Drachen Slayer

L/E of 200 Giclee Prints on Paper
S/N by the Artist
Image Size: 23½" x 15¾"

Plane Type: Spad XIII

Arizona native Frank Luke scored all 18 of his credited victories between September 12, 1918 and September 29, 1918, 18 victories in 18 days! Even more incredible is the fact that 14 of these 18 victories were observation balloons. These heavily defended targets were considered by most pilots to be the most difficult aerial targets to attack, however Frank Luke seems to have made them his victims of choice. Early in the war the Germans used a balloon design known as the Drachen, however, even after changing to a more practical design, German balloons were still known by that name. Shown here is Frank Luke’s 6th victory, an observation balloon over the town of Chaumont. PLANE JUNKIE - Drachen Slayer by Russell Smith (Spad XIII)