Heurtaux, Alfred Marie Joseph

An exceptional World War I pilot, a member of parliament for Seine-et-Oise during the interwar period, he joined the Resistance after the defeat in 1940 and formed the Hector network with Jacques Arthuys. Arrested in November 1941, he was first imprisoned in Fresnes, then spent several months in various prisons in Germany before being sent to Buchenwald camp in 1945. After liberation he was made a member of the Order of Victory.

Youth and World War I

He was born on 20 May 1893 in Nantes, the son of an artillery officer. After studying at the Lycée Saint-François-Xavier in Vannes, he entered the military school of Saint-Cyr in October 1914. He enlisted for mobilization on 4 August 1914 with the 9th Regiment of Hussars in Chambéry with the rank of lieutenant. During the next three months he was cited 3 times for gallantry.


He requested a transfer to the Army Air Force and on 6 December was transferred to Pau for training. He was an observer in MS 26 Squadron and became a pilot on 17 April 1915. He was first assigned to Escadrille N38 flying Nieuports, then on 7 June 1916 he is assigned to the Stork Squadron (N3 then SPA3) where he became one of the most impressive pilots of this elite unit, whose ranks here included Guynemer and Fonck, He took command on 09 November 1916 when he was Lt.


He scored his first kill on July 9, 1916. He received the Legion of Honor on July 16, August 2 and 3, and the Legion of Honor on August 4.


At Escadrille SPA 3 he flew the new Spad S.VII and shot down his fifth opponent on 17 August 1916. Later in the month, on 25 August, he shot down the aviation pioneer Kurt Wintgens over Villers-Carbonnel (18 confirmed victories), the very first pilot to record a kill in a synchronized fighter on 1 July 1915, this was Hertaux's kill No. 8.


He continued to accumulate his victories until 4 May 1917, when his score reached 21 confirmed kills.


The next day, 5 May 1917, he was severely wounded in a duel with Ernst Udet (62 kills). In a duel with nine Albatros D.IIIs he was hit in both buttocks and both thighs, as well as his head being wounded by a close hit.


He was able to return to duty but did not score any more kills. He suffered a second serious injury in September 1917, which grounded him until the end of the war. In fact, he was very lucky, for he survived a shot to the femoral artery. Normally a hit to this artery causes rapid bleeding, but the incendiary round that hit him cauterized the wound and stopped the bleeding. With such a serious wound, he was able to return nicely to his own lines. After recovering, he traveled around the United States teaching aerial tactics.


A virtuoso of air battles in Nieuport 17 with two machine guns, Lewis scored a total of 21 confirmed victories and 13 probable ones, and ranks as one of the leading aces of the French Air Force at number 13. General Lyautey once came to see Escadrille N3 and was surprised to see a group of five captains obeying orders from Lt. Captain Harcourt, who commanded the Stork squadron, explained that Heurtaux's had more authority because of his talent.


His prowess was rewarded with a large number of honors:
Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1916 and Officer of the same order in 1917,
War Cross with fifteen palms (each for re-enlistment) and 2 bronze stars to go with it.

Between the Wars

He became president of the Fighter Aces Association
At the age of 26, he was elected as a representative of the Seine-et-Oise district in 1919. From there he moved on to the automobile industry, where he worked in a managerial position at the Ford Motor Company. He then worked for General Motors in Europe and finally for Renault.


His employment did not prevent his patriotic activities. He was an active member of the Air Reserve Officers Association, where he was president from 1934 to 1937. He was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the Reserves on June 25, 1935, and reinstated to active duty a few months later as a fighter inspector.

World War II

In the early days of World War II, Heurtaux was still serving as an inspector in the French Fighter Air Force. After the fall of France, he joined the Resistance. The Légion française des combattants was formed in August 1940 and he was appointed its vice-president. His freedom of movement allowed him to penetrate military intelligence as far as his old classmate, Colonel Groussard, and to persuade other veterans to spy. The Hector network was an important part of the French Resistance in northern France.


Colonel Heurtaux's son was arrested just before he was taken into custody in March 1941. The Gestapo let him go until he was arrested again on 3 November. He spent over 3 years in various prisons throughout the Third Reich in Düsseldorf, Bielefeld, Hanover, Berlin and Potsdam. On March 13, 1945 he was transferred to Buchenwald death camp where he was liberated by the American 6th Armored Division in less than a month, on April 11, 1945.


He was promoted to colonel, during his imprisonment in 1942. In December 1945, at the age of 52, he was promoted to Brigadier General.


He ended his career as a consulting engineer.
He died on 30 December 1985 at the age of 92 in Chantilly, Oise and was buried in Paris.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Heurtaux

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wB9a4QcdWg

Alfred Heurtaux in the documentary Dějiny letectví (2019), where in shots from 60./70. For years he and other aces from America, France, Britain and Germany talk about aviation in World War I. In the interview he says this:
" We were like Indians on the warpath, ready to scalp anyone ... not all, but almost."
Here about Navarro and Nungesser:
" Navarre was an exceptional pilot, he was an ace as a fighter, but he was a little crazy. Nungesser had incredible courage, but he was not a good pilot, but he was incredibly lucky, as was Navarre. They often smashed their planes, but they had the courage . "