Ancient history

Rene Dorme

René Gaston Marie Dorme, born on January 30, 1894 in Abaucourt-les-Souppleville in the Meuse, was shot in Reims, above Fort de la Pompelle, on May 25, 1917, probably shot by Heinrich Kroll. Ninth French ace of the First World War, the one nicknamed "l'Inimitable" (or "l'Increvable") totaled twenty-three approved victories.

René Dorme was called up in 1913 and assigned to Tunisia, in Bizerte, to the 7th artillery group.

During the war, marshal of the house, he wanted to become an aviator. He passed through the school of Pau and received his pilot's license there on April 24, 1915. First assigned to the C 94 squadron based in Villacoublay, René Dorme served for a time in the N 95 squadron deployed in Pons then joined in April 1916 the Spa 3 squadron, a prestigious formation which was to become the so-called "Cigognes" squadron. He won his first victory there on July 9, 1916.

Distinguished in aerial combat, René Dorme won 23 sure and 50 probable victories in less than a year, totaling 623 flight hours and 120 aerial combats; his feats of arms earned him the military medal pinned by the hands of the President of the Republic.

He was shot in Reims, almost directly above Fort de la Pompelle, on May 25, 1917.

Knight of the Legion of Honor and holder of the Croix de Guerre with seventeen palms, René Dorme, godfather of Villacoublay Air Base 107, is, with René Fonck and Georges Madon, the French pilot of the First World War in who were denied the most victories. According to the recollections of his mechanic and the notes in his flight log, he claimed no less than 94 aerial victories, which his legendary modesty forbade him from claiming from the official services.


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