It’s September 12th, 1918 and at the controls of his fighter is 2nd Lieutenant Frank Luke.
He threads his way through heavy fire as his target looms larger and larger in his sights.
The rest of his squadron are hanging back out of the range of fire.
This is a dangerous job for 1 man.
Why risk the whole squadron when one troublesome Maverick pilot can go in quickly and do the job?
Frank has been ‘volunteered’ after upsetting the squadron commander, and the commander
had obviously decided that losing Frank would not be a critical loss.
But Frank has no time for regrets now.
He can see the target dwarfing his tiny plane.
It’s a German observation balloon.
The Germans have been spying on the enemy using these hydrogen-filled balloons as a way to get vital information on troop movements.
Frank pulls the trigger, unleashing his twin machine guns on the target.
The bullets punch straight into the balloon’s fabric, causing a leak of the highly flammable hydrogen.
He keeps firing, hoping to set the flammable gas alight, but despite his best efforts,
it doesn’t happen, and he’s forced to pull away before hitting the balloon.
He looks back angrily to a still-floating balloon.
“Damn it!”
He turns his S.XIII around for another run, once again braving the air thick with anti-aircraft fire
as he unleashes a second barrage into the balloon, determined to take it down even as his aircraft is torn to pieces around him by the enemy.
He pours bullets into its flank, getting closer, closer,
but it never sets alight, and at the last second, he pulls away by the skin of his teeth.
The brave aviator escapes the onslaught of enemy fire, but he’s unsatisfied.
He knows he must have punched dozens of holes into it.
By all intents and purposes, his mission is complete.
But Frank wants to see flames.
Fearless and despite all the damage already done to his bird, he turns right around for a third pass.
Up above his squadron mates watch in astonishment as he braves the enemy fire a third time.
Frank pulls the trigger, unleashing all he’s got in the last-ditch attempt.
Finally, one of his bullets detonates within the balloon.
The small flame of the explosion grows rapidly, swelling and consuming the highly flammable hydrogen,
exploding out of the balloon, and continuing to grow into the air as it chases the plume of leaking gas.
In the blink of an eye, a gigantic fireball lights up the battlefield.
Often pilots shooting balloons would fall prey to the fireball as it fell upon them.
But Frank is too quick, and he dives away before the inferno catches him,
making a rapid escape as the target crumbles into a falling pillar of smoke and flame.
The squadron leader watches in shock from above.
It seems, despite all the insubordination, the new kid was no coward after all.
Upon his return to the airfield, his peers saw Frank in newfound respect.
But still, one balloon was not enough to become popular.
But still, he found friendship with fellow squadmate Joseph Wehner.
His balloon victory on the 12th of September sparked a fire within Frank, and along with Wehner,
they would go on nothing short of a rampage.
The two men volunteered for mission after mission.
When no missions were forthcoming, they would go free hunting on their own volition, engaging all balloons and aircraft they came across.
For three days, the line was alight with flaming balloons,
the pair often returning with aircraft so badly damaged, that they had to be provided with new machines.
On September 15th, Wehner and Frank deliberated together on the best way to attack the balloons.
It's then when they got the idea of attacking just as the evening turned to night,
in hopes of making the enemy's aim poorer, and catching the Germans busy lowering the balloons.
They put the idea to the test that same day, taking flight at 6:50 pm.
They arrived at their destination just as dusk sets over the war-torn land.
The balloon is nestled between the trees as the ground crew prepared to deflate it.
It’s perfect.
The pair dived straight down upon the target, guns blazing.
The bullets rained upon the enemy, and the balloon is set alight.
The flames completely engulfed the airship in seconds, creating a massive fireball that once again illuminates the landscape.
The Germans spotted them, and Anti-aircraft guns opened up on the two SPADs, but it’s too late, and the two men made their escape.
The plan was a complete success, and Frank's superiors quickly spread the word of this new tactic.
The very next day, several dignitaries arrived for a demonstration using two enemy balloons visible from the airfield.
Among them, Eddie Rickenbacker, the top American Ace, and at the time, a Distinguished Flying Cross recipient.
Brimming with confidence, Frank Luke approaches him and says,
"Keep your eyes on these two balloons. You will see the first one out there go up in flames at exactly 7:15,
and the other one will do likewise at 7:19."
Rickenbacker gives him back a skeptical look, and Frank heads for his fighter.
The two aircraft flly off into the darkness, leaving the airfield and gathered officers in silence.
As the time approached, an officer voiced his skepticism.
"It's impossible. To get a balloon at all is a feat.
To time its demise five hours ahead is beyond reason. And to do it at night is just not on the cards."
"Five seconds."
“Wow, I can’t believe he is done it!”
The men erupt in cheers as the bright orange light denotes victory just in time.
"By God! There she goes!"
“No way, I can’t believe he is done it!”
Minutes later, the second balloon is also brought down in a ball of flame, to the joy of the crowd.
There’s a hum in the distance.
The assembled crowd erupt in cheers and applause as 2 planes fly back.
Their warbirds covered the propeller to the tail in scars from their battle.
That day, Frank Luke would earn his new nickname.
“The Arizona Balloon Buster”.
“Lucky bastard!”
On the 18th of September, just six days since the rampage began, Frank and Wehner were out in their usual hunts.
Frank had already taken down two more balloons with Wehner covering him.
Neither noticed as two Fokker D.VIIs attacked them from above.
They pounced on Wehner, who was forced into a sharp evading tactic.
The Germans gave chase, guns ripping apart the small biplane.
With the absence of radios, Frank tragically didn’t realize his friend’s desperate situation and flew on.
Wehner fought valiantly but couldn’t hold them back.
His wings were shredded, and his war bird plummeted to the ground.
Joseph Wehner tragically perished from his injuries.
The incident devastated Frank.
Around this same time, his story caught the public’s imagination,
and his feats were shared to the world, but he couldn’t bring himself to celebrate.
What choice did Frank have?
He decided to carry on the fight alone, taking several more balloons across the front.
It wasn't the same without his friend, and the odds would surely catch up with him eventually.
On September 29th, Frank set off against three balloons sitting six miles behind enemy lines.
Approaching the target, he shoots one down one and then another with practiced perfection.
Just one more.
He’s on approach and there's a shot, louder than usual.
Frank looks down.
He’s been hit in the chest.
Struggling to keep his plane level and still under fire, he manages to get off a shot.
Frank smiles through the pain as the balloon erupts in fire.
He pulls away but he can’t carry on…
Rapidly losing blood,
he crash-lands near the town of Marveaux, France.
With a colossal effort, he manages to exit the plane.
When the Germans got to him, they found him a hundred meters away from his aircraft, ready for a last stand that was never to be.
He had succumbed to his injuries.
In his short 17 days of action, Frank had made a lasting impact on the United States Army Air Service.
The legend of the Arizona Balloon Buster was forever immortalized.
Edward Rickenbacker, now a Medal of Honor recipient, would say of Frank,
“He was the most daring aviator and greatest fighter pilot of the entire war.
His life is one of the brightest glories of our Air Service.
He went on a rampage and shot down fourteen enemy aircraft, including ten balloons, in eight days.
No other ace, not even the dreaded Richthofen, has ever come close to that.”
In truth, Frank Luke had achieved 18 victories, with 14 balloons and 4 aircraft.
Frank Luke Jr. would be awarded the Medal of Honor and two Distinguished Service Crosses for his valiant actions.
But Frank Luke’s legacy still lives on today.
On the 4th of February 2023, a balloon was spotted over North America inside US airspace.
Two F-22 Raptors were scrambled with orders to take down the balloon.
Modern-day Balloon Busters.
Their call signs were FRANK 1 and FRANK 2.
“Splash”.
“That is a t-kill. The balloon is completely destroyed”.
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