Sous lieutenant Antoine Cordonnier (17 January 1892 – 28 July 1918) was a French
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 five aerial victories.
Early life
Antoine Cordonnier was born on 17 January 1892 in
Roubaix
Roubaix ( , ; ; ; ) is a city in northern France, located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, depar ...
, France.
[''Over the Front'', p. 135.]
World War I
Cordonnier was mobilized for military duty in the early days of World War I, on 21 August 1914. He served initially as a
combat engineer
A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, Tunnel warfare, tunnel and l ...
in the 3eme Regiment de Genie. However, on 29 February 1916, he began pilot's training. On 8 August 1916, he was awarded Military Pilot's Certificate number 4190. He underwent advanced training at
Dijon
Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...
,
Avord
Avord () is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. It is east of Bourges, by the banks of the river Yèvre. The commune is home to Avord Air Base, the second largest French Air and Space Force base.
P ...
, and
Châteauroux
Châteauroux ( ; ; ) is the capital city of the French department of Indre, central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called ''Castelroussins'' () in French.
Climate
Châteauroux te ...
before being posted to
Escadrille 57
Escadrille MS 57 ''(Squadron Morane-Saulnier 57)'' of the French Air Force was founded during World War I, on 10 May 1915. They were reformed in 1953 as part of the French Navy '' Aéronavale'', and known as Escadrille 57S. They are currently a tr ...
, a
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 ...
squadron, on 18 February 1917. He scored his first aerial victory on 16 April 1917, destroying an enemy
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 ...
to become a
balloon buster
Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness, as balloons were stationary targets able to receive heavy defenses, from the ground and the air. Seventy-seven fl ...
. He was promoted to
sergeant
Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
on 25 May 1917, and 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 1 October 1917.
On 2 January 1918, he was
commissioned a
sous lieutenant. Shortly thereafter, on 15 January 1918, he transferred to
Escadrille 15, a
SPAD squadron. He would score four more aerial victories while flying for this unit before going
missing in action
Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty (person), casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoner of war, prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been ...
on 28 July 1918. By the time he disappeared, he had won the ''
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 ...
'' with seven Palmes. On 3 August 1918, he was made a Chevalier of the ''
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 ...
''.
See also
*
List of people who disappeared
{{Short description, Lists of people of unknown locations and statusLists of people who disappeared include those whose current whereabouts are unknown, or whose deaths are unsubstantiated:
Many people who disappear are eventually declared dead ' ...
References
* ''Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918''
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. H ...
, Frank W. Bailey. Grub Street, 1992. , .
Endnotes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordonnier, Antoine
1892 births
1910s missing person cases
1918 deaths
Aerial disappearances of military personnel in action
French military personnel killed in World War I
French World War I flying aces
Missing in action of World War I
People from Roubaix