''Sous lieutenant'' Charles Alfred Quette (19 May 1895 – 5 June 1918) was a French World War I

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 ...

credited with ten confirmed and five unconfirmed aerial victories.

Early life

Charles Alfred Quette was born in Paris on 19 May 1895.

World War I

Quette originally was a soldat de 2e classe in the infantry. He transferred to aviation and on 5 July 1915 joined '' Escadrille MS.38'' as a mechanic. On 24 August, he transferred again, to ''Escadrille C.64'' as a gunner/observer on

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 ...

s. His service there earned him two citations in orders. He then trained as a pilot. On 11 April 1917, he was promoted to

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

and assigned to '' Escadrille N.62'' as a Spad pilot. Quette scored his first aerial victory on 22 July 1917. He was then awarded the ''

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, ...

''; the accompanying citation noted he had already been wounded twice. He was also 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 August 1917. In September, Quette scored four more times to become an ace. A promotion 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 ...

followed. Between 15 March and 4 June 1918, Quette scored five more times. On 5 June, having been promoted to temporary ''sous lieutenant'' five days prior, Quette disappeared and was posted

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 9 July 1918, he was mentioned in dispatches for his ten victories.

Honors and awards

''Pilot of Escadrille N62. Young and full of courage and sang-froid. He has distinguished himself in many situations and has had numerous combats, during the course of which his plane was hit several times by enemy fire. On 22 July 1917, he downed a German plane after a difficult combat. Wounded twice and cited in orders twice during the course of the war.'' –

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, ...

citation– ''

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 ...

'' also awardedThe Aerodrome medals award

Retrieved 11 November 2017.

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