43 victories .... what a guy this was ........ !! A fractured skull, two broken legs, a smashed arm, a multiple-fractured jaw, a scorched foot, and a burned hand - these were some of the seventeen injuries that Charles Nungesser suffered while flying for France in the First World War. A dashing, devil-may-care pilot of legend, he was reputed to have spent more time in the hospital and in various women's beds than he did in the air. And he spent enough time in the air to shoot down 43 (45?) German aircraft. Despite his many injuries, he survived the war, and in 1927 attempted to be the first to fly the Atlantic. http://www.acepilots.com/wwi/fr_nungesser.html http://www.wwiaviation.com/aces/ace_Nungesser.shtml Charles Eugene Jules Marie Nungesser was born in Paris on the 15th of March, 1892. He was France's third leading ace with 45 victories. As a child, Nungesser became very interested in competitive sports. One of his interests was boxing. He attended the Ecole des Arts et Meiers where he was a fair student but excelled in sports. After a time at the school, he dropped out and sailed to Brazil. Nungesser had an uncle that lived there and went to meet him to get a job on his sugar plantation. When the ship arrived at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the uncle was no where to be found so, Charles went on to Buenos Aires, Argentina. In Argentina, Nungesser found work as an auto mechanic, and became interested in racing cars. When he was just seventeen, he started racing cars professionally. While racing, he met another Frenchman that had access to an airplane. Nungesser talked his new found friend into letting him take the Bleriot into the air by himself, as it was a single seat aircraft. After flying the plane around for a few minutes, he made a successful landing. Nungesser flew for two weeks, learned to fly and started an aviation career. After five years, Nungesser finally found his uncle and worked for him at his plantation. World War I broke out and Nungesser returned to france where he joined the Second Hussars. While on patrol one day, Nungesser and several fellow soldiers, stopped a German staff car, shot the occupants, and drove back behind their lines. His superiors were so impressed, they gave him the car and the Medaille Militaire. At this time Nungesser requested and was approved for a transfer to the Service Aeronautique. He received his brevet March 2, 1915. http://www.angelfire.com/realm/bodhisattva/nungesser.html
Attached is a picture of Nungessor with his latest aircraft adorned with the definitive version of his badge, withe wounded skull, coffins and candles. Sadly, he was one of many men who found it very difficult to settle down after the war, perhaps damaged psychologically more than he ever admitted. The Atlantic attempt, with the much more steady Rene Coli, also a leading war pilot, was probably part of his restlessness. But I would take with a big pinch of salt the account in one the links above that the wreckage of their aircraft L'Oiseau Blanc was found in Newfoundland, indicating that they had succeeded in being the first to make the East-West crossing. Sadly, this is wish fulfilment that has been pretty well disproved; I understand that part of the aeroplane's instrument panel was found in a fishing net well out in the Atlantic in 1961.
Heres another photo of Nungesser .... with his plane and badges !! French Ace Nungesser - A wild pilot who constantly broke the rules, Charles Nungesser was one of World War I's most wounded pilots. He had a coffin, a black heart, two burning candles, and a skull and crossbones insignia painted on his plane, as shown in the photo. He was France's third ranking ace with 45 victories to his name. He survived the war, but was killed on May 8, 1927 while attempting to fly the Atlantic
