{"product_id":"2940015135404","title":"American Escadrille in France World War I","description":"Nook version of vintage magazine article originally published in 1916.  The author, James R. McConnell, was a member of the American Escadrille in France, and writes of his experiences.  Lots of great pictures and info seldom seen in the last 90 years.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRead excerpt -\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNext to falling in flames, a drop in a wrecked machine is the worst death an aviator can meet. I know of no sound more terrible than that made by an air-plane crashing to earth. Breathless, one has watched the uncontrolled appar-atus tumble through the air. The agony felt by the pilot and passenger seems to transmit itself to you. You are help¬less to avert the cer¬tain death. You cannot even turn your eyes away at the moment of impact. In the dull, grinding crash there is the sound of breaking bones. Luxeuil was an excellent place to observe the difference that exists between the French and English and American aviator, but when all is said and done there is but little dif¬ference. The Frenchman is the most natural pilot and the most adroit. Flying comes easier to him than to an Englishman or American, but once accustomed to an airplane and the air they all accomplish the same amount of work. A Frenchman goes about it with a little more dash than the others, and puts on a few extra frills, but the Englishman calmly carries out his mission and obtains the same results. An American is a combination of the two, but neither better nor worse. Though there is a large number of expert German airmen, I do not believe the average Teuton makes as good a flier as a Frenchman, Englishman, or American.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDespite their bombardment of open towns and the use of explosive bullets in their aerial machine guns, the Boches have shown up in a better light in aviation than in any other arm. A few of the Hun pilots have even evinced certain elements of honor and decency.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI remember one chap who was the right sort. He was a young man, but a pilot of long standing. An old infantry captain stationed near his aviation field at Etain, east of Verdun, prevailed upon this German pilot to take him on a flight. There was a new machine to test out and he told the captain to climb aboard. Foolishly, he crossed the trench lines and, actuated by a desire to give his passenger an interesting trip, proceeded to fly over the French aviation headquarters.   Unfortunately for him, he encountered three French fighting planes, which promptly opened fire. The German pilot was wounded in the leg and the gasoline tank of his airplane pierced. Under him was an aviation field. He decided to land. The machine was captured before the Germans had time to burn it up.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExplosive bullets were discovered in the machine gun. A French officer turned to the German captain and informed him that he would probably be shot for using explosive bullets. The captain did not understand.","brand":"history-bytes","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47080575566064,"sku":"2940015135404","price":5.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940015135404_p0.jpg?v=1763619753","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940015135404","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}