Sous lieutenant Jean Georges Bouyer 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 eleven confirmed aerial victories.
Early life
Jean Georges Bouyer was born in
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
, France on 12 January 1891.
Military service
Bouyer joined the French infantry on 15 December 1911. On Christmas Day, 1914, he transferred to flying service as a bombardier assigned to the defense of Paris. When he was forwarded to aviation training, he earned
Pilot's Brevet No. 5957 on 25 March 1917. On 16 May, he was posted to Escadrille N49 (the 'N' denoting the squadron's use of
Nieuports).
He scored for the first time on 25 June 1917, downing an
LVG
Luftverkehrsgesellschaft m.b.H. (L.V.G. or LVG) was a German aircraft manufacturer based in Berlin- Johannisthal, which began constructing aircraft in 1912, building Farman-type aircraft. The company constructed many reconnaissance and light bombe ...
two-seater reconnaissance plane. Four days later, he was 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 7 July, he scored again. In August, he was medically evacuated to hospital. After his return to the unit, he scored again three times in December, becoming an ace.
On 4 January 1918, he was awarded the ''Médaille militaire''; a prerequisite for the award was a prior award of the ''Croix de guerre''. On 19 February 1918, having upgraded to a
Spad, he notched win number six at
Pfetterhouse
Pfetterhouse (; gsw, Pfatterhüse; german: Pfetterhausen) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.
Geography
Pfetterhouse is located in Jura Alsatian foothills, just in the border of Switzerland and the Te ...
. Bouyer then teamed with
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 ...
Paul Hamot
Adjutant Paul Hamot was a French World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.The Aerodrome websitRetrieved 10 August 2020.
Biography
See also Aerial victory standards of World War I
Paul Hamot was born in Montherlant, France, on ...
during May and July for four shared wins, over a
Rumpler and some
Albatroses. Then, on 27 July 1918, Bouyer became a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur. On 19 September 1918, he was commissioned a Sous lieutenant. He scored one final victory on 21 October, sharing it with
Maurice Arnoux and
Alexandre Bretillon
Sous lieutenant Alexandre Albert Roger Bretillon was a French World War I flying ace credited with nine aerial victories.
Early life
Alexandre Albert Roger Bretillon was born 23 September 1895 in Curville.
World War I
Bretillon joined the French ...
.
Jean Georges Bouyer perished in a flying accident on 16 January 1926 while piloting a
Hanriot
Aéroplanes Hanriot et Cie. or simply 'Hanriot' was a French aircraft manufacturer with roots going back to the beginning of aviation. Founded by René Hanriot in 1910 as ''The Monoplans Hanriot Company Ltd.'' the company survived in different ...
.
Honors and awards
''Médaille Militaire''
"Brilliant pursuit pilot who always gives the highest example of modesty, skill and audacity. On 9 December 1917, after a hard combat, he succeeded in shooting down his 3rd enemy aircraft behind our lines." ''Médaille Militaire'' citation, 4 January 1918.
''Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur''
"Elite pursuit pilot who is an example of devotion to all his unit through his splendid qualities of determination and bravery. Has downed in flames, behind its lines, an enemy aircraft reporting therewith his 8th victory. Médaille Militaire for feats of war. Five citations." ''Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur'' citation, 27 July 1918.
Jean Georges Bouyer also won the ''Croix de guerre''
and the British
Distinguished Conduct Medal[The Aerodrome http://www.theaerodrome.com/medals/gbritain/dcm.php Retrieved 11 November 2017.]
Endnotes
References
* ''Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914-1918'' (1992) Norman L. R. Franks, Frank W. Bailey. Grub Street. , .
External links
* http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/bouyer.php
* https://web.archive.org/web/20101130182843/http://wwiaviation.com/aces/ace_Bouyer.html
* http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/airplane%20at%20war/upload5/Jean%20Bouyer.htm
* http://www.gwpda.org/1918p/fr-aces.html
*
Biography, list of aerial victories
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouyer, Jean
1891 births
1926 deaths
French World War I flying aces
Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal