raoul lufbery

I was reading the May 21, 1918 edition of the New York Times on the death of Raoul Lufbery. It said he was killed while trying to shoot down a "flying tank" It went on to describe the German airplane as being a very slow heavily armoured German biplane with two engines, a pilot in an armored cockpit and two machine gunners in armored booths. The German plane came over the airfield where Lufberry had his plane. Five planes went up after it and none of them could dent the armor. Lufbery asked for permission to go after the plane and was shot down when a German bullet went through his hand into the gas tank of the plane. I was trying to research what this "flying tank" was but can find no reference to it. Furthermore the research seems to say that Lufbery was shot down by a German Rumpler, but I don't' see pictures of them being amored or having a crew of three. Does anyone have any ideas or information as to what Lufbery ran into that day? Thanks. Walter Spiro

[Cigogne]

The "flying tank" was an invention of journalistic sensationalism... or shall we say "flavouring?" Eddie Rickenbacker, in his "Fighting the Flying Circus" and others say that it was a Rumpler also.

[Cigogne]

Spiro,

Does it say who the author of the article was?

Thanks,

[Barrett]

In 1902 the NYT pronounced that powered flight might be feasible in the next one to ten million years.

The Paper Of Record hasn't done much better reporting aviation since then!

I will go back and see if the article has a by-line and post it. My daughter's 8th grade teacher brought in 4 banana boxs filled with old newspapers. I have been having a ball going in and reading them. The reporting on this story seemed very solid insofar as they described the number of planes that went after this thing and the construction of the plane, its slowness and other points. walter spiro

[Lufbery]

Walter,

Welcome to the forum!

Here's chapter 10 from Fighting the Flying Circus giving Rickenbacker's account of Lufbery's death:
.
http://www.richthofen.com/rickenbacker/rick10.htm
.

Our beloved Luf was no more! Major Raoul Lufbery, the American Ace of Aces, the most revered American aviator in France had just been shot down in flames not six miles away from our field!

This sad story is so well known to the whole world that I would not repeat here the details of Lufbery's last fight were it not for the fact that numerous false stories of his heroic death were spread broadcast throughout America immediately after the news of his loss had been cabled home. Several of these garbled accounts later came to my attention.

As our Commanding Officer, Major Huffer, tells the story, it was about ten o'clock when the anti-aircraft guns on top of Mt. Mihiel began belching great white puffs of smoke overhead at a very high altitude. An alerte came to us immediately that a German photographing machine was coming our way and was at that moment almost directly over our field.

Lieutenant Gude was the only pilot on the field ready for flight. He was sent up alone to attack the intruder, an incident which brought vastly regrettable results. It was Gude's first actual combat. His encounter with the enemy was plainly seen by all the spectators who gathered about our hangars.

Just as Gude left the ground the French Archy ceased firing. Evidently they had scored a hit, for the German observing machine at that moment began a long vrille, spinning faster and faster as it drew nearer to the ground. Just as the onlookers were convinced that the enemy machine was falling for its last crash the Albatros recovered its poise, straightened out at less than 200 feet above earth and turned back towards the German lines. Almost immediately Lieutenant Gude flew in to the attack.

Gude began firing at an impossible range and continued firing until his ammunition was exhausted, without inflicting any appreciable injury upon the two seater Albatros. As he came flying home the Archy batteries in the neighborhood again took up the battle and poured up a violent barrage, which surrounded and encompassed this lone enemy on every side. But all to no purpose. The Albatros continued steadily on its retreat, climbing slightly and setting a course in the direction of Nancy.

In the meantime, Major Lufbery, who had been watching the whole show from his barracks, jumped on a motorcycle that was standing in the road and rushed to the hangars. His own plane was out of commission. Another Nieuport was standing on the field, apparently ready for use. It belonged to Lieutenant Davis. The mechanics admitted everything was ready and without another word Lufbery jumped into the machine and immediately took off.

With all his long string of victories, Lufbery had never brought down an enemy aeroplane within the allied lines. All seventeen of his early successes with the Escadrille Lafayette and his last success?when he had gone out to avenge Jimmy Hall?all had been won across the German lines. He had never seen the wreckage of a single one of his victories. Undoubtedly he seized this opportunity of engaging in a combat almost within sight of our field with impetuous abandon. Knowing nothing of the condition of his guns nor the small peculiarities of his present mount, Lufbery flew in to the attack.

With far greater speed than his heavier antagonist, Major Lufbery climbed in pursuit. In approximately five minutes after leaving the ground he had reached 2,000 feet and had arrived within range of the Albatros six miles away. The first attack was witnessed by all our watchers.

Luf fired several short-bursts as he dived in to the attack. Then he swerved away and appeared to busy himself with his gun, which evidently had jammed. Another circle over their heads and he had cleared the jam. Again he rushed the enemy from their rear, when suddenly old Luf's machine was seen to burst into roaring flames. He passed the Albatros and proceeded for three or four seconds on a straight course. Then to the horrified watchers below there appeared the figure of their gallant hero emerging in a headlong leap from the midst of the fiery furnace! Lufbery had preferred to leap to certain death rather than endure the slow torture of burning to a crisp. His body fell in the garden of a peasant woman's house in a little town just north of Nancy. A small stream ran by at about a hundred yards distant and it was thought later that poor Lufbery seeing this small chance for life had jumped with the intention of striking this water. He had leaped from a height of 200 feet and his machine was carrying him at a speed of 120 miles per hour! A hopeless but a heroic attempt to preserve his priceless life for his needy country!

While I was listening to the details of this shocking story the telephone rang. We were informed by a French officer of the exact spot upon which our late hero had fallen. Jumping into a motor we sped across the intervening miles at a prodigious rate and arrived at the scene of the tragedy less than 30 minutes after Luf had fallen. But already loving hands had removed his body. The townsfolk had carried all that remained of poor Raoul Lufbery to their little Town Hall and there we found him, his charred figure entirely covered with flowers from the near-by gardens.

Regards,

[Lufbery]

Continued:

I remember a conversation we had had with Major Lufbery on the subject of catching afire in the air a few days previous to this melancholy accident. I had asked Luf what he would do in a case of this kind? jump or stay with the machine? All of us had a vast respect for Major Lufbery's experience and we all leaned forward to hear his response to this question.

" I should always stay with the machine," Luf responded. " If you jump you certainly haven't got a chance. On the other hand there is always a good chance of side-slipping your aeroplane down in such a way that you fan the flames away from yourself and the wings. Perhaps you can even put the fire out before you reach the ground. It has been done. Me for staying with the old 'bus, every time! "

What an irony now to recall old Luf's instructions! His machine had received a flaming bullet in the fuel tank. The same bullet evidently cut away the thumb of his right hand as it clasped the joystick. The next instant the little craft was but one mass of flame, from which there was no means of escape.

Leaving instructions to send the body to the American Hospital near our aerodrome, we returned to our field. There we learned one or two climaxes to Lufbery's combat and death.

Captain DeRode, the Commanding Officer of a French escadrille near by, met us and stated that one of his pilots, in fact his leading Ace, had witnessed the death of Lufbery and had immediately taken up the pursuit of the Albatros to revenge him. At the first attack he too was shot through the heart and fell immediately. His machine had crashed but a mile or two from the spot where Luf had fallen. But the German machine was finally shot down by another French machine, and it fell a mile inside our lines, where both pilot and observer were captured.

Upon inquiring for Doug Campbell, we then learned he too had gone up to seek revenge for Major Lufbery's death. An hour later he returned and reported that the Albatros had secured too great a start for him, but that he had encountered a two-seater Rumpler, over Beaumont and after a brisk combat he had killed the rear gunner and wounded the pilot. The machine fell within our lines, both wings having been torn off in its rapid descent without control.

Stoically receiving our congratulations, Douglas assured us that this Rumpler was but one of many that the Huns would give us in the attempt to pay for the loss of Raoul Lufbery. And well has Douglas Campbell kept his promise!

Regards,

[Lufbery]

The above account is from Rickenbacker's book, but it was ghost-written -- although based on Rickenbacker's diary. I think his account of Lufbery's death is corraborated in Harold Hartney's book, Up and At 'Em, but I have to double check that.

Regards,

Dear Drew (and everyone else for that matter),
We should discount EVR's account, as well as the NYT's-- after all, neither was there!-- and instead refer to Sloan's WINGS OF HONOR (Schiffer, 1994).

That account is somewhat different, in that witnesses, when interviewed in the early 1960's, claim that Lufbery exited the plane before it caught fire...

IIRC, first Lufbery turned the N.28 over on its back; next he fell out-- in his haste to take off, he probably neglected to strap himself in; then-- one of those little details that add such horror to the event-- his seat cushion fell out after him; lastly, the plane caught fire, billowing black smoke...

It's believed that he was aiming for a lake or pond in the vicinity of where he finally hit the ground, but I suspect this really wasn't the case; he was, in fact, impaled on a picket fence...

Inspection of his corpse showed that his thumb had been shot off...

A reasonable conclusion is that the N.28's control wires were shot away or that Lufbery was so badly wounded that he lost control (this accounts for the aircraft turning over on its back).

Gude, by the way, weeks later was made a POW under dubious circumstances: possibly he lost his nerve and actually landed intentionally at a German aerodrome (because there was still sufficient fuel in his tank to return to his own lines; this, according to his captors). Rickenbacker, interestingly enough, while he didn't mention Gude by name, doesn't speak ill of him-- he (or the ghostwriter) stated that some individuals just weren't cut out for air combat, and that this shouldn't be held against them...

(Rickenbacker knew Gude personally, as there are some photos of them together during training; please check Wings of Honor. And, you're just not going to believe this, Gude requested confirmation for downing the Rumpler that killed Lufbery!).

Finally, echoing Drewbery, welcome to The Forum, Walter-- and I trust that I've confused you just enough to make it worth your while!
Very Best Regards,
Captain Lewis

[Lufbery]

Great stuff, Captain!

Tell us more about Wings of Honor.

Regards,