Norman Prince
Born August 31, 1887 at Pride Crossing, Massachusetts. Son of the industrialist and banker, Prince Frederick Henry. Harvard graduate in Arts and Law in 1911. It is first lawyer in Chicago within the firm Winston, Payne etc. There is little enthusiasm for his job because his real passion is the development of aviation. He took flying lessons under an assumed name so as not to displease his father, who considers the planes as "stinky chicken coops." In 1912, he received his pilot's license under number 55. He left his legal activities in 1913, claiming or suffering from vision problems, and spends his time between the various family residences, including that of Pau, where he spent many holidays in his youth, his father organizing games of foxhunting attended by many politicians or business. He has many friends in Paris, especially in the Anglo-American colony. From the beginning of World War I, Norman wants to serve France he considers his second home. He completed his pilot training in the Starling Burgess Flying School before proposing his servives to France. There he met his friend in Boston, Frazier Curtis, who returned from England and who has not managed to get integrated into British naval aviation, where her presence to develop and try his luck again. Norman leaves his school and sailed to France on 18 January 1915 on the Rochambeau, where he arrived on the 29th. On the same ship, Edmond Genet, another pilot on the Lafayette Escadrille, who moved to France to engage in the Legion Etrangère.Norman moved into an apartment in Paris and spent five weeks trying to interest the French authorities to the idea of creating a squadron composed entirely of American volunteers. February 9, he is joined by his friend Curtis who resigned to engage in England, at risk of losing his American citizenship. They write, unsuccessfully, to the Minister of War, Etienne Millerand as there are more applicants than is has pilot aircraft. Despite this rebuff, they engage in the Legion, March 2 and Curtis Norman on 4 . They are immediately transferred to the Military Aviation School in Pau. May 1, Norman received his military wings on Neighbours. Curtis is less likely because he had two accidents in Avord and suffers a nervous breakdown which forced him to a recovery of 45 days in Paris. He took the opportunity to continue to advocate for the creation of a squadron and to find, with the American Ambulance Corps, the number of additional drivers or volunteers to form such a unit. On this occasion, he met Dr. Edmund Gros, an American doctor in Paris, who heads the American Hospital and will play a key role through the creation of a Franco-American committee, to support the proposed flight. On 1 May 1915, Norman and assigned to the squadron VB 108 and Elliot Cowdin. In June, Norman rose to sergeant and posted to the VB 113 where he served until February 15 1916.Frazier Curtis was decidedly out of luck. Following his depression, he requested a transfer in the hunt. Given the state of his nerves, in response to his request, he received 8 August 1915 he was demobilized as it is declared airworthy. He moved to England where he stayed four months before returning to the United States. The efforts of Curtis, the help of Dr. Gros, the fact that Norman was introduced to Robert Bliss, First Secretary of the U.S. Embassy in Paris and Jarousse of Sillac, Under Secretary of State for War that his project begins to take shape in the minds of autorités.La Permissions Christmas of thirty days, he gets and Elliot Cowdin and Bill Thaw, will be the catalyseur.Pendant permission in Prides Crossing, Norman's to his cause older brother, Frederick, and they are four to re-embark for France. Norman briefly returned to his squadron before being sent to Le Bourget, 16 February, for a workout Nieuport.Le on March 14, 1916, Colonel Henri Regnier confirms that the headquarters has ordered the creation of an American squadron with drivers whose names follow: W.Thaw, E.Cowdin, K.Rockwell, N.Prince, CC Johnson, C. Balsley, V.Chapman, L.Rumsey and J.R McConnell. April 16, the squadron was officially formed with N.124 removing Johnson, Balsley and Rumsey and the addition of Bert Hall and two French officers, Captain and Lieutenant of Thénault Laage de les Bains is Meux.Luxeuil the first base. The drivers take up residence in a villa in Behonne between Bar-Le-Duc and the ground, awaiting the arrival of their Nieuport 11s. They sent an old Nieuport to train. Norman has the bad luck of being among the first to fly and crashed against a shed, miraculously unhurt, the aircraft being destroyed, certainly a trick he plays his poor eyesight. Six Nieuport 11s arrive in early May. The time to assemble, the first patrols can take place. There is nothing special to report except for the German bombing of night against the ground. May 18, Kiffin Rockwell opened the scoring in the squadron shot down a German reconnaissance aircraft in the vicinity of Mulhouse. The next day, the squadron was assigned to the dangerous area Verdun.Le June 19, Balsley on patrol with Prince and Rockwell was seriously wounded and maimed for the rest of his vie.Le June 23, on patrol with Captain Thénault , and Victor Lufbery Chapman.Au during a battle against five German aircraft, Chapman was killed, becoming the first driver killed in combat.Pendant The months of July and August, Norman is constantly on patrol. He dreams down an observation balloon and to do so, his plane is equipped with incendiary rockets, the "Prior". He finally succeeds with the help of McConnell but his victory is not approved because it is five miles inside the lines allemandes.Le August 23, Prince calls for a solo victory. He shot and killed the observer of a tandem Aviatik and forced the pilot to land in a meadow inside the lines allies. When he returned to Behonne, welcome his comrades his tale with skepticism. But Captain Thénault grant him the victory and recommended for the Military Medal. Between Prince and Kiffin Rockwell, has been developing for some time because some hostility Kiffin is that Prince has managed to curry favor with the Captain when his own efforts are ignored. Kiffin Paul wrote to his brother that he and his friends do not believe any of this victory and that if Prince gets a medal, they will ask to leave the squadron. He adds that when Prince returns from Paris, he will hold to account the fact that he speaks ill of him behind his back. He and his friends will try to get it out of the squadron. September 9, Prince earned his second victory by shooting a hunter, a Fokker.Le September 14, the squadron returned to base of Luxeuil. Pilots receive new appliances, Nieuport 17, the biggest and fastest. The first patrol, with these new devices takes place on 23. Participants include Lufbery and Rockwell. Lufbery is forced to return to the field when his Vickers machine gun jammed. Rockwell continues on to HartmannweillerKopf where he is shot in the chest by a tandem Albatros.Trois days after the death of Rockwell, September 26, Norman Prince was awarded the Military Medal, which joins the Cross war for his victories on 2 August and 9 September. October 10, he shot his third airplane, confirmed victory, but he has to crash-land at Luxeuil, his Nieuport being riddled with bullets. A Franco-British Heavy Bombardment is scheduled for October 12 on the Mauser factory in Oberndorf, Germany. 60 aircraft took the air. The operation lasted six hours. Lieutenant de Laage de Meux, Lufbery, Masson and Prince are among them. But hunters, charged with protecting the bombers there and back, have only two hours of autonomy and are forced to land for refueling. Lufbery Prince and await the return of the bombers when they see four Fokker E.IIIs who do the same. They immediately engage the fight. Norman shot down one, his fourth win Lufbery official and another which made him the champion of 124 with five confirmed kills to his credit. It was almost dark after the return of the last bombers. Lufbery arises in the field closest to Corcieux. Prince follows it, but certainly because of his poor eyesight and the darkness, he sees no telephone cables around the field. The wheels and hang it crashes on the track. On impact, his harness broke and he is ejected, breaking both legs and injuring his head. Prince is aware when the mechanics and pilots rush. His first concern is not her condition but a hunter who is still in the air and for which he asked that the track is marked out with torches to prevent a second accident occurred. The hospital is Gérardmer twenty kilometers by road in poor condition. Lufbery accompanies Norman he holds her hand tightly. Lufbury guess Prince is dying. The latter sings to not lose consciousness. Doctors believe the first power save but a clot forms in the brain, leaving him unconscious. On his cot, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander Felix Happe and decorated him with the Legion of Honor. October 15, 1916, Norman died at the age of 29 without regaining consciousness. He made an impressive military funeral and is buried at Luxeuil.
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