Raoul Echard

Capitaine Raoul Cesar Robert Pierre Echard was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.[1]

He was born at Rouen, France on 28 September 1883. He received the Legion d'Honneur and the Croix de Guerre for his valor. The award citation of his Légion d'honneur mentions :

"An energetic officer, audacious and skillful pilot. In less than a month, by his courage and combat techniques, and by the example he gives each day to everyone, he made a newly formed young escadrille into a highly efficient unit. On 3 May 1917, he downed his third enemy plane in our lines. Cited twice in orders.[1]

He died 1922 in an Air meeting starting from Zurich. After two steps of the "circuit des Alpes", his Spad crashed in a wood near Bodio where he was found dead.[2]