Alfred Heurtaux
 Alfred Heurtaux |
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| Nickname(s) | The Bullet Catcher |
| Born | 20 May 1893 Nantes, France |
| Died | 30 December 1985 (aged 92) Chantilly, France |
| Buried at | Batignolles, France |
| Allegiance |
 France
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| Service/branch | Armée de l'Air |
| Years of service | 1912–1919, 1935–1945 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Unit | MS26, MS38, N3/Spa3 |
| Commands held | N3/Spa3 |
| Awards |
Grand Cross of the Légion d'Honneur Croix de Guerre Companion of the Order of Liberation Knight of the Order of Leopold (Belgian) |
| Other work | Member of the French Resistance during World War II. |
| SPAD S.VII | |
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| Spad S.VII such as Heurtaux flew. |
Alfred Marie-Joseph Heurtaux (20 May 1893 – 30 December 1985) was a French World War I fighter ace credited with 21 victories. Later in his life, he joined the French Resistance during World War II, and survived imprisonment in Buchenwald death camp to become a brigadier general in the post war Armée de l'Air.
Born on 20 May 1893 in Nantes, France, Alfred Heurtaux was the son of an artillery officer. He began his military career with his entry into officer training in 1912. In October, 1912, he began an obligatory preliminary year in the ranks of the 4e Regiment d'Hussards. In October 1913, he entered the military academy at Saint Cyr as an officer cadet (aspirant). On 4 August 1914, following the outbreak of World War I, he was commissioned as a sous-lieutenant in the 9e Regiment d'Hussards. In the next three months, he was cited for valor three times. On 6 December 1914, he transferred to aerial service.
He served in MS26 as an observer in Morane-Saulniers. He then passed through pilot's training, being brevetted a pilot on 29 May 1915. He was assigned to MS38, another Morane-Saulnier squadron. He was promoted to lieutenant on Christmas Day, 1915. On 5 June 1916, he transferred to a fighter squadron, N3, to fly Nieuports. Later, he assumed command of the unit. One of his duties would be coaching Russian ace Ivan Orlov in fighter tactics. Another would entail merging his escadrille with three others to form the world's first fighter wing, Groupe de Combat 12 on 16 October 1916. GC 12 would be better known by its nickname, Les Cigognes (the Storks) for the bird portrayed on their planes.
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