Pierre Ducornet
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Pierre Desire Augustin Ducornet 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 seven aerial victories, five of which were over enemy balloons, the two others were against enemy planes.The Aerodrome websit

Retrieved 6 August 2020
He would continue active military service until 1933; he was recalled to active duty for World War II. He spent some time as an irregular military, irregular in the
French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
before returning to regular service. After the fighting was over, he continued to serve until May 1955.''Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'', p. 156


Biography


Early life and World War I

Pierre Desire Augustin Ducornet was born on 19 April 1898 in
Poix-du-Nord Poix-du-Nord () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry Town twinning * Keighley, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord de ...
, France. On 15 August 1915, he volunteered to serve in the French military for the duration of World War I's hostilities. After initial service as a
Cuirassier Cuirassiers (; ) were cavalry equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as men-at-arms and demi-lancers, discarding their lances and adoptin ...
, he was forwarded for pilot training on 28 February 1917. His Military Pilot's Brevet was granted on 4 May 1917. After advanced training, he was posted to ''Escadrille 93'' on 6 August 1917. Ducornet shot down a
Pfalz Pfalz, Pfälzer, or Pfälzisch are German words referring to Palatinate. They may refer to: Places *Pfalz, the Palatinate (region) of Germany **Nordpfalz, the North Palatinate **Vorderpfalz, the Anterior Palatinate **Südpfalz, the South Pa ...
on 29 May 1918, and a
Rumpler Rumpler-Luftfahrzeugbau GmbH, Rumpler-Werke, usually known simply as Rumpler was a German aircraft and automobile manufacturer founded in Berlin by Austrian engineer Edmund Rumpler in 1909 as Rumpler Luftfahrzeugbau.Gunston 1993, p.259 The fir ...
on 15 July 1918. He was promoted to ''
Maréchal des logis () is a sub-officer rank used by some units of the French Armed Forces. It is traditionally a cavalry unit rank. There are three distinct ranks of ''maréchal des logis'', which are generally the equivalents of sergeant ranks (although they g ...
'' on the 26th. During August and September 1918, he shot down five German
observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War ...
s to become a
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 ...
ace. Coincident to his last victory on 29 September 1918, he was honored with 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, ...
'' for his valor. By war's end, he had also earned 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 ...
'' with five ''palmes'' and two ''etoiles d'argent''.


Between the wars

Ducornet remained in service after war's end. In 1919, he was 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 ...
''. On 16 June 1920, he was inducted 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 ...
''. Then he was promoted to '' Capitaine'' before transferring to the reserves in December 1933.


World War II and beyond

He was recalled in the early days of World War II, and served on the staff of '' Groupe de Chasse 21'' until France fell to the Nazis. He then worked in the
French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
, winning himself the 1939-1945 Croix de guerre and the British
Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, ranki ...
. As the tides of war turned against the Nazis, Ducornet switched back to regular military duties in August 1944 as the Deputy
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
of the 11th Military District. When his second war had ended, Ducornet served as commanding officer of airfields at Nancy and
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
. He retired in 1955 in the rank of Colonel. On 17 March 1963, he died in Paris.


Sources of information


Reference

* ''Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'' Norman L. R. Franks, Frank W. Bailey. Grub Street, 1992. , . 1898 births 1963 deaths French World War I flying aces {{france-mil-bio-stub