THE STAND: The Final Flight of Lt. Frank Luke, Jr. (English and French Edition)

I have read and reread this book several times. It is an accurate and detailed description of Frank Lukes last flight. For those wondering about the title of this review, it is a slang phrase sometimes used in the military to describe a certain aspect of combat. Without giving to much away, that aspect is part of the facts as well as the myth that surrond Frank Lukes last flight. The book is well written with only some minor details which should have been better explained to the reader. For example, the text of the book says that in addition to the standard armament Frank Lukes SPAD aircraft was equipped with a special large caliber "balloon busting" gun. The SPAD, like most fighter aircraft of that time, normally mounted two thirty caliber machine guns and the authors description leads the reader to believe that Lukes plane must therefore have had Three guns. However the photographs and excellent artist renderings of his plane show only two of the weapons. A person interested in WWI aviation has to do additional research to find that there was no third gun. That the "balloon busting gun was externally identical to the standard armament and that one of the two machine guns was simply replaced with the special purpose weapon. Another point that the reader never really gets to know is why Frank Luke decided to join the military. The author fails to make the connection between Lukes, and other young mens, successful employment and the economic boom that the war had brought to the United States from the very beginning during August of 1914. To be fair the author does mention a family member volunteering to be a nurse in the U.S.; but is this sufficient reason for Luke to go to war? The life story of Luke, along with the stories of the other men of the service in which he enlists, is told only in very general terms. Was America in fact neutral as the US government had officially announced? Did this neutrality conform to the accepted norms and international laws of that time or even of history? What were the real attitudes of americans before and during the thirty two months leading up to the entry of the U.S. into this war? Some answers to these questions might have given a better idea of the attitudes of the young men in the American flying service. The core of this book is Lukes final flight and the events surronding it. The author says that the german war graves party refuses to put straw on the cart that Lukes body is to be transported to the grave site with. Also that one of the officers does not allow a French woman to cover the body with a sheet. This behavior is not consistent with german military procedure and it is only by back checking that the one reads the authors mention that Luke had a reputation, whether deserved or not, for strafing the ground crews of the balloons he was attacking. This book should be part of any aviation or world war one historians library. The authors research is meticulous and thorough about Lukes last flight and a genuine pleasure to read. Aside from the above mentioned caveats this is a book that is worth reading.

Frank Luke has been a hero of mine for about as long as I have been able to read. I grew up in an Air Force household, an Air Force brat, alongside kids of other pilots from Korea and WW2, then Viet Nam. My Dad served and flew in all three wars. Frank Luke was a name that was respected and revered, our #2 Ace from the Great War, whose meteoric career lasted 17 days.What actually happened on his legendary last flight? Did he really drop a note, calling his shot? Did he really down 3 balloons and two aircraft? Did he actually face a court martial if he returned? Did he really strafe Germans in a town, crash land, and refuse to surrender, shooting it out with enemy infantry until he perished?The myth says he did all the above, but many versions of his last hours have surfaced, casting doubt upon what was once accepted as the truth. The author spent years digging into things to get at that truth, and I am satisfied that finally we have it. Logic, new research, and extensive leg work have uncovered the final hours of a truly heroic figure.Treat yourself.

I must admit I only got through about 2/3 of this book before I gave up. The author seemed to think his readers would want to know every step Luke made, every meal he ate, every bowl movement he took; the detail is excruciating. The number of sources, eye witnesses, and detailed accounts presented, and the lengths the author went to get those data is impressive. However, what should have been covered in paragraphs often takes pages and pages. And as I read, I couldn't get a sense of whether the author was an champion for, or against, the official narrative of Luke's Medal of Honor flight. Which is what the author wrote he'd make clear in the beginning of the book. In the end, I wondered what's the point? Luke's commanders saw fit to recommend him for the Medal of Honor; he probably met the criteria several times over when single handedly attacking enemy observation balloons. The most heavily defended aircraft of the war and a threat other pilots refused to address. If you're a fan of Lt. Frank Luke Jr., The Arizona Balloon Buster, you don't have a lot of choices, Just don't pay full price.

For 50 years I have been reading everything I could get my hands on regarding WW1 air combatand the lives of the great Aces. Frank Luke is one of those iconic and legendary figures who have been written about over and over. The legend grows and gets embellished a little with each telling. The most popular had him wounded in the air, strafing German troops in the streets, crash landing and then refusing to surrender and shooting it out and being killed by German troops who demanded he give up. Author Stephen Skinner has done an incredible job researching the real facts and presenting the truth in what really happened in Luke's short combat career and his up to now, mysterious death. The details uncovered and the time spent fact finding are nothing short of amazing and make this must reading for the WW1 buff. There is a lot of information here, maybe too much for some, but the author paints vivid word pictures of the combat operations and what life was like at the front. The rare photos included are just icing on the cake. The DVD of the story which is also available on the author's website is a nice addition to the book. If you love this period in history, I highly recommend adding this one to your library.

As described well packed and promptly dispatched thanks