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| Click Here For Full Artist Print Indexes | Aviation History Archive |
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Aviation Art Prints  Pilot Signatures World War One Signatures  Joseph Frantz |
Joseph Frantz | Joseph Frantz Joesph Frantz was a French aviator who became widely known after one particular sortie in 1914. With his observer Louis Quénault, they flew their Voisin III aircraft on the 5th October 1914 into history books when they engaged an enemy Aviatik aircraft. Using his altitude advantage to position his aircraft as close as possible to the German craft, Frantz gave his gunner the opportunity to fire their Hotchkiss machine gun with a good chance of success. When the gun jammed after a few rounds, and with the enemy aircraft now returning fire, Quénault resorted to his personal rifle. It is thought he hit and killed the pilot Wilhelm Schlichting and possibly also hit the fuel tank. There were many witnesses on the ground, mostly French troops, and descriptions vary as to what happened next. Did the aircraft turn over and explode, or did it just come down in trees out of control after the pilot was killed? The Aviatik certainly crashed into trees, and the observer - Fritz von Zangen was killed. No aircraft had ever shot down another in combat before this day, and the French were quick to celebrate the victory. Joseph Frantz received the Légion d'Honneur and Louis Quénault was awarded the Médaille Militaire. Perhaps more significantly, the age of air to air combat had arrived. Frantz would also receive the Croix de Guerre and Médaille Militaire, and was a co-founder of the 'Vieilles Tifes de l'Aéronautique' (eng, Old Stems of Aviation) in 1926. He died on 12th September 1979. |
| Joseph Frantz - Signed Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings |
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