Jean Navarre

Jean Marie Dominique Navarre (8 August 1895 – 10 July 1919) was a French aviator during World War I. As one of the pioneer flying aces, he was credited with twelve confirmed aerial victories and fifteen unconfirmed ones.

Early life

Born on 8 August 1895 in Jouy-sur-Morin, Navarre turned out to be a difficult child who challenged his teachers and frequently played truant with his twin brother, Pierre.

Navarre earned Civil Pilot's Brevet No. 581 on 22 August 1911. This earned him immediate entry into French military aviation in August 1914, when the World War began.

World War I service

Jean Navarre inspecting a captured German aircraft (Le Miroir, 14 November 1915). (Possibly his 3rd official credit: FA 33 - LVG C II n°523/15 captured 26 October 1915

In September 1914, Navarre earned Military Pilot's Brevet No. 601. He was originally assigned to Escadrille MF8. He then joined the MS12 reconnaissance squadron, flying Morane-Saulnier L aircraft, nicknamed 'parasol' due to the large upper wing covering most of its narrow fuselage. Shortly thereafter, on 1 April 1915, Navarre was the pilot when his observer shot down a German Aviatik north of Fismes. Navarre's first victory earned him a Médaille militaire, awarded just five days later, to join his Croix de Guerre. On 13 April 1915, Navarre again scored while flying, this time with a different gunner. On 2 August 1915, he was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur, with the citation based as much on secretive special missions as on aerial victory. He would score once more, on 26 October 1915, before reassignment to Escadrille 67 to fly a Nieuport.

Navarre was flying an aircraft that he had painted a patriotic and striking red, white, and blue. When he received new Nieuport 11 and Nieuport 16 fighters in May 1916, he deliberately painted both red to challenge and intimidate the enemy in the skies over Verdun, well before his German counterpart would gain notoriety as the Red Baron. (Sources report Navarre as having an all-red Nieuport as early as February 1916.)

On 17 June 1916, Navarre teamed with Georges Pelletier d'Oisy, and they achieved Navarre's twelfth win. In the process, Jean Navarre was shot down and sustained severe head injuries from which he never fully recovered. Navarre's twin brother was killed in a flying accident at about the same time. Jean Navarre was removed from active duty and sent to a sanatorium to convalesce. He would return to duty in 1918, though he would not again fly in combat.

Honors and awards Médaille militaire "Sergent pilot of Escadrille MS12 of remarkable skill and audacity. He has battled two enemy aircraft in one week, meeting them and attacking from a few meters in spite of the enemy observer's fire. He forced one of them to land behind our lines, allowing the pilot and observer, both of whom had been wounded by his observer's fire, to be taken prisoner."

Légion d'honneur "Adjudant pilot of Escadrille MS12, remarkably adroit and devoted, he has had several aerial combats, one of which permitted the capture of two enemy officers and an enemy aircraft. He volunteers for all the delicate missions, and has executed special and particularly perilous missions with complete success."

Footnotes