WAR

one of navarre's closest friends was a pilot named Georges Pelletier Doisy, a
Gascon born at Auch May 9, 1892. His father came from a military family and
had been a commander of cavalry, a profession he wanted his son to follow.
Accordingly, Georges joined the Dragoons in 1910, but his real love was aeroplanes.
In 1912 he succeeded in obtaining a posting for flight training to Bron,
where he had as a boy spent Sunday afternoons hanging around the flying field
to watch the aeroplanes.
Immediately on joining escadrille HF 19 he acquired a nickname that was
to stay with him the rest of his life. A squadron mate rushed into the canteen
one day waving a new copy of a weekly fiction magazine, The Adventures of
Sapper Pivolo, Aviator. Everyone present agreed that there was the most perfect
resemblance between Pelletier Doisy and Pivolo and the former was rechristened
on the spot with the name of the latter. (And gouged a suitable amount of champagne
that the occasion might be properly toasted.)
Before the war escadrille HF 19 had performed a mass flight—a 4000-mile
circuit of France—without accident or casualty. The successful navigation, as
well as the safety record, had caused the flight to be considered a remarkable accomplishment.
Pivolo took part in the flight as a brigadier-pilote, a rank equivalent
to corporal, and was awarded the Medaille militaire. Long range navigation
was thereafter a rewarding challenge to Pivolo. In 1924 he became the first to
fly non-stop from Paris to Tokyo, and in 1926 the first to fly non-stop Paris to
Pivolo.
Peking. In 1927 he was awarded the La Fayette Trophy—Champion of the
World— by the International Aviators' League.
But in 1914 he was still a brigadier-pilote.
Upon the Mobilization escadrille HF 19 changed its equipment and was
transformed into MF 8 (the machines being Maurice Farmans). On an observation
mission during the Battle of the Marne, Pivolo spotted a motorcade near
Nancy, in the region of the Grand Couronne, the quality of whose autos and the
size of whose escort convinced him that no less a personage than the Kaiser
must be aboard, waiting possibly for the moment to set foot in France. Pivolo
hurried back to report his discovery, but his "extravagant assertions" were treated
with disbelief at GOG. A confirmation came later, too late to do anything about
it. It really had been the Kaiser.
Early in 1915 Pivolo was transferred to M-S 12 under Capitaine de Bernis,
and there met and became friends with Navarre.
On April 2, 1915, Pivolo and his observer sous-Lieutenant Rene Chambe
succeeded in forcing down an Albatros with only four bullets. The crew landed
safely behind the French lines, but managed to set fire to their machine before
they were taken prisoner by the poilus.
at
Pivolo and Navarre were sent to Brias, near Saint-Pol in the Arras sector,
about the time that the Campaign of Arras began.
Although it was dusk when they received their transfer orders they decided
to start out immediately rather than wait till the following day. Pivolo said he
knew the way and cited his vast navigational experience. They took off with
their observers, Pivolo leading, and as soon as it grew dark they were lost. Navarre
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