Albert Achard (26 March 1894 – 21 August 1972) was a French
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 ...
of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, credited with five aerial victories, one as an observer and four as a pilot. He served as a reserve air force officer in the 1920s and 1930s, and returned to active duty in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Family background
Achard was born in
Briançon
Briançon (, ) is the sole Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hautes-Alpes Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It is the highest city in France at an a ...
in the
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
of
Hautes-Alpes
Hautes-Alpes (; oc, Auts Aups; en, Upper Alps) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,220 ...
, the son of Gabriel Denis Achard and his wife Florentine Hête-Thievoz. At the time of his birth his father was a ''
sous-lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 19 ...
Achard enlisted into the French Army on 7 August 1913. After passing the entrance examination he entered the military academy at Saint-Cyr as an officer cadet on 6 September, and was commissioned as a ''sous-lieutenant'' on 6 November. On 12 August 1914, soon after the outbreak of the war, he was posted to the 9th Hussar Regiment, which was engaged in the
Battle of the Frontiers
The Battle of the Frontiers (, , ) comprised battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. The battles resolved the military strategies of the French Chief of Staff ...
and the subsequent
Race to the Sea
The Race to the Sea (; , ) took place from about 1914 during the First World War, after the Battle of the Frontiers () and the German advance into France. The invasion had been stopped at the First Battle of the Marne and was followed by the ...
in late 1914. On 17 March 1915 Achard was transferred to Army's aviation branch – the ''
Le Bourget
Le Bourget () is a Communes of France, commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero#France, center of Paris.
The commune features Paris - Le Bourget Airport, Le Bourget Airport, which in turn hos ...
to become an
observer
An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment.
Observer may also refer to:
Computer science and information theory
* In information theory, any system which receives information from an object
* State observer in con ...
.
On 3 April 1915 he was posted to the newly created ''
escadrille
A flight is a small military unit within the larger structure of an air force, naval air service, or army air corps; and is usually subservient of a larger squadron. A military aircraft flight is typically composed of four aircraft, though ...
MS.48'', based at Villacoublay. The ''escadrille'' initially comprised only six pilots and two observers, flying the
Morane-Saulnier L
The Morane-Saulnier L, or Morane-Saulnier Type L, or officially MoS-3, was a French parasol wing one or two-seat scout aeroplane of the First World War. The Type L became one of the first successful fighter aircraft when it was fitted with a si ...
.All the aircraft in an ''escadrille'' where of the same type, and the prefix identified the manufacturer: MS = Morane-Saulnier, N =
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 ...
, F =
Farman
Farman Aviation Works (french: Avions Farman) was a French aircraft company founded and run by the brothers Richard, Henri, and Maurice Farman. They designed and constructed aircraft and engines from 1908 until 1936; during the French national ...
, MF =
Maurice Farman
Maurice Alain Farman (21 March 1877 – 25 February 1964) was a British-French Grand Prix motor racing champion, an aviator, and an aircraft manufacturer and designer.
Biography
Born in Paris to English parents, he and his brothers Richard and ...
, and SPA = SPAD, etc. At this stage of the war not all French aircraft had machine guns, and Achard had only a
carbine
A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges.
The smaller size and lighter ...
, and two days later, after a reconnaissance, Achard reported vital information, even though his aircraft was badly damaged by shrapnel. On 28 April he was credited with his first aerial victory, shooting down an enemy aircraft. On 1 July 1915 his aircraft attacked a German Albatros. Achard's aircraft approached to within , but was hit by enemy fire, narrowly missing the pilot and cutting a cabane. In spite of the danger to the aircraft, they continued to attack and pursued the enemy well beyond the French lines until it was seen to suddenly dive. Achard was promoted to lieutenant on 8 July 1915. On 31 July, two ''MS.48'' aircraft were flying escort to a
Voisin III
The Voisin III was a French World War I two-seat pusher biplane multi-purpose aircraft developed by Voisin in 1914 as a more powerful version of the 1912 Voisin I. It is notable for being the aircraft used for the first successful shooting down ...
on a bombing mission to Dambach. One aircraft, piloted by ''
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 ...
'' Edouard Thieffries de Layens, with Achard as observer, was engaged in a dogfight and succeeded in putting their opponent to flight. Achard was then transferred to the
Macedonian front
The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of German ...
, serving as an observer in ''escadrille 91S'' from 12 October 1915. On 1 February 1916 he was
cited
A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose of ...
(''citation dans les ordres'') for his numerous and accurate reconnaissance reports, having flown in total, of which were over the enemy lines.
On 29 February 1916 he was transferred to the military flying school in
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
Thaon-les-Vosges
Thaon-les-Vosges (; before 2022: ''Capavenir Vosges'') is a commune in the Vosges department of northeastern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 and consists of the former communes of Thaon-les-Vosges, Girmont and Oncourt.
. His opponents were probably ''
Vizefeldwebel
''Feldwebel '' (Fw or F, ) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occupi ...
'' Seifert and ''
Unteroffizier
() is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army.
Austria
, also , is the collective name t ...
'' Wilhelm Niess of '' SchuSta 7'' who were both taken prisoner. He served in ''escadrille N.85'' from 1 July 1917, gaining his third victory on 27 June, then transferred to ''escadrille N.78/SPA.78'' on 12 September. The next day, 13 September, he was made a ''Chevalier'' of the ''
''. His citation describes him as an "''excellent fighter pilot of tireless ardor, who never ceases to display the finest qualities of audacity and intrepidity''" and noted that on 27 June, after a difficult fight, he shot down his second enemy aircraft. Achard was wounded in action, and was evacuated to the Clermont Hospital between 2 May and 7 June 1918, then returned to his unit, and gained his fourth and fifth aerial victories on 19 and 24 July. On 2 August 1918 a citation described him as a "''pilot officer of unusual skill and energy''" and noted that on 19 July, he reported his fourth victory by shooting down an enemy fighter aircraft that crashed into the French lines. On 26 August 1918 Achard was appointed commander of ''escadrille SPA.150'', and on 18 October he was once again cited for shooting down in flames an enemy triplane. He was also attacked by a patrol of enemy monoplanes, probably shot down one, and although wounded and having his aircraft seriously damaged, managed to regain the French lines. He received a temporary promotion to captain on 27 October, and remained with ''SPA.150'' until 2 April 1919.
Carcassonne
Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department.
Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the ...
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
from 21 October to 3 November 1938. He was posted to ''bataillon de l'air 109'' on 1 November 1938.
Tours
Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
on 9 January 1940.
Achard died in
Albi
Albi (; oc, Albi ) is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department, on the river Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ''Albigensians'' (french: Albigeois, Albigeoise(s), oc, albigà ...
on 21 August 1972.
Memorials
A road is named after him in the
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...