''Capitaine'' Georges Pelletier d'Oisy (1892–1953) was a French aviator and World War I ace. He attempted a circumnavigation of the world in 1924. Pelletier d'Oisy began his aviation career as a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.

Biography

Early life and training

See also Aerial victory standards of World War I Georges Pelletier D'Oisy was born in

Auch Auch (; oc, label= Gascon, Aush ) is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Occitanie, it is the capital of the Gers department. Auch is the historical capital of Gascony. Geography Localization Hydrography The Riv ...

on 9 March 1892. He enlisted for five years on 23 May 1910. He served as a

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

until 14 October 1912, when he entered pilot training. He graduated with Military Pilot's Brevet No. 284 on 18 June 1913, and was posted to ''Escadrille HF.19'' on 1 July.''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'', pp. 202-203

World War I service

When the First World War began, Pelletier d'Oisy was serving with ''Escadrille HF.19''. On 20 November 1914, he received one of the first '' Médaille militaires'' awarded in the war. He transferred to ''

Escadrille MS.12 ''Escadrille 12'' of the French Air Force was formed in 1912 and known for introducing Nieuport aircraft to the World War I air combat. History Escadrille 12 was equipped initially with ''Nieuport IV.M'' two-seat monoplanes aircraft; hence its ...

'' on 1 March 1915. On 2 April, he scored one of the first aerial victories in history when he shot down an Albatros reconnaissance plane. Six days later, he was appointed as a '' Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur''. On 27 September, he was promoted from the ranks to be a '' Sous lieutenant''. He scored two more aerial victories, on 12 and 17 May 1916. On 18 May he was transferred to a fighter squadron, ''

Escadrille N.69 ''Escadrille Spa.69'' (originally named ''Escadrille N.69'') was a French fighter squadron derived from one of its military's oldest aviation units. Active from September 1915 until the 11 November 1918 Armistice, the ''escadrille'' campaigned on ...

''. He and

Jean Navarre Jean Marie Dominique Navarre (8 August 1895 – 10 July 1919) was a French aviator during World War I. As one of the pioneer flying aces, he was credited with List of World War I aces credited with 11–14 victories, twelve confirmed aerial victo ...

teamed to shoot down a German

Fokker Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names. It was founded in 1912 in Berlin, Germany, and became famous for its fighter aircraft in World War I. In 1919 ...

on 18 June 1916 for d'Oisy's fourth victory. He would score a fifth victory to become a flying ace on 11 May 1917. On 27 September, he became a full Lieutenant. On 30 December 1917, he was withdrawn from his squadron to serve on the staff of ''

Groupe de Combat 16 A group is a military unit or a military formation that is most often associated with military aviation. Air and aviation groups The terms group and wing differ significantly from one country to another, as well as between different branches o ...

''. He would serve in this position until 26 October 1918, when he was posted back to his former unit, now known as ''

Escadrille Spa.69 ''Escadrille Spa.69'' (originally named ''Escadrille N.69'') was a French fighter squadron derived from one of its military's oldest aviation units. Active from September 1915 until the 11 November 1918 Armistice, the ''escadrille'' campaigned on ...

''.

Aviation record activities

On 24 April 1924, Pelletier d'Oisy and Adjutant

Lucien Besin Lucien is a male given name. It is the French form of Luciano or Latin ''Lucianus'', patronymic of Lucius. Lucien, Saint Lucien, or Saint-Lucien may also refer to: People Given name *Lucien of Beauvais, Christian saint *Lucien, a band member ...

departed Paris eastbound in a Breguet 19.A.2 in an attempt to fly around the world. Their attempt ended when they crashed their airplane on a golf course in Shanghai, China.''The First World Flight - Being the Personal Narratives of Lowell Smith, Erik Nelson, Leigh Wade, Leslie Arnold, Henry Ogden, John Harding'', p. 152 They had covered 10,580 miles (17,037 km) in 26 days. Pelletier d'Oisy was in Hong Kong when a British Royal Air Force team of aviators making an eastbound attempt to circumnavigate the world arrived there on 30 June 1924, and he traded flying stories with Squadron Leader

Archibald Stuart-MacLaren Archibald Stuart Charles Stuart-MacLaren was an early British aviator who led the British attempt to win the race between nations to make the first aerial circumnavigation of the globe in 1924. Stuart-MacLaren received his Aviator’s Certificate ...

and Flying Officer William Plenderleith of the British team. Shortly after that, he departed for Tokyo, Japan, in a Breguet 14 he had borrowed from the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

government, arriving there on 17 July 1924. The entire trip from Paris to Tokyo had taken 120 hours in the air over 84 days. In June 1925, flying a Blériot-SPAD S.61, he won the Michelin Cup, completing the course in 15hr 8 min.

World War II and beyond

Having served in both Indochina and Tunisia, d'Oisy rose to the rank of General by the end of the Second World War. He died in Morocco on 10 May 1953.

Honors

* Chevalier of the '' Legion d'honneur'': 8 April 1915 (later raised to '' Commandeur)'' in the Legion * '' Medaille Militaire'': 20 November 1914 * ''

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 ...

'' with four ''palmes'' and an ''etoile de vermeil'' * The inaugural Harmon Trophy in 1926

End notes

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. . * Thomas Lowell (1925). ''The First World Flight - Being the Personal Narratives of Lowell Smith, Erik Nelson, Leigh Wade, Leslie Arnold, Henry Ogden, John Harding''. Cambridge Houghton Mifflin. ASIN: B01HWXRXRK. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pelletier Doisy, Georges 1892 births 1953 deaths People from Auch French World War I flying aces Commanders of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)