18/04/2024
Aviation Pioneers

Georges Guynemer – Valiant Captain of WW1

Early Military Life

Georges Guynemer was brought into the world on December 24, 1894 in Paris, France. He studied at Stanislas High School, and got intrigued by flight and space science at a youthful age. He owed his unmistakable fascination for flying to one of his friends. His friend was the child of the Panhard Motor Company. He thereby had information on the internal combustion motor through this companionship. Thus, he was quite keen to get into the Air Service. After graduating college at the age of sixteen, Georges began aviation studies without informing his family.

When World War I broke out in 1914, he was refused to enter to the air force. The reason was that: he was too weak. It was exactly five times that he was rejected. He was 20 years old at the time when he was denied to the French national air forces. Georges did not give up his ambition, and graduated from aviation school in Pau in 1915. The name of his first plane that allocated to him was a L monoplane. The airplane was earlier operated by Charles Bonnard.

Georges Guynemer

He made his first professional flight on February 17, 1915. Afterwards; he joined the fleet called “Storks” as a pilot. In the wake of getting the pilot certificate, he joined the Third Fleet that known as M.S. On 19 July 1915, he destroyed his first plane, which was a German aircraft. Guynemer turned into the originally Allied pilot to destroy a German bomber plane on 8 February 1917.

His Decease

On September 11, 1917, he went on patrol with the SPAD S.XIII model aircraft. He was also joined by a subsequent aircraft driven by a less experienced pilot named Jean Bozon-Verduraz. During the mission, he ran over a German reconnaissance aircraft. It was close to Poelkapelle in western Belgium. Seeing an enemy aircraft, Georges dived against him. Noticing several German planes flying over him, Boson-Verduraz surveillance plane returned without fighting. Although the Germans announced that they had shot down Guynemer’s aircraft, neither the aircraft nor himself was found.

He fought until the end of his life. He effectively flew with two-seater “Morane-Saulnier”, single place aircraft “Nieuport”, and “Spad” airplane. Guynemer was 23 years old. His unfading dream was to wreck 50 enemy aircrafts. Eventually, he shot down 50 German aircraft, and promoted to be a captain. He received the fourth rank of “Legion of honor”. In addition; he was quite possibly the most popular French military pilots in World War I.

The life of Georges Guynemer was only an epic.  “The ace of aces”, “the knight of the air”, “the angel of victory”. These titles all belong to the legendary young aviator. He is regarded as a hero of the WWI. In fact, the press at that time exclaimed all his successes as: ” The legendary airman Guynemer accomplishes feats after feats”.  Today, he is still regarded as the aviator who has the most unshakeable faith in victory.

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