Adjutant Maurice Bizot (November 5, 1896 – November 27, 1925) was a French World War I
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
credited with ten confirmed aerial victories.
Early life
Maurice Bizot was born in
Puéchabon
Puéchabon (; oc, Puèg-Abon) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Hérault department
The following is a list of the 342 communes of the Hérault depar ...
on 27 November 1896.
[
]
World War I
Bizot joined the French military on 8 January 1915. Rated a ''soldat de 2e classe
Soldat , plural Soldats Soldaten Soldater , may refer to:
* Soldat (horse)
* ''Soldat'' (rank), lowest rank of enlisted men in the land-based armed forces of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
* Soldat (Romania), lowest rank of armed forces of ...
'', he was assigned to 11e Regiment d'Artillerie à pied. He was promoted to enlisted Brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
on 6 April 1915. On 13 March 1916, he was transferred to 82eme Regiment d'Artillerie lourde
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number ...
. On 12 May 1917, he began pilot's training at Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, Diviō or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earl ...
. On 9 July 1917, at Istres
Istres (; Occitan: Istre) is a commune in southern France, some 60 km (38 mi) northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture.
Location
Is ...
, he was granted Military Pilot's Brevet
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
No. 7370. He was then sent for advanced training at Avord
Avord () is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.
Geography
A farming area comprising the village and several hamlets situated by the banks of the river Yèvre, some east of Bourges at the junction of t ...
and Pau. He reached a combat unit, Escadrille 90, on 13 October 1917. On 25 January 1918, he was promoted to Sergeant. He used 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 ...
to score his first two wins on 27 March 1918, sharing the victories with Charles J. V. Macé and Laurent B. Ruamps. Escadrille 90 upgraded to Spads, and Bizot used one for the remainder of his victories, which ran from 30 July through 29 October 1918. He teamed with fellow aces Jean Andre Pezon
Jean may refer to:
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* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
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and Marius Ambrogi, as well as other French pilots in this series of assaults, which brought down seven observation balloons
An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War ...
and put Bizot solidly on the list of balloon busters.[
He was promoted to Adjutant on 1 August 1918. He was awarded the ''Médaille militaire'' on 5 September 1918. He also had been awarded the ''Croix de guerre'' with six ''palmes'' during the war.][
]
Honors and awards
''Médaille Militaire'' citation
Pilot of admirable courage, always volunteers for perilous missions. He has executed numerous bombardments and reconnaissances at low altitudes very far behind enemy lines. On 2 September 1918, he destroyed a balloon in flames and was severely wounded, returning to our lines at 200 meters above the ground. Two hundred hours of flight against the enemy. Four aircraft destroyed, three citations.
''Légion d'Honneur'' citation
Pursuit pilot of exceptional value. Has executed numerous bombardments and reconnaissances at low altitudes. Has downed three planes and seven balloons. One wound, six citations.
Postwar
On 27 November 1925, Bizot was flying an air racer he was prepping for a world's speed record. He attempted a landing at over 100 mph (160 km/h), overturned the plane, and died in the accident.[(''The Syracuse Herald'', 27 November 1925, page 37). Retrieved on 7 September 2010.]
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 http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/bizot.php
* First World War.com http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/bizot.htm
* World War I aviation https://web.archive.org/web/20101130155800/http://wwiaviation.com/aces/ace_Bizot.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bizot, Maurice
1896 births
1925 deaths
French soldiers
French World War I flying aces