Lieutenant Julien Anatole Guertiau (13 September 1885 - 26 April 195) was a cavalryman turned aviator who became a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

during World War I. He was credited with eight aerial victories.

Early life and service

Julien Anatole Guertiau was born in Meunet-Planches, France on 13 September 1885. He reported for his mandatory military service in 1907. He was released from active duty as a

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

World War I

On 2 August 1914, he was mobilized from the reserves for military service in World War I. His initial assignment was to the 7e Regiment de Hussards. On 4 November 1915, he transferred to aviation service. After training at

Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pau (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune overlooking the Pyrenees, the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regions of France, region of Southwestern France. The city is locat ...

, he received his military pilot's license, Brevet No. 3036, on 20 March 1916. After undergoing advanced training, on 23 June 1916 he was assigned to Escadrille C43 as a

Caudron The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for ...

pilot. He scored his first aerial victory while flying this model two-seater on 29 September 1916; this win brought him his first mention in dispatches on 29 October. He was then promoted to

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

on 21 November 1916. Rather unusually, he would run his victory string while flying the unwieldy two-seater Caudron to four. His fourth victory, in which his plane was riddled by bullets as he engaged and shot down a German plane attacking a French

observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for gathering intelligence and spotting artillery. The use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World ...

, earned him the ''Medaille Militaire''. Following these successes, he was retrained as a fighter pilot, beginning on 5 November 1917. He was commissioned as a sous lieutenant on 23 November. On 6 December 1917, he was assigned to Escadrille 97 as a Spad pilot. He would score another four victories while with this squadron. On 9 September 1918, he was awarded the ''Legion d'honneur''. On 25 September, he was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. On 3 October, he was appointed to command the squadron.

List of aerial victories

Post World War I

Guertiau went on to serve in

French Indo-China French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

in 1921. Guertiau remained interested in aviation after his return to France. He registered as part owner of a Guerchais-Roche T.12 under designation F-AIYL on 1 March 1929; his home of record was given as Etampes. Nothing more is known of Julien Anatole Guertiau except that he died on 26 April 1954.

Endnotes

References

* ''Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914-1918'' Norman L. R. Franks, Frank W. Bailey. Grub Street, 1992. , .

External links

Photograph
of Guertiau and his mechanics posed in front of their

in Escadrille 43. {{DEFAULTSORT:Guertiau, Julien 1885 births 1954 deaths French World War I flying aces Knights of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)