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René Fonck

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487:. Back at the airfield, rather than pay off the bet, a sulky Fonck badgered the Americans to change the terms of the bet so that whoever shot down the most Germans that day would win. Lingering fog kept Fonck grounded most of the day. It was well into the afternoon before it cleared enough for him to take off at 1500 hours. Between 1600 and 1605 hours, he shot down three enemy two-seater reconnaissance planes. A couple of hours later, he repeated the feat. Understanding the importance of reconnaissance planes, with their potential to direct intensive artillery fire onto French troops, Fonck concentrated his attention upon them; six shot down within a three-hour span proved it. 449: 461: 376: 542: 438: 533:, considered him a braggart and shameless self-promoter. Fonck may have resented the fact that Guynemer remained more popular in the French press even after he surpassed him in victories. Fonck also seemed to lack insight into the effect his personality had upon his image or career. However he and he alone carried the flag of the French Air Force at the victory parade on the Champs-Elysées. 626:, Fonck tried to convince Pétain not to attend. Initially Pétain appeared to heed Fonck's advice, but for some reason he eventually decided to disregard Fonck's warnings and met Hitler at Montoire on 24 October 1940. Fonck's loyalties were thus questioned by the Vichy regime, and he returned home to Paris, where he was eventually arrested by the 706:
Remarkable officer from every point of view; of admirable fighting ardor. Pilot of the highest order, for reconnaissance missions and artillery range intelligence, as well as for surveillance service that he completed many times despite very unfavorable atmospheric conditions. He demonstrated, during
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A fighting pilot of great value, combining outstanding bravery and exceptional qualities of skill and sang-froid. He came to pursuit aviation after 500 hours of flight on army corps aircraft and became, in a short time, one of the best French combat pilots. On 19, 20 and 21 August 1917, he shot down
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A pilot of remarkable bravery and skill, having already engaged in a great number of aerial combats. On 6 August 1916, he resolutely attacked two strongly armed enemy planes, took on one in pursuit, and by a series of bold and skillful maneuvers, forced it to land uninjured within our lines. He has
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Fonck got only better. Known for his clinical professionalism, he applied mathematical principles to combat flying, and his engineering knowledge regarding the capabilities of the aircraft he flew was unsurpassed by his fellow pilots. Fonck took few chances, patiently stalking his intended victims
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and, when all succeeding aerial conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries are also considered, Fonck still holds the title of "all-time Allied Ace of Aces". He received confirmation for 75 victories (72 solo and three shared) out of 142 claims. Taking into account his probable claims, Fonck's final
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Yet for all his skill and success, Fonck never captured the hearts of the French public as Guynemer had. Fonck was ascetic and withdrawn. Instead of drinking or socializing with the other pilots, he planned his flying missions and tactics, ironed his uniforms, and stayed physically fit through
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Twenty eight army citations ("palmes"), and one bronze regimental citation ("étoile de bronze") attached to his War Cross. Recipient of the rarer Médaille militaire, and Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur for gallantry on the battle field ("faits de guerre") (to be distinguished from the Légion
517:'s 111 claimed victories. Unlike many leading French aces, Fonck's score contained only three shared victories. Also unlike most aces, he remained unwounded; indeed, only a single enemy bullet had ever hit his aircraft. He had also forgone the most hazardous air-to-air combat: he shot down no 493:
On 18 July 1918, he achieved another double, to bring his total to 53 and into a tie with Guynemer. The following day, he shot down three more enemy aircraft and surpassed the score of the legendary Guynemer, who had remained the leading French ace despite his death on 11 September 1917.
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was sufficient. His preferred method of aerial combat was not to engage into dogfights, but to carry out surgically merciless executions. He was also reputed to be able to spot enemy observation aircraft from very far away, where most other pilots would have perceived nothing.
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region of north eastern France. Fonck left school when he was 13. Although he had been interested in aviation from his youth, he was rejected for the air service when conscripted on 22 August 1914. Instead, he underwent five months basic training for the role of
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engine first used in that model of SPAD fighter. It offset the now-hollow propeller shaft above the crankshaft axis, and the 37mm cannon was mounted in the V space between the two rows of cylinders. Fonck would later fly the highly successful
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To summarize, he claimed 56 victories during the whole of 1918, attaining a total of 36 kills before May 1918. His 1918 list by itself would have made him France's leading ace. By the end of the war, he had accounted for all but 36 of
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After the war, a French police inquiry about his supposed collaboration with the Vichy regime completely cleared Fonck. The conclusion was that his loyalty was proved by his close contacts with recognised resistance leaders such as
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On 14 September, he killed the pilot of a German observation plane and watched as the plane inverted and dropped the thrashing observer almost through the wing of Fonck's Spad. He even went to the extreme of tearing the
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On 25 May 1916 Fonck's observer was killed by an anti-aircraft shell burst, a fate that almost befell Fonck a few weeks later. Fonck claimed his first enemy aircraft in July 1916, but his victory was unconfirmed.
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He added four more victories in August, raising his total to 60. Then, on 26 September, he repeated his feat of knocking down six enemy airplanes in a day, although this time three of his six victories were over
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On 15 February 1915 he was finally accepted into basic training to learn how to fly. He trained at St. Cyr and then at Le Crotoy on a Blériot Penguin, a reduced-wingspan "flightless" version of the famous
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in 1948. The citation reads: "Mr. Fonck, René, a member of the fighting French forces without uniform, took part, in territory occupied by the enemy, to glorious fights for the liberation of the nation".
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the course of an uninterrupted series of aerial combats, an exceptional strength and will to win, which sets an example for the French chasse pilots of today. Has downed thirty six enemy planes.
357:, who had allegedly shot down Guynemer, and that Fonck had boasted of avenging the death of his "good friend". This story is put into question by German records, indicating that Wissemann of 490:
He added a double victory on 19 May and five more in June. By now, he was shooting doubles frequently, and with 49 on his score sheet, he was rapidly closing in on Guynemer's record.
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out of the cockpit of that day's victim, his twelfth, so its readout would confirm his combat report. On 30 September, he and Adjutant Dupre jointly shot down a German two-seater
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with deadly accuracy at close range, resulting in an astonishing economy of ammunition expended per kill. More often than not, a single burst of less than five rounds from his
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September and October added four victories apiece to Fonck's score. Thus, by year's end, he had raised his tally to nineteen, was commissioned an officer, and had received the
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He did not add to his tally sheet until 19 January 1918, when he scored a double victory. February added another five, March seven more, and another three in April.
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in conjunction with his observer, Sergeant Huffer. By this time, Fonck had amassed over 500 hours flight time, an incredible amount in those early days of aviation.
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status by 13 May. He picked off another target on 12 June, then went on hiatus until 9 August. He scored twice more that month, on 21 and 22 August.
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his 8th, 9th and 10th enemy aircraft. He has already been cited seven times in orders, and has received the Médaille militaire for feats of war.
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Légion d'honneur chevaliership in 1917. He was raised to the grade of Commander in 1921, and to the dignity of Grand Officer in 1936.
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He died of a stroke in his Paris apartment, Rue du Cirque, at the age of 59 and is buried in the cemetery of his native village of
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firing through the propeller boss. He is apparently credited with downing 11 German airplanes with this type of armament, called a
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announced that Fonck had recruited 200 French pilots to fight on the Nazi side. However, the truth was more complicated. Marshal
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had been killed two days before in a different fight, in which he was flying a single-seater, probably against No. 56 Squadron.
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aircraft that gave the sensation of flying while still on the ground. He completed his pilot training in May 1915 and then flew
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Then came a spectacular performance on 9 May. It was sparked by a disagreement between Fonck and two of his squadronmates,
1019:"René Fonck, L'As des l'As, L'homme", by Corinne Micelli & Bernard Palmieri, 2007, Editions Economica, Paris, France. 1086: 222:
in 1918 and later a Commander of the Legion of Honor after the war, and raised again to the dignity of Grand Officer.
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Fonck eventually returned to military aviation and rose to Inspector of French fighter forces from 1937 to 1939.
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article (no. 251, p. 15) showing Fonck with a German Cross emblem from what is allegedly his 60th victory
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Fonck remained in Paris, but also frequently visited his native Lorraine, where he had business interests.
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Another success two days later and two on 5 October put his score at 69, very close to the 72 of Major
194: 974: 1259: 1066:"The Construction of an Image in Aviation: the Case of René Fonck and the French Press (1917–1926)" 998:"The Construction of an Image in Aviation: the Case of René Fonck and the French Press (1917–1926)" 209:(27 March 1894 – 18 June 1953) was a French aviator who ended the First World War as the top 27: 669:"I prefer to fly alone... when alone, I perform those little coups of audacity which amuse me..." 313: 1040: 631: 327:, was serving at the time in one of its escadrilles, N3, and had just scored his 36th victory. 301: 368: 53: 1065: 997: 460: 289: 176: 1214: 1209: 506: 8: 518: 397: 393: 319: 235: 78: 735:, the World War II "Allied Ace of Aces" with 62 aerial victories over opposing aircraft 654: 514: 231: 120: 74: 607: 1158: 1143: 1120: 1101: 1082: 866: 800: 643: 577: 484: 917: 587: 476: 324: 172: 162: 1184: 639: 549:
Fonck returned to civilian life after World War I, and published his war memoirs
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Fonck, like France's leading ace, Captain Guynemer, flew a limited-production
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tally could conceivably be nearer 100 or above. He was made an Officer of the
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Fonck was assigned to another escadrille in the group, Spa 103. Flying the
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to clear the 37mm cannon mounted in the "vee" between the cylinder banks.
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magazine article (no. 241, p. 7) showing Fonck carrying a standard
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http://www.net1901.org/association/ASSOCIATION-RENE-FONCK,535726.html
666:"I put my bullets into the target as if I placed them there by hand." 442: 426: 343: 1230:
Members of the 12th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic
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wished to exploit Fonck's relationship with Göring in order to meet
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His inter-war contact with the likes of former World War I foe
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6787/16 of FA 18. The news reported the killed pilot to be
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On 17 March 1917, Fonck scored a second time, downing an
799:. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. p. 205. 408:
fighter, distinguished by the presence of a hand-loaded
885:'Above the Lines', Franks, Bailey & Guest page 232 1079:
René Fonck, As des as et pilote de la Grande Guerre
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René Fonck, As des As et pilote de la Grande Guerre
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The first air campaign, August 1914 – November 1918
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Victoires confirmées et probables du Ltt René FONCK
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List of people on the cover of Time Magazine: 1920s
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For other people, see 1285:Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal 915: 1115:Micelli, Corinne; Palmieri, Bernard (2007). 831: 702:One of the most decorated French war heroes: 712:d'Honneur widely attributed to civilians). 254: 1225:Democratic Republican Alliance politicians 1190:http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/fonck.htm 1180:http://www.acepilots.com/wwi/fr_fonck.html 1095: 580:won the prize seven months later in 1927. 45: 379:A geared-output shaft HS.8C engine for a 1076: 1063: 1041:Fonck, Rene Mes Combats 1920, in French 995: 715:Rene Fonck was also awarded the British 540: 459: 447: 436: 374: 860: 1280:Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour 1202: 1142:Jon Guttman. Osprey Publishing, 2002. 173:Grand Officier of the Légion d'honneur 1054: 1045: 1032: 848:"René Fonck - Top French Ace of WW1" 392:from higher altitudes. He then used 26:For the Luxembourgian canoeist, see 1048:L'Aviation et la sécurité française 863:Groupe de Combat 12, 'Les Cigognes' 793:Lawson, Eric; Lawson, Jane (1996). 788: 786: 784: 782: 780: 642:during the war. He was awarded the 13: 1140:SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War I. 687:Médaille militaire citation, 1916 564:During the 1920s, Fonck persuaded 284:On 6 August, he attacked a German 247:, and later bridge repairs on the 14: 1296: 1168: 861:Guttman, Jon (11 November 2004). 1275:Recipients of the Military Medal 1270:Recipients of the Military Cross 1250:20th-century French male writers 1235:Members of Parliament for Vosges 1117:René Fonck: l'As des As, l'homme 973:. 23 August 1926. Archived from 777: 536: 1245:French male non-fiction writers 1220:People from Vosges (department) 1155:Le Petit théâtre des opérations 959: 950: 941: 739:List of World War I flying aces 1265:French World War I flying aces 1255:20th-century French memoirists 1098:Baron rouge et cigogne blanche 932: 879: 854: 766: 757: 572:for the transatlantic race or 1: 1175:https://www.as14-18.net/Fonck 1100:. Paris: Presses de la cité. 1081:. Toulouse: Éditions Privat. 1026: 225: 16:French World War I flying ace 1096:de Gmeline, Patrick (2011). 828:, Editions Privat, Toulouse. 673: 307:Aged 23, on 15 April 1917 (" 259: 7: 726: 721:Distinguished Conduct Medal 683:been cited in orders twice. 596:German occupation of France 190:Distinguished Conduct Medal 10: 1301: 1059:. New York: Ace Books Inc. 464:A September 1918 magazine 273:observation aircraft with 25: 18: 1077:Accoulon, Damien (2018). 1064:Accoulon, Damien (2019). 996:Accoulon, Damien (2019). 660: 644:Certificate of Resistance 168: 154: 146: 136: 126: 110: 102: 85: 61: 44: 37: 1119:. Paris: ISC-Economica. 956:Guttman, 2002. pp 16, 20 824:Damien Accoulon (2018), 750: 255:Military aviation career 432: 383:, showing the elevated 314:Escadrille les Cigognes 295: 51:René Fonck wearing the 916:The Aerodrome (1997). 709: 697: 685: 632:Drancy internment camp 630:and imprisoned in the 546: 469: 457: 445: 388: 704: 692: 680: 544: 463: 451: 440: 378: 292:in late August 1916. 127:Years of service 28:René Fonck (canoeist) 1055:Fonck, René (1967). 1046:Fonck, René (1924). 1037:. Paris: Flammarion. 1033:Fonck, René (1920). 519:observation balloons 507:William Avery Bishop 947:Guttman, 2002. p 19 938:Guttman, 2002. p 16 561:from 1919 to 1924. 545:Grave of René Fonck 410:37mm Puteaux cannon 398:Vickers machine gun 394:deflection shooting 320:Groupe de Combat 12 1050:. Paris: Brossard. 920:. Theaerodrome.com 678:Médaille militaire 655:Saulcy-sur-Meurthe 547: 515:Escadrille SPA.103 470: 458: 446: 389: 290:Médaille militaire 232:Saulcy-sur-Meurthe 177:Médaille militaire 121:French Air Service 75:Saulcy-sur-Meurthe 1126:978-2-7178-5413-8 1107:978-2-258-08601-2 578:Charles Lindbergh 485:Halberstadt CL.II 441:Fonck beside his 201: 200: 1292: 1130: 1111: 1092: 1073: 1060: 1051: 1038: 1020: 1017: 1006: 1005: 993: 987: 986: 984: 982: 963: 957: 954: 948: 945: 939: 936: 930: 929: 927: 925: 913: 886: 883: 877: 876: 858: 852: 851: 844: 829: 822: 811: 810: 790: 775: 770: 764: 761: 719:and the British 690:Légion d'honneur 568:to redesign the 477:Edwin C. Parsons 369:Légion d'honneur 325:Georges Guynemer 192:(United Kingdom) 187:(United Kingdom) 163:Second World War 112: 92: 71: 69: 54:Légion d'honneur 49: 35: 34: 1300: 1299: 1295: 1294: 1293: 1291: 1290: 1289: 1260:French colonels 1200: 1199: 1171: 1127: 1108: 1089: 1029: 1024: 1023: 1018: 1009: 994: 990: 980: 978: 965: 964: 960: 955: 951: 946: 942: 937: 933: 923: 921: 914: 889: 884: 880: 873: 859: 855: 846: 845: 832: 823: 814: 807: 791: 778: 771: 767: 762: 758: 753: 729: 676: 663: 640:Alfred Heurtaux 608:Philippe Pétain 539: 531:Marcel Haegelen 435: 385:intake manifold 298: 262: 257: 241:combat engineer 228: 220:Legion of Honor 207:René Paul Fonck 195:Croix de guerre 193: 188: 183: 181:Croix de guerre 179: 175: 161: 159:First World War 131: 94: 90: 73: 67: 65: 57: 40: 39:René Paul Fonck 31: 24: 21:Fonck (surname) 17: 12: 11: 5: 1298: 1288: 1287: 1282: 1277: 1272: 1267: 1262: 1257: 1252: 1247: 1242: 1237: 1232: 1227: 1222: 1217: 1212: 1198: 1197: 1192: 1187: 1182: 1177: 1170: 1169:External links 1167: 1166: 1165: 1151: 1137: 1134:Over the Front 1131: 1125: 1112: 1106: 1093: 1088:978-2708992801 1087: 1074: 1061: 1052: 1043: 1028: 1025: 1022: 1021: 1007: 988: 977:on 24 May 2011 958: 949: 940: 931: 887: 878: 871: 853: 830: 812: 805: 776: 765: 755: 754: 752: 749: 748: 747: 746:– 23 Aug. 1926 741: 736: 728: 725: 717:Military Cross 675: 672: 671: 670: 667: 662: 659: 588:Hermann Göring 553:, prefaced by 538: 535: 434: 431: 355:Kurt Wissemann 297: 294: 261: 258: 256: 253: 227: 224: 199: 198: 185:Military Cross 170: 166: 165: 156: 152: 151: 148: 144: 143: 138: 134: 133: 128: 124: 123: 114: 108: 107: 104: 100: 99: 93:(aged 59) 87: 83: 82: 63: 59: 58: 50: 42: 41: 38: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1297: 1286: 1283: 1281: 1278: 1276: 1273: 1271: 1268: 1266: 1263: 1261: 1258: 1256: 1253: 1251: 1248: 1246: 1243: 1241: 1238: 1236: 1233: 1231: 1228: 1226: 1223: 1221: 1218: 1216: 1213: 1211: 1208: 1207: 1205: 1196: 1193: 1191: 1188: 1186: 1183: 1181: 1178: 1176: 1173: 1172: 1164: 1163:9791038200838 1160: 1156: 1152: 1149: 1148:9781841763163 1145: 1141: 1138: 1135: 1132: 1128: 1122: 1118: 1113: 1109: 1103: 1099: 1094: 1090: 1084: 1080: 1075: 1071: 1067: 1062: 1058: 1053: 1049: 1044: 1042: 1036: 1031: 1030: 1016: 1014: 1012: 1003: 999: 992: 976: 972: 968: 962: 953: 944: 935: 919: 912: 910: 908: 906: 904: 902: 900: 898: 896: 894: 892: 882: 874: 872:9781841767536 868: 864: 857: 849: 843: 841: 839: 837: 835: 827: 821: 819: 817: 808: 806:0-306-81213-4 802: 798: 797: 789: 787: 785: 783: 781: 774: 769: 760: 756: 745: 742: 740: 737: 734: 733:Ivan Kozhedub 731: 730: 724: 722: 718: 713: 708: 703: 700: 696: 691: 688: 684: 679: 668: 665: 664: 658: 656: 651: 648: 645: 641: 635: 633: 629: 625: 621: 617: 614:. 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Index

Fonck (surname)
René Fonck (canoeist)

Légion d'honneur
Saulcy-sur-Meurthe
Vosges
Paris
Infantry
French Air Service
Colonel
First World War
Second World War
Grand Officier of the Légion d'honneur
Médaille militaire
Croix de guerre
Military Cross
Distinguished Conduct Medal
Croix de guerre
Colonel
Entente
ace
Legion of Honor
Saulcy-sur-Meurthe
Vosges
combat engineer
Épinal
Moselle River
Blériot XI
Caudron G III
Rumpler C.III

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