Jean - Paul Favre De Thierrens Sous Lieutenant ( later lieutenant colonel ) Jean - Paul Jacques Favre de Thierrens ( 1895 - 1973 ) was a World War I flying ace credited with five confirmed aerial victories and one unconfirmed one . His courageous service would earn him the " Légion d ' honneur " and the " Croix de guerre " . He would return to service during World War II , becoming active in espionage for the French Resistance while rising to the military rank of lieutenant colonel . His status in the " Legion d ' honneur " was raised to Commander as a result of his continued service to his nation . Early life . Favre de Thierrens was born in Nîmes , France on 18 February 1895 . He was raised in a Calvinist family . He passed the exam to enter at the " Ecole des Beaux - arts " . He will not spend much time at the " Beaux - arts " as the first World War broke out . Aviation service during World War I . His initial military service during World War I was in the 32nd Regiment d ' Artillerie . After transfer to the , Favre de Thierrens underwent aviation training and received his Military Pilot ' s Brevet in 1916 . He was posted to Escadrille F215 , which was equipped with Farmans . He was wounded by antiaircraft shrapnel on 2 September 1916 . After winning two citations with Escadrille 215 , he was transferred to Escadrille N62 as a Nieuport pilot . After the unit re - equipped with SPAD VII s , he began to score aerial victories . He would have five victory claims verified as scored between 21 October 1917 and 4 June 1918 ; in later years , he would claim a sixth win that apparently was not officially verified . On 12 June 1918 , he was appointed a Chevalier in the " Legion d ' honneur " . The accompanying award proclamation mentioned that he had amassed four citations . At some point , he had also been awarded the " Croix de guerre " . List of aerial victories . See also Aerial victory standards of World War I Confirmed victories are numbered and listed chronologically . Unconfirmed victories are denoted by " u / c " . World II . Favre de Thierrens would return to service , rising to lieutenant colonel during World War II . He would join the Vichy regime ' s prisoner of war aid society , the " Rassemblement national prisonniers de guerre " , as a mole on behalf of the French Resistance ; he was involved in the escape of General Henri Giraud . He was the immediate superior of François Mitterrand . Later , on 12 September 1994 , François Mitterrand in a television interview about his Vichyst past , talked about Favre de Thierrens as a " colourful character " . When the " zone libre " or " free zone " was invaded , he hide in his house at Ledenon , Gard the archives of the French secret services . His services would earn him a promotion to Commander in the " Legion d ' honneur " , the award being made on 2 November 1945 . After World II . After World War II , he moved back to his estate at Saint - Bonnet - du - Gard . In 1953 , at the age of 59 years old , Favre de Thierrens started to paint and became a fine artist noted for figure studies . His first exhibition took place in 1955 , followed by others in Switzerland and the US . He mainly painted women but not also his estate and the countryside of Provence . In 1971 , as he became blinded , he stopped painting . Jean - Paul Jacques Favre de Thierrens died on 17 October 1973 in Paris . He is buried in Nîmes .