File:Flying for France - with the American escadrille at Verdun (1917) (14595564619).jpg

Identifier: flyingforfrancewmcco (find matches)
Title: Flying for France : with the American escadrille at Verdun
Year: 1917 (1910s)
Authors: McConnell, James R. (James Rogers), 1887-1917
Subjects: McConnell, James R. (James Rogers), 1887-1917 World War, 1914-1918
Publisher: Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday, Page & company
Contributing Library: University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Digitizing Sponsor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Prince, Cowdin, and theother veterans were training on theNieuport! That meant the AmericanEscadrille was to fly the Nieuport—the best type of avion de chasse—and hence would be a fighting unit.It is necessary to explain parentheti-17 FLYING FOR FRANCE cally here that French military avia-tion, generally speaking, is dividedinto three groups—the avions de chasseor airplanes of pursuit, which areused to hunt down enemy aircraftor to fight them off; avions de bom-bardement, big, unwieldy monstersfor use in bombarding raids; andavions de reglage, cumbersome creat-ures designed to regulate artilleryfire, take photographs, and do scoutduty. The Nieuport is the smallest,fastest-rising, fastest-moving biplanein the French service. It can travel110 miles an hour, and is a one-manapparatus with a machine gun mountedon its roof and fired by the pilotwith one hand while with the otherand his feet he operates his controls.The French call their Nieuport pilotsthe aces of the air. No wonder18
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FLYING FOR FRANCE we were tickled to be included inthat august brotherhood! Before the American Escadrillebecame an established fact, Thawand Cowdin, who had mastered theNieuport, managed to be sent to theVerdun front. While there Cowdinwas credited with having broughtdown a German machine and wasproposed for the Medaille Militaire,the highest decoration that can beawarded a non-commissioned officeror private. After completing his training, re-ceiving his military pilots brevet, andbeing perfected on the type of planehe is to use at the front, an aviator isordered to the reserve headquartersnear Paris to await his call. KiffinRockwell and Victor Chapman had been there for months, and I had just19 FLYING FOR FRANCE arrived, when on the 16th of Aprilorders came for the Americans tojoin their escadrille at Luxeuil, in theVosges. The rush was breathless! Neverwere flying clothes and fur coatsdrawn from the quartermaster, be-longings packed, and red tape in thevarious administrative bureau

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