Jean Navarre

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The Sentry of Verdun

Le Destin

A red Nieuport plane was making its way back home towards the French lines above Sainte-Menehould. To begin with, the soldiers watched the flimsy biplane, wondering about its speed. Their curiosity gave way to concern when it headed abruptly for the ground. On board was second lieutenant Jean Navarre, who had succeeded in bringing the aircraft home, even though he had been seriously injured by two bullets during a dogfight far behind the French lines. Navarre was known as the “Sentry of Verdun”, and on this day, Saturday 17 June 1916, he had fought for the last time.

And what a wizard he was! A few months earlier, on 26 February 1916, he’d only just arrived on the front at Verdun when he shot two planes down - the first double of the war. On 2 March, he forced an enemy biplane to the ground near Fleury-devant-Douaumont. Over the months that followed, he chalked up victory after victory. On 4 April, four planes came down on a single day, but he was only confirmed to have been responsible for one of them.

He was a character too! Bundled up in his uniform, covered in a bearskin, sometimes with a silk stocking on his head, he was determined to be in the air constantly, defending Verdun in all weathers. Sometimes he even took off without permission from his squadron leader, which got him into trouble.

Nevertheless, basking in the glory of his achievements, he was given permission to keep his Nieuport 16 on a piece of land nearer the city so he could be above the battlefield more quickly. Every day, he took off in the morning, returned to refuel and then flew again in the afternoon. He spent hours and hours patrolling the skies, looking for aircraft with black crosses to attack and swooping in on them regardless of how many there were. When he returned from a mission, his mechanics knew by his shouts and long hoots that he’d achieved yet another feat. By the end of May, the “Sentry of Verdun”, as he was now known, had officially shot down 11 enemy aircraft. In reality, there had been many more, but without witnesses they weren’t recognised.

On 17 June, just a few hours before he was injured, the ace had won his twelfth and final victory over Samogneux.

He was evacuated, and much to his disappointment, never returned to the front. He fell victim to a “nervous problem” which, at the time, had not been identified: post-traumatic stress disorder. His suffering was compounded by the death of his twin brother, also a pilot, who was killed in an accident in November 1916.

“The Sentry” had given his all to defend Verdun. He survived the war but also died in an accident, during an air show at Villacoublay on 10 July 1919.

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