Something of a pre-war playboy with a name as a racing driver in South America and a self-taught pilot, he first fought as a hussar in France during 1914 before transferring to the air service. He suffered frequent wounds (17 times) in combat, necessitating repeated returns to hospital to have fractured bones rebroken and reset yet, flying Nieuports with Escadrille N65 from November 1915 onwards, he amassed a victory total of 45, often being unable to walk and having to be carried to his aircraft. Nungesser survived the war as a darling of Parisian society, only to disappear during an attempt to fly the Atlantic in May 1927. His aircraft insignia in war and peace comprised a black heart charged with a skull and crossbones, two candles and a coffin.
All Aero 