TOW #23: Eddie Rickenbacker on Raoul Lufbery's Death (Written Text)

Raoul Lufbery is recognized as a French and as an American ace in the First World War for his 17 confirmed combat victories (and supposed numerous others). He served in an American volunteer unit to aid France before America officially entered the war called the Lafayette Escadrille. When America did enter the war in 1917, he remained as an instructor for new American pilots, one of whom was Eddie Rickenbacker. Lufbery’s plane was shot down in May of 1918 and he apparently jumped from the cockpit, after which he fell some 200 feet and landed on a garden picket, which was ultimately the cause of his death. Rickenbacker, later an ace himself, describes first hand the death of his instructor in his book of memoirs, The Flying Circus, which was intended to be read by the American public.

Rickenbacker arranges his memoir in a manner that mimics a flow of thoughts when one is telling a story. Rather than just describing the event, he explains how Lufbery’s last flight began, then adds in a bit about Lufbery, as if realizing as an afterthought that his audience might not be entirely sure who the man is, then he proceeds to describe the fateful moment, and follows that with a flashback to a few days before the event. This format, though not chronologically organized, gives the reader the impression that Rickenbacker was truly affected by the death of his instructor. It also gives the piece a much more natural feel, so that it seems as though it was spoken directly to the reader, not written with many revisions. This is likely important to Rickenbacker, as he was well-known amongst the American public, and probably wanted to maintain his image as a common American hero, not to distance himself by sounding too formal for the people.

Additionally, Rickenbacker refers to Lufbery by his nickname, “Luf.” This informal attitude towards the major builds his credibility as someone close to the man. As a friend and apparent eyewitness, the public is much more likely to accept his version of the story, though the truth is largely debated. It is interesting that Rickenbacker chooses to tell the version of the story that Lufbery’s plane burst into flames and he leapt to “certain death rather than endure the slow torture of burning to a crisp.” In fact, there has never been evidence to prove that Lufbery’s plane was aflame, and eyewitnesses much closer to the event did not describe the plane as being on fire. It is much more likely that Lufbery was standing to fix his jammed Lewis machine gun and was thrown from the plane when it flipped. Rickenbacker seems to be paying one last tribute to his mentor by telling America that Lufbery’s jump was a “hopeless but a heroic attempt to preserve his life for his country!” Given his own popularity and the perpetuation of this story of Lufbery’s death, such as in Jeff Shaara’s To the Last Man, shows that he was largely successful.