Rene Paul Fonck (March 27, 1894 - June 18, 1953) was a French flying ace and the top Allied fighter ace of WWI. He received confirmation for 75 victories (72 solo and three shared) out of 142 claims. He was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1918 and later a Commander of the Legion of Honor after the war. He was known for his clinical professionalism, he applied mathematical principles to combat flying. He patiently stalking his intended victims from higher altitudes and then used deflection shooting with deadly accuracy on enemy pilots at close range, resulting in an astonishing economy of ammunition per kill. His preferred method of aerial combat was not to engage into dogfights, but to carry out surgically merciless executions. He was ascetic, withdrawn and, some say, painfully shy. Instead of drinking or socializing with the other pilots, he planned his flying missions and tactics, ironed his uniforms, and stayed physically fit through calisthenics. After the war he published his memoirs Mes Combats. He returned to military aviation and rose to Inspector of French fighter forces, but his contacts with Hermann G?ring and Ernst Udet cast a shadow on his reputation and led to allegations of collaboration with the Nazi occupying forces. After the war, a French police inquiry about his supposed collaboration with the Vichy regime completely cleared him. He died in 1953 at the age of 53.
