Mr Georges Guynemer

Georges Guynemer

Famed French ace Georges Guynemer entered World War I as a mechanic before getting his pilot’s license and first taking to the skies in June 1915. Guynemer downed German aircraft at an impressive rate over the next year, and soon established himself as the most feared pilot in France’s famed N.3 squadron, known as the “storks.” All the while, he used his mechanical know-how to make technical improvements to his aircraft. One particularly audacious creation was the so-called “avion magique,” a specially designed Spad XII fighter that sported a 37mm single shot cannon. The cannon was so strong that Guynemer risked crashing his plane simply by firing it, but he managed to use the experimental machine to claim at least two victories. Though known for his uncompromising approach to combat, Guynemer also embodied the myth of the chivalrous pilot. During a famous June 1917 episode, he engaged in a lengthy dogfight with Ernst Udet, a top German ace. As each man twisted his machine through the sky in an attempt to gain the upper hand, Udet discovered that the guns on his plane had become hopelessly jammed. The German was certain he would be killed, but to his surprise, Guynemer simply acknowledged his plight with a wave of his hand and flew off. Like Udet, Guynemer also had his fair share of close calls—he survived seven plane crashes—but his luck finally ran out on September 11, 1917, when he was shot down and killed during a mission over Belgium. He would end the war with 54 enemy planes on his score sheet—second best in the nation after France’s “ace of aces,” Rene Fonck.