First American Ace

First American Ace
by
Roy Grinnell
During May, 1916, Raoul Gervais Lufbery was assigned to N-124, the Escadrille Americaine (the American Pilot’s Volunteer Group). Everyone marveled at Raoul’s skill to keep his Nieuport 11 in top shape. His earlier experience as a mechanic had paid off. His flying skills became famous for inventing the so-called “Lufbery Circle.” Lufbery’s well remembered phrase was “Be careful, always remember it may be a trap.”
Of Lufbery’s 16 victories, it is believed that his fifth was the most notable, during the famous “Oberndorf Raid” over Germany, in 1916. Four pilots from N-124, flying Nieuport 17’s, were to escort the bomber mission to Oberndorf to destroy the Mauser Works factory there. On the return from the mission escort, Lufbery scored his fifth victory against a Roland CII. It’s best described by James R. McConnell of the Escadrille Americaine, in his book
“Flying For France,” copyrighted in 1916. Here is a quote from the book:
“The Nieuports having refilled their tanks went back up to clear the air of Germans that might be hovering in wait for the returning raiders. Prince found one and promptly shot it down, Lufbery came upon three. He dove for one, making it drop below the others, then forcing a second to descend, attacked the one remaining above. The combat was short and at the end of it, the German tumbled to earth. This made the fifth enemy machine which was officially credited to Lufbery.”
Raoul Lufbery’s life ended on 19 May, 1918 in a tragic combat death. Lufbery is enshrined and honored along with 09 other American Volunteers of the Escadrille Lafayette, in a beautiful park at Villeneuve ’Etang outside Paris, near Versailles. It is called the “Memorial de ’EscardrilleLafayette.” The painting has been reviewed and approved by the family of Raoul Lufbery.
Ace’s Main Edition 250 S&N prints, 50 S&N AP’s
Steve Ritchie Signed Edition 400 prints
Overall Size: 24" x 30"

First American Ace is a tribute by the American FighterAces to the First American Ace, Raoul Lufbery.
This lithograph was signed by a minimum of 26 Aces who attended the American Fighter Aces Reunion in San Antonio, Texas, July, 2006. Due to health issues, not all of the Aces were able to sign all of the prints, but we can guarantee at least 26 signatures. The signatures include the following Aces:
Maj. Gen. “Boots” Blesse USAF (Ret) 4 FG	Lt. Gen. Charles G. “Chick” Cleveland USAF (Ret) 4 FLW	Lt. Col. James W. Empey USAF (Ret) 52 FG
Maj. James L. Brooks 31 FG	Capt. Robert C. Coats USN (Ret) VF-18, VF-17	Lt. Col. Joseph M. Forster USAF (Ret) 475 FG
Col. Dean Caswell USMC (Ret) VMF-221	Clyde A. Curtin 4 FG	Brig. Gen. Frank I. Gailer, Jr. USAF (Ret) 357 FG
Maj. George T. Chandler 347 FG	Col. Archie G. Donahue USMCR (Ret) VMF-112, VMF-451	Col. Ralph D.”Hoot” Gibson USAF (Ret) 4 FG
Dr. Clayton K. Gross 354 FG	Cmdr. Willis E. Hardy USN (Ret) VF-17	Brig. Gen. David Lee “Tex” Hill AVG, 23 FG
Col. Arthur F. Jeffrey USAF (Ret) 434 FS 479 FG	Cmdr. Dean S. “Diz” Laird USN (Ret) VF-4	Capt. Richard J. Lee 1 FG
Col. John S. Loisel USAF (Ret) 475 FG	LCDR Norman Mollard USN (Ret) VF-45	Col. James B. Morehead USAF (Ret) 24 FG, 49 FG, 1 FG
Col. Ralph S. Parr USAF (Ret) 4 FG	Col. Robert J. “Shorty” Rankin USAF (Ret) 56 FG	Maj. Alden P. Rigby USAFR (Ret) 352 FG
Brig. Gen. Steve Ritchie USAFR (Ret) 432 FG	Col. Arval J. Roberson USAF (Ret) 357 FG	Col. Herbert E. Ross USAF (Ret) 14 FG
Maj. Ralph H. Wandrey USAF (Ret) 49 FG	Col. Darrell G. Welch USAF (Ret) 1 FG	Cmdr. Edward G. “Wendy” Wendorf USN (Ret) VF-16