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René Pelissier
Biography See also Aerial victory standards of World War I René Alphonse Pelissier was born on 30 April 1886 in Versailles, France.''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'', p. 202 On 2 August 1914, he was called to serve as an infantryman. He was promoted rapidly through the enlisted ranks until he was wounded on 30 April 1915. Rendered unfit for infantry service, he began pilot's training on 17 August 1915. On 14 January 1916, he graduated with his Military Pilot's Brevet. He reported for his first posting on 8 March 1916, to fly a '' Caudron'' for ''Escadrille C.53''. He was wounded on 30 April and sent to hospital. Upon his return, he reported to ''Escadrille C.202'' on 17 June 1916, again as a ''Caudron'' pilot. On 29 July, he shot down a German Fokker for his first aerial victory. On 26 October 1916, Pelissier was pulled from combat duty to become an aviation instructor. Although there i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in France. The palace is owned by the government of France and since 1995 has been managed, under the direction of the Ministry of Culture (France), French Ministry of Culture, by the Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles. About 15,000,000 people visit the palace, park, or gardens of Versailles every year, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. Louis XIII built a hunting lodge at Versailles in 1623. His successor, Louis XIV, expanded the château into a palace that went through several expansions in phases from 1661 to 1715. It was a favourite residence for both kings, and in 1682, Louis XIV moved the seat of his court and government to Versailles, making the palace the ''de fact ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Escadrille N
A flight is a small military unit within the larger structure of an air force, naval air service, or army air corps; and is usually subordinate to a larger squadron. A military aircraft flight is typically composed of four aircraft, though two to six aircraft may also form an aircraft flight; along with their aircrews and ground staff. In some very specific examples, typically involving historic aircraft, a flight may contain as many as twelve aircraft, as is the case with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) of the British Royal Air Force (RAF). In most usages, two or more flights make up a squadron. Foreign languages equivalents include ( French), ( Spanish), ( Portuguese), ''lanka'' ( Ukrainian), ( Romanian), ( Russian), and ( German). In the case of a non-flying, or "ground flight", such as Mechanical Transport Flight (MTF), Supply Flight, Accounts Flight, etc; no aircraft, and a roughly equivalent number of support personnel may be utilised. The term "fl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Legion D'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was originally established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, and it has been retained (with occasional slight alterations) by all later French governments and regimes. The order's motto is ' ("Honour and Fatherland"); its seat is the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur next to the Musée d'Orsay, on the left bank of the Seine in Paris. Since 1 February 2023, the Order's grand chancellor has been retired General François Lecointre, who succeeded fellow retired General Benoît Puga in office. The order is divided into five degrees of increasing distinction: ' (Knight), ' (Officer), ' (Commander), ' (Grand Officer) and ' ( Grand Cross). History Consulate During the French Revolution, all of the French orders of chivalry were abolished and rep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Médaille Militaire
The ''Médaille militaire'' (, "Military Medal") is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, after the Legion of Honour, a civil and military order, and the Order of Liberation, a Second World War-only order. The ''Médaille militaire'' is therefore the most senior entirely military active French decoration. During World War I, 230,000 ''médailles'' were awarded, when 1,400,000 French Army soldiers were killed and 3,000,000 wounded. For comparison, the UK |
Croix De Guerre
The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts; the '' croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures'' ("cross of war for external theatres of operations") was established in 1921 for these. The was also commonly bestowed on foreign military forces allied to France. The may be awarded either as an individual award or as a unit award to those soldiers who distinguish themselves by acts of heroism involving combat with the enemy. The medal is awarded to those who have been " mentioned in dispatches", meaning a heroic deed or deeds were performed meriting a citation from an individual's headquarters unit. The unit award of the with palm was issued to military units whose members performed heroic deeds in combat and were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aerial Victory Standards Of World War I
During World War I, the national air services involved developed their own methods of assessing and assigning credit for aerial victories. For various reasons, all belligerents engaged in overclaiming aerial victories to a greater or lesser degree. The accuracy of reported aerial victories varied widely according to definitions and terminology, how strict the standards of verification were defined and upheld, and how well they were able to control for all sorts of cognitive biases in assessing the evidence of aerial victory claims. Introduction As aerial combat was a new phenomenon at the war's outbreak, it drew a lot of attention in the press. The idea of " flying aces" (first coined by the French in 1915) who defeated multiple opponents in the skies quickly became popular, but initially there were no rules for determining who "won" an aerial engagement, or what criteria makes someone an "ace". Former '' Wings'' editor Wayne Ralph (2008) observed: 'In the First World War, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 the military in both World War I and World War II. From 1933 onwards, it was a subsidiary of Renault. Alphonse (Gaston) (1882–1915) and René Caudron (1884–1959) Born in Favières, Somme to parents who farmed nearby in Romiotte, the Caudron brothers were educated at a college in Abbeville. Gaston, as Alphonse was always known, intended to become an engineer but his education was cut short by health problems; René was interested in the development of mechanics and was a sportsman. After military service in an artillery regiment, they returned to work on the farm. They began to build their first aircraft, a large biplane, in August 1908. Initially unable to obtain an engine, they flew it as a glider, towed by a horse, and tested it ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fokker
Fokker (; ) was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer that operated from 1912 to 1996. The company was founded by the Dutch aviator Anthony Fokker and became famous during World War I for its fighter aircraft. During its most successful period in the 1920s and 1930s, Fokker dominated the civil aviation market. The company's fortunes declined over the course of the late 20th century; it declared bankruptcy in 1996, and its operations were sold to competitors. History Fokker in Germany At age 20, while studying in Germany, Anthony Fokker built his initial aircraft, the Fokker Spin, ''Spin'' (Spider)—the first Dutch-built plane to fly in his home country. Taking advantage of better opportunities in Germany, he moved to Berlin, where in 1912, he founded his first company, Fokker Aeroplanbau, later moving to the Görries suburb just southwest of Schwerin (at ), where the current company was founded, as Fokker Aviatik GmbH, on 12 February 1912. World War I Fokker capitalized on having sol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 War I, and they continue in limited use today. Synonyms include espionage balloon, reconnaissance balloon, spy balloon, and surveillance balloon. Historically, observation balloons were filled with hydrogen. The balloons were fabric envelopes filled with hydrogen gas, the flammable nature of which led to the destruction of hundreds of balloons. Observers manning these observation balloons frequently had to use a parachute to evacuate their balloon when it came under attack. Shortly after World War I, observation balloons were often filled with non-flammable helium to avoid the potentially explosive consequences of hydrogen. Typically, balloons were tethered to a steel cable attached to a winch that reeled the gas bag to its desired hei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norman Franks
Norman Leslie Robert Franks (1940 – 21 May 2023) was an English militaria writer who specialised in aviation topics. He focused on the pilots and squadrons of World Wars I and II. Biography Franks published his first book in 1976. He was an Organisation and Methods Officer with the Nationwide Building Society in London before he retired. He lived in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, with his wife Heather. They had two sons, Rob and Mike, and five grandchildren. He was a consultant for the Channel 4 television series ''Dogfight: The Mystery of the Red Baron''. His 1995 book on the Red Baron was published and reissued by three publishers. He was also one of the founding members of the Cross and Cockade society for World War I aviation historians, which was formed in 1970, and a member of Over the Front, the league of World War I aviation historians. In total, he authored over 120 books covering military aviation. Published works *Franks, Norman. ''Double Mission: Fighter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1886 Births
Events January * January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885. * January 5– 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson's novella '' Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is published in New York and London. * January 16 – A resolution is passed in the German Parliament to condemn the Prussian deportations, the politically motivated mass expulsion of ethnic Poles and Jews from Prussia, initiated by Otto von Bismarck. * January 18 – Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. * January 29 – Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen (built in 1885). February * February 6– 9 – Seattle riot of 1886: Anti-Chinese sentiments result in riots in Seattle, Washington. * February 8 – The West End Riots following a popular meeting in Trafalgar Square, London. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
