Lafayette Flying Corps

The Lafayette Flying Corps is a name given to the American volunteer pilots who flew in the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) during World War I. It includes the pilots who flew with the bona fide Lafayette Escadrille squadron.

The estimations of number of pilots range from 180 to over 300. The generally accepted number of pilots who successfully completed French flight training is 209. Of these, 180 served in combat.^[1]

More than 50 Flying Corps personnel (including members of the Lafayette Escadrille) initially served in the Ambulance Corps of the American Field Service.^[2] AFS Surgeon-General Col. Edmund L. Gros, M.D. is credited with initiating the corps.^[3]

Sixty-nine Corps members died during the war, 42 of them in action against the enemy. The rest were results of disease, accidents, wounds, and suicide. The planes weren't very sturdy, and sometimes guns jammed, too, just when they were needed.^[4] The Corps is credited with 159 enemy kills. It amassed 31 Croix de Guerre, and its pilots were awarded seven Médailles militaires and four Légions d'honneur. Eleven of its members were deemed flying aces, claiming five air kills or more. The core squadron suffered nine losses and was credited with 41 victories.^[5]

Lafayette Escadrille pilots with Fram and a Nieuport 16, March 1916. Pilots L-R: Sergeant Victor Emmanuel Chapman of New York City, New York; Sergeant Elliott Christopher Cowdin II of New York City, New York; Adjutant Bert Hall of Missouri, USA; Lieutenant William Thaw II of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Lieutenant Alfred de Laage de Meux of Clesse, Deux Sèvres, France; Sous-Lieutenant Norman Prince of Boston, Massachusetts; Sergeant James Rogers McConnell of Carthage, North Carolina; Sergeant Kiffin Yates Rockwell of Asheville, North Carolina; Captain Georges Thenault of Paris, France, and Fram (Captain Thenault's "bon chien")

There is frequent confusion between the terms Lafayette Escadrille and Lafayette Flying Corps, exacerbated by the inaccuracies in the movie Flyboys.^{[clarification needed]}

Members^[6]

The following pilots are not listed as part of the Flying Corps by the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Foundation.

• Gill Robb Wilson

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lafayette Flying Corps.

• List of World War I flying aces
• Vintage Aero Flying Museum