Ernest Maunoury

Sous Lieutenant Ernest Joseph Jules Maunoury was a French flying ace during World War I. He was credited with eleven confirmed aerial victories. He survived the war, only to die in a flying accident on 21 September 1921.

Early life

Ernest Joseph Jules Maunoury was born in Saint-Clair-de-Halouze on 29 November 1894.

On 27 January 1917, he was transferred to Escadrille 16. He began pilot's training at Dijon on 20 March 1917, and was granted his Military Pilot's Brevet on 7 June 1917. He then joined a brand new squadron, Escadrille 152, as a Spad pilot. On 30 June 1918, he scored his second victory, destroying a German observation balloon. On 20 July, he shared a double win with Del Vial. Then he began a string of seven consecutive victories shared with premium balloon buster Léon Bourjade. Double victories on 15 September and 1 October 1918 brought his tally to eight enemy observation balloons destroyed, along with two German reconnaissance planes and a Fokker.

Postwar He lost a wing while flying over Cazaux on 21 September 1921. The subsequent impact was fatal.

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