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American fighter ace Frank Luke
Fighter Ace Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr. from Phoenix, Arizona of the 27th Aero Squadron of the United States Army Air Service stands in front of his SPAD S.XIII fighter plane in a field near Rattentaut, France on 19 September, 1918. Lt. Luke was the first airman in American military history to receive the Medal of Honor and he is second in aerial victories by Americans in World War 1 with 18 behind only the great Eddie Rickenbacker. Luke was the most productive fighter ace for any side in the entire war, because he achieved 18 aerial victories on just 10 missions over a period of eight days. His career as a pilot only lasted a 17 days when on September 29, 1918 Luke was mortally wounded by a bullet fired from a machine gun on a hillside as he attacked a group of three German observation balloons near Dun-sur-Meuse. He was forced to crash land in a field where he fled to a nearby forest and continued to discharge his Colt Model 1911 pistol until he collapsed and died by a stream. This photograph was taken just 10 days before his death.
American fighter ace Frank Luke
Fighter Ace Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr. from Phoenix, Arizona of the 27th Aero Squadron of the United States Army Air Service stands in front of his SPAD S.XIII fighter plane in a field near Rattentaut, France on 19 September, 1918. Lt. Luke was the first airman in American military history to receive the Medal of Honor and he is second in aerial victories by Americans in World War 1 with 18 behind only the great Eddie Rickenbacker. Luke was the most productive fighter ace for any side in the entire war, because he achieved 18 aerial victories on just 10 missions over a period of eight days. His career as a pilot only lasted a 17 days when on September 29, 1918 Luke was mortally wounded by a bullet fired from a machine gun on a hillside as he attacked a group of three German observation balloons near Dun-sur-Meuse. He was forced to crash land in a field where he fled to a nearby forest and continued to discharge his Colt Model 1911 pistol until he collapsed and died by a stream. This photograph was taken just 10 days before his death.