That date marks one of the toughest days of my fighting career. Fonck was conscripted into the french army in 1914 and attended flying school the following february. Colonel rene paul fonck 27 march 1894 18 june 1953 was a french aviator who ended the first world war as the top entente fighter ace and, when all succeeding aerial conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries are also considered, fonck still holds the title of alltime allied ace of aces. Ace of aces, the title of a biography of marmaduke pattle. With the arrival of the armed, singleseat fighter in world war 1 arrived the term ace used to describe a military aviator who had acrued multiple air kills typically five or more. In that museum you may find a section dedicated to wwi aces. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Guynemer has been called the ace of aces and the winged sword of. In 1915 the term ace was coined to denote a pilot adept at downing enemy aircraft, and top aces like the red baron. Captain rene fonck original edition translated and reprinted as an air combat classic edited by stanley m. Datasets available include lcsh, bibframe, lc name authorities, lc classification, marc codes, premis vocabularies, iso language codes, and more. He was frances ace of aces as a fighter pilot in world war i, though.
However, fonck didnt seem to be bothered by it, saying that. A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. He would end the war with 54 enemy planes on his score sheetsecond best in the nation after frances ace of aces, rene fonck. He was fond of reading, but his choice of books fell solely on those that dealt with war. This latest spad xiii from corgi represents a machine belonging to escadrille 103 and flown by frances ace of aces, rene fonck. Not only are rene fonck s observations about equipment, tactics, and combat sharp, but he is honest about his emotions and views of war. Pdf hurricane aces of world war 2 download full pdf. Here, in his own words, first translated into english, is fonck s own story. Pdf spitfire ace of aces download full pdf book download. In the lead up to battlefield 1, today we take a look at the top 5 deadliest fighter flying aces of world war 1 and their aircraft. Look in the forums aces section and see the signature descriptions attributed to fonck by his flying peers and himself to get an idea of the complexity of the man. An exception is france, which most reveres its secondranking ace, georges.
Ulanoff edits this air combat classic by the man who was easily the finest fighter pilot produced by the aviation services of any nation in world war i charles j. Though the infantry in their muddy trenches might see aerial combat as glorious and chivalric, the reality was very different and undeniably deadly. Although he was the french ace of aces, his achievements were overshadowed by guynemers heroic status. All three engagements were fought within two hours. Starting in the may 1932 issue of flying aces and running almost 4 years, eugene frandzens lives of the aces in pictures was a staple of the magazine.
This includes data values and the controlled vocabularies that house them. Ace of aces, the title of several biographies of dick bong. This is the best of a series of books by ww 1 air aces. In that book, the squadron commander was called mac, and is believed based on maclaren.
Fonck had 75 confirmed kills, just five short of the red barons impressive record. Rene fonck is recognized as one of the greatest french air fighters since. Each month frandzen would feature a different ace that rose to fame during the great war. Ww1 aviation aces history books 10pc jan 18, 2020 j.
Rene fonck, the young french ace of aces fought three distinct battles in the air when, on may 8, he brought down six german airplanes in one day. He received confirmation for 75 victories 72 solo and three shared out of 142 claims. The storks, by norman franks and frank bailey, and ace of aces, by rene fonck. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Ace of aces, the title of a biography of eddie rickenbacker. Reading this book i was immediately absorbed to the point that the world around me disappeared. He scored seventyfive official victories including two sextuples and was never even touched by a.
Fonck was assigned to another escadrille in the group, spa 103. Fonck would make an excellent research project that attempted to clear up the confusion related to his place in great war aviation as well as to who exactly was this man. This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and if not signed in for advertising. Though richthofen is associated with the fokker triplane, he achieved most of his victories in albatros fighters. Originally published in the september 2009 issue of aviation history. Now, lets find out more about the aces who flew the new versions just released. Some wear to dj and light rubbingsunning of boards, otherwise good condition. Aviation history research director jon guttman is the author of several books on world.
He took pride in using the least amount of ammunition necessary to bring down an enemy. The writing is straight to the point and clear as water. Another frenchman, rene fonck, opted for the safer route, joining his. Rene fonck emerged triumphant in one hundred and twentyseven air battles against germanys best world war i aces.
Rene fonck was a french aviator who ended the first world war as the top allied fighter ace, and when all succeeding aerial conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries are also considered, fonck still holds the title of alltime allied ace of aces. The leading french ace, georges guynemer, served at the time in one of its escadrilles, n3, and had just scored his 36th victory. After the war he wrote a book about his experiences called ace of aces. Ace french ww1 pilot rene fonck aircrew remembered. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. Testament of youth by vera brittain gives a truly wonderful account of what it was like on the front as a vad the war that ended peace by margaret macmillan isnt really a book about the war itself, but does a beautiful job of setting up the stage and helps to make sense of why the war came to be and how it played out as it did a farewell to arms by ernest hemingway is a fictional account. Colonel rene paul fonck 27 march 1894 18 june 1953 was a french aviator who ended the first world war as the top allied fighter ace, and.
Ace of aces is a title accorded to the top active ace within a branch of service in a nations military in time of war. It was as if i were really experiencing the war as rene fonck did. Ace of aces, the title of rene fonck s autobiography. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months. On 26th september 1918 i obtained permission to take off.
This new release from corgi represents an albatros d. However, fonck claimed that he shot down at least 52 more than the official records stated. Captain fonck s record was published as mes combats in french in 1920, here for the first time in english. Officially credited with seventyfive witnessed aerial dogfights, he survived the fouryear holocaust as the leading fighter pilot of all the allied forcesthe ace of aces. Ace of aces by rene fonck meet your next favorite book.
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