Fernand Henri Chavannes
Born(1897-04-16)April 16, 1897
Paris, France
DiedOctober 5, 1985(1985-10-05) (aged 88)
AllegianceFrance
Service/branchAviation
RankSous lieutenant
UnitEscadrille 176, Escadrille 112
AwardsLégion d'honneur
Médaille militaire
Croix de Guerre

Sous Lieutenant Fernand Henri Chavannes (1897-1985) was a French World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.[1]

Biography

Fernand Henri Chavannes was the son of renowned sinologist and Chinese scholar Édouard Chavannes.[2] The younger Chavannes was born on 16 April 1897 in Paris. He began his military service on 12 January 1916; on 29 February, he went for pilot training. On 21 December 1916, he received Military Pilot's Brevet No. 5074. After advanced training, he was posted to Escadrille 112 on 24 April 1917.[3] Chavannes and his friend Lionel de Marmier were chosen to share a new "cannon Spad", the SPAD XII, when it came out in mid-1917. The letters "M" and "C", representing their last names, were intertwined in paint on the side of its fuselage.[4]

Chavannes's string of seven confirmed victories began on 8 February 1918. After his fifth victory, he was commissioned as a temporary Sous lieutenant on 1 April 1918. He ended the war with seven victories.[3]

Honors and awards

"Pursuit pilot of exceptional audacity and skill. Entitled to eight citations and seven victories." Légion d'Honneur citation[1]

"First class pursuit pilot, courageous and with accomplished skill. He reported his fourth victory by attacking an enemy two-seater and forcing it to land behind our lines." Médaille Militaire citation, 13 April 1918[1]

  • Chavannes also won the Croix de Guerre with seven palmes and an etoile de bronze.

Sources of information

  1. 1 2 3 The Aerodrome website Retrieved on 29 April 2010.
  2. ↑ SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I. p. 11.
  3. 1 2 Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918, pp. 132-133
  4. ↑ SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I. p. 11.

References

  • Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918. Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank. Grub Street Publishing, 1993. ISBN 978-0-948817-54-0.
  • SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I. Jon Guttman. Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1841763160, 9781841763163.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.