Rene Fonck

[Barrett]

* You know, if I go to war I don't want to FIGHT anybody. *I will gladly ambush them, bushwack them, gullyjump them, back-shoot them and/or assassinate them but I don't want to FIGHT them. *
* *I might get hurt. *>
* *If Fonck or anyone else conducted himself accordingly, he's my kinda player. *

Ah, mes enfants,
Si vous pouvez aller a www.pilots-n-planes-ww1.com, on peut trouver la bas M. Fonck's MES COMBATS, versione "on-line"; pour quelque raison ce que je ne peut pas expliquer, ca marche quand vous manquez le "www"...
Translation: you can read ACE OF ACES for free on-line at the above site, just leave off the three dubyas, otherwise it won't work; don't ask me why, I just contribute here...
VBR
Capt. Louis

[Roundel]

My understanding is that MvR also preferred stealth and surprise to mixing it up. If Fonck was the businessman of fighter aces, MvR was the cold-blooded hunter, but he's gotten much better press than Fonck. Darned if I know why.

[Craig]

Fonck survived. That's one reason reason he gets no respect. Everyone gets all dewy-eyed over a martyr.

Captain Lewis:
I've heard it said that if everyone who claimed to be in the Resistance after the liberation had actually been IN the Resistance, it would've taken sixty years rather than sixty days for the Germans to take the country in 1940.

[gregoire]

About french colaboration.

He was a high ranking vichy air force official after 1940 and have served the vichy government for a too long time.
about the number of real resitant and real colaborator it is generaly agreed that both were around 40 000 of corse that changed with an increase in resistance after 43 (instoration of the STO) I do believe that fonck was a colaborator and a real one but no more than some other people like former french president who was a vichy minister no name given but it start with a M...
Fonck was comdamned for colaboration after the war.

Dear Craig,
On the same note, my mother said something similar about why couldn't 3 million Irishmen hold out against a much smaller British force, i.e. the Dublin Post Office during the Easter Rebellion;

Dear Gregoire,
Did you know that the Academie Française has a price on my head? (Last time I looked, it was FF10; how many Euros is that?);

Now here's something for everyone; it's from Richard Townshend Bickers' RICHTHOFEN THE LEGEND EVALUATED, the section on Fonck (page 105):
"He was criticised for being aloof and conceited, but shyness often gives this impression and it is more likely that there lies the reason for his manner. The French are quarrelsome and critical. Opinions about him were fiercely conflicting in the squadron. The atmosphere became so unpleasant that Colonel Duval, who was the air adviser at General Headquarters, offered Focnk a posting, which he refused. Duval then offered him command of the squadron and transfer of all those who disagreed with his views on air fighting. He asked what would become of the present commanding officer and was told that he would also be transferred. Focnk dismissed this as a mean action, said he would never accept promotion at his own CO's expense and withdrew even further into his shell, sickened by the intrigue. Henceforth he went looking for the enemy on his own..."
[Say what you want about notre René, but he was a class act!]

[gregoire]

Captaine Lewis
The academie Francaise have informed me that the reward on your head have just raise to a bit less than 4,5 Louis that is about 2 euro (The guys there qre so old they still use the Louis as a currency in his 1670 values)

Seriously I sort of like Fonck but he got a bad reputation. and about him colaboration yes he did and more than most but also less than a lot I am pretty convinced that had he been unknown he would not even have been charge. I am convinced that he was judged at the liberation becuase he was famous and not liked by the air force.
You have to remember that Guynemer is an iconic figure in the french air force (ceremony the 11 september, his moto is the one of the air force academy, his bust is the first thing you see in the air force academy and there was even a 2 french francs comemorative coin issue)

[Barrett]

There's something to the observation that martyrs get better press than survivors. I don't think that many of us regard MvR as a martyr but the fact that he died under controversial circumstances surely contributes to his mystique. As far as hunting prowess, there's not much to choose between MvR and RF, but the irrefutable difference in MvR's favor is that he was an exceptional leader who produced other leaders. Boelcke really started something!
Short version: MvR was an accomplished military professional. Fonck was a shooter.