Émile Régnier Sous Lieutenant Émile Julien Mathurin Régnier ( 29 July 1894 - 4 September 1940 ) was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories . Régnier was born in Plémy , Brittany . He served in the French infantry from September 1914 until early June 1917 , suffering two serious wounds in the process . On 28 June 1917 , he transferred into aviation as a corporal . After earning his pilot ' s license and undergoing advanced training , he joined " Escadrille 89 " as a fighter pilot on 8 January 1918 . He would serve through war ' s end , sharing in six confirmed victories scored in conjunction with other pilots . Postwar , he would be granted the " Legion d ' honneur " to add to his " Medaille Militaire " and " Croix de guerre " . He became successively an agent for DeHavilland beginning in 1932 , then an air racing participant , and finally an aircraft engine designer and builder beginning in 1934 . He died at Pozzi , Valeggio sul Mincio , aged 46 . Régnier ' s death did not close down his aircraft engine company , which subsequently was captured and used by the Nazis during World War II . Early life and infantry service . Émile Julien Mathurin Régnier was born on 29 July 1894 in Plémy , France . In the early days of World War I , on 1 September 1914 , he joined the 115th Infantry Regiment of the French Army . On 26 February 1915 , he was promoted to caporal . Shortly thereafter , on 16 March , he was wounded seriously enough to be evacuated to hospital . He would not be fit for duty until the end of the year ; on 12 December , he was posted to the 112th Infantry Regiment . He was severely wounded once again , on 22 July 1916 , not returning to duty until 14 November . Aviation service . On 28 June 1917 , Émile Régnier began aviation training . After a normal progression of training , he was awarded Military Pilot ' s Brevet 8557 on 12 September . After advanced training , on 8 January 1918 , he joined SPAD " Escadrille 89 " as a fighter pilot . On 12 April , he was promoted to " sergent " . He scored his first aerial victory on 17 June . He became an adjutant on 1 August . By 27 September , he had shared in six confirmed victories ; he also had three unconfirmed claims . On 13 October 1918 , he was awarded the " Medaille Militaire " for his valor . By war ' s end , he also had the " Croix de guerre " to his credit , with six palmes and an etoile de vermeile , and was a " sous lieutenant " . Post World War I . Régnier received a belated appointment as a Chevalier of the " Legion d ' honneur " on 11 July 1920 . Then there is a gap in the record of his life , though it seems likely he stayed in aviation . At the 1932 Paris Air Show , Régnier was the French agent for de Havilland , displaying a Gypsy III and a Gypsy Major . By mid - 1933 , Régnier was edging into air racing ; he supplied a Gypsy Major engine to power a Potez 43 in the Angers 12 hours air trial . By 1934 , he had gone into business for himself as Régnier Motor Company . Régnier designed an inverted aircooled six cylinder engine for use in a privately entered Caudron C . 366 to compete in the " Coupe Deutsch de Meurthe " air race in 1934 . The 217 brake horsepower motor was supposedly developed from a de Havilland inverted four cylinder engine . On 6 January 1934 , one of his engines , mounted in a Caudron C . 362 , set a new 1 , 000 kilometer speed record of 332 . 8 kph for light aircraft ; this was six days too late to claim a 50 , 000 franc prize from the French air ministry . On 27 May 1934 , it took second place in the 2 , 000 km " Coupe Deutsch de Meurthe " at virtually the same speed . The Régnier engine powered a Percival Mew Gull to victory in the Coupe Armand Esders in July 1935 at 302 kph . By 1936 , the Régnier R - 6 engine was being supercharged by a Rootes blower ; six different engine types were shown at the Paris Air Show . A supercharged inverted aircooled V - 12 Régnier debuted in early 1937 , developing 450 hp . On 4 September 1940 , Régnier died in a clinic in Pozzi . During World War II , the Régnier Motor Company fell into the hands of the invading Nazis , and became a supplier of the German military .