Harold Buckley Willis
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Harold Buckley Willis (9 February 1890 – 18 April 1962), was a member of 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 of the ''Aéronautique Militaire'' was composed largely of Ameri ...
during
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 ...
and designed the insignia for the squadron.


Early life

Born February 9, 1890, in Boston, Massachusetts to John B. and Myrta (Gale) Willis. Harold attended Newton High School and graduated from
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
Class of 1912.


World War I

He enlisted in the American Ambulance Field Service in February 1915, and arrived at the western front, with Section 2, at Pont-a-Mousson, in April 1915. From February to May he served with the Ambulance at
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 ...
. He was cited July 4, 1915, "for rescue of wounded under fire," offensive Bois-le-Pretre, "Croix de Guerre with Star." In June 1915, he enlisted in the Foreign Legion of the French Army, and transferred to 2d Groupe d'Aviation. He was
brevetted In many of the world's military establishments, a brevet ( or ) was a warrant giving a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward for gallantry or meritorious conduct but may not confer the authority, precedence, or pay of real rank. ...
pilot on Bleriot at Buc. He trained successively at Nieuport Perfectionnement School, at Avord; Machine-Gun School, Cazaux; Combat and Acrobatics, at Pau; Spad, at Plessis Belleville. Willis arrived on the Somme front with 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 of the ''Aéronautique Militaire'' was composed largely of Ameri ...
(N 124) in March, 1917. Soon after arriving Willis redesigned the squadron insignia changing it from a Seminole warrior to a Sioux warrior. The original indian head was printed on boxes of ammunition marked "
Savage Arms Savage Arms is an American gunmaker based in Westfield, Massachusetts, with operations in Canada. Savage makes a variety of rimfire and centerfire rifles, as well as Stevens single-shot rifles and shotguns. The company is best known for the Mo ...
Manufacturing Company". This company was providing ammunition for machine guns used by reconnaissance units and bombers of the French military aviation. Sgt. Willis, was captured after an aerial battle, probably against Lt. Wilhelm Schulz of Jasta 16b, 18 August 1917. The aircraft was hit numerous times with damage to the engine which forced the pilot to land in German territory near Convensoye, France. He wrote of his capture in a letter written from a Westphalian prison camp:
This is the first chance I have had to write you a long letter I have heard nothing from the outside yet, but am hopeful. Hope is all that keeps us going. I will tell you how I happened to be the first in the Escadrille to be taken alive — a dubious distinction. We were protecting a group of bombing planes on a daylight raid some distance in enemy territory. Suddenly we were attacked by a rather energetic patrol of monoplaces, and a general mix up ensued. One of our planes in front of me was attacked and I was able to 'crock' the German — short lived satisfaction. The monoplace was protected by two others which in turn attacked me from behind riddling my machine To continue in a straight line was fatal So I did a renversement and attacked — my only defense. Immediately, of course, I was separated from our group, which continued. It would not have been so bad had my motor not been touched at the first volley. It worked only intermittently causing loss of height. We had a wild fight almost to the ground. I did all sorts of stunts to avoid fire on the line of flight. The enemy flew well. We missed collision twice by inches. I was badly raked by cross fire; music of bullets striking motor and cables. Toward the end my wind-shield was shattered and my goggles broken by a ball which slightly stunned me. I had an awful feeling of despair at the thought of the inevitable landing in Germany. As I neared the ground I had an instant's desire to dive into it — saw a wood in front of me, jumped it and landed instinctively on the crest of a hill. One of the Germans flew over me waved his hand turned and landed followed by his two comrades. All saluted very politely as they came up — young chaps perfectly correct. My machine was a wreck thirty bullets in the fuselage motor and radiator exactly half of the cables cut tires punctured and wings riddled. It was a beautiful machine and had always served me well. Too bad! The aviators took me to lunch at their quarters where I awaited a motor which took me to a prison in a fortress. One always expects to be either killed or wounded — never taken. So I had left the ground in two sweaters no coat and with no money. Confess I cried like a baby when I was finally alone in my cell. The first three days were terrible. One is not glad to be alive, especially when one wakes, forgets for a moment where one is, and then remembers. Pleasantest are the nights, for one always has vivid dreams of home or the Front You can understand how wearing it is, to be helpless — a sort of living corpse — when there is need of every one. I try not to think of it.
Willis was interned in the prison camps of Montmedy, Carlsruhe, Landshut, Giitersloh, reprisal camp Eutin, Bad Stuer, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Magdeburg, Wurzburg, and Villingen, during 14 months of captivity. After several attempts, Willis disguised as a German guard, made his escape from the American camp at Villingen on Oct. 4, 1918, crossing the Rhine river into Switzerland and finally back to Paris. On arriving at Paris, Willis 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 permitted to return to the Argonne front. Returning to the US in 1919, he was honorably discharged. He wrote his memoirs in a six-part series that appeared in
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
within a week of his arrival home. The series was issued as the book Through a Cloud of Bullets in January 2019.


World War II

During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Willis served in the U.S. Army Air Force as a major in Africa, England and France. He left the Air Force after the war as a colonel. Willis was successful in convincing the U.S. government to transfer 12
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time an ...
s to the Free French Fighter Group GC II/5 based in North Africa. These aircraft were painted with 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 of the ''Aéronautique Militaire'' was composed largely of Ameri ...
insignia emblazoned on their fuselages.


References


External links


Americans in the French Air Service
''New England Air Museum''
New England Aviators: Harold Buckley Willis, Sous-Lieutenant, Lafayette Escadrille

Lafayette Escadrille
''National Museum of the US Air Force''


Coat, Service, French Air Service, Lafayette Escadrille, Harold B. Willis
''Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum''
Curtiss P-40 au Lafayette
''Maquette 72''
Through a Cloud of Bullets
''Harold B. Willis'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Harold 1890 births 1962 deaths American military personnel of World War I Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Harvard College alumni Newton North High School alumni