Raoul Lufbery
| Gervais Raoul Lufbery | |
|---|---|
Gervais Raoul Lufbery, 1918
|
|
| Born | March 14, 1885 Chamalières, France |
| Died | May 19, 1918 (aged 33) Mâron, France |
| Buried at | Lafayette Escadrille Memorial, Marnes-la-Coquette, Île-de-France, France |
| Allegiance |
 France United States
|
| Service/branch |
Aéronautique Militaire (France) Air Service, United States Army |
| Years of service | 1907–1909; 1914–1918 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit |
Aéronautique Militaire
|
| Commands held | 94th Aero Squadron |
| Battles/wars |
 World War I |
| Awards | Légion d'honneur, Médaille militaire, Croix de guerre, British Military Medal |
Aéronautique Militaire
Air Service, United States Army
Gervais Raoul Lufbery (March 14, 1885 – May 19, 1918) was a French and American fighter pilot and flying ace in World War I. Because he served in both the French Air Force, and later the United States Army Air Service 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.
Raoul Lufbery was born in Chamalières, Puy-de-Dôme, France to American Edward Lufbery and a French mother. Lufbery's father was an American chemist working for a Parisian chocolate company and Raoul was his third son by his French wife. When Lufbery was one, his mother died and his father returned to America, leaving him to be raised by his grandmother in France. Lufbery ran away from his grandparents' home at 17, and travelled to such places as Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, the Balkans, and Turkey. Lufbery served in the United States Army from 1907–1909 and saw service in the Philippines. After his time with the US Army, he saw India, Japan, and China. In 1912, Lufbery traveled to French Indochina, where he took a job as a mechanic for French aviation pioneer Marc Pourpe. When war broke out in France, Pourpe joined the French Air Force (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.
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. 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.
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