Charles Nungesser

Charles Nungesser , born in PARIS the 10th March 15th 1892 and dead some share in the North Atlantic or in North America the May 8th 1927, is a Aviateur French.

He was one of the ace air hunting between 1914 and 1918. He finds death the May 8th 1927, when he tries with François Coli a crossing Paris - New York without stopover on board the white Oiseau .

The ace of the First World War

Nungesser, left in South America at fifteen years, where he knows number of adventures and practical various trades (cow-boy, boxer, pilot of automobile races). He also discovers incipient aviation, and starts to control.

Returned to France before the declaration of war, it engages with the 2nd regiment of hussards, where it obtains the Military decoration after ten days of combat. It succeeds indeed, after having past only the enemy lines, to capture a car Mors and to kill the four Prussian officers who were there, and to bring back the car to the General headquarter of its division with plans found on the Prussian officers. Its general calls it the hussard Bit in reference to this exploit, and authorizes it to pass in aviation.

It integrates flotilla VB 106 into Dunkirk, in which it controls a bomber Voisin X and achieves 53 missions of bombardment. But it also makes use of it on the occasion to make the hunting of the planes which it crosses: July 30th, 1915, it cuts down a German Albatros during a trial flight, which is worth the Military Cross to him, and a change in the fighter squadron NR 65 (equipped with Nieuport Bébé) based in Nancy. It carries out several fighter patrols which it finishes by acrobatics above its ground, which is worth eight days of stops to him. Its punishment however will be raised while cutting down its second victory, an Albatros two-seater on November 28th, 1915.

But in February 1916, it is very seriously wounded by testing a prototype of fighter plan of the Ponnier type, while being crushed on takeoff. The handle with brush crosses the palate, and it to him with the jaw crashed to pieces, the two broken legs. It leaves on crutches the hospital on March 28th, refuses its reform, and turns over to its flotilla. It must be made carry and extract from its plane to be able to fight.

It takes part then in the battle of Verdun and gains 10 victories there until July 22nd, 1916, before flying over the face of the Sum. It is there that it makes undoubtedly paint for the first time its personal badge on its Nieuport 17, a death's-head with the intersected tibiae, surmounting a coffin surrounded by two candlesticks, the whole drawn in a black core. It will gain nine other victories approved over the Sum until the end of the year 1916, carrying its total with 21, with in particular a " triplé" September 26th.

But its health condition is very precarious since its accident of February 1916, to which various wounds in combat are added. It must set out again at the hospital and arrives to of " échapper" that after having negotiated an agreement with its doctors and the state major: he will have to turn over to the hospital after each one of his flights to follow his treatment there. Thus it is detached with flotilla VB 116, a flotilla of bombardment, which it joined with its Nieuport hunter in Dunkirk in the month of May 1917. This flotilla with the characteristic to be beside a hospital… It will gain 9 other victories until the end of the year 1917.

Its improving health condition, it can join its flotilla, the NR 65. But hardly it of return is which it is victim of a serious car accident in October 1917 in which its faithful mechanic Roger Pochon perishes, who was at the wheel. Nungesser turns over to the hospital… Until the end of the war, in spite of its heavy physical handicaps, will continue to accumulate successes, but will be made exceed by Rene Fonck.

August 15th, 1918, it cuts down several Drachen S and gains its 43ème approved victory (the last).

The pilot of the post-war period

On a proposal from the under-secretary of State to Aeronautics, it assembles a flying school to Orly: this one gone bankrupt. It leaves then in round exhibition (55 representations with the the United States) where it reconstitutes its principal combat.

The crossing of the Atlantic

In 1927, devoured by the need to exceed itself, it forms with François Coli the project to cross the North Atlantic, without very being registered at the bid price by Raymond Orteig of: 25000 $ with which will carry out the exploit the first. The manufacturer Levasseur provides a prototype of the PL 8, a biplane equipped with the engine Lorraine Dietrich 12 Eb out of W of 450 horses. Here characteristics of the plane that Nungesser renames the White Oiseau :

Scale: 14,60 m;
Length: 9,75 m;
Height: 3,89 m;
Airfoil: 61 m ²;
Empty weight: 1.905 kg;
total Mass: 5.030 kg.

One lightens it of any useless weight: thus Nungesser and Coli leave without radio. The plane the White Oiseau reaches the weight of 5 tons and must take one kilometer of dash before taking off, the May 8th.

The newspaper the Press had prematurely announced their victory at the evening of May 9th. This false report caused its bankruptcy.

The plane flew over Étretat before disappearing (one finds on northern cliff of Etretat a museum and a monument dedicated to Nungesser and its plane, produced by the architect Gaston Delaune). It is known now that it flew over the Ireland, since a British naval officer consigned in his log book to have seen the apparatus. It is probable that a depression carried them more in North of their road, making them consume too much gasoline, and that they wanted to join Quebec (which was envisaged in their various options of road) to be posed on the the St. Lawrence. Their altimeter, after the passage in the depression, could be distorted, which would have made them run up against hills in the Maine. Traces of their fuselage were seen by a flight of observation of USAF in the years 1930, and the remains of the engine would have been found.

to see the Hérodote site

Decorations

Legion of honor (officer), Military decoration, the Military Cross-country race (GB), the Military Cross with twenty-eight palms and two stars, the Order of Léopold and the Belgian Military Cross, Distinguished Service Cross-country race (the USA), the Cross of Michel the Brave man (Romania), the Cross of Bravery (Serbia).

Posterity

In addition to the many schools and elements of roadway system which bear its name, generally associated with that with François Coli, Nungesser received a homage of two French aviators. Dieudonné Costes and Joseph Brix named indeed Bréguet 19 GR. with which they carried out their round the world tour in 39 stages (57 000 km) the Nungesser and Coli .

With Valencians, the football club evolves/moves in a stage which bears its name.

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