''
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 ...
'' Arthur Marie Marcel Coadou was a French World War I
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 ...
credited with nine confirmed aerial victories out of his fifteen combat claims.
Early life
Arthur Marie Marcel Coadou was born in
St. Brieuc on 7 February 1894.
World War I
After Coadou volunteered for military for the war's duration, he was sent to aviation training on 1 July 1915. On 22 September, he transferred onward to
Etampes for pilot training.
On 19 January 1916, he was awarded
Military Pilot's Brevet No. 2445. Five days later, he was forwarded to
13e Groupe d'Aviation. On 1 February, he was promoted to
Caporal. On 29 April 1916, he was posted to Escadrille C59 (the 'C' denoting squadron use of
Caudron two-seater observation planes). On 16 July, Coadou was promoted to
Sergeant.
On 25 January 1917, he began further training. On 4 May, he was assigned to Escadrille 88 to fly
Spad fighter aircraft. On 1 October 1917, he was promoted to
Adjutant.
Coadou scored his first verified aerial victory on 19 May 1918, near
Grisolles. On 1 August 1918, he downed a German
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qui ...
. On the 30th, he was
wounded in action
Wounded in Action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...
. It could not have been serious, as he was aloft and successful on 4 September, sharing a win with
François Delzenne. Coadou would continue to score through the end of the war, although surviving documentation is sketchy for his record for the last two months of the war. When the Armistice was called hostilities to a halt, Coadou had flown 732 hours and fought in 59 dogfights.
Post World War I
On 28 March 1919, Arthur Marie Marcel Coadou was appointed a ''Chevalier'' in the ''Legion d'honneur'' as recognition of his wartime service.
As of 19 October 1931, Coadou was listed in the French Civil Aircraft Registry as owner of a civil aircraft,
Farman 232 tail code FALLS.
Coadou later served in World War II.
Notes
References
* ''Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914-1918'' Norman L. R. Franks, Frank W. Bailey. Grub Street, 1992. , .
External links
*
Marcel CoadouList of victories and color profiles of his planes
Escadrille 9
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coadou, Arthur
1897 births
1985 deaths
French World War I flying aces
Knights of the Legion of Honour