Edmond Eugene Henri Caillaux (18 February 1896 — 22 January 1943) 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 five confirmed and three unconfirmed aerial victories.

Biography

Caillaux was born on 18 February 1896 in

Vendôme Vendôme (, ) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Loir-et-Cher, France. It is also the department's third-biggest Communes of France, commune with 15,856 inhabitants (2019). It is one of the ...

, France. On 11 March 1915, he volunteered to serve in the military for the war's duration. After serving as a driver and an artilleryman, he transferred to an aviation unit on the Eastern Front. He entered the aviation service on 29 February 1916, trained as a pilot, and received Military Pilot's Brevet No. 4646 on 22 May 1916. He was then returned to the Eastern Front as a pilot. On 1 January 1917, he was transferred to the Western Front; on 28 April 1917, he was posted to '' Escadrille SPA.48''. After three unconfirmed victories, he was credited with downing an

Aviatik Automobil und Aviatik AG was a German aircraft manufacturer during World War I. The company was established at Mülhausen (today in France) in 1909 and soon became one of the country's leading producers of aircraft. It relocated to Freiburg in 1 ...

on 3 December 1917. He would continue to score until 17 June 1918, ending with five confirmed victories.Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918, p. 127 Caillaux died on 22 January 1943 in Montigny-les-Cormeilles, France.

Honors and awards

* ''

Legion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

'' awarded 24 December 1925 * ''

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, ...

'' awarded 27 July 1918 * ''

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

''The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/caillaux.php Retrieved on 1 August 2020.

Endnotes

References

* Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank (1993). ''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918.'' London, UK: Grub Street Publishing. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Caillaux, Edmond 1896 births 1943 deaths French World War I flying aces People from Vendôme Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Médaille militaire (France) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France)