Captain Paul Augustin Edouard Barbreau (16 September 1894 – 2 June 1976) was an Algerian-born 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 eight aerial victories.

Early life

Barbreau was born in Renault,

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

, Algeria, the son of Pierre Augustin Barbreau, an ''administrateur-adjoint'', and Marie Louise Benoist. He joined the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

on his twentieth birthday, 16 September 1914. His initial assignment was as a '' Soldat de 2e Classe'' in the ''5e Regiment de

Chasseurs d'Afrique ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French language, French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of France, French and Belgium, Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History T ...

''. He was promoted to the rank of 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 (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

'' in November 1914, and to '' maréchal-des-logis'' on 6 February 1915.

World War I aviation service

Barbreau transferred to the army's military aviation branch in April 1917, reporting to Amberieu for pilot's training. On 14 May, he received Military Pilot's Brevet No. 6406. On 1 June, he passed on to

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 ...

for advanced training. After polishing his skills at Pau and

Cazaux Cazaux () is a commune of the Ariège department in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ariège department The following is a list of the 325 communes of the Ariège department of France France, officia ...

, he was posted to 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, '' Escadrille N 154'', on 1 October 1917.Note: When a French squadron upgraded its equipment, it eventually changed its unit designation to reflect the new equipment. Thus, Barbreau originally flew in Nieuports. The squadron eventually upgraded its equipment to

SPAD S.VII The SPAD S.VII C.1 was the first in a series of single-seat biplane fighter aircraft produced by '' Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) during the First World War. Like its successors, the S.VII was renowned as a sturdy and rugg ...

fighters, and subsequently changed its name to '' Escadrille SPA 154''. Under the command of

Michel Coiffard Michel Joseph Callixte Marie Coiffard (16 July 1892 – 29 October 1918) was one of the leading French flying aces of World War I. He was notable for his success as a balloon buster shooting down enemy observation balloons, which were usually hea ...

''SPA 154'' specialized in attacking 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 ...

s, with Barbreau sharing their success, as he became 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 ...

, destroying eight between 2 June and 8 August 1918. His victories brought him 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, ...

'' and a temporary commission as an officer. He was transferred to ''Escadrille 164'' on 8 August 1918.

List of aerial victories

Barbreau is believed to have flown some version of the SPAD to score his aerial victories.

Post World War I

Although his heroics ended at the ceasefire of 11 November 1918, he was not made a ''Chevalier'' of the ''

Légion 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 society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

'' until 12 July 1919, while serving as a second lieutenant (reserve) in Algeria. The accompanying citation mentioned victories over five enemy aircraft, but there is no individual listing or confirmation of these victories. He eventually retired from the French Air Force with the rank of captain, receiving promotion to the rank of ''Officier'' of the ''Légion d'honneur'' on 31 October 1961. He died in Marseilles on 2 June 1976.

Footnotes

References

Notes Bibliography * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbreau, Paul 1894 births 1976 deaths People from Oran Province French World War I flying aces Officers of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Médaille militaire (France) Emigrants from French Algeria to France