" The Legend of Frank Luke" Topic
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| Kaoschallenged | 09 Nov 2013 6:54 p.m. PST |
The Legend of Frank Luke
By John T. Correll
His spectacular combat run lasted just 18 days before he flew into myth and mystery on his last mission.
The afternoon train on July 25, 1918 brought four replacement pilots for the American 1st Pursuit Group based at the small French town of Saints, 19 miles southwest of Chateau-Thierry. One of them was 2nd Lt. Frank Luke Jr., 21, of Phoenix, who had won his wings six months earlier. He had arrived in France in March, completed his advanced training at the US Aviation Instruction Center at Issoudun, and spent several weeks as a ferry pilot at Orly Field outside Paris, awaiting an operational assignment. He was eager to begin his combat tour. The armistice, which would end World War I, was three months away. Luke would not live to see it, but his actions during two-and-one-half extraordinary weeks in September would earn him a lasting place in history. In that brief span, he shot down 14 German balloons and four German airplanes. For a while, Luke was the most famous airman in America and the leading American ace of the war, promoted by newspapers in the United States as the "Arizona Balloon Buster."
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| Great War Ace | 09 Nov 2013 8:49 p.m. PST |
"…and, then his luck ran out…" |
| Kaoschallenged | 09 Nov 2013 8:52 p.m. PST |
Unfortunately it did. I used to go to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona when I lived there back in the 70s. Robert |
 The Virtual Armchair General  | 10 Nov 2013 11:22 a.m. PST |
Talk about a character who should have had his own "bio-pic," a la "Sergeant York." Maybe the man had a death wish, but it's hard to think of very many more individuals who in such a short time in combat did as much damage to the enemy. Eddie Rickenbacker, in his book, "Fighting The Flying Circus," writes of Luke, though that's only one of the great things in that book. However, since the Patriotism of Luke's era--and maybe his personal blood lust--is not PC, we won't be seeing such a movie, at least not for while. Our loss…. TVAG |
| Kaoschallenged | 10 Nov 2013 7:13 p.m. PST |
Great man and so short of a life. Eddie Rickenbacker thought highly of him. Robert |
| spontoon | 11 Nov 2013 1:26 p.m. PST |
I seem to remember a comic book about him… |
| Kaoschallenged | 11 Nov 2013 5:05 p.m. PST |
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| Kaoschallenged | 11 Nov 2013 5:06 p.m. PST |
Frank Luke with his 13th kill |
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is back from Council of Five Nations.
