Henri Hay De Slade

Capitaine (later Colonel) Henri Joseph Marie Hay de Slade (29 May 1893 – 2 November 1979) was a French World War I flying ace credited with 19 aerial victories. He was notable for taking command of fighter squadron Escadrille Spa.159 when it had suffered 13 losses without a victory, and turning it into an efficient fighting force.

Henri Joseph Marie Hay de Slade
Born(1893-05-29)29 May 1893
Brest, France
Died2 November 1979(1979-11-02) (aged 86)
AllegianceFrance
Service/branchAviation
RankCapitaine
UnitEscadrille Spa80
Escadrille Spa.86
Commands heldEscadrille Spa.159
AwardsGrand Officer of the Légion d'honneur
Médaille militaire
Croix de guerre with 14 Palms
Military Cross (Britain)
Order of the Crown (Italy)

Biography

Henri Hay de Slade was born in Brest, France on 29 May 1893.[1]

Hay de Slade came from a military family; his father was a naval officer who died in 1908.[2] Hay de Slade began his own military career as a cadet at Saint Cyr in 1913. He transferred to aviation on 13 May 1916, and received his pilot's certificate in August of that year. After further training, he was assigned to Escadrille Spa80 on 13 December 1916. It wasn't until his reassignment to Escadrille N86 and its Nieuport fighters, on 16 April 1917, that he began to succeed as an aerial warrior. On 20 May, he scored his first victory. He closed out 1917 as an ace; on 5 December, he scored his fifth victory. He would score six more times with Escadrille 86, with his last one coming on 21 July 1918.[1]

One week later, he was assigned to command Escadrille Spa.159.[3] It was an unenviable assignment; the squadron had lost 13 pilots, including its former commander, without scoring a single triumph in return. Hay de Slade took instant action. He painted bold red stripes around the fuselage of his Spad S.XIII, and told his pilots to watch his tactics in dogfights. The squadron learned by watching him, and began to score.[4] Hay de Slade, despite his new duties, scored two wins each in August and September, and closed out his victory roll with double triumphs on 1 and 10 October 1918. His final tally was 16 enemy aircraft and three observation balloons.[3]

Hay de Slade left the army in 1926 to become a gentleman-farmer in the village of Derval, where he inherited a domain from his family. He became the mayor of the village from 1935 to 1974. During World War II he was briefly mobilized with the rank of commandant, receiving a special affectation to direct an aviation factory.[5]

Henri Hay de Slade died on 2 November 1979.[1]

Endnotes
  1. f the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918, p. 175
  2. Lecoq, Didier. "La belle escadrille de Saint-Grégoire de Tours". Aéroplane de Touraine (in French). Archived from the original on 12 November 2008. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  3. "Henri Hay de Slade". The Aerodrome. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  4. Guttman, Jon (25 May 2002). SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War I. Bloomsbury USA. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-84176-316-3. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  5. Personnel file in French Military Historical Service, N°n°1P 29924/3

References
  • Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank (1993). Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918 London, UK: Grub Street Publishing. ISBN 978-0-948817-54-0.
  • Guttman, Jon (2002). SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War I. Bloomsbury USA ISBN 978-1-84176-316-3
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