René Fonck

René Fonck
René Fonck wearing the Légion d'honneur
Birth name	René Paul Fonck
Born	27 March 1894 Saulcy-sur-Meurthe, Vosges, France
Died	18 June 1953 (aged 59) Paris, France
Allegiance	France
Service/branch	Infantry, French Air Service
Years of service	1914–1918 1937–1940
Rank	Colonel
Unit	C47, Spa103
Awards	Légion d'honneur Médaille militaire Croix de guerre Military Cross Military Medal Belgian Croix de guerre

Colonel René Paul Fonck (27 March 1894 – 18 June 1953) was a French aviator who ended the First World War as the top Allied fighter ace, and when all succeeding aerial conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries are also considered, Fonck still holds the title of "all-time Allied Ace of Aces". He received confirmation for 75 victories (72 solo and three shared) out of 142 claims. Taking into account his probable claims, Fonck's final tally could conceivably be nearer 100 or above. He was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1918 and later a Commander of the Legion of Honor after the war.

Fonck was born on 27 March 1894 in the village of Saulcy-sur-Meurthe in the Vosges region of north eastern France. During his formative years, he received an engineering education at Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Metiers. Although he had been interested in aviation from his youth, he was rejected for immediate incorporation in the air service when conscripted on 22 August 1914, instead he was requested to undergo five months basic training in the combat engineers. His basic training duties involved him first in digging trenches near Épinal, and later in bridge repairs on the Moselle river.

On 15 February 1915 he was finally accepted into basic training to learn how to fly. He went into training at St. Cyr and then at Le Crotoy on a Blériot Penguin, a reduced-wingspan "flightless" version of the famous Blériot XI aircraft that gave the sensation of flying while still on the ground. He completed his pilot training in May 1915 and then flew Caudron G III observation aircraft with Escadrille C 47.

On 25 May 1916 Fonck's observer was killed by an anti-aircraft shell burst, a fate that almost befell Fonck a few weeks later. Fonck claimed his first enemy aircraft in July 1916, but his victory was unconfirmed.

On 6 August, he attacked a German Rumpler C.III, and by maneuvering over and around the reconnaissance plane, staying out of its fields of fire, forced it lower and lower until the German crew landed behind French lines. It was his first verified victory, though shared with his observer, Lieutenant Thiberge. It brought him the Médaille militaire in late August 1916.