Kiffin Yates Rockwell (September 20, 1892 – September 23, 1916) was an early aviator and the first American pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft in World War I. On May 18, 1916, Rockwell attacked and shot down a German plane over the

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it ha ...

battlefield. For this action he was awarded the

Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic ...

and the

Croix de guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

.Parramore, Thomas C.
First to Fly: North Carolina and the Beginnings of Aviation
'. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002.

Background

Rockwell was born in

Newport, Tennessee Newport is a city in and the county seat of Cocke County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,945 at the 2010 census, down from 7,242 at the 2000 census. The estimated population in 2018 was 6,801. It is located along the Pigeon Riv ...

on September 20, 1892, the son of Baptist minister James Chester Rockwell and his wife Loula Ayres. After James Rockwell's death from typhoid fever at the age of twenty-six, the family moved several times, eventually settling in Asheville, North Carolina.About Kiffin Rockwell
''Virginia Military Institute Archives Online Historical Research Center''. Retrieved: 2009-10-14. Kiffin's paternal and maternal grandfathers fought in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

, and he grew up listening to stories about battles and marches. They also taught the young boy fishing, hunting and horse riding.Rockwell, Kiffin Yates, and Paul Ayres Rockwell.
War Letters of Kiffin Yates Rockwell, Foreign Legionnaire and Aviator, France, 1914-1916
'. Garden City, N.Y.: The Country Life Press, 1925. From 1906 to 1908, Rockwell attended the Asheville High School, and in the fall of 1908 enrolled in

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

. In the fall of 1909, Rockwell left for the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...

, but after taking preliminary courses decided to join his brother Paul at

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexing ...

, in

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...

, where there was a plaque in Lee Chapel in Kiffin Rockwell's memory. In 1912, Rockwell took a break from his studies deciding to see the world. He traveled first to the Pacific Coast and Western Canada, and then stayed in San Francisco, where he opened an advertising agency, which at one time, according to his brother Paul, employed twenty people (Kiffin was nineteen at that time). In 1913, Rockwell returned to Asheville before joining Paul Rockwell in Atlanta, finding employment with Massengale Advertising Agency.

In the Western Front

At the outbreak of World War I, on August 3, 1914, Kiffin Rockwell offered his services to France by letter, which he wrote with his brother Paul, to the French

Consul-General A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

James Norman Hall James Norman Hall (22 April 1887 – 5 July 1951) was an American writer best known for ''The Bounty Trilogy'', three historical novels he wrote with Charles Nordhoff: ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1932), '' Men Against the Sea'' (1934) and '' Pitcai ...

, the author of the "History of the Lafayette Flying Corps", suggested that Kiffin Yates Rockwell was the first American who saw military service with France during the beginning of World War I. Without waiting for a reply, the Rockwell brothers boarded SS ''St Paul'',

American Line The American Line was a shipping company founded in 1871 and based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It began as part of the Pennsylvania Railroad, although the railroad got out of the shipping business soon after founding the company. In 1902, i ...

in New York City and on August 7, 1914 departed for Europe, where they enlisted in the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops. It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army ...

. Kiffin Rockwell was shot through the leg on May 9, 1915 when his unit, the

1st Foreign Legion Regiment The 1st Foreign Regiment (french: 1er Régiment étranger, 1er RE) and the 2nd Foreign infantry Regiment are the original and most senior founding regiments of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. The regiment is also responsible for running sp ...

charged La Targette, north of

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the ...

. He spent six weeks in the hospital and when he left for Paris on convalescent leave, his leg was completely healed. While in Paris, he spent time with his brother, Paul, who was severely wounded in the winter of 1914–15 in the shoulder, earlier than Kiffin, and became unfit for active service. After recuperating, Paul was transferred to the Allied Press Mission of French Army Grand Headquarters and worked as a war correspondent with the ''

Chicago Daily News The ''Chicago Daily News'' was an afternoon daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, published between 1875 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois. History The ''Daily News'' was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty ...

''. In his turn, Kiffin requested transfer from the trenches to France's air arm and was among the first Americans to be added to the infant fighter/pursuit squadron which would come to be known as the

Lafayette Escadrille The La Fayette Escadrille (french: Escadrille de La Fayette) was the name of the French Air Force unit escadrille N 124 during the First World War (1914–1918). This escadrille A flight is a small military unit within the larger structur ...

. The Escadrille Américaine (Escadrille N.124) was authorized by the French Air Department on March 21, 1916. Paul Rockwell became a publicist for the fledgling Lafayette Escadrille. On May 18, 1916, Rockwell, flying a

Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

, attacked and shot down a German aircraft, a two-man observation plane, over the

battlefield despite having troubles with the motor. Thus, he became the first American pilot to shoot down an enemy plane during the World War I. For this action he was awarded the

and the

. On May 26, 1916, during the defense of

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

, Rockwell was wounded in the face during combat with an enemy airplane, however refused to stay in the hospital.

Death

On September 23, 1916, during a fight with a German two-man reconnaissance plane, Rockwell was shot through the chest by an explosive bullet and killed instantly. His plane crashed between the first and second line of French trenches.Jenkins, John Wilber
North Carolina's Part in the War
''Training School Quarterly'', Vol. 4, no. 1 (Apr., May, June 1917). Greenville, N. C.: East Carolina Teachers Training School, 1917. Rockwell became the second American airman to die in combat in France, and was buried with military honors. Rockwell is buried in Luxeuil-les-Bains Communal Cemetery in

Luxeuil-les-Bains Luxeuil-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. History Luxeuil (sometimes rendered Luxeu in older texts) was the Roman Luxovium and contained many fine buildings a ...

, France. He also has a gravestone at Emma Jarnagin Cemetery in

Morristown, Tennessee Morristown is a city in and the county seat of Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States. Morristown also extends into Jefferson County on the western and southern ends. The city's population was recorded to be 30,431 at the 2020 United States c ...

where his family is buried.

References

External links

Kiffin Y. Rockwell, World War I Aviator
Virginia Military Institute

Experimental Aircraft Association {{DEFAULTSORT:Rockwell, Kiffin American aviators American World War I flying aces Aviators from Tennessee Aviators killed by being shot down French military personnel killed in World War I Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion American military personnel killed in World War I United States Army officers People from Newport, Tennessee 1892 births 1916 deaths

Background

In the Western Front

Death

See also

References

Further reading

External links