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" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

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 ...

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 ''Vizefeldwebel'' Michael Hutterer Military Merit Cross (Bavaria), MMC Iron Cross, IC was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories. Hutterer began over two years in ground units on 4 August 1914. He won his native Kingdom of B ...

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.

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)

Honors and awards

See also

References

Bibliography