X-Nico

Charles Godefroy

On 7 August 1919, three weeks after the victory parade, under cover of secrecy and dressed in his warrant officer uniform, Charles Godefroy took off at 7.20 a.m. from the airfield of Villacoublay in a biplane “Nieuport 11 Bébé” (Bébé = baby - because of its low wing span of 24.67 ft / 24’8’’ or 7.52 m).

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The choice fell on Jean Navarre, who had twelve air victories and was considered to be an ace among the fighter pilots.

Jean Navarre

Fellow pilot Charles Godefroy would eventually perform the historic flight through the Arc de Triomphe a few weeks later.

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe is so colossal that three weeks after the Paris victory parade in 1919 (marking the end of hostilities in World War I), Charles Godefroy flew his Nieuport biplane through it, with the event captured on newsreel.

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