The Lafayette Escadrille, A Photo History of the First American Fighter Squadron

The first flight of an airplane was in 1903 off the windy bluffs at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. A short
13 years later, 38 men – adventurers, idealists, and patriots, became the first combat aviators. The
Lafayette Escadrille, an all-volunteer squadron of Americans flew for France during World War I,
before America entered the war. Flying open-cockpit biplanes bearing the image of an American Indian
warrior, the Escadrille pioneered strategic aeronautic maneuvers that downed 33 enemy aircraft during
its 22-month tenure.

Already a student of the squadron, the author spent a full year sifting through university and museum
archives in the U.S. and France for photographs and documents related to the famed unit. He traveled
extensively, photographing locations where the aviators operated and frequented. These images make
a fascinating then-and-now comparison resulting in a comprehensive photographic collection of men,
airplanes and artifacts that reveal the air-combat experiences as well as life on the front lines during the
Great War.

For those with a keen interest in WWI aviation and an appreciation for those who made history.

About the author: Steven A. Ruffin is an aviation writer and pilot, owning and flying both vintage
and homebuilt aircraft. He served for four years as managing editor of the World War I aviation
journal, Over the Front, and is an eight-time winner of the League of World War I Aviation Historians’
Hooper Award for writing and editorial excellence. He has written articles and textbook chapters for
both NASA and FAA publications. His other books include Aviation’s Most Wanted, (later distributed
internationally as Top Fun) and Flights of No Return. Steve served in the U.S Air Force for 24 years,
retiring with rank of colonel.