Adjutant Laurent Baptisti Ruamps (14 February 1897 – 27 July 1972) 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 ten confirmed and four unconfirmed aerial victories.
Early life
On 14 February 1897, Laurent Baptisti Ruamps was born in
Saint-Germain-du-Bel-Air.
[Franks, Bailey, pp. 215—216.]
World War I
1916
On 12 January 1916, Ruamps volunteered for military service. He was assigned to 2e Groupe d'Aviation as a ''
Soldat de 2e classe''. On 29 February 1916, the Groupe seconded him to
Saint Cyr. He began pilot's 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 ...
on 30 September.
[
]
1917
He was awarded Military Pilot's Brevet No. 5257 on 24 January 1917. He continued his training at 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 ...
and 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 ...
. On 27 March 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 ...
''. On 22 April, he was forwarded to Pau for advanced training. On 17 May, he was assigned to Escadrille 42. On 21 August, he shot down a two-seater reconnaissance craft over Pagny-sur-Meuse. Four days later, 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 ...
''.[
]
1918
On 4 January 1918, Ruamps shared a victory with 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 ...
. Ruamps was promoted 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 20 February 1918. On 8 April, he received a ''MĂ©daille militaire
The ''MĂ©daille 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, ...
'' to accompany his ''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 ...
''. Ruamps would go on to score eight more victories before war's end, including a pair shared with Charles J. V. Macé
Adjutant Charles Jean Vincent Macé (5 April 1898 – 7 June 1919) was a French flying ace during World War I. He shot down eight German observation balloons and four enemy airplanes for confirmed victories.
Early life
Charles Jean Vincent Macé ...
and Maurice Bizot
Adjutant Maurice Bizot (November 5, 1896 – November 27, 1925) was a French World War I flying ace credited with ten confirmed aerial victories.
Early life
Maurice Bizot was born in Puéchabon on 27 November 1896.
World War I
Bizot joined the F ...
. Ruamps ended the war with 530 hours flight time.[The Aerodrome website a]
Retrieved 11 November 2017.
Post World War I
On 11 July 1920, he became a ''Chevalier'' in the ''LĂ©gion d'honneur''. He would rise within the Legion twice, to ''Officier'' in 1936, and to ''Commandeur'' in July 1961.[
]
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
* The Aerodrome website at http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/ruamps.php has a handy list of his victories
* Family memoirs at http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?ref=SERP&br=ro&mkt=en-US&dl=en&lp=FR_EN&a=http%3a%2f%2ffr.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fLaurent_Ruamps contains personal recollections of Ruamp by his grandson
* http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2010/07/27/879841-Saint-Germain-du-Bel-Air-Nos-heros-meconnus.html contains a photo of Ruamps posed before his airplane
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruamps, Laurent B.
French World War I flying aces
1897 births
1972 deaths