Second Lieutenant Frank Luke with his SPAD S.XIII on September 19, 1918 somewhere in France-2016
by David Lee Guss
Title
Second Lieutenant Frank Luke with his SPAD S.XIII on September 19, 1918 somewhere in France-2016
Artist
David Lee Guss
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
"Frank Luke Jr. (May 19, 1897 - September 29, 1918) was an American fighter ace, ranking second among U.S. Army Air Service pilots after Captain Eddie Rickenbacker in number of aerial victories during World War I (Rickenbacker was credited with 26 victories, while Luke's official score was 18). Frank Luke was the first airman to receive the Medal of Honor. Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, a U.S. Air Force pilot training installation since World War II, is named in his honor."
The daredevil pilot would be dead in 10 days.
"After the US Army obtained sworn testimony from French and American sources, Luke was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor. The presentation was made to Frank Luke, Sr., in Phoenix in May 1919. The family later donated the medal to the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio. The museum's small exhibit honoring Lt. Frank Luke also contains his flying goggles, the gunsight from his last SPAD, documents written by Luke, and other personal items. The museum's Early Years Gallery displays a fully restored SPAD XIII of the type flown by Luke.
Eddie Rickenbacker said of Luke: 'He was the most daring aviator and greatest fighter pilot of the entire war. His life is one of the brightest glories of our Air Service. He went on a rampage and shot down fourteen enemy aircraft, including ten balloons, in eight days. No other ace, even the dreaded Richthofen, had ever come close to that.'"
In 1918 Luke downed three enemy observation balloons on 35 minutes.
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November 8th, 2016
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