Bags Three Airplanes in Less Than a Minute -- August 14, 2018

Hickory, NC Daily Record, 21-August-1918

French ace René Fonck was the highest-scoring Allied ace, with 75 confirmed victories. 100 years ago today, on 14-August-1918, he shot down three German airplanes in seconds.

BAGS THREE AIRPLANES IN LESS THAN A MINUTE

Paris, Aug. 21. -- Lieut. Rene Fonck, the French aviator, who shot down three German airplanes on August 14, as announced officially Sunday, accounted for all three of them in the record-breaking time of 20 seconds.

Fonck went out escorted by two patrolling machines. After cruising for 10 minutes he spied four enemy two-seater battle planes flying in Indian file with only a few hundred yards between each. The French flyer fell upon the first enemy machine with his machine gun. It fell in flames in 10 seconds. Later he got his sights on the second machine with the same result. The third dodged sideways before Fonck could take aim and escaped, but by a swift turn of the rudder he dashed at the fourth airplane and sent it down to join the first two.

Lieut. Rene Fonck, recognized as the greatest French air fighter since Captain Guynemer, is credited with bringing down 60 enemy airplanes. Of these he downed six in one day in the course of two patrols.