Paul Tarascon
Paul Albert Pierre Tarascon | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Ace With the Wooden Leg |
| Service/ | Aviation |
| Rank | Lieutenant (later Colonel) |
| Unit | Escadrille No. 31, Escadrille No. 3, Escadrille No. 62 |
| Awards | Legion d'Honneur, Medaille Militaire, Croix de Guerre |
Lieutenant (later Colonel) Paul Albert Pierre Tarascon was a World War I flying ace credited with twelve aerial victories.[1]
Tarascon joined the Colonial Infantry in 1901. In 1911, while learning to fly, he crashed so badly that his right foot was amputated. When World War I began, he volunteered as an aviator and was accepted. He completed military training and became an instructor in January 1915. After that, he was sent to Escadrilles 31 and 3, but in early 1916 came to rest in Escadrille 62.[2] Flying a Nieuport fighter, he scored his first win on 15 July 1916. By 17 November, he had run his total to eight victories on Nieuports. Before he resumed scoring on 6 April 1917, he had changed planes to a Spad. He scored twice more in mid-1917, then one final time on 15 July 1918.[3] Tarascon's personal insignia of a black fighting cock had become adopted by his squadron.[4]
Tarascon survived the war, and rose to Colonelcy. He was a part of the French Resistance during World War II.[5]
Honors and awards
Sources of information
- ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/tarascon.php Retrieved on 27 March 2010.
- ^ Nieuport Aces of World War 1. p. 54.
- ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/tarascon.php Retrieved on 27 March 2010.
- ^ Nieuport Aces of World War 1. p. 54.
- ^ Nieuport Aces of World War 1. p. 54.
Reference
Nieuport Aces of World War 1. Norman Franks. Osprey Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1855329611, 9781855329614.
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