First to Fight

An American Volunteer in the French Foreign Legion and the Lafayette Escadrille in World War I

Steven T. Tom

Five days after the outbreak of World War I in the summer of 1914, American Kiffin Rockwell was on a ship headed for France. The United States would not join the war for nearly three years, but Rockwell believed it was time to fight. He joined the elite French Foreign Legion and was soon fighting in the trenches of the Western Front. A combat wound in 1915 rendered him unfit to fight on the ground, so Rockwell volunteered to fight in the air, becoming a charter member of the soon-to-be legendary Lafayette Escadrille, a fighter squadron of volunteer American pilots. In May 1916, Rockwell became the first pilot to score a victory for the new unit when he shot down a German plane. He was wounded in the skies over Verdun but refused hospitalization, insisting on remaining in the air. He flew more missions with the Lafayette Escadrille than any other pilot until his death in aerial combat in September 1916.

First to Fight is a high-octane drama of a remarkable soldier and pilot who fought in the trenches and in the skies during World War I. It is the story of one of the first American fighter pilots at the dawn of aerial combat, the era of the Red Baron, with dogfighting biplanes high above the trench lines. But more than a World War I story, more than an aviation story, this is the story of an idealist who volunteered—long before his country drafted its first soldier—to fight, and ultimately die, in defense of civilization.

Globe Pequot / Stackpole Books

Pages: 320 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½

978-0-8117-3804-0 • Hardback • September 2019 • $29.95 • (£25.00)

978-0-8117-6810-8 • eBook • September 2019 • $28.50 • (£19.99)

Subjects: History / Military / World War I

First to Fight

An American Volunteer in the French Foreign Legion and the Lafayette Escadrille in World War I

Hardback

eBook

Summary

Five days after the outbreak of World War I in the summer of 1914, American Kiffin Rockwell was on a ship headed for France. The United States would not join the war for nearly three years, but Rockwell believed it was time to fight. He joined the elite French Foreign Legion and was soon fighting in the trenches of the Western Front. A combat wound in 1915 rendered him unfit to fight on the ground, so Rockwell volunteered to fight in the air, becoming a charter member of the soon-to-be legendary Lafayette Escadrille, a fighter squadron of volunteer American pilots. In May 1916, Rockwell became the first pilot to score a victory for the new unit when he shot down a German plane. He was wounded in the skies over Verdun but refused hospitalization, insisting on remaining in the air. He flew more missions with the Lafayette Escadrille than any other pilot until his death in aerial combat in September 1916.

First to Fight is a high-octane drama of a remarkable soldier and pilot who fought in the trenches and in the skies during World War I. It is the story of one of the first American fighter pilots at the dawn of aerial combat, the era of the Red Baron, with dogfighting biplanes high above the trench lines. But more than a World War I story, more than an aviation story, this is the story of an idealist who volunteered—long before his country drafted its first soldier—to fight, and ultimately die, in defense of civilization.

Details

Globe Pequot / Stackpole Books

Pages: 320 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½

978-0-8117-3804-0 • Hardback • September 2019 • $29.95 • (£25.00)

978-0-8117-6810-8 • eBook • September 2019 • $28.50 • (£19.99)

Subjects: History / Military / World War I

Author

Steven T. Tom is a retired U.S. Air Force officer who served for more than twenty years during the Cold War. He lives near Atlanta, Georgia.

Reviews

Kiffin Rockwell is deserving of a full length biographical treatment. And Steve Tom has produced just that. His is the most comprehensive account of this dark warrior that has been written, to date. One of America’s most formidable sons died fighting for France. Across the Atlantic they honor him. We should honor him. This book honors him.
— David Hanna, author of Rendezvous with Death: The Americans Who Joined the Foreign Legion in 1914 to Fight for France and For Civilization

Steve Tom has scored a direct hit with this detailed and thoroughly researched study of one of America’s first WWI heroes, Lafayette Escadrille aviator and French Foreign Legion volunteer Kiffin Rockwell. Aviation enthusiasts will appreciate its new insights and previously unpublished information, while general readers will find the story of this exceptional young warrior a fascinating read. First to Fight is, in every respect, a winner.
— Steve Ruffin, author of The Lafayette Escadrille: A Photo History of the First American Fighter Squadron and former managing editor of Over the Front

It was in an era of a vicious First World War, in both the trenches and in the air, that the fledgling group of American aviation volunteers were determined to do what was right—help their fellow French airmen. Through patriotic encouragement, and often just seeking adventure, they gradually formed into the Lafayette Escadrille. Their exploits are carefully researched and documented in this new book. I have personally visited many of their localities, towns, villages and operational airfields in France. It is a work that will serve to keep their history alive during the World War One Centennial period for our next generations as we commemorate their deeds.
— Jerry L. Hester, U.S. World War One Centennial Commissioner