Rene Fonck

By Crusader1307

Considered the Allied “Ace of Aces”, Colonel Fonck claimed 142 kills. 72 credited and confirmed. Fonck was well known for pursuing his kills (even to points of landing) – to retrieve proof of his kills. Exceptionally bright, he applied Engineering and Mathematics to his flying and fighting abilities. He pioneered “deflection shooting” (or leading a round to target). Fonck was not a dogfighter, but preferred “surgical” or precision fighting. He won The French Legion of Honor as well as numerous other French Flying awards. After the war, he was instrumental with aircraft design – working with Russian designer Igor Sikorsky. Fonck was pressing to be the first to cross The Atlantic (from Paris to New York). An accident with his prototype plane was sufficient to lay him up long enough to allow American Charles Lindbergh the honor (New York to Paris) in 1927. He died of a stroke at 59.