1-217-205 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Jean Navarre, French pilot, 1916. Navarre (1895-1919) gained the distinction of being designated France's first air ace of the First World War. He gained the nickname the 'Sentinel of Verdun' for his exploits during the battle fought there in 1916 and downed 12 enemy aircraft before being shot down himself on 17 June suffering head injuries so severe that he spent the next two years in an asylum. Navarre never returned to aerial combat but, having been chosen to make a celebratory flight through the Arc de Triomphe in 1919, was killed when he crashed practicing for the event.