'' Maréchal-des-logis'' Paul Marie Raphael Santelli was a French

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 seven aerial victories. He was 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 ...

, all of his victories being over

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.The Aerodrome website on Santell

Retrieved 2 September 2020

Biography

See also

aerial victory standards of World War I During World War I, the national air services involved developed their own methods of assessing and assigning credit for aerial victories. For various reasons, all belligerents engaged in overclaiming aerial victories to a greater or lesser degre ...

Paul Marie Raphael Santelli was born in

Miramas Miramas (; ) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, southern France. It is the second-largest commune in metropolitan Ouest-Provence and is located at the north end of the Étang de Berre ...

, France on 12 February 1898.''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'', pp. 216 - 217 On 18 April 1917, he became an artilleryman. He soon transferred to aviation training, receiving his Military Pilot's Brevet on 3 October 1917. He then underwent advanced training before being posted to '' Escadrille Spa.81'' as a

SPAD S.7 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 rugge ...

fighter pilot on 1 February 1918. During the Summer of 1918, beginning 22 May and running into July, Santelli triumphed in the extraordinarily hazardous task of shooting down seven German

s. Given their elevated view of the battle grounds from the balloons' gondolas,

aerial observer Aerial may refer to: Music * ''Aerial'' (album), by Kate Bush, and that album's title track * "Aerials" (song), from the album ''Toxicity'' by System of a Down Bands * Aerial (Canadian band) * Aerial (Scottish band) * Aerial (Swedish band) ...

s could gather and pass on vital

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...

information. For that reason, fighter pilots from either side attacked and downed balloons; because of that, the balloons were heavily defended by antiaircraft guns and fighter patrols. Santelli's success was aided by the support offered by fellow aces Adrien L. J. Leps and Marcel Marc Dhome.The Aerodrome website page on balloon buster

Retrieved 2 September 2020. By war's end, Paul Santelli had flown over 103 combat hours. For his valor, he was 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, ...

'' and the ''

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 ...

''. Santelli's interest in aviation outlasted the war, as he was killed in a flying accident in

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

on 15 January 1928.

End notes

References

* Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank (1993). ''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918''. London, UK: Grub Street Publishing. . * Guttman, Jon (2001). ''SPAD VII Aces of World War I''. Oxford UK: Osprey Publishing. French World War I flying aces 1898 births 1928 deaths {{france-mil-bio-stub