Maurice Boyau

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Maurice Jean-Paul Boyau (1888-1918) was a leading French ace of the First World War and one of the most successful "balloon busters".

Boyau was already known to the public when war began in 1914, having led the French rugby team. A prewar soldier, he served as a supply corps driver for the first year or so of the conflict, then was accepted for pilot training. In late 1915 he was assigned as a flight instructor but arranged to join a combat unit in the fall of 1916. He spent the rest of his career with Escadrille 77, originally flying Nieuports.

As an enlisted pilot Boyau scored his first ten victories between March and September 1917, including six balloons. He was then commissioned and continued his exceptional record flying SPADs. Boyau made his mark with repeated successes in the summer of 1918, scoring four victories in June; nine in July; and three in August. He burned his last four balloons in three days of September, but was killed by defending German fighters on the 16th.

Boyau accounted for 21 balloons (14 shared) and 14 aircraft (4 shared), ranking fifth among all French aces of The Great War.

[edit] References

Norman Franks and Frank W. Bailey (1992). Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the U.S. and French Air Services, 1914-1918. Grub Street, London.