Terror of the Autumn Skies:

New Biography on Frank Luke Tries to Set the Record Straight
Ajo Copper News, October 1, 2008
Frank Luke, for whom Lukeville and Luke Air Force base were named, flew his final mission ninety years ago. He was the stuff legends are made of, and legends about the man abound. A new biography, Ter­ror of the Autumn Skies by Blain Pardoe attempts to separate fact from fiction.

Frank Luke Jr., born in 189'7, is remembered as a nervous talker, always energetic. The scion of a family that speculated in mining properties and water rights, he briefly lived in Ajo from 1915 to 1916, working at the mine and teaching dancing at a dance hall he co-owned. His brother Charles ran the Palace Commercial Company, a hard­ware store, in the Plaza area.

Frank Luke joined the army in August 1917 and received his aviation wings in January 1918. Soon in France, his specialty was downing German observation balloons, a dangerous target. For a brief time, he was the greatest fighter ace in American history.

Shot down and fatally wounded on September 29, 1918, he crawled away from his plane to a grove of trees, pulling his service pistol to fight it out with German troops - dying before the fight, began. He was buried in France.     -

History aficionado Joe David says the book is extremely well researched. "I'd recommend it," he said, "especially to World War I buffs since there aren't that many WWI books out there."

Asked what drew him to write about Luke, the author replied, "When I was a kid f i+ead Balloon Buster and the story grabbed me. Frank Luke came out of the last bastion of the wild west, Ajo and Phoenix, and in just 30 days at the front became the American Ace of Aces. Frank seemed to be a bridge between the Arizona of old and the modern world. He was the first pilot to be awarded the Medal of Honor-And the first, person from Arizona to earn that distinction. In doing so. he ush­ered Arizona into the United States. As I researched the story, I found many of the `facts' of Balloon Buster were wrong, but that the true story was far more interesting," he said.

Booklist 7/1/08 Terror of the Autumn Skies:The Story of Frank Luke, America's Rogue Ace of World War I.  By Blaine Pardoe.
This painstaking biography of World War I ace Frank Luke will earn Pardoe kudos, even if some readers may prefer fewer romantic references to pilots flying into the sunset than Pardoe affords.  Pardoe, however, has flown a very straight course in researching and recounting Luke's myth-ridden life.  Born to a respectable family in Phoenix, Luke certainly had a wild streak but was also a natural pilot. His combat career was short--basically, the autumn of 1918--but he ran up a score of 14 German balloons (more dangerous targets than German planes) and four enemy fighters before being shot down and killed by German ground guns defending a descending balloon. Thorough annotation makes the book that much more valuable to WWI aviation scholars as well as for more casual air-combat buffs.--Roland Green

“Best description I have read about the downing of observation balloons in World War I, and how appropriate in a new biography of Frank Luke, Jr., the Arizona balloon buster.  In a quick-read, fast-paced narrative, Blaine Pardoe refreshingly re-tells, and corrects, the story of Frank Luke’s life and amazing aerial exploits.”
Jack Ballard: Author of War Bird Ace: The Great War Exploits of Captain Field E. Kindley

“Much has been written about Luke in the past (including by this writer), but in Terror of the Autumn Skies, Blaine Pardoe contributes the fruits of dedicated research into the man, his family, the fiancée whose love for him endured throughout her lifetime and the complexities of his true personality.  The author also devotes much space to separating the truth from the fiction that grew around Luke’s short, meteoric career.  Even stripped of the often grotesque embellishments added by hack hagiographers and sensationalists, Frank Luke’s actual accomplishments stand up quite well enough.”    
Jon Guttman, Noted military historian and author.

“Terror.. is a must read for both aviators and WWI historians or buffs. Luke springs off the pages and we see, hear, and smell the scenes of history. Pardoe's extensive use of primary documentation gives an accurate picture of American aviation as well as warfare of this era. The bibliography alone can be an invaluable tool to researchers.”
Marilyn Chang, Director. Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum Research Library 

A Moment with Pardoe
By Ray Finefrock
Published: October 2, 2008 – Culpeper Star Exponent

Amissville author Blaine Pardoe is the author of “Terror of the Autumn Skies,” a book about World War I flying ace Frank Luke Jr. The Star-Exponent interviewed Pardoe via e-mail last week. 

CSE: What drew you to writing about Luke? 

Blaine Pardoe: When I was a kid I read the book “Balloon Buster.” At the time that was considered the authority on the life of Frank Luke. When I read it I was fascinated with his story. This young kid, not college educated, rising to become the “Ace of Aces,” and dying in a gunfight with the Germans on the ground. When I did my book I found out how much of “Balloon Buster” was fabricated, but I also learned that the truth was far more exciting. Luke was a true American hero, but like so many, he has been forgotten.

And then there was World War I aviation in general. Just over 10 years after the Wright Brothers flight, we had men flying in sophisticated box kites with motors and machine guns shooting at each other. That age of aviation has a sense of honor and chivalry about it that is very appealing.

CSE: You have written now two books about World War I. What’s the attraction for you? 

BP: Over a million Americans were mobilized for the Great War — yet surprisingly few books have been written on it. We showed up, ‘late for the dance,’ so to speak, coming in near the end of the war, but tipping the scales of victory. It gets glossed over in the history of our country, but the stories of the men that fought in that brutal war shouldn’t be ignored or forgotten.

CSE: How long did it take to research and write “Terror?”

BP: It took 3 to 5 years of research and writing to pull together the book. In some respects the history is still being written. New facts emerge every month about Frank Luke and the men that served with him. I was recently contacted by someone who has audio tapes of his grandfather talking about Frank Luke, a man he served with. The story is never really over.

CSE: What is your definition of courage? 

BP: Great question. Courage is holding on one minute longer than everyone else. Courage is stepping forward when every fiber of your being says step back. Courage is being willing to do the impossible because it is the right thing to do.

CSE: Do you think because of his personality and psychological makeup that Luke was destined for his fate? 

BP: The flames that burn the brightest burn the quickest. Frank tackled every aspect of his life all-out. He didn’t know how to hold back, it wasn’t in his nature. I think it played a role in his death, but at the same time I don’t think he would have wanted to live any other way.

CSE: What impressed you the most about Luke? 

BP: Aside from being the first aviator to be awarded the Medal of Honor, what impressed me about Frank was the meteoric rise of his career. He was assigned to the front in July of 1918 and by September was the American “Ace of Aces,” passing even Rickenbacker. His victories were against the most difficult targets out there, observation balloons, which made them even more incredible.

To me, Frank represented the last vestige of the Wild West. He was a cowboy in the air. There is nothing more American than the image of the cowboys, and nothing more dashing than a pilot. Frank combined that iconic imagery.


Shedding Light on a Hero
By Ray Finefrock

Published: October 2, 2008 – Culpeper Star Exponent
2nd Lt. Frank Luke Jr. once may have been among the most unknown of American military heroes. No more. 

With the recent release of the book “Terror of the Autumn Skies,” Amissville author Blaine Pardoe has turned a spotlight on the first American flying ace to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Army Air Service, as the fledging group that was to eventually become the U.S. Air Force was called in 1918, was made up of daredevils and heroes, rogues and rebels. Luke was all of those things. Luke flew biplanes that were little more than wood, cloth, wires and an engine with a special interrupter gear that allowed pilots to fire machine guns through the rapidly rotating propeller. Prior to the invention of the interrupter gear, propellers were reinforced with steel to deflect bullets. 

In a period of eight days Luke shot down 10 German balloons and four enemy aircraft, prompting fellow American ace and Congressional Medal of Honor winner Eddie Rickenbacker to call him the “most daring aviator and greatest fighter pilot of the entire war.” 

Pardoe has written “The Cruise of the Sea Eagle,” also about World War I, as well as 11 novels in the BattleTech/Mech Warrior series. 

Using sources ranging from historical accounts to letters written by Luke and his contemporaries — as well as other books, newspapers, military reports, official reports and museum archives – Pardoe chronicles Luke’s life from his birth on May 19, 1897 to the day he was killed in action on Sept. 29, 1918 at the age of 21. 

The book reads almost like a mystery novel, filled with arcane details, conversations and letter excerpts. I had to remind myself that all of this actually happened.

Pardoe has a knack for weaving a compelling story while interspersing factual and historical information. The reader will come away with a thorough knowledge of what life was like for aviators on the front of the Great War. 

 
There are few problems with this work: Sometimes so many names and facts are included that it slows down the narrative flow. Pardoe switches back and forth between calling his subject “Frank” and “Luke.” When he does it in the same paragraph it is a bit confusing. Also some details – like calling the copper mine in Ajo, Az. “New Corleia” instead of “New Cornelia” and terming people from Arizona “Arizonians” instead of “Arizonans” – are missed. 
 
Those minor quibbles aside, however, Pardoe has written a thoroughly enjoyable and informative book. It’s a must read for not only World War I enthusiasts and fans of military history, but also for the casual reader who wants to know more about a great American hero and the era in which he lived.

What Others Historians and Authors Say About Blaine Pardoe and the Cruise of the Sea Eagle:

“Blaine Pardoe has taken a true-life World War I episode of daring on the high seas, and has spun it into an old style swashbuckler.  Don’t be surprised when you find yourself rooting for the pirates!”  Sherry Sontag, co-author of the bestselling Blind Man’s Bluff, the Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage.  

 “Felix von Luckner may have been the last of the privateers, a German sea “pirate” whose sailing ship was an anachronism in World War I, and whose adventures seem too good to be true.  Blaine Pardoe’s wonderful account of this adventurer would make several films if audiences could believe it all really happened, which it did.”  Professor William C. Davis, Virginia Tech, author of over 50 books including the highly acclaimed Three Roads to the Alamo.