As dusk fell over the St. Mihiel front, a lone SPAD crossed enemy lines and headed for a German observation balloon. In minutes, the “sausage” was flaming to earth, and Arizona cowboy Lt. Frank Luke, Jr., of the 27th Aero Squadron, had scored another victory. If the hunting was good, Luke could claim two balloons an evening, in spite of the fact that each sausage was protected by 20 to 50 machine guns, fighter planes, and hundreds of rifles fired by its ground crew.

Luke's strategy was to strike at dusk, when German defenses were down. His record of 15 enemy balloons and three planes in 17 days won Luke the Medal of Honor. No one ever equaled his record of three planes and two balloons in 10 minutes or 14 victories in eight days.

He flew a French-built SPAD XIII, powered by a 220-hp Hispano-Suiza engine to a top speed of 120 mph. The SPAD was structurally the strongest of all Allied fighters, and Luke tested its strength early every evening until the end of September.

On September 18, Luke and fellow balloon buster John Wehner went hunting at dusk. Wehner never returned, giving his life to protect his buddy. In the days that followed, Luke preferred to fly alone. He disappeared on September 29. It is almost certain that Luke was the unknown aviator killed near the village of Murvaux that same Sunday. According to French eyewitnesses, the airman shot down three balloons and two planes. Apparently injured, the pilot landed, stepped from his plane, and refused to surrender. He used hand weapons to kill 11 German soldiers and died firing his automatic.