Maurice Boyau
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Maurice Jean-Paul Boyau (8 May 1888 – 16 September 1918) was a French rugby union player and a leading French ace of the First World War with 35 victories, and one of the most successful balloon busters. Balloon busting was the dangerous act of bringing down enemy observation balloons; these balloons were densely protected by anti-aircraft artillery and patrol flights.http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/boyau.htm Born in Mustapha, Algeria, on 8 May 1888, Boyau first served in the 144th Infantry Regiment before the war. Boyau was already known to the public when war began in 1914, having led the French rugby team. He served as an Army Service Corps driver for the first year or so of the conflict, then was accepted for pilot training.


Biography


Sporting career

Passionate and endowed for all sports, he particularly practised
rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
at the highest level. He played as a winger or center with
US Dax Union sportive dacquoise, also known as US Dax, is a French rugby union club currently playing in Nationale, the third level of the French league system. They were founded in 1904. They play at Stade Maurice Boyau (capacity 16,170). They wear ...
at first (whose stadium is currently named after him, and where a statue was erected in his honour, in 1924) then for Stade Bordelais and finally
Racing Club de France Racing Club de France, also known as RCF, is a French omnisport club that was founded on 20 April 1882 under the name Racing Club. Racing Club changed its name to Racing Club de France (RCF) on 21 November 1885. The club is located at the Bois d ...
during World War 1. He was also one of the most famous international players of his time. The day before the war, his honours included: * 6 caps for the French national team, 4 in 1912 and 2 in 1913, captaining twice * a
French championship The French rugby league championship (french: Le Championnat de France de Rugby à XIII) has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France since the sport was introduced to the country in the 1930s. ...
title in 1911 (the last final played by Stade Bordelais)


Flying service

He acquired his Pilot's Brevet on 28 November 1915. In late 1915, he was assigned as a flight instructor at Buc but arranged to join a combat unit as a Caporal in September 1916. He spent the rest of his career with
Escadrille 77 ''Escadrille Spa.77'' (originally ''Escadrille N.77'') was a French fighter and photo reconnaissance squadron active from 1916 to 1918 during the First World War. They were credited with the destruction of 34 German airplanes and observation ball ...
, known as "Les Sportifs" for the great number of athletes in its ranks. Boyau originally flew
Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...
s with them. His Nieuport's paint scheme featured a rather flamboyant serpentine dragon writhing the length of a white fuselage. As an enlisted pilot, Boyau was promoted to Sergeant. He scored his first ten victories between March and September 1917, including six balloons. During this spell, he shared the first of an eventual six balloon buster victories with fellow ace
Gilbert Sardier Lieutenant Jean Marie Luc Gilbert Sardier (1897-1976) was a World War I flying ace credited with 15 aerial victories.The Aerodrome websitRetrieved 27 January 2010. He remained active in aviation following World War I. During World War II, he was de ...
. He was then commissioned and continued his exceptional record flying SPADs. In the spring of 1918, Boyau began using air-to-air rockets, developed two years earlier. He had rocket tubes affixed to the inner set of interplane struts of his Spad XIII. He made his mark with repeated successes in the summer of 1918, scoring four victories in June; nine in July; and three in August. He burned his last four balloons in three days of September, but was killed by defending German fighters on the 16th, with
Georg von Hantelmann Leutnant Georg von Hantelmann (9 October 1898 – 7 September 1924) was a German fighter ace credited with winning 25 victories during World War I. It was notable that these victories included three opposing aces shot down within the same week in ...
receiving credit.


Legacy

Boyau accounted for 21 balloons (14 shared) and 14 aircraft (4 shared), ranking fifth among all French aces of The Great War. He earned the Médaille militaire and Légion d'honneur for his aerial enterprises in 1917 and 1918. A stadium of one of his former clubs,
Dax Dax or DAX may refer to: Business and organizations * DAX, stock market index of the top 40 German companies ** DAX 100, an expanded index of 100 stocks, superseded by the HDAX ** TecDAX, stock index of the top 30 German technology firms * Dax ...
, France, is named to commemorate him, the '' Stade Maurice Boyau''.http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/europe/france/aquitaine/dax_boyau.shtml


Military honors


Médaille militaire

"Pursuit pilot of audacious bravery. Three times cited in orders, and has to his credit an aircraft and a balloon. On 5 June 1917 he destroyed another balloon. Forced to land in enemy territory, he repaired his plane and flew back over the lines at 200 meters altitude, under fire of enemy machine guns."


Légion d'honneur

"Pilot of remarkable bravery whose marvelous physical qualities are put to use by his most arduous spirit and fights at great heights. Magnificent officer with an admirable spirit of self-sacrifice, facing each day with the same smiling desire for new exploits, surpassing then succeeding. He excels in all branches of aviation; reconnaissance, photography in single-seaters, bombardments at low altitudes, attacks on ground troops, and is classed among the best pursuit pilots. He has reported twenty-seven victories, the last twelve in less than one month. Has shot down sixteen balloons and eleven planes. Has the Médaille Militaire and Officier de la Légion d'Honneur for feats of war. Eleven citations."


See also

* List of international rugby union players killed in action during the First World War


References


Printed sources

* Franks, Norman & Bailey, Frank W. (1992). ''Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the US and French Air Services, 1914–1918''. Grub Street, London. * Franks, Norman & Dempsey, Harry ''Nieuport Aces of World War I (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 33)''. Osprey Publishing. * Godwin, Terry ''Complete Who's Who of International Rugby'' (Cassell, 1987, ) * Guttman, Jon & Dempsey, Harry (2002). ''Spad XII/XIII Aces of World War I (Aircraft of the Aces)''. Osprey Publishing.


Online resources

* http://www.as14-18.net/Boyau * http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/boyau.php * http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/boyau.htm * http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/europe/france/aquitaine/dax_boyau.shtml * https://web.archive.org/web/20101130155413/http://wwiaviation.com/aces/ace_Boyau.html


Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyau, Maurice 1888 births 1918 deaths Officiers of the Légion d'honneur People from Algiers Province Pieds-Noirs French World War I flying aces French military personnel killed in World War I France international rugby union players French rugby union players Rugby union centres Rugby union flankers Stade Bordelais players US Dax players Racing 92 players Sportspeople from Landes (department)