Louis Honore Martin
Louis Honore Martin (18 October 1895 – 27 January 1920) was a French World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.
He was born in Paris, the son of a customs agent. To join the war early, he lied about his age, changing his birth year from 1896 to 1895. He began military service in late 1915 and qualified as a first mechanic on 11 August. He then served as a machine gunner in Escadrille C46 after leaving Escadrille C56, starting 18 July 1916. Martin joined a Caudron aircrew with Jean Loste and Pierre Barbou and scored six victories between 27 July 1916 and 26 January 1917.
On 27 November 1917, he began pilot training and, despite lingering health problems, qualified as a pilot on 12 April 1918, earning a promotion to Caporal. He was posted to Escadrille Spa97 on 22 October 1918, but ten days later returned to medical care and appears to have finished the war in hospital.
Martin died on 27 January 1920 from chronic health problems. His Médaille militaire citation, dated 24 November 1916, praised him as a "machine-gunner of exceptional skill and courage." It noted that he downed four enemy planes and, in a notable fight on 1 November 1916, descended to within about 150 meters of the ground to shoot a German plane in flames on its own territory, before returning home with his own aircraft heavily damaged.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:57 (CET).