STÈLE DE ROLAND GARROS

Two kilometres north of Saint-Morel, this stele pays tribute to the lieutenant-aviator Roland Garros, who died on the field of honour and marks the site where his SPAD XIII crashed on 5 October 1918 during an air battle against German Fokker. Already famous for having completed the first crossing of the Mediterranean by plane in 1913, Roland Garros joined the army at the beginning of the First World War. It was thanks to his collaboration that Raymond Saulnier developed his propeller fire system, which enabled the pilot to win three victories on the northern front before his tragic crash. In April 1915, hit in mid-flight, he was forced to land behind enemy lines and was taken prisoner. But the Garros machine gun on board attracted the curiosity of the Germans who sent it to Fokker. The aircraft manufacturer succeeded in copying the model and adapting it to integrate it into German aircraft, thus marking the beginning of the era of the Fokker scourge. On site, an audio terminal and an interpretation panel translated into 3 languages retrace the pilot's life and the historical context