Lieutenant Archibald Buchanan (born October 5, 1892, date of death unknown) was a
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
credited with seven aerial victories.
Buchanan voyaged to England to join the
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...
. The RNAS and the
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
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were amalgamated into the Royal Air Force before Buchanan earned his pilot's wings, but he was assigned to a former RNAS squadron, No. 210.
Buchanan began his victory string as a balloon
buster on 30 June 1918, when he destroyed an enemy observation balloon northeast of
Estaires
Estaires (; vls, Stegers) is a commune in the Nord department of the Hauts-de-France region in northern France.
The town gives its name to a type of chicken bred in the area: the Estaires chicken.
Geography
Estaires is located in French Fla ...
. His second win, on 20 July, was shared with Captain
Harold Mellings. Between 31 July and 29 September, he scored five more wins over enemy fighter planes; his final summary was victory over five
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qui ...
s, a
Pfalz D.III, and a balloon.
On 17 October, he landed his
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...
at
Ostend
Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...
, Belgium, in the wake of the German retreat, only to be informed by locals that he was the first Allied soldier to come to the city after the Germans left.
On 30 October, Buchanan was shot down by
Michael Hutterer of
Jasta 23, and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner.
Honors and awards
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
Lieut. Archibald Buchanan, 210 Sqn. (Sea Patrol, FLANDERS)
On 29 September this officer displayed great gallantry. In an engagement with fifteen Fokker biplanes, owing to engine trouble he was compelled to remain under his flight; he nevertheless accounted for two enemy machines, attacking one under its tail causing it to crash, and driving another down out of control. In addition to the foregoing this officer has destroyed three machines and driven down two out of control.
See also
*
List of World War I flying aces from the United States
The following is a list of flying aces from the United States of America who served in World War I
Overview
Even before the United States entry into World War I in April 1917, many Americans volunteered to serve in the armed forces of Great B ...
References
Bibliography
* ''American Aces of World War I.'' Norman Franks, Harry Dempsey. Osprey Publishing, 2001. , .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanan, Archibald
1892 births
Year of death missing
American World War I flying aces
Aviators from New York (state)
People from Long Island
Royal Naval Air Service aviators
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)