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 ...

Louis Prosper Gros (24 July 1893 – 3 March 1973) became a

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 ...

during World War I, scoring eight confirmed aerial victories, and possibly a ninth. He continued in aviation after the war, and defended his nation again during World War II.

World War I

Gros enlisted in the French military in 1913. When World War I began, he was serving as an enlisted

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

(equivalent 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 ...

) in the artillery. On 24 September 1914, he was promoted to Maréchal-des-logis. A year and a day later, 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 ...

. When he was released from the hospital, he applied for pilot's training. He began his aviation training at

Châteauroux Châteauroux (; ; oc, Chasteurós) is the capital city of the French department of Indre, central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called ''Castelroussins'' () in French. Climate Ch ...

on 16 February 1916. On 23 March, he moved on to train at

Chartres Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as d ...

. On 28 May 1916, he was granted Military Pilot's Brevet No. 3565. He trained further, at

Avord Avord () is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Geography A farming area comprising the village and several hamlets situated by the banks of the river Yèvre, some east of Bourges at the junction of ...

and Châteauroux before being assigned to combat duty. On 22 October 1916, he was posted to Escadrille HF41 (the 'HF' denoting the squadron's use of

Henri Farman Henri Farman (26 May 1874– 17 July 1958) was a British-French aviator and aircraft designer and manufacturer with his brother Maurice Farman. Before dedicating himself to aviation he gained fame as a sportsman, specifically in cycling and moto ...

observation aircraft). While with this squadron, he scored his first win on 13 April 1917, won the ''Médaille militaire'' on 5 May 1917, and was promoted to ''Adjutant'' on 5 November 1917. On 21 December, he was sent to fighter pilot's training.Franks & Bailey, p. 166. Gros was posted to Escadrille 154 as a Spad pilot on 1 January 1918. He was a team player, sharing seven victories between 3 April and 22 August 1918 with such other

balloon buster Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness, as balloons were stationary targets able to receive heavy defenses, from the ground and the air. Seventy-seven fl ...

aces as Paul Y. R. Waddington, Paul Barbreau, Paul Petit,

Jacques Ehrlich Sous Lieutenant Jacques Louis Ehrlich (1893-1953) was a French World War I flying ace credited with 19 aerial victories; he was one of the leading balloon busters of the war. Biography Jacques Louis Ehrlich was born in Paris on 25 October 1893.' ...

Théophile Henri Condemine Lieutenant Colonel Théophile Henri Condemine, or Henri Théophile Condemine, was a French soldier and fighter pilot who began his military career during World War I. He became a flying ace credited with nine confirmed aerial victories, all agains ...

, and

Michel Coiffard Michel Joseph Callixte Marie Coiffard (16 July 1892 – 29 October 1918) was one of the leading French flying aces of World War I. He was notable for his success as a balloon buster shooting down enemy observation balloons, which were usually hea ...

. A ninth victory is ascribed to him, but no details are available on it.Franks & Bailey, p. 167. Gros was given a temporary promotion to Sous lieutenant during this string of victories, on 26 April 1918. He was also wounded again, on 15 September. He was inducted into the ''Légion d'honneur'' on 9 October 1918.

Post World War I

Louis Prosper Gros continued to fly following the war, amassing some 3,500 flight hours. He returned to his country's service on two occasions, during 1935–1936, and again for World War II.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gros, Louis Prosper 1893 births 1973 deaths French aviators French World War I flying aces French World War II pilots Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)