In 1998, Lufbery was enshrined in the

National Aviation Hall of Fame The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is a museum, annual awards ceremony and learning and research center that was founded in 1962 as an Ohio non-profit corporation in Dayton, Ohio, United States, known as the "Birthplace of Aviation" with ...

. Although Lufbery only lived in Wallingford for a short period of time, it was his official home address, and a number of public facilities are named after him, including an avenue, a park, a VFW building, and a highway ramp. Lufbery's house and the Wallingford Historical Society building are marked with plaques placed for the 100th anniversary of his death as part of Wallingford's 350th Jubilee celebrations. The road linking

Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, Connecticut, at I-95, whi ...

exit 13 to Route 5 in Wallingford is called the Major General Raoul Lufbery Memorial Highway.

Pop culture references

Charles Nordhoff Charles Bernard Nordhoff (February 1, 1887 – April 10, 1947) was an American novelist and traveler, born in England. Nordhoff is perhaps best known for '' The Bounty Trilogy'', three historical novels he wrote with James Norman Hall: '' Mutin ...

and

James Norman Hall James Norman Hall (22 April 1887 – 5 July 1951) was an American writer best known for '' The Bounty Trilogy'', a series of historical novels co-authored with Charles Bernard Nordhoff: ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1932), '' Men Against the Sea'' ( ...

, authors of the "Bounty Trilogy", also wrote ''Falcons of France'' (1929) an account of their service in the Lafayette Escadrille during World War I in which Lufbery appears as a much admired comrade. * In what proved to be

William Wellman William Augustus Wellman (February 29, 1896 – December 9, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and military pilot. He was known for his work in Crime film, crime, Adventure film, adventure, and Action film, a ...

's final film, '' Layfayette Escadrille'' (1958), Craig Hill appears as Lufbery, in what amounts to a walk-on role. * Lufbery is one of the main characters in

Jeffrey Shaara Jeffrey M. Shaara (born February 21, 1952) is an American novelist and the son of Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Shaara. Biography Jeffrey Shaara was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. He graduated from F ...

's book, '' To the Last Man''.Shaara, J. (2005). ''To the Last Man''. New York: Random House Publishing Group. * The character of Reed Cassidy in the 2006 film '' Flyboys'' (played by

Martin Henderson Martin Henderson (born 8 October 1974) is a New Zealand actor. He is known for his roles on the American medical drama series '' Off the Map'' as Dr. Ben Keeton (2011), the medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' as Dr. Nathan Riggs (2015–20 ...

) is roughly based on Lufbery. * Lufbery features prominently in the '' Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' episode "Attack of the Hawkmen". * He and his lion cub, Whiskey, are depicted on card number 10 of the Scholastic book/online-game/treasure-hunt ''

The 39 Clues ''The 39 Clues'' is a series of adventure novels written by a collaboration of authors, including Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, Patrick Carman, Linda Sue Park, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Roland Smith, David Baldac ...

'', indicating he was a member of the Cahill family branch, Janus, in the series. * Jean Shepherd's November 17, 1969 radio broadcast features the story of Lufbery's invention of the French 75 Cocktail.
podbay.fmn — 27:00 into the recording.
* In 2018, Lufbery was the subject of the short documentary ''Raul Lufbery: Fighter Ace'', directed by Alexander Zane Irwin and produced by Daniel Bernardi with the collaboration of El Dorado Films and the Veteran Documentary Corps.

References

Bibliography

* Franks & Bailey- 'Over the Front' (Grub Street) 1992. * Norman Franks.- ''Nieuport Aces of World War 1.'' (Osprey Publishing) 2000. , . * Harry Dempsey. ''American aces of World War 1'' Osprey Publishing, 2001. , . * ''Lafayette Escadrille: America's Most Famous Squadron'' NFI.

External links

*
A brief biography with citations
*(fr
Biography, victory list, color profiles of his planes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lufbery, Raoul 1885 births 1918 deaths People from Chamalières American World War I flying aces American military personnel killed in World War I American aviators Aviators killed by being shot down Lafayette Escadrille French World War I flying aces Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion French military personnel of World War I National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Legion of Honour French people of American descent American people of French descent French people of British descent American people of British descent United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I