Lionel Alexandre Pierre de Marmier was a 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 six confirmed aerial victories in World War I.The Aerodrome websit

Retrieved on 29 April 2010. He remained involved in aviation postwar, setting flying records and serving in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. At the start of World War II, he returned to his nation's service, shooting down at least one German plane. He died in an air crash on 30 December 1944. He was posthumously promoted to

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Biography

Lionel Alexandre Pierre de Marmier was born in Bellegarde-en-Marche, France on 4 December 1897.''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'', p.145

World War I service

He began military service on 12 January 1916, with an aviation unit. On 15 March 1916, he went for pilot training. He graduated initial training with his Military Pilot's Brevet on 2 July 1916. After advanced training, he was posted to ''Escadrille 112'' on 1 December 1916. He rose through the enlisted ranks while serving with them, reaching the rank of

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 ...

on 5 December 1917. He made unconfirmed combat claims for a pair of single-handed victories on 30 September 1917. Then he began to hunt in consort with

Fernand Henri Chavannes Sous Lieutenant Fernand Henri Chavannes (1897-1985) was a French World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.The Aerodrome websitRetrieved on 29 April 2010. Biography Fernand Henri Chavannes was the son of renowned sinology, sin ...

. When the new

SPAD XII The SPAD S.XII or SPAD 12 was a French single-seat biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War developed from the successful SPAD VII by Louis Béchereau, chief designer of the Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés (SPAD). Development ...

came out in Spring 1918, it was distributed one per French squadron. The "cannon Spad" for their unit was shared between Marmier and his friend Chavannes; it even bore the shared marking of an 'M' entwined with a 'C'. At any rate, the two of them would claim four victories together, with another one going unconfirmed. De Marmier's sixth and final World War I victory came on 31 May 1918. That same day, he was promoted out of the enlisted ranks, being commissioned as 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 ...

''. For his valor, he had earned 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, ...

'' and the ''

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 ...

'' by war's end.

Between the wars

On 15 February 1920, he was honored by induction as a Chevalier into the ''

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 ...

''. On 15 February 1930, he was raised to the level of ''Officier'' in the Legion. Meanwhile, he set several world aviation records, leading to his further promotion in the Legion, to ''Commandeur''. He also fought in the

World War II service

In September 1939, de Marmier returned to duty with his nation with the rank of

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

. Marmier claimed at least one German plane on 3 June 1940, while he was flying a

Caudron C.714 The C.710 were a series of light fighter aircraft developed by Caudron-Renault for the French Air Force just prior to the start of World War II. One version, the C.714, saw limited production, and were assigned to Polish pilots flying in Franc ...

with the Polish pilots of GC 1/145 'Varsovie'. After the French surrender, he joined the

Free French Air Force The Free French Air Forces (french: Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres, FAFL) were the air arm of the Free French Forces in the Second World War, created by Charles de Gaulle in 1940. The designation ceased to exist in 1943 when the Free Frenc ...

and served in it, taking command of the free French transport lines. He was given the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

by General

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

, shortly before his accidental death in a flying accident, when his

Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar The Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar is a passenger transport aircraft of the World War II era. Design and development Sales of the 10–14 passenger Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra, which first flew in 1937, had proved disappointing, despite the air ...

crashed in the Mediterranean sea on 30 December 1944.

Awards and honors

Médaille Militaire:
"Elite pilot, every day giving new proof of his exceptional qualities of ardor and bravery. Always volunteers for the most perilous missions and has brilliantly distinguished himself during the combats in which he has engaged, forcing six enemy planes to return disabled to their lines, and by downing three others, two during the course of the same day." Médaille Militaire citation, 9 April 1918 Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur:
"Pursuit pilot of brilliant bravery who, because of his temerity, never bothered to count the number of his adversaries. He reported seven official victories, and several others not confirmed. He was wounded in one combat and in another his plane burned. One wound, eight citations." Légion d'Honneur citation, 16 June 1920 He was raised to the rank of ''Officier'' in the Legion on 15 February 1930, and to ''Commandeur'' in January 1936. He also won the Croix de guerre during World War I.

Sources of information

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. . * Gutmann, Jon (2002). ''SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I.'' Oxford:Osprey Publishing. , 9781841763163.
Biography
(French)

External links

Biography, list of aerial victories, color profiles of his planes
1897 births 1944 deaths French World War I flying aces People lost at sea People from Creuse French Air Force generals Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents French military personnel killed in World War II {{france-mil-bio-stub