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World War I Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
2nd Lt. Frank Luke Jr.
Name:
Frank Luke, Jr.
Country:
United States
Rank:
2nd Lieutenant
Service:
United States Air Service
Units:
27th Aero (Eagle)
Victories:
18
Born:
19 May 1897
Place of Birth:
Phoenix, Arizona
Died:
29 September 1918
Place of Death:
Near Murvaux
Cemetery:
Romagne Military Cemetery
Frank Luke, called the most spectacular air fighter of World War I, who shot town 18 airplanes and balloons in his short military career, enlisted in the Signal Corps Sept. 25, 1917. He took ground training at the University of Texas' School of Military Aeronautics and learned to fly at Rockwell Field, San Diego, Calif.
He received his wings and commission as a second lieutenant in the Signal Corps' Aviation Section in January 1918. He went overseas to Issoudun, France, where he took additional training at the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center for the combat role due to make him famous. Completing training on May 30, 1918, he went to Cazeaux, France, for duty at the front with the 1st Pursuit Group's 27th U.S. Aero Squadron in the Aisne-Marne line of defense.
On Aug. 16, 1918, Lieutenant Luke engaged in his first aerial combat, shooting down an enemy plane--he eventually got four airplanes and 14 balloons, the 18 being second to Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker's 26 confirmations.
Lieutenant Luke earned the reputation of being a "lone fighter," preferring to seek out and destroy the enemy on his own initiative. Thirteen of his victories were obtained in a single week in September, and on two days of that week he did not fly. He finally agreed to partnership, and for awhile teamed with Lt. Joseph Wehner.
During the St. Mihiel offensive in Sept. 1918, the pair destroyed three balloons at Reville, Mangiennes, and Romagne on Sept. 16, and two days later got two more near Labeuville. Somehow, on the latter mission, the pair became separated and Luke shot down three enemy planes.
Lieutenant Luke's big day, and final one, was Sept. 29, 1918. He had been grounded the previous day for being absent without permission and now he went to the air without proper authority. He destroyed three enemy observation balloons in the Meuse region. but was hit and wounded during the encounter. He was being chased by eight enemy Fokker planes that were protecting the balloons he shot down and he also was under heavy fire from ground batteries.
The Medal of Honor, which he earned for this final heroic action, tells the rest of the story best: "Severely wounded, Lieutenant Luke descended to within 50 meters of the ground and, flying at this low altitude near the town of Murvaux, opened fire upon enemy troops, killing six and wounding as many more. Forced to make a landing and surrounded on all sides by the enemy, who called upon him to surrender, he drew his automatic pistol and defended himself gallantly until he fell dead from a wound in the chest."
During his short but colorful career, Frank Luke also earned two Distinguished Service Crosses for extraordinary heroism in air action in the face of heavy enemy fire. He was only 21 years old when he was killed. On Armistice Day 1930, a costly statue of Frank Luke, Jr. was unveiled on the capitol grounds in Phoenix. In June 1949, the Army Air Base near Phoenix was named Luke AFB in his honor. Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the "Arizona Balloon Buster" was the leading ace in the United States Air Service at the time of his death. After aerial combat training at Issoudun, France, Luke was assigned to the 27th Pursuit Squadron under Harold Hartney on 25 July 1918. Often flying alone or with his sidekick Joseph Wehner, Luke shot down 18 enemy balloons and planes in 17 days before he was killed in action. After flaming three German balloons on 29 September 1918, his SPAD S.XIII was shot down by ground fire. Resisting capture, he shot it out with approaching German soldiers and was killed near the crash site. After the war, Luke's remains were reburied at the Romagne Military Cemetery. Luke Air Force Base was named in his honor.
Graves Registration Letter
From:
Graves Registration Officer, Neufchateau Area No. 1
To:
Chief of Air Service, A.P.O.
Subject:
Grave, Unknown American Aviator
1.
Units of this service have located the grave of an unknown aviator killed Sunday, Sept. 29, 1918, in the village of Murvaux.
2.
From the inspection of the grave and interview held with the inhabitants of this town, the following information was learned in regard to this aviator and his heroism. His is reported as having light hair, young, of medium height and of heavy stature.
Reported by the inhabitants that previous to being killed this man had brought down three (3) German balloons, two German planes and dropped hand bombs killing eleven German soldiers and wounding a number of others.
He was wounded himself in the shoulder and evidently had to make a forced landing. Upon landing he opened fire with his automatic and fought until he was killed.
It is also reported that the Germans took his shoes, leggings and money, leaving his grave unmarked."
Chester E. Staten
Captain of Infantry
G.R.S. Office
"AMERICAN RED CROSS
Inter-Office Letter
Jan. 7, 1919
From:
Capt. M.C. Cooper, Air Service, Am.E.F.
To:
Capt. C.P. Williamson, Dist. Mgr.
Subject:
Mrs. Clarkson Potter, 12 Ave. President Wilson, Paris, and Capt. M.C. Cooper, Air Service, formerly 20th Aero Squadron, have been enabled by the aid of the American Red Cross to obtain the following facts concerning missing Aviatiors:
10. Unidentified Aviator
This officer was killed at Murvaux (5 kilometers east of Dun-sur-Meuse) on Sunday, September 29, 1918. The Germans stripped him of all identification, but Captain McCormick of the 301st Graves Registration station at Fontains near Murvaux was so interested in the story told by the French people of Murvaux concerning the death of this aviator that he exhumed the body and stated that it was that of a man of medium height, heavy set and with light hair. On his wrist he found an Elgin watch #20225566, which was under the sleeve of his combination and which the Germans who had stripped him of all papers and identification marks had evidently missed. The village people of Murvaux told Captain McCormick that this aviator first shot down three German balloons and two German planes, then descended low over the ground and killed eleven Germans with either hand bombs or machine gun bullets. While flying low his plane was hit from the ground and he himself was apparently wounded. He made a successful landing, got out of his plane and when the Germans called on him to surrender he replied by drawing his automatic and opening fire, thus standing he continued to defend himself until killed. The description of this aviator by Captain McCormick and the fact that Lieut. Frank Luke dropped a note to a balloon company that day stating he was going to shoot down the balloons which were shot down makes it almost certain that this officer was 2d Lieut. Frank Luke, Air Service, whose nearest relative is Frank Luke, 2200 West Monroe St., Phoenix, Arizona. If the Air Service wishes to check this case it is suggested that a representative of the Air Service be sent to Murvaux and obtain sworn statements from the French people of that village."
"The undersigned, living in Murvaux, Department of the Meuse, certify to have seen on the 29th of September, 1918, toward evening an American aviator followed by an escadrille of Germans in the direction of Liny, descend suddenly and vertically toward the earth, then straighten out close to the ground and fly in the direction of Briers Farm, where he found a German captive balloon which he burned. Then he flew toward Milly where he found another balloon which he also burned in spite of incessant fire directed toward his machine. There he apparantly was wounded by a shot from rapid fire cannon. From there he came back over Murvaux and still with his guns he killed six German soldiers and wounded as many more. Following this he landed and got out of his machine, undoubtedly to quench his thirst at the stream. He had gone 50 yeards when seeing the Germans come toward him still had the strength to draw his revolver to defend himself. A moment after he fell dead following a serious wound he received in the chest.
Signatures of the following inhabitants:
Perton
Ren Colon
Auguste Cuny
Henry Gustave
Eugene Coline
Odile Patouche
Richard Victor
Valentine Garre
Gustave Carre
Leon Henry
Cortine Delbart
Gabriel Didier
Camille Phillips
Voliner Nicholas
Quotes
"Man, how that kid could fly! No one, mind you, no one, had the sheer contemptuous courage that boy possessed. I know he's been criticized for being such a lone-hander, but, good Lord, he won us priceless victories by those very tactics. He was an excellent pilot and probably the best flying marksman on the Western Front. We had any number of expert pilots and there was no shortage of good shots, but the perfect combination, like the perfect specimen of anything in the world, was scarce. Frank Luke was the perfect combination." Harold Hartney, Commanding Officer, 1st Pursuit Group
"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 Britain's Bishop from Canada, France's Fonck or even the dreaded Richthofen had ever come close to that." Edward Rickenbacker
Frank Luke, carefree fighter ace, who died during World War I. He downed four planes and fourteen balloons in 17 days.
CITATION
*LUKE, FRANK, JR. (Air Mission)
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 27th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, Air Service. Place and date: Near Murvaux, France, 29 September 1918. Entered service at: Phoenix, Ariz. Born: 19 May 1897, Phoenix, Ariz. G.O. No.: 59, W.D., 1919. Citation: After having previously destroyed a number of enemy aircraft within 17 days he voluntarily started on a patrol after German observation balloons. Though pursued by 8 German planes which were protecting the enemy balloon line, he unhesitatingly attacked and shot down in flames 3 German balloons, being himself under heavy fire from ground batteries and the hostile planes. Severely wounded, he descended to within 50 meters of the ground, and flying at this low altitude near the town of Murvaux opened fire upon enemy troops, killing 6 and wounding as many more. Forced to make a landing and surrounded on all sides by the enemy, who called upon him to surrender, he drew his automatic pistol and defended himself gallantly until he fell dead from a wound in the chest.
Lt. Frank Luke (standing next to the wreckage of a recent hit) is in a spirited race with Lt. Eddie Rickenbacker for the honor of being called the "ACE" of the American fliers overseas. Lt. Luke brought down three German observation balloons in thirty five minutes. 1918.
Lt. Frank Luke monument south of Dur-Sur-Meuse Hwy D102 in the village of Murvaux, France
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