René 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 when all succeeding conflicts are also considered, Fonck still holds the title of "all-time Allied Ace of Aces". He received confirmation for 75 victories (72 solo and three shared) out of 142 claims. Taking into account his probable claims, Fonck's final tally could conceivably be nearer 100 or above. He was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1918 and later a Commander of the Legion of Honor after the war.
Early life
Fonck was born on 27 March 1894 in the village of
Saulcy-sur-Meurthe in the
Vosges region of north eastern
France. Although he had been interested in aviation from his youth, he declined an assignment in the air service when conscripted on 22 August 1914, instead choosing service in the trenches as a
combat engineer. His duties consisted of digging trenches, and of road and bridge repair.
Military aviation career
1915 - 1916
He eventually changed his mind and was trained at St. Cyr and then at Le Crotoy on a Blériot Penguin, a flightless aircraft that gave the sensation of flying while still on the ground. He completed his pilot training in May 1915 and flew
Caudron G III). A journalist reported that Fonck had boasted of revenging the death of his good friend Guynemer. had been commissioned as an officer, and had received the
Légion d'honneur.
Fonck only got better. Known for his clinical professionalism, he applied mathematical principles to combat flying and his engineering knowledge regarding the capabilities of the aircraft he flew was unsurpassed among his fellow pilots. Fonck took few chances, patiently stalking his intended victims from higher altitudes. He then used deflection shooting with deadly accuracy on enemy pilots at close range, resulting in an astonishing economy of ammunition per kill. More often than not, a single burst of less than 5 rounds from his Vickers machine gun was sufficient . His preferred method of aerial combat was not to engage into dogfights, but to carry out surgically merciless executions. He was also reputed to spot enemy observation aircraft very far away in the distance, where most other pilots would have perceived nothing.
Fonck, like France's leading ace, Capt. Georges Guynemer, also flew a limited production SPAD XII fighter, distinguished by the presence of a hand-loaded 37mm Puteaux cannon firing through the propeller boss. He is apparently credited with downing 11 German airplanes with this type of armament called "moteur-canon". This was made possible by the gear-reduction version of the Hispano-Suiza V8 SOHC engine first used in that model of SPAD fighter. It offset the now-hollow propeller shaft above the crankshaft axis and the 37mm cannon was lodged in the V space between the two rows of cylinders. Fonck would later fly the highly successful SPAD XIII, Between 1600 and 1605 hours, he shot down three enemy two-seater reconnaissance planes. A couple of hours later, he repeated the feat. Understanding the importance of reconnaissance planes, with their potential to direct intensive artillery fire onto French troops, Fonck concentrated his attentions upon them; six shot down within a three hour span proved it.
Another success two days later and double winners on 5 October put his score at 69, very close to the 72 of Major William Avery Bishop, then the leading Allied ace. On 30 October, he tied up the score with 3 'kills'. He shot down 2 more the following day, and another the day after that. That was his final credit; he had closed off his list with 75 confirmed victories.
To summarize, he claimed 56 victories during the whole of 1918, attaining a total of 36 kills before May 1918. His 1918 list by itself would have made him France's leading ace. By the end of the war, he had accounted for all but 36 of Escadrille SPA.103's 111 claimed victories. Unlike many leading French aces, Fonck's score contained only a few (three) shared victories. Also unlike most aces, he remained unwounded; indeed, only a single enemy bullet had ever hit his aircraft.
After the war
Fonck returned to civilian life after World War I, and published his war memoirs
Mes Combats, prefaced by
Marechal Foch, in 1920.
During the 1920s, Fonck persuaded Igor Sikorsky to redesign the Sikorsky S.35 for the transatlantic race or Orteig Prize. On 21 September 1926, Fonck crashed on takeoff when the landing gear collapsed, killing two of his three crew members. Charles Lindbergh shortly afterward won the prize in 1927.
Fonck eventually returned to military aviation and rose to Inspector of French fighter forces from 1937 to 1939. His inter-wars contact with the likes of former World War I foe Hermann Göring and Ernst Udet cast a shadow upon Fonck's reputation during the German occupation of France and led to allegations of collaboration with the Nazi occupying forces and the Vichy regime. On 10 August 1940, Vichy Foreign Minister Pierre Laval announced that Fonck had recruited 200 French pilots to fight on the Nazi side. However, the truth is more complicated.
Marshal Philippe Pétain wished to use the Goering - Fonck relationship in order to meet Adolf Hitler and thus gave Colonel Fonck the order to talk to Goering. A meeting was planned at Montoire but after discovering evidence about the pro-Nazi politics of Pierre Laval, Fonck tried to convince Pétain not to attend. Initially Pétain appeared to heed Fonck's advice, but for some reason Petain eventually decided not to follow Fonck's warnings and he met Hitler at Montoire on 24 October 1940. Fonck's loyalties were thus questioned by the Vichy regime, and thus he returned home to Paris where he was eventually arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned in Drancy internment camp.
After the war, a French police inquiry about his supposed collaboration with the Vichy regime completely cleared Fonck. The conclusion was that his loyalty was proved by his close contacts with recognised resistance leaders such as Alfred Heurtaux during the war.
Additionally, he was awarded the Certificate of Resistance in 1948. Citation reads "Mr. Fonck, René, a member of the fighting French forces without uniform, took part, in territory occupied by the enemy, to glorious fights for the liberation of the nation".
Fonck remained in Paris but also visited frequently his native Lorraine where he had business interests. He died at age 59 and is buried in the cemetery of his native village of Saulcy-sur-Meurthe.
Quotes
"I put my bullets into the target as if I placed them there by hand."
Citations
Medaille Militaire
"A pilot of remarkable bravery and skill, having already engaged in a great number of aerial combats. On 6 August 1916, he resolutely attacked two strongly armed enemy planes, took on one in pursuit, and by a series of bold and skillful maneuvers, forced it to land uninjured within our lines. He has been cited in orders twice."
Médaille militaire citation, 1916
Legion d'Honneur
"A fighting pilot of great value, combining outstanding bravery and exceptional qualities of skill and sang-froid. He came to pursuit aviation after 500 hours of flight on army corps aircraft and became, in a short time, one of the best French combat pilots. On 19, 20 and 21 August 1917, he shot down his 8th, 9th and 10th enemy aircraft. He has already been cited seven times in orders, and has received the Médaille Militaire for feats of war."
Légion d'honneur citation, 1917
Officier de la Legion d'Honneur
"Remarkable officer from every point of view; of admirable fighting ardor. Pilot of the highest order, for reconnaissance missions and artillery range intelligence, as well as for surveillance service that he completed many times despite very unfavorable atmospheric conditions. He demonstrated, during the course of an uninterrupted series of aerial combats, an exceptional strength and will to win, which sets an example for the French chasse pilots of today. Has downed thirty six enemy planes. Seventeen citations, Médaille militaire and Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur for feats of war."
Officier de la Légion d'honneur citation, 12 May 1918
Rene Fonck was also awarded the British Military Cross and the British Distinguished Conduct Medal.
See also
List of World War I flying aces
- 23 Aug. 1926
Notes
References/external links
Mes Combats, by Capitaine Fonck, 1920, Editions Flammarion, Paris, France. In French with figures.
Ace of Aces, By Capt.Rene Fonck,paperback ,1967. English translation of above volume.
Over the Front, N. Franks & F. Bailey, Grub Street , 1992
SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War I. Jon Guttman. Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN. 1841763160, 9781841763163.
http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/fonck.php Accessed 8 September 2008.
http://www.acepilots.com/wwi/fr_fonck.html Accessed 9 September 2008.
http://www.wwiaviation.com/aces/ace_Fonck.shtml Accessed 9 September 2008.
http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/fonck.htm Accessed 9 September 2008.
http://everything2.com/title/Ren%25E9%2520Paul%2520Fonck Accessed 9 September 2008.
Category:1894 births
Category:1953 deaths
Category:French memoirists
Category:French World War I flying aces
Category:People from Vosges
Category:Recipients of the Military Cross
Category:Recipients of the Military Medal
Category:Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur
