The current world’s investment and innovations on weaponry are unimaginable with the nuclear weapons some of the deadliest weapons ever known to humans. However, these innovations and inventions did not happen out of anywhere, the fear and conflict amongst nations derived the mentality that the only way for the world to avoid a world conflict is making every other country to fear the other, hence, the trillions and technological investments in perfecting weaponry. Weapons on their own are not dangerous if the people handling them do not have the skills to efficiently utilize the ammunition at their disposal hence the continued large budgets to finance the military prowess.
World War I provided the first major global conflict, but the U.S. was not willing to engage in the European battles until later in the war. One of the tremendous advancements in the U.S. Army that would lead to the current military competence that the U.S. is associated with was the first air attacks (Frandsen, 2017). America was an armature in the aviation division compared to the dominant European nations such as Germany, France, and Britain but the engagement in the war provided the first steps towards the perfection of the American military aviation. This study demonstrates that for all the courage and challenges encountered, Americans do not know these officers or what they underwent.
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U.S. Aviation Military
The history of American military aviation is unknown to most modern generations. The first all American pilots and air force can be traced back in 1916, with a group of young Americans in France known as the Escadrille Americaine. The name raised the alarm with the Germans claiming that the Americans were lying of their neutrality hence the change of the name of the 38 officers to the Lafayette Escadrille (Glenshaw, & Patterson, 2014). The Lafayette Escadrille name was chosen to honor the 1777 French aristocrat who had joined the Americans in the fight against the British. The most intriguing thing about the success of this squad was the essence that less than one-quarter of these officers had any experience in air force skills when they had joined French army.
The men were qualified in other professions, for instance, Raoul Lufbery was a mechanic, but following the death of Marc Pourpe, his best friend who crashed flying in the French air force, Raoul sign in the French bombers where he trained and later joined the Lafayette Escadrille to avenge his friend. Some of the key aspects of the 38 first American military aviation was the bravery, cohesion and the belief that they were special hence the extraordinary progress and strength within the squadron (Glenshaw, & Patterson, 2014). The squadron faced more experienced air force with better resources, but with their efforts and determination, they were able to convince the U.S. government to form the U.S. Air Service which the surviving Lafayette Escadrille were absorbed into the service.
The service would enable military teachings with the use of little Nieuport 11, Nieuports 17 and 28 and the final progression to SPAD VII and XIII (Glenshaw, & Patterson, 2014). The squadron had the biggest challenge of shooting down the German fighters. The fierce air engagement in 1918 would result in the death of nine of the founding 38 Lafayette Escadrille with six others being gunned down but survived (Hallion, 2014). Among the dead officers was Norman Prince but he was not shot down but landed on the telegraph line. Prince had played a key role in uniting the squadron but some of the most victorious ace at the time include Lufbery who had the most victories that earned him the heroic status. According to Glenshaw & Patterson (2014), the biggest threat for this first unit was not the enemies who included the Germans but the planes. The planes were substandard compared to those of the enemies but even with such deficiencies the bravery and believe that they would win the war demonstrated their American courage as indicated in the national anthem.
The challenges faced by these group of officials led to the strides the country have made to perfect the air attacks that changed the complexion of WWII, but most of the people do not know a single person who helped shape the air force and aviation military. The world has changed, and it is even becoming hard to imagine that the planes used by the air squadron would win any war, but for all their inferior technology and skills, these people sacrificed their lives for their love of their brotherhood and patriotism (Frandsen, 2017). These forces also helped cement the French-America relationship which has been further enforced with the French supporting the U.S. in recent wars and military decisions.
Conclusion
The 38 Lafayette Escadrille squadron may not have known that they would be so influential in shaping the military prowess of the U.S. troops and aviation military in the 21st century, but their efforts were heroic as any other. However, little information is known about them. Therefore, it is essential for Americans to learn their history and support the move to restore the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial in Paris and help build a memorial in the U.S. since these heroes risked their lives and even died for their patriotism and brotherhood.
References
Frandsen, B., (2017). The Birth of American Airpower in World War I: Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the US Entry into the “Great War.” Air & Space Power Journal . Retrieved April 25, 2018, from, http://www.airuniversity.af.mil/Portals/10/ASPJ/journals/Volume-31_Issue-3/F-Frandsen.pdf
Glenshaw, P., & Patterson, D. (2014, December). America’s First Combat Pilots. Air & Space Magazine . Retrieved April 25, 2018, from, https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/americas-first-combat-pilots-180953371/
Hallion, R. (2014). World War I: an air war of consequence. Endeavour , 38 (2), 77-90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.endeavour.2014.05.003
