''Sous lieutenant'' Charles Alfred Quette (19 May 1895 – 5 June 1918) 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 ten confirmed and five unconfirmed aerial victories.
Early life
Charles Alfred Quette was born in Paris on 19 May 1895.
World War I
Quette originally was a
soldat de 2e classe in the infantry. He transferred to aviation and on 5 July 1915 joined ''
Escadrille MS.38'' as a mechanic. On 24 August, he transferred again, to ''Escadrille C.64'' as a gunner/observer on
Caudron
The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for ...
s. His service there earned him two citations in orders. He then trained as a pilot. On 11 April 1917, he was promoted to
Corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...
and assigned to ''
Escadrille N.62'' as a
Spad pilot.
Quette scored his first aerial victory on 22 July 1917. He was then awarded the ''
Médaille militaire
The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, 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, ...
''; the accompanying citation noted he had already been wounded twice. He was also promoted to
sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
on 25 August 1917. In September, Quette scored four more times to become an ace. A promotion to
adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...
followed.
Between 15 March and 4 June 1918, Quette scored five more times. On 5 June, having been promoted to temporary ''sous lieutenant'' five days prior, Quette disappeared and was posted
missing in action
Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, ex ...
. On 9 July 1918, he was mentioned in dispatches for his ten victories.
Honors and awards
''Pilot of Escadrille N62. Young and full of courage and