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May 19, 2019 · Today in 1918, one of America's greatest and most colorful World War I flying aces was killed in action after being shot down over France by a German triplane. Raoul Lufbery, a proud Franco-American who had lived in Connecticut before joining the Allied war effort, was only 33 years old at the time.
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He met his death on 19 May 1918 when, fighting a German Rumpler aircraft, his guns jammed prior to his aircraft bursting into flames. Lufbery was seen to fall upside down from the aircraft 200 feet from the ground, possibly from jumping. Landing on a picket fence in Maron, France and impaled Lufbery was dead aged 33.
So Lufbery told him to look at his plane and there were four holes in it.” On May 19, 1918, Lufbery fell to his death from a burning SPAD.
Apr 20, 2016 · It contains primarily documents pertaining to the World War I flying missions and the untimely death of Raoul Lufbery, including newspaper clippings, magazine articles, photographs, and other prints. A selection of materials from the Raoul Lufbery Collection can be seen below:
- Lisa Rickey
Gervais Raoul Victor Lufbery. Date of death. 19 May 1918. Mâron. Manner of death. accidental death. Cause of death. killed in action. Place of burial.
On May 19, 1918, he took off from his aerodrome at Toul in pursuit of an enemy plane near Nancy. During the ensuing battle, Lufbery's Nieuport 28 was hit by enemy fire and its pilot and a cushion plunged earthward. Lufbery fell into a garden at Maron and was instantly killed; the cushion landed on the bank of the nearby Moselle River.
Pourpe pulled some strings to make Lufbery his personal mechanic. The death of Pourpe spurred Lufbery to attain his wings. In 1916 he joined the Lafayette Escadrille, a unit composed of American volunteers, and within three months he had five official kills. Lufbery thus became America’s first ace.
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