Crusaders of the Sky (No. AFMR-661) is a short World War I film produced by Allegro Film Productions that gives viewers a look at the first American pilots to fight in the war as part of the Lafayette Escadrille corps. The primary aircraft flown by members of the Lafayette Escadrille included the Nieuport 11, Nieuport 17, and the SPAD VII. The film opens with footage of WWI: viewers see the firing of artillery guns and soldiers running across No Man’s Land. Photographs show the aircraft used by the French during the war. Two men fly in a plane (01:10), one photographing the ground in an aerial photography mission. There is footage of a dogfight, and one plane fires a machine gun. Soldiers move through the trenches on the front lines (01:50). American soldiers gather around a truck in Europe. Photographs show American pilots with the French air force as part of the Lafayette Escadrille. Photographs show (03:17) Kiffin Rockewell, first American pilot to score a victory (03:17), James McConnell, and Victor Chapman. Footage shows men studying principles of aviation with model planes (03:40). A man examines a machine gun. A biplane takes off. Planes fly in formation. Viewers see a crashed plane of the Lafayette Escadrille (04:12). Pilots get ready to take off in their planes at an airstrip. The film features more photographs of American pilots, including some posing with the group’s lion mascots Whiskey and Soda. The American pilots have a snowball fight (05:00). Men ride horses from a fortified structure. Soldiers are shuttled across a river by boat. There are more photographs of pilots (05:38), including Raoul Lufbery (America’s first Ace). Viewers see footage of planes flying in the sky, a photograph of Baron Manfred von Richthofen, footage of a plane crashing to the ground, more dog fights, and a plane exploding in air. Pilots train with machine guns on the ground (07:08). A pilot operates a mechanical cockpit/plane for a flight simulation. Several men push a plane out of a hanger (07:34). Footage shows race car driver and pilot Eddie Rickenbacker (07:52). He takes off in his plane and flies over clouds. William Thaw receives a medal for his work in organizing the Lafayette Escadrille. Raoul Lufbery stands by his plane (08:30); the film then cuts to his funeral, as airmen carry his casket. Planes fly in formation over land, water, and above the clouds. The film concludes with a lone plane flying in the sky. The La Fayette Escadrille (French: Escadrille de La Fayette) was a U.S. unit constituted in 1916 under French command, made up of volunteers who came forward to fight for France during World War I. The escadrille of the Aéronautique Militaire was composed largely of American volunteer pilots flying fighters. It was named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, French hero of the American Revolutionary War. We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: "01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference." This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
