In August 1914, as decade-old diplomatic crises erupted into war on the European continent, a group of American citizens, in defiance of US President Woodrow Wilson’s declaration of neutrality, volunteered for French military service. Of those Americans who volunteered during neutrality, thirty-eight uniquely distinguished themselves not as ambulance drivers or Foreign Legionnaires, but as part of an all-American aero squadron flying for the French Air Service. Dubbed the Lafayette Escadrille, the formation of this all-American squadron in the French Air Service provided a foundation for a strategic alliance between the US and the Allied Powers, established a core of experienced pilots for the US Air Service upon its entry into the First World War, and developed a uniquely American flying culture and identity that continues to exist today.

Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.)

Follow us:

• Twitter: @MacArthur1880
• Amanda Williams on Twitter: @AEWilliamsClark
• Facebook/Instagram: @MacArthurMemorial

www.macarthurmemorial.org