Georges Guynemer (24 December 1894-11 September 1917) was a French fighter ace who scored 54 victories during World War I, making him the second highest-scoring French ace of the war.
Biography[]
Georges Marie Ludovic Jules Guynemer was born in Compiegne, France in 1894 to an aristocratic family. He was originally rejected five times from the French Army due to his frailty, but he gained acceptance to pilot training in 1915. On 19 July 1915, he shot down his first German plane, and he became an ace upon achieving his fifth victory in February 1916. He went on to win a total of 54 victories during World War I, becoming a national hero. On 11 September 1917, he went missing in action south of Poelcappelle, Belgium, and he was found to have been shot in the head during a dogfight.