Sous Lieutenant William Louis Max Herisson was a French

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. He was credited with eleven confirmed aerial victories.

Early life

William Louis Max Herisson was born in

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...

on 20 June 1894.

Military service

Herisson entered the French cavalry on 1 September 1914. On 30 November, he was promoted to 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 ...

. On 6 April 1915, he was promoted again, to Maréchal-des-logis. On 1 September, he entered pilot's training at

Étampes Étampes () is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southwest from the center of Paris (as the crow flies). Étampes is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department. Étampes, together with the neighboring c ...

. He received his Pilot's Brevet, No. 2069, on 12 December, and was retained on instructor duty until the following August. On 30 August 1916 he reported to Escadrille F20 (the 'F' denoting the

Farman Farman Aviation Works (french: Avions Farman) was a French aircraft company founded and run by the brothers Richard, Henri, and Maurice Farman. They designed and constructed aircraft and engines from 1908 until 1936; during the French national ...

s in use in the squadron). However, a week later, he was reporting for upgrade training to

Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

fighter planes. On 8 December 1916, he joined a Nieuport squadron, Escadrille 75. On 1 March 1917, he was promoted to

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 ...

. The squadron upgraded to Spads, and Herisson began to score. Beginning 22 July 1917, with a win over

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

, he became an ace in two months, tallying his fifth victory on 25 September, with four of his five wins shared with other French pilots. The ''Médaille militaire'' was awarded to him on 18 November 1917. Herisson next scored on 18 February 1918, again teaming to share a win. On 30 March, he shared his seventh triumph with Gabriel Guerin and another French pilot. He next won a solo victory over a Pfalz D.III on 11 April 1918. Then he shared a win over another German fighter on 21 May. As recognition of his continuing success, he was appointed a Chevalier in the Légion d'honneur on 12 June 1918. He rounded his career as an ace with his only double, on 17 September 1918.

Endnotes

References

* ''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. , .

External links

* The Aerodrome http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/herisson.php * World War I Aviation http://www.wwiaviation.com/aces/ace_Herisson.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Herisson, William French World War I flying aces 1969 deaths 1894 births