Henri Albert Péronneau

Capitaine Henri Albert Péronneau was a World War I flying ace credited with nine confirmed aerial victories. He served his nation for more than four decades.

World War I Péronneau was serving as a noncommissioned officer in the engineers in western Morocco in 1912 when he transferred to aviation. The beginning of World War I saw him assigned to 1er Group d'Aviation. On 1 June 1915, he started pilot's training at Avord. On 30 November, he received Military Pilot's Brevet No. 2026. On 30 March 1916, he was posted to Escadrille 49. He moved on to Escadrille 65 on 26 May. Péronneau was mentioned in dispatches for flying 150 combat hours and engaging in a dozen dogfights. On 10 October, he was promoted to Adjutant. He received his final assignment of the war on 26 December 1916, when he transferred to Escadrille N81 ('N' denoting a Nieuport squadron).

On 25 August 1917, he was promoted to Adjutant Chef. On 22 September, he claimed victory over a Halberstadt two-seater reconnaissance plane, shared with Pierre De Cazenove De Pradines. It was confirmed on the next day. Péronneau was mentioned in dispatches again, for that victory, as well as for damaging two enemy planes during the preceding month; he would be mentioned five more times in dispatches. On 30 October, the team of de Cazenove de Pradines and Péronneau downed another two-seater, this one over Verdun. Additional solo wins by Péronneau drove his total to four by the year's end. On 12 November, he was awarded the Médaille militaire.

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