Capitaine Jean Georges Fernand Matton was a French World War I cavalryman and
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 ...
. He was credited with nine confirmed and two unconfirmed aerial victories.
Biography
Early life
Jean Georges Fernand Matton was born in
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés () is a Communes of France, commune in Val-de-Marne, the southeastern suburbs of Paris, suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris.
History Abbey
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés owes its name to Saint-Maur A ...
on 27 October 1888.
Military service
Matton began World War I as a cavalryman. He earned a Mention in Dispatches for his performance, followed by an award of the ''Legion d'honneur'' on 5 January 1915. His award citation read, "Ignoring a serious wound incurred during the course of a reconnaissance, he transmitted the vitally important information that he had gathered."Maurice Farman
Maurice Alain Farman (21 March 1877 – 25 February 1964) was a British-French Grand Prix motor racing champion, an aviator, and an aircraft manufacturer and designer.
Biography
Born in Paris to English parents, he and his brothers Richard an ...
airplanes). On 23 July 1916, he was transferred to Escadrille N57. Five days later, he scored his first aerial victory, sharing it with Georges Lachmann and Georges Flachaire. This garnered Matton another Mention in Dispatches. On 2 October 1916, he was transferred to command Escadrille 48. He scored his first victory there (second overall) on 15 December.[
Victory number three for Matton was a German ]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 ...
, destroyed on 16 February 1917. Matton would continue to score, right up until he joined Armand de Turenne in a double win on 9 July, for his final victories. Both his fifth and sixth wins had earned him Mentions in Dispatches.[
Capitaine Jean Georges Fernand Matton was ]killed in action
Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...
in defense of his nation on 10 September 1917.[
]
External links
* The Aerodrome website at http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/matton.php gives a detailed list of his victories
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. , .
1888 births
1917 deaths
People from Saint-Maur-des-Fossés
École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni
French World War I flying aces
French military personnel killed in World War I
Category Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
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