Georges Madon
| Georges Madon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 28 July 1892 Bizerte, Tunisia |
| Died | 11 November 1924 (aged 32) Tunis, Tunisia |
| Allegiance | France |
| Service/branch | Engineers, flying service |
| Years of service | 1912 - 1924 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | BL30, MF218, N38, Spa38 |
| Commands held | Spa38 |
| Awards | Legion d'Honneur, Medaille Militaire, Croix de Guerre |
| Other work | Air racer |
Georges Félix Madon (July 28, 1892 – November 11, 1924) was the fourth ranked French ace pilot of the First World War. His lengthy career and wide variety of aviation experiences were remarkable.
Madon was born in Bizerte, Tunisia and was athletic from an early age. He was short but had an erect stance, and was exceptionally strong. He boxed and played football.
Madon first became interested in aviation when just 15 years old, when he made an unsuccessful attempt to build his own craft. He had quit school to get over a siege of malaria. After building models and kites, he fabricated a bicycle-powered "aviette".
His desire to fly led him to attempt to become a pilot for the Ottoman Empire. When that failed, he enlisted in the First Engineering Regiment in Versailles, and ended up as a cook. He repeatedly requested pilot's training.
He subsequently qualified as a pilot in June 1911, after 19 lessons. On March 12, 1912, he enlisted in the French military and received his military pilot's license at Avord, France, in January 1913. Although only a corporal, he was one of France's most experienced military pilots. He originally flew reconnaissance and night-time bombing missions while assigned to fly prewar Bleriots with Escadrille (squadron) BL30. The night flying missions were some of the first ever, and his experience probably accounted for this assignment. Certainly it saved his life, when on October 30, 1914, his engine was destroyed by a direct hit from 77 mm cannon fire. It took exceptional skill to coax the Bleriot to a dead stick landing against the wind within French lines.
In April 1915, thrown off course by heavy fog, Madon flew into Swiss air space while qualifying upon a new 80 horsepower (60 kW) Farman, and was interned for several months. It took him two tries to escape, but he freed himself in December by chloroforming and kidnapping his guard. His reward was a court-martial and 60 days confinement.
He was then posted to Escadrille MF218 as a sergeant directing artillery fire. He requested transfer to a fighter squadron.
After retraining at Pau and Cazaux, he was posted to fly Nieuports with N38 on September 1, 1916. He scored his first victory on the 28th. By the year's end, he was up to four and had been promoted to adjutant.
Madon began the new year by strafing an enemy locomotive to a halt. Later, on July 2, 1917, he was wounded in action when he collided with an enemy aircraft and crashed. By then, he had 12 victories. The following month, he was commissioned a sous lieutenant. By October, his confirmed score was 17, with 20 unconfirmed. He was said to have returned with blood and brains on his plane's propeller three times; another time, he brought home the glasses from an enemy observer's face stuck in his plane's wire bracing.
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