Twenty-nine
The End of a Long Four Years
At the beginning of Bert Hall’s last entry in the diary he began during the war, there are the italicized words, referring to a famous French ocean liner, “On the Rochambeau—enroute to America.” What compounds the confusion about his whereabouts in 1918 is that he stopped dating his diary entries on May 28. Although the assumption is that this ship was steaming westward across the Atlantic, it is hard to know just when the voyage occurred. There is no question that at some point during the last year of the war he was busy in Ithaca, New York—then a center of the silent film industry—rewriting his book “En l’Air!” to be made into a film titled A Romance of the Air. Not surprisingly, he cast himself as the hero and played that part in the movie. The film was played in many theaters around the country, always in conjunction with a personal appearance by him. By coincidence, he appeared on Broadway in Manhattan’s Rivoli Theatre on Armistice Day, November 11, 1918. The New York Times said of the movie, “It is highly melodramatic, but includes a number of excellent scenes of airplane activity.” The New-York Tribune’s review included this: “This picture is interesting mainly because one knows much of what happens on the screen is true. It is a story of spies and miraculous escapes, and even if Dulcinea did say it, ‘Truth is stranger than fiction.’”
In any case, whether he was on the Rochambeau or had already crossed the Atlantic, his diary entry said this:
“It seems to be all over. People salute me and speak very respectfully. They make me feel like somebody, but I’m not here at all. I’m really back there in the Champagne [fighting in the Foreign Legion] or up in the Chemin des Dames, or beside Jim McConnell in his little grave at Ham, or down at Nancy with the only honest-to-God aviator the Americans have produced—Raoul Lufbery!”
A slogan at the time of the Armistice called the fighting from1914 to 1918 “The War to End War,” but things occurred that cast a different shadow.
At the war’s close, the German “Flying Circus” commander Hermann Goering and his pilots destroyed their planes so that the Allies could not use them. On the night their unit was disbanded, its survivors gathered in a restaurant in a town near Frankfurt, where the final paperwork for processing out of the German Army had been done. One of the pilots remembered the officers’ party that night.
“At one point in the evening Hermann climbed onto the little bandstand with a glass in his hand, and although everyone was shouting and roistering there was something in his manner that made us all suddenly silent. He began to speak. He hardly raised his voice at all, but there was a strange quality to it, an emotional underbeat, that seemed to slip through the chinks in your flesh and reach right into your heart. He spoke of the Richthofen squadron and what it had done, of how its achievements, the skill and bravery of its pilots, had made it famous the world over.”
Goering asked them to look to the future. The pilot recounting the occasion said that Goering closed his talk to his men with this: “Our time will come again.” Then he raised his glass and said, “Gentlemen, I give you a toast—‘To the Fatherland and to the Richthofen squadron.’ He drank and then smashed his glass down at his feet, and we all did likewise. Many of us were weeping, Hermann among them.”
Thirty
L’Envoi—Farewell
The Lafayette Escadrille and its pilots did many things that had many results, but in the end, for them it was all about flying. The skies drew those men to them like moths to a flame. The idealists loved to fly; the adventurers loved to fly; the gamblers, engineers, race car drivers, writers, athletes—they all loved to fly.
The Escadrille received many epitaphs, but no tribute more fitting than the final words bestowed upon his comrades by Bert Hall. A cad, a con man, a spy, a wise man, a wounded hero, he wrote:
“War is a silly business, but there never was a time when the last bit of manhood came out as it came out with our gang at the front.”
Fig 22. The Lafayette Escadrille Memorial on the outskirts of Paris. Forty-six American fliers are buried there. The memorial is modeled on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and is approximately half that monument’s size.
Acknowledgments
First, I want to praise the wonderful work done on my behalf by my wife, Katherine Burnam Flood. She has supported my efforts in every possible way.
I also wish to thank my children: my daughter, Lucy Flood, a published writer herself, who accompanied me in 2013 on a nine-day research trip to France in connection with this book; my son Caperton, who has been a great help to me in a number of ways, including providing some terrific edits to this book and spending a couple of priceless weeks with me at its completion; and my son Curtis, who helped me conceive of this work and who was enormously useful to me in driving me to Saratoga Springs, New York, on a research trip to see the Grant Cottage, which figured prominently in my last book, Grant’s Final Victory.
I wish also to express my admiration for my daughter Lucy’s husband, Kirill Kireyev, an immigrant from Belarus who received his BA from Cornell University, as well as a doctorate in cognitive science and computer science from the University of Colorado. He has distinguished himself in a number of ways, including founding the prize-winning educational research engine instaGrok. My daughter-in-laws Jera and Christine have also been helpful in the whole family effort.
The next person I wish to thank is Dwight Taylor, a successful corporate lawyer. He assisted me greatly as an undergraduate at Harvard, then continued this support on some of my more recent books. I put to him my desire for his help on everything from concepts to commas.
My longtime friend Thomas J. Fleming, author of more than forty books, has repeatedly helped me in improving my work.
Next I wish to thank Betina Gardner, dean of the splendid library at Eastern Kentucky University, where I have an office. She and any number of her able and dedicated staff have always led from in front.
I am deeply grateful to my assistant, Carol Tudor Thomas, of the Collections and Discovery Department, who has taken home hundreds of pages of my work to read and often improved them on her own time.
Over the years at the library, I have enjoyed some lively lunches with the library’s Lunch Club that have brightened my days. The club’s members include Stefanie Brooks of Interlibrary Loan; Judy Warren of Circulation; Beverly Hisel, Circulation; Anna Collister, the administrative assistant to the dean; Leah Banks, Reference Services; Tessa Berry of Circulation; and Eric Hall of Circulation.
Some of the staff who have given me the most assistance with research are Kevin Jones, Rob Sica, and Linda Sizemore—all Reference librarians—and Pat New, retired from Interlibrary Loan. Numerous custodians have helped me keep my office bright and cheery, and I have always enjoyed the crew at Java City, EKU Library’s in-house coffee shop.
Amber Smith of Richmond, Kentucky, has provided me with many original and useful research materials. Professor Carroll Hale, of Eastern Kentucky University’s Department of Art and Art History, has supplied excellent maps for the book. I am grateful to Cindy Trainor Blyberg for her work on the photo layouts.
I have had successful research trips to the libraries of Washington and Lee University, the University of Virginia, and the College of William and Mary.
Bridget Saltonstall of Concord, Massachusetts, has been very helpful to me on this book and others. Thomas Parrish, the author of many excellent books, who lives in nearby Berea, Kentucky, has assisted me greatly with several of my manuscripts. My old friend Sidney Offit, of New York City, has often helped me with my work. My friend Marilyn Heineman also provided me with valuable reflections on the book.
Writer and researcher Edward C. Pulliam of Alexandria, Virginia, has frequently aided me with projects involving the Washington, D.C., area.
Among those who helped me greatly on my research trip to Paris are Maxime de Taisne, Van Kirk Reeves, and my old friend Edouard Emmett. Former ambassa
dor to Luxembourg James G. Lowenstein was also helpful to me. Mme. Wilks Brocard, daughter of Antonin Brocard, the postwar chief of the French Air Force, was most pleasant in sharing some of her memories and extending kindness to my daughter Lucy. My friend Martin “Yukata” Nomachi, a colleague and true friend from my days teaching at Sophia University in Tokyo between 1963 and 1965, joined us in Paris to attend ceremonies at the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial, which is a half-sized copy of the Arc de Triomphe located eight miles from the center of Paris.
In recent years, I have been exceptionally fortunate in having the literary representation of John Taylor “Ike” Williams, being very ably assisted by Hope Denekamp, and benefiting from the extremely helpful editing of Katherine Flynn. I feel privileged to have as my publisher Grove/Atlantic Monthly Press, where my editor is Joan Bingham, helped by Jamison Stoltz and Allison Malecha.
Notes
In citing works in the notes, short titles have generally been used. Works frequently cited have been identified by the following abbreviations. The full citation appears in the bibliography, under the name of the author or editor.
ASWAlice S. Weeks, Greater Love Hath No Man
BHBert Hall, “En l’Air!”
BHNBert Hall and John Jacob Niles, One Man’s War
BPBlaine Pardoe, The Bad Boy
DGDennis Gordon, Lafayette Escadrille Pilot Biographies
EEdwin C. Parsons, I Flew with the Lafayette Escadrille
E1Edwin C. Parsons, Flight into Hell
E2Edwin C. Parsons, The Great Adventure
GEdmond Charles Clinton Genet and Walt Brown, An American for Lafayette
JHNJames Norman Hall, Charles Nordhoff, and Edgar G. Hamilton, The Lafayette Flying Corps
NYTNew York Times
One—By God I Know Mighty Well What I Would Do!
Herrick’s meeting, ending with “took service in the Foreign Legion” Mott, Herrick, 143–145.
Two days after the war began. Mason, Lafayette Escadrille, 5.
“They filed into my office” Mott, 143
“I think the people of the United States” Ibid. 144.
“We weren’t fooled” BHN, 25.
“Our consciences demanded it” Ibid. 25.
Two—How the New Thing Grew
“With only slight exaggeration” E1, 42.
“baby carriages” E2, 165.
“truck drivers” Ibid. 130.
“The airplane is all very well” Mason, 17.
The September 6 date conforms to a Wikipedia article that says in part, “Utilizing the new technology of aviation, Allied reconnaissance planes quickly spotted this gap and reported it to Joffre.” militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwari/p/World-War-I-First-Battle-Of-The-Marne.htm
Flammer, The Knighted Skies, 29, describes the contribution to the “Miracle of the Marne” made by British pilots who radioed the location of German forces to Allied artillery units. The overall strategic situation can be found in Mason, 7, 9.
“I was blithely flying” Von Richthofen’s duel with Hawker. Von Richthofen, The Red Fighter Pilot, 105.
“My father discriminates” Ibid. 153.
Three—Aspects of the Great New Dimension
“He was one of that famed band” E2, 17. Bach’s exploits on his ill-fated spy mission are in E2, 22–29, and the title given him by the Germans is in Hall, James Norman, The Lafayette Flying Corps, I, 100–101.
Four—What Manner of Men?
“The top fitted over the skull” E2, 236.
“War aviators individually” E2, 224–232.
“a salute or wave” E2, 25.
“well-known ace” E1, 193.
Paul Rockwell delivers the bourbon, DG, 51.
“the startling success” E2, 7
“‘The Bottle of Death’” E2, 7.
“At the Gare St. Lazare” BHN, 29.
Five—Contrasts
“We all eat together” and “I am sitting by my window” DG, 50.
“I didn’t pay any attention” DG, 50.
“All Luxeuil smiled upon him” DG, 51.
“Kiffin was a popular hero” BHN, 132.
“a tremendous wave of excitement” DG, 51.
“Now, ‘K,’ what will you do?” Jablonski, The Knighted Skies, 39.
Thaw: four bridges and other feats. DG, 55.
Thaw and Imperator. DG, 55.
“a burly brute” E, 89.
“One day” BP, 55, citing Flammer, The Vivid Air, 9.
A German who spoke. E1, 13.
F. C. Hild Mason, 43.
“You must be” BP, 67.
Much about the activities of Gros and Thaw is to be found in Rogers’ L’Escadrille Lafayette, 3.
German secret service agents. E2, 15.
Bernstorff’s encounter with Thaw in Flammer, The Vivid Air, 25; also Mason, The Lafayette Escadrille, 53.
“they had created” E2, 15.
Influence of Verdun. Mason, 53.
Six—The Odds Are Never Good: Clyde Balsley
“Five feet eleven” Dunbar, The Swallow, 129.
“see the war, and see it well” DG, 87.
“something struck me” This and the subsequent descriptions and quotations involving Balsley are from DG, 88–91.
“You know we didn’t” Ibid. 89.
“A German was at my left” through “bleeding like a pig” Ibid. 88.
“Two took me by the shoulders” DG, 89.
“Jacques,” he gasped. Ibid. 91.
“My cry for water was so intense” Ibid. 43.
Seven—The Oddsmaker Is Impersonal: Victor Chapman
E2, 104, refers him as the “best beloved pilot of the Escadrille Americaine.”
“whom everyone in our squad[ron] loved deeply” Ibid. 37.
“a lover of art” BH, 152–153.
“There is no question” JHN, II, 226.
“The next morning I woke” through ‘But I’m not going to die.’” JHN, II, 65–66.
“If Victor is killed” NYT, June 25, 1916.
“My son’s life” NYT, June 4, 1916.
“the living symbol” DG, 38.
“Never in my country . . .” Jusserand’s speech. NYT, September 7, 1916.
“Although, after the removal . . .” E1, 103.
Eight—Women at War: Alice Weeks
“We are somewhere on the ocean” Weeks, Greater Love Hath No Man, 16.
“when we landed” Ibid. 17.
“By the time I reached the train” Ibid. 18.
“. . . the stories I hear” Ibid. 23.
“We know that” Weeks, Kenneth, Science, Sentiments and Senses, 49.
“It is commencing to grow cold” Weeks, Greater Love Hath No Man, 6.
“They have destroyed” Ibid. 5.
“Big attack here” Ibid. 22.
“My dear, I embrace you” Ibid. 7.
“Much love, dear” Ibid. 13.
“Yesterday we had” Ibid. 40.
“I am working at St. Sulpice” Ibid. 23.
“Today I sent” Ibid. 32.
“I have thirty men” Ibid. 125.
“had adventures” Ibid. 47.
Café brawl. Ibid. 98.
“Kill me quick” Ibid. 101.
“eighteen months at the front” Ibid. 110.
“A French soldier came to me” Ibid. 130.
French soldier from Australia. Ibid. 142.
“Also please send me” Ibid. 17.
“Your bug water” Ibid. 18.
“the less to carry” Ibid. 18.
“Have been fighting hard” Ibid. 34.
“Only 1,800 out of 4,000” Ibid. 36.
“. . . we have been fighting hard” through “
I will stay with my regiment” Ibid. 35.
“Will you find out” Ibid. 41.
“The woman I am supporting” Ibid. 39.
“I have never seen a tear” Ibid. 43.
“This is only a line” Ibid. 45.
“running toward the third line” Ibid. 45.
“He looks terribly” DG, 51.
Lawrence Scanlan. Weeks, 64.
“It is becoming a meeting place” Ibid. 62.
Walbron’s story. Ibid. 150.
“My kitten Coco” Ibid. 120.
Body of Kenneth Weeks discovered. Ibid. 45.
“I have been notified” Ibid. 106.
“After all these months” Ibid. 106.
Service for Kenneth. Ibid. 107–108.
Details of the death and burial of Douglas MacMonagle. DG, 227.
Nine—More American Eagles Take to the Sky
A husky French military doctor. The description of the physical is from E2, 35–36.
“The second line” E, 36–37.
“Penguins” Jablonski, Warriors with Wings, 61.
“The rest of us” E, 90.
“he asked for a transfer” E1, 49.
Ten—There Was This Man Named Bert Hall
“fourteen were from families of average income” DG, 2.
long thin nose. Sengupta, Lafayette Escadrille, 42.
Bowling Green birth date. BH, third page of front matter.
Higginsville date. DG, 69.
Kansas City and Dallas. Gordon, The Lafayette Flying Corps, 202.
“I don’t think I ever loved” BHN, 301.
“The problem for . . .” Dennis Gordon, in his foreword to BP.
“best eyes in the French Army!” BHN, 60.
“beef up” the diary entries and come up with something longer than the 152-page “En l’Air!”; John Jacob Niles and “One Man’s War.” BP, 130, 140–145, 149, 152, 173, 204–212.
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