Flight in The Great War: Lieutenant Sol Wise, Aerial Observer, Armée de l’air – I: A Letter Home

The age of powered human flight commenced on December 17, 1903, with Orville Wright’s flight of the Wright Flyer I at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

Nearly eleven years would transpire between that date and the beginning of First World War, during which time aviation – and particularly aviators – acquired a mystique akin to that accorded to astronauts half a century later. 

On one level, this was a reflection of the scientific and technological advances inherent to and resulting from manned flight, which would only accelerate in future decades.  (And, are still doing so.)  On another level, the advent of human flight represented – even as it generated – a change in the nature and perspective of mans’ “place” in the world, in terms of speed of travel, speed of communication, speed of thought, and as a whole, speed of action.

Unsurprisingly, a fascination with aviation was reflected in the popular press, in terms of news coverage accorded to the experiences and exploits of aviators, particularly military aviators. 

An example of this follows:  A 1918 article from The American Israelite, presenting a fascinating letter by Lieutenant Sol Wise, who served as an aerial observer / gunner in two-seat Breguet bombers with the Armée de l’air – the aerial arm of the French armed forces.

Portrait of Sol Wise in The American Israelite

The publication of Sol’s letter in The American Israelite (founded in 1854, and very much thriving today) would not have been altogether unexpected, as the paper’s founder was his great uncle (!) Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise. 

Sol’s well-written letter gives insight into the experiences of a WW I military aviator in terms of combat flying and of equal note, the accommodations and living conditions associated with combat flyers in World War One.

Fortunately, through the sentence, “My esquadrille insignia is a white swan.  We are presented with a pin to wear after a certain number of trips over the lines,”  Sol has enabled us to identify the military unit to which he was assigned: “Escadrille (Squadron) Br 111”. 

An extraordinarily comprehensive and detailed website on French World War One Aviation created by Denis Albin (Les Escadrilles francaises de la Grande Guerre) features a page devoted to Br 111, which shows examples of the Escadrille’s white swan insignia, images of the aforementioned “pin”, information about the men assigned to Br 111, and, many photographs of its aircraft.

Insignia of Br 111 (art by Denis Albin)

In terms of Sol’s combat experiences, the article mentions that he shot down a German pursuit plane on August 14, 1918.  However, Frank Bailey and Christopher Cony’s The French Air Service War Chronology reveals that this does not seem to have been so.  No “Lieutenant Wise” (or any phonetic equivalent!) is listed as having shot down a German aircraft on that date.

But…

The list of BR 111’s aerial victories at Denis Albin’s website reveals that a “Lieutenant Oise”, flying as an observer / gunner for pilot Lieutenant Théodore Loustallot, claimed a German aircraft on September 2, 1918.  This is identical with information in Bailey and Cony’s book, which records their shooting down a German “scout” plane over “Basileux”, at 1500 hours.  Could “Lieutenant Oise” in reality be “Lieutenant [Sol] Wise”?

Lieutenant Loustallot’s identity was verified at the French Ministry of Defence’s Mémoire des hommes website (which provides digitized documents covering French military casualties, and French military personnel, from military conflicts of the twentieth century).  His full name is revealed as Théodore Daniel Loustallot.  From Bordeaux, he was born on April 26, 1894, where prior to the war he was a student.  As indicated on the document below, he was assigned to Br 111 on January 13, 1918.  

Sol revealed very little about the type of aircraft with which his squadron was equipped, other than the brief statement, “I have a fast plane or ship.”

The type of plane?  The French Breguet 14, a very successful two-seat bomber and reconnaissance plane, of which approximately 5,500 were constructed.  The image below, by Patrice Gaubert, shows a Breguet 14 bearing Br 111’s white swan insignia.

Sol would have occupied the aircraft’s back seat, which was equipped with two 7.7mm Lewis Guns.  An excellent image of this crew position is shown below, in a photograph (Image Q 69230) from the Imperial War Museum.

THE FRENCH AIR FORCE ON THE WESTERN FRONT, 1914-1918 (Q 69230) The twin machine-guns mounted on the rear cockpit of a French Breguet 14 A.2 biplane at the Villeneuve aerodrome, 16 December 1917. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205358272

In the context of military aviation in WW I, the names of many other Jewish aviators (American, Australian, Austro-Hungarian, British, French, German, and Italian) can be mentioned.  I will save those for future posts. 

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INTERESTING LETTER FROM AVIATOR
Cincinnati Flyer Brings Down Enemy Airplane

American Israelite
September 19, 1918

Lieutenant Sol Wise of the United States Aviation Corps, the writer of the appended letter, is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Sig Wise (of the Cincinnati firm of Meyer, Wise and Kaichen).  The young officer – he is just twenty-six years of age – enlisted a soon as the United States entered the war.  After due training he was sent abroad last November and after further training was put on detached service with a French esquadrille on July 13.

The letter, which is a very interesting one, reads as follows:

The Western Front, France
July 20, 1918

My Dear Parents: – I suppose you have received the letter I wrote a few days ago saying I am now flying on the front.  I am a full fledged aviator now as I took my first trip over the lines yesterday afternoon and as one of the other observers was sick, I went in his place.  I had been expecting to go across soon, but not as soon as I did, as our ship wasn’t ready.  Of course, it’s a great strain going over the lines the first time, but I was glad I was not told the night before.  The greatest nervousness is felt at the time of departure when all the machines are lined up on the field in long rows just before starting.  We had to wait around a long time as the orders were changed several times in a short while.

You see during this attack the lines are changed constantly and sometimes great gains are made so that it would be dangerous to bomb a certain town which might have been taken by the French, as you will see the French have made great gains north of Chateau Thierry.  I got all my flying clothes out to go up to 5,000 meters, then I had to change to go up to 3,000, as there is a great difference in temperature and it is very necessary to dress properly, especially the hands, face and feet, as the trip lasts over two hours in the air.  There are a few American teams in my esquadrille and the remainder are French.  They always hold an assembly on the fields just before starting to correct our maps and point out our objective.

Well the signal for the start was given and I hopped into the observer’s seat, my guns in good condition and a load of bombs on our lower wings, all set for the Huns.  It was very hot and I was perspiring when we left the ground.  It was a wonderful sight to see a large number of planes all taking off across the field at once in separate groups, all bent for Germany.  We left the ground at 6:15 p.m. and went right up to 3,200 meters, 10,000 feet, in formation.  I felt great after the first half hour in the air.  I had so much to do looking on the maps and watching for enemy planes that I wasn’t thinking of anything else.  As we flew along I saw Rheims burning in the distance and fires here and there.  As we neared the lines I saw some sausage balloons several thousand feet below and over our head our big three-plane fighting planes.  The aviator gets a real view of the whole front from both sides.  I saw the trenches far below just before we turned to cross the lines.  The ground was literally pitted with shell holes from artillery.  We crossed over into Germany amid the clouds which were pierced by the sun’s rays here and there very black and dusty looking.  I found out afterwards that these were so-called clouds of battle from the day’s gun fire.  I was very careful to look for Boche planes which I knew were in the vicinity as I noticed we were being trailed by a strange group of planes far to the rear.  Just after I released my bombs I saw the other planes do the same.  I heard several nasty bangs and rings of black smoke hung in the air.  This was the barrage put up by the anti-air craft.  They are called Archies.  The bombs dropped from the surrounding planes like so many loads of coal being dumped over.  I kept one hand on the guns and just after we turned I saw seven Boche planes well to the rear getting ready to attack.  They dove down on our formation and I fired.  Every plane in the group was shooting but the Huns did not stay around long; their closest distance was 500 yards.  I could see where my shots went by the tracers.  The Boche won’t dive right through a formation as a rule, but wait on the edges for some poor fellow’s motor to go wrong.  The guns worked beautifully.  Our bombs took good effect as you will see in the French air report of July 19th.  The Boche planes, which were those new Fokker triplanes, did not stay around long and after a half hour’s good driving

I saw familiar objects again.  My pilot let me drive the rest of the way home.  I was mighty glad to get a chance to sit down as the observer has to stand up and constantly look around the country; compare the land with the map and look for enemy plans as well as note things of importance in the enemy territory.

It was a great and glorious feeling when our own air dome [sic] loomed up and we landed safely.  Had supper about 9:30 and waited around for the Boche to come over and drop us a few presents at night.  It was a beautiful moonlight night and we heard him coming about 11:30 p.m.  Searchlights were flashing around the sky and shrapnel was bursting all over but we could not see the Hun – nevertheless he dropped a few eggs.  I had just got into bed when the orderly came around with his little red note book showing my order for the alert at 4 a.m. – great stuff.  I felt fine, but could not sleep – excitement was too intense.  I began to realize that there is a war and a real one at that.  Have been on the alert all day, which means that you should be ready to go up at a minute’s notice, but the weather was bad today, and it’s called off and I am now on repose.  During the attack you have to be ready to go at any time, depending when the call comes in from the line.  There is always some news coming over the wires.  The French officers are very cordial and great sports.  We have our own bar and the food is excellent.  The plates on the table are painted in with the esquadrille number and insignia.  My esquadrille insignia is a white swan.  We are presented with a pin to wear after a certain number of trips over the lines.  My orderly takes care of my clothes, shines my shoes, makes the bed and does my errands.  I pay him 20 francs a month with tobacco.  It’s a great life.  We have our own car, a Cadillac 8, for about seven American officers.  We are not directly at the front, but can hear the big guns booming all day and night.  I have gotten quite used to them.

We came in so late last night that we could not set them up but my pilot and I were going to buy champagne (for the first time over) tonight.  It’s the custom.  This is the greatest branch of service.  It can’t be beat, and now that I have been over the lines and know what it is like, I want to go often – the more the merrier.  Guess I will get some mail from you in a few days; it is delayed somewhere.  Hope you are all well and write often.

First Lieutenant W.M. Ellis in my esquadrille left last night for American to take up instructions.

SOL

Since writing the above Lieut. Wise has been across the lines numerous times.  He has taken part in several combats and on August 14th succeeded in sending down a Boche flyer, after an exciting fight, for which he was decorated, receiving the Croix-de-guerre, the French War Cross.

In another letter he writes: “The life in camp is great.  The meals are splendid.  We always have wine and last night there were two kinds of wine and champagne.  I am living in a tent with a wooden floor and everything is fixed for the greatest comfort.

“I have a fast plane or ship, as the boys call them, and a good pilot.  We always cross the lines in groups or formation for safety, as the Boche won’t attack a formation unless he has three to one in his favor as a rule.  The Allies have the supremacy of the air at present and will continue to improve their effectiveness in the air as time goes on.  I am perfectly satisfied with the life at the front here and I hope I stay with the French until the war ends.  Like everything else, you get used to going over the lines, as it’s all in a day’s work and after you get thoroughly used to it and know the ins and outs of the war game in the air, you think it’s the greatest sport in the world.  I haven’t received your letters for several weeks but suppose they will turn up somewhere.  Write often as mail is scarce.

SOL

Lieutenant Wise is a grand nephew of the late Rabbi Isaac M. Wise.

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References

Bailey, Frank W., and Cony, Christopher, The French Air Service War Chronology 1914-1918, Grub Street, London, England, 2001

Wise, Sol, Interesting Letter From Aviator, The American Israelite, September 9, 1918

The American Israelite (Wikipedia), at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Israelite

Breguet 14 (Wikipedia), at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breguet_14

Breguet 14 Observer’s Position (Photograph), at http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205358272

Escadrille VB 111 – VC-111 – Sop 111 – Br 111, at http://albindenis.free.fr/Site_escadrille/escadrille111.htm

Military Aircraft Personnel (Database of Navigators and Ground Personnel of the [French] Air Force During the Great War), at http://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/en/article.php?larub=81