1-217-218 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Lieutenant Georges Guynemer meeting French generals, 19 February 1917. Generals Foch, Gerard, Guillaumat, and Lyautey inspecting one of the aircraft of Guynemer's squadron, Groupe de Chasse No 12, known as 'The Storks'. Georges Guynemer, French fighter ace, c1916. Guynemer (1894-1917) became the first French ace to attain 50 victories, a mark he reached at the end of July 1917. As his tally grew, Guynemer was lionized by the French press and became a national hero, with his exploits going some way to taking the public's mind off the appalling losses being sustained in the trenches at the time. On 11 September 1917, with a total of 53 kills to his credit, Guynemer was apparently shot down after attacking a German observation plane. Neither his aeroplane nor his body were ever found.