Jean Casale

Last updated
Jean Pie Hyacinthe Paul Jerome Casale
Born24 September 1893
Olmeta-di-Tuda, Corsica, France
Died23 June 1923(1923-06-23) (aged 29)
AllegianceFrance
Service/branchAviation
Years of service1913 – ca 1918
Rank Sous lieutenant
Unit 8eme Régiment de Chasseurs, Escadrille 8, Escadrille 76, Escadrille 23, Escadrille 156, Escadrille 38
Awards Légion d'honneur, Médaille militaire, Croix de Guerre, Mentioned in Dispatches four times
Lieut. Jean Casale standing by the SPAD S.27 he flew during several record breaking flights Spad S.27 - Lieut. Jean Casale 110320 p297.png
Lieut. Jean Casale standing by the SPAD S.27 he flew during several record breaking flights

Sous Lieutenant Jean Pie Hyacinthe Paul Jerome Casale, was a French World War I flying ace credited with thirteen aerial victories. He was one of the few aces that survived the entire course of fighter aviation in the war. [1]

Contents

Early life

Jean Pie Hyacinthe Paul Jerome Casale, was born on 24 September 1893 in Olmeta-di-Tuda, Corsica. [2]

Early military service

The marquis joined the military on 1 October 1913. He was posted to the 8eme Régiment de Chasseurs as an enlisted soldier. When World War I began, he requested transfer to aviation duty, with his reassignment coming after exactly one year of service. He received Pilot's Brevet No. 837 on 20 April 1915. One month later, on 20 May, he was assigned to 1er Groupe d'Aviation. He quickly moved on to Escadrille 8 as a pilot flying Maurice Farmans, as he was promoted to Caporal there on 5 June. [2] His fellow pilots gave him the nickname of "Marquis de Monferrato", in reference of the italian city of Casale Monferrato, but Jean Casale never had any nobility title, nor any link with this italian city.

Success as a flying ace

He scored a pioneering aerial victory on 8 July 1915. [1] He was posted to Escadrille 23 for a bit, and was promoted to Sergeant on 21 August 1915. He then switched to Escadrille 67 on 21 January 1916. He returned to Escadrille 23 on 1 March 1916. [3] Casale was awarded the Médaille militaire on 19 May 1916. On 15 August, he was promoted to Adjutant. He scored his second win on 2 September 1916. By 10 December, he was an ace, with an observation balloon and four enemy planes shot down, including one shared with Maxime Lenoir. [4]

On 7 March 1917, Marquis Casale was honored with an appointment as Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. On 24 June, he received a temporary commission as Sous Lieutenant. He also added four more aerial victories scattered through 1917, with his ninth coming on 21 September. [1] [4]

Having been decorated with the Légion d'honneur and the Médaille militaire , as well as commissioned, he transferred to Escadrille 156 on 6 March 1918 to fly a Spad. He had no success there, and was posted onwards to Escadrille 38, which was also equipped with Spads. [3] There he shared a balloon with Georges Madon on his day of arrival, 1 June 1918; he was then credited with three more enemy airplanes, with the final victory on 1 November 1918. [1] [4]

Postwar

Casale was killed in a flying accident on 23 June 1923 while flying a four-engine Blériot 115. [3]

Honors and awards

Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur

"Pursuit pilot of exceptional strength and bravery. Since the battle of Verdun, he has had more than 90 combats, returning several times with his plane riddled by enemy bullets. Decorated with the Médaille militaire in May 1916, he has since downed five enemy aircraft. On 11 February 1917, he attacked a balloon, strafing it to a very low altitude. Pursued during the course of this attack by two enemy planes, he engaged them in the most violent combat at 10 kilometers behind their lines; he returned with his plane badly damaged. Two wounds, four citations in army orders." (Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur citation) [4]

Médaille militaire

"Pilot of exceptional courage who, for more than a year, has rendered distinguished service in an Army Corps Escadrille, then in a pursuit Escadrille. Specializing in reconnaissances of long duration, he always executed these missions by having numerous and difficult aerial combats. On 26 April 1916, attacked by two enemy planes, he put them to flight successively and continued his reconnaissance although his plane was seriously hit by enemy bullets. Already cited in army orders." (Médaille militaire citation) [1] [4]

Sources of information

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/casale.php Retrieved on 27 March 2010.
  2. 1 2 Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914-1918. p. 128.
  3. 1 2 3 Nieuport Aces of World War 1. p. 50.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914-1918. p. 129.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">René Dorme</span> French WWI pilot

Sous Lieutenant René Pierre Marie Dorme, Légion d'honneur, Médaille militaire, Croix de Guerre was a French World War I fighter ace credited with at least confirmed 23 victories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel Guérin</span>

Sous Lieutenant Gabriel Fernand Charles Guérin, Legion d'honneur, Medaille militaire, Croix de Guerre, was a World War I fighter pilot credited with 23 confirmed aerial victories.

Sous Lieutenant Joseph-Henri Guiguet was a French World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.

Capitaine Paul Louis Malavialle was a French World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.

Sous Lieutenant Joseph Denis Bernard Robert de Bonnefoy (1894–1946) was a French World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.

Sous LieutenantNoël Hugues Anne Louis de Rochefort was a French World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories. He was one of the original French aces.

Capitaine Jean Marie Émile Derode was a French World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Sayaret</span>

Victor Louis Georges Sayaret was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.

Sous lieutenantDel Antoine Gaston Vial served in an artillery regiment from 1912 to 1913, when he transferred to aviation. He became a flying ace during World War I by scoring eight aerial victories. Another notable achievement of his was his frequent participation in long range bombardment missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Chaput</span> French World War I flying ace

Lieutenant Jean Chaput was a French World War I flying ace credited with 16 aerial victories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">André Julien Chainat</span> French World War I flying ace

Adjutant André Julien Chainat was a French World War I flying ace credited with eleven aerial victories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Louis Deullin</span> French World War I flying ace

Capitaine Albert Louis Deullin was a French World War I flying ace credited with twenty aerial victories. He served for the entirety of World War I. By war's end, he had risen to command of a fighter wing. He would die in a postwar flying accident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathieu Tenant de la Tour</span> French WWI flying ace (1883-1917)

Capitaine Mathieu Marie Joseph Antoine Tenant de la Tour was a French World War I flying ace credited with nine aerial victories. He scored one of the first aerial victories over an observation balloon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxime Lenoir</span> French flying ace

Adjutant Maxime Albert Lenoir was a pioneering World War I flying ace credited with eleven confirmed aerial victories, as well as eight unconfirmed.

Capitaine Gustave Victorin Daladier was a French World War I flying ace credited with twelve aerial victories. He would continue in his nation's military service after World War I.

Sous Lieutenant Marcel Joseph Maurice Nogues was a World War I flying ace credited with thirteen aerial victories. He was an ace over enemy observation balloons, as well as enemy airplanes.

Adjutant Armond/Armand Jean Berthelot (1894–1961) was a French World War I flying ace credited with eleven confirmed aerial victories. He was a scourge to enemy aerial observers, as his victory record contained six observation aircraft and two observation balloons.

Sous lieutenant Jean Georges Bouyer was a French World War I flying ace credited with eleven confirmed aerial victories.

Adjutant Maurice Bizot was a French World War I flying ace credited with ten confirmed aerial victories.

Lieutenant Colonel Jean André Pezon began his military career during World War I and became a flying ace credited with ten confirmed aerial victories. He served his nation throughout World War II.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.