| Georges Guynemer | |
|---|---|
| 24 December 1894 – 11 September (?), 1917 | |
 Georges Guynemer |
|
| Place of birth | Paris |
| Place of death | South of Poelkapelle, Belgium (presumably) |
| Allegiance | France |
| Service/branch | French Air Service |
| Years of service | 1914-1917 |
| Rank | Capitaine |
| Unit | Escadrille N.3, MS 3, Spa3 |
| Awards | Légion d'Honneur, Croix de Guerre, Médaille Militaire |
Georges Guynemer (24 December 1894 - 11 September 1917 missing) was a French national hero during World War I, and a top fighter ace at the time of his death.
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Georges Marie Ludovic Jules Guynemer was born to a wealthy Compiègne family and experienced an often sickly childhood. Nevertheless, he succeeded as an aviator through his enormous drive and self-confidence. He was originally rejected for military service, but was accepted for training as a mechanic in late 1914. With determination, he gained acceptance to pilot training, joining Escadrille MS.3 on 8 June 1915. He remained in the same unit for his entire service.[1] He experienced both victory and defeat on the first plane allocated to him, a Morane-Saulnier L monoplane previously flown by Charles Bonnard, and accordingly named Vieux Charles (Old Charles). Guynemer kept the name and continued to use it for most of his later aircraft.
On 5 December 1915, the Escadrille MS.3 was renamed the Escadrille N.3, after being re-equipped with new Nieuport 10 fighters. Flying the more effective plane, Guynemer quickly established himself as one of France's premier fighter pilots. He became an ace by his fifth victory in February 1916, and was promoted to lieutenant in March. At the year's end, his score had risen to 25. Capitaine Brocard, commander of Escadrille N.3 (Storks), described Guynemer at that time as "...my most brilliant Stork."[1] Less than a year later, Guynemer was promoted to captain and commander of the Storks squadron.
On 8 February 1917, flying a SPAD VII, Guynemer became the first Allied pilot to shoot down a German heavy bomber (Gotha G.III).[2] His greatest month was May 1917, when he downed seven German aircraft. At the end of July, he became the first French ace to attain 50 victories. Guynemer was lionized by the French press and became a national hero. The French government encouraged the publicity to boost morale and take the people's minds off the terrible losses in the trenches. Guynemer was embarrassed by the attention, but his shyness only increased the public's appetite to know everything about him. This was quite different later in 1918 with the French top ace René Fonck, who despite having 75 confirmed victories, had bad publicity for his arrogance and shameless self-promotion.
Guynemer failed to return from a combat mission on 11 September 1917. At 08:30, with young pilot Bozon-Verduraz, Guynemer took off in his Spad XIII S.504 n°2. His mission was to patrol the Langemark area. At 09:25, near Poelkapelle, Guynemer sighted a lone Rumpler, a German observation plane, and dived towards it. Bozon-Verduraz saw several Fokkers above him, and by the time he had shaken them off, his leader was nowhere in sight, so he returned alone. Guynemer never came back.[3]
Neither the wreckage of his airplane, his body, nor his personal effects were ever found, but the Germans announced that he had been shot down by Lt. Kurt Wissemann of Jasta 3, who in turn was killed in action 17 days later. French schoolchildren of the time were taught that Guynemer had flown so high, he couldn't come back down again. At the time of his death, he had tallied 53 victories. In all, he survived being shot down seven times, despite not having a parachute. It is not clear if he was killed in the crash of his plane or if he survived, only to be shot on the ground in no-man's land. Some speculate that his aircraft may have been blown apart by artillery shells.
Guynemer's death was a profound shock to France; nevertheless, he remained an icon for the duration of the war. Only 22 at his death, he continued to inspire the nation with his advice, "Until one has given all, one has given nothing."
September 1917 became to be known by the French, British and German governments as the "black month", in point of casualties, among expert aviators, since the World War began. Case in point: France lost Captain Georges Guynemer and Captain Huerteaux would not fly agan due to wounds, and Second Lieutenant Nungessor was severely wounded in the hip by an explosive bullet; Captain Matton of the British Royal Flying Corps was severely wounded; Germany's leading ace Captain Baron Von Richthofen was badly wounded, and his younger brother, Lieutenant Von Richthofen, was killed, and Lieutenants Deutsvoss, Wolf and Dossenbach perished.
Confirmed by his squadron commander Major Brocard and officially announced in Paris by the French War Department on 25 September 1917, Captain Georges Guynemer, regarded as the most brilliant aviator of the war, was missing in action- never to fly again. Unofficial confirmation came from a captured German pilot who was shot down behind Canadian lines the evening of 29 September. The 25 September details released by the French War Department were unclassified and became public knowledge as described by one of his flying comrades (name withheld due to security reasons):[4]
"Guynemer sighted five machines of the Albatros type D-3. Without hesitation, he bore down on them. At that moment enemy patrolling machines, soaring at a great height, appeared suddenly and fell upon Guynemer. There were forty enemy machines in the air at this time, including Count von Richtofen and his circus division of machines, painted in diagonal blue and white stripes. Toward Guynemer's right some Belgian machines hove in sight, but it was too late. Guynemer must have been hit. His machine dropped gently toward the earth, and I lost track of it. All that I can say is that the machine was not on fire."
Additional details were furnished by Major Brocard, commander of the "Storks," the squadron to which Guynemer belonged. As listed in an article from the Paris Le Matin:
"The last fight of the French aviator occurred four or five miles inside the German lines northeast of Ypres and opposite the British lines. Captain Guynemer was accompanied by Lieutenant Bozon Verduraz, who says that they were flying at a height of 15,000 feet when Guynemer sighted an an enemy two-seater, which he attacked. Almost at the same moment Verduraz saw four German monoplanes approaching and turned toward them instantly so as to draw them off. They circled around for a while and then disappeared. Verduraz then returned to the place where he had left Guynemer engaged with the German biplane, but Guynemer has vanished."
According to an American Red Cross communique from the French front, the death of Captain Georges Guynemer was determined to be "definitely confirmed".[5] This Red Cross report provided these details:
"Information received by the Red Cross says Guynemer was shot through the head north of Poelcapelle, on the Ypres front. His body was identified by a photograph on his pilot's license found in his pocket. The burial took place at Brussels in the presence of a guard of honor, composed of the 5th Prussian Division. Such is the story told by a Belgian, who has just escaped from the Germans. The burial was aobut to take place at Poelcapelle, when the bombardment preceding the British attack at Ypres started. The burying party hastily withdrew, taking the body with them. The German General chanced to be an aviation enthusiast with a great admiration for Captain Guynemer's achievements. At his direction the body was taken to Brussels in a special funeral car. Thither the captain was carried by non-commissioned officers and was covered with floral tributes from German aviators. The Prussian Guards stood at salute upon its arrival and during the burial, which was given all possible military military honors. The French Government has been invited to place in the Pantheon, where many great Frenchmen are buried, an inscription to perpetuate the memory of Captain Guynemer as 'a symbol of the aspirations and enthusiasm of the Army.' A resolution to this effect has been introduced in the Chamber of Deputies by Deputy Lasies."
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Georges Guynemer (24 December 1894 – 11 September 1917) was a French aviator and fighter pilot in the First World War.
   | Georges Guynemer's career described at WWIAviation.com - French Aces of WW1 - Georges Guynemer |
| | Georges Guynemer - "Who's Who" at FirstWorldWar.com - First World War.com - Who's Who - Georges Guynemer |
| | Storks squadron - Guynemer (Queries) - The Aerodrome Forum |
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