Roland Garros (aviator)
French aviation pioneer and World War I fighter pilot who made the first non-stop flight across the Mediterranean and helped develop forward-firing machine guns.
Eugène Adrien Roland Georges Garros was a French aviator and fighter pilot who helped shape early aviation. Born in Saint-Denis, Réunion, he taught himself to fly and made history in 1913 with the first non-stop flight across the Mediterranean Sea, from southern France to Tunisia. During World War I, he joined the French Army and became one of the earliest fighter pilots.
Garros grew up in Réunion and later studied in Paris at the Lycée Janson de Sailly and HEC Paris. After a bout of pneumonia at age 12, he recovered in Cannes, took up cycling, and won an inter-school championship. He also played football, rugby, and tennis. At 21, he opened a car dealership in Paris and became a close friend of Ettore Bugatti. In 1913, he became the first owner of a Bugatti Type 18, later nicknamed "Black Bess," which now resides in the Louwman Museum in the Netherlands.
His interest in aviation sparked in 1909 when he attended the Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne near Reims. He began flying a Santos-Dumont Demoiselle that same year and earned his pilot’s license in July 1910. By 1911, he flew Blériot XI monoplanes in races like the Paris-to-Madrid race and the Circuit of Europe, where he placed second. He set altitude records: 3,950 meters in September 1911 and 5,610 meters in September 1912. In 1913, flying a Morane-Saulnier G, he crossed the Mediterranean in nearly eight hours, overcoming two engine problems.
When World War I began, Garros enlisted as a reconnaissance pilot. He worked with mechanic Jules Hue and aircraft designer Raymond Saulnier to develop a forward-firing machine gun. To avoid shooting his own propeller, they added metal wedges to deflect bullets. On 1 April 1915, he used this setup to shoot down a German aircraft—the first such victory. He scored two more victories that month. On 18 April, engine trouble forced him down behind German lines, where he was captured. He spent nearly three years as a prisoner of war before escaping in early 1918 and rejoining the French Army. He was shot down and killed in the Ardennes later that year.
Early war reports falsely claimed Garros had died in the "first air battle" by ramming a Zeppelin. These stories were later disproven. In 1928, the Roland Garros tennis stadium in Paris opened in his memory, and the French Open tournament officially bears his name.
- born
- 6 October 1888, Saint-Denis, Réunion
- died
- 5 October 1918, near Vouziers, Ardennes
- field
- Aviation, military aviation
- nationality
- French
- known_for
- First non-stop flight across the Mediterranean Sea (1913); development of early forward-firing machine gun on combat aircraft
Lore & Background
Roland Garros was born in Saint-Denis, Réunion, and studied at the Lycée Janson de Sailly and HEC Paris. At age 12, he caught pneumonia and was sent to Cannes to recover; he took up cycling and won an inter-school championship. He was also keen on football, rugby and tennis. At 21 he started a car dealership in Paris and was a close friend of Ettore Bugatti. In 1913 he became the first owner of the Garros Bugatti Type 18, later named Black Bess. During a summer holiday in 1909 at Sapicourt near Reims, he saw the Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne and decided to become an aviator. He began his aviation career in 1909 flying a Demoiselle monoplane and gained Ae.C.F. licence no. 147 in July 1910. In 1911 he flew Blériot XI monoplanes and entered air races including the 1911 Paris to Madrid race and the Circuit of Europe, where he came second. On 4 September 1911 he set an altitude record of 3,950 m, and on 6 September 1912 he regained the height record at 5,610 m. On 23 September 1913 he made the first non-stop flight across the Mediterranean Sea from Fréjus-Saint Raphaël to Bizerte, Tunisia, in a Morane-Saulnier G. He joined the French army at the outbreak of World War I. As a reconnaissance pilot, he helped develop forward-firing machine gun deflector wedges with mechanic Jules Hue. On 1 April 1915 he achieved the first shooting-down of an aircraft by a fighter firing through a tractor propeller, with two more victories on 15 and 18 April. On 18 April 1915 his plane came down behind German lines due to engine trouble, and he spent nearly three years as a prisoner of war. He escaped on 14 February 1918 with fellow aviator Anselme Marchal, made it to London via the Netherlands, and rejoined the French army. He returned to Escadrille 26 piloting a SPAD S.XIII, claiming two victories on 2 October 1918. On 5 October 1918 he was shot down and killed near Vouziers, Ardennes, one day short of his 30th birthday, probably by German ace Hermann Habich. In 1928, the Roland Garros tennis stadium in Paris opened and was named in his memory; the French Open officially takes his name.
Reader's Guide
Roland Garros is a key figure in early aviation and World War I fighter history. Key sites include the Stade Roland Garros in Paris (home of the French Open), Roland Garros Airport in Réunion, a monument in Bizerte at his landing site, and a promenade in Houlgate, Normandy. His Bugatti Type 18 'Black Bess' survives at the Louwman Museum in the Netherlands. He is sometimes called the world's first fighter ace, but he shot down only four aircraft; the first ace was Adolphe Pégoud. The Peugeot car manufacturer has produced 'Roland Garros' limited-edition versions of several models.
Did You Know?
- Garros made the first non-stop flight across the Mediterranean Sea on 23 September 1913, from southern France to Tunisia.
- He helped develop the first forward-firing machine gun mounted on a combat aircraft, using deflector wedges on the propeller.
- He escaped from a German POW camp on 14 February 1918 with fellow aviator Anselme Marchal.
- The Roland Garros tennis stadium was named in his memory in 1928.
- He was shot down and killed on 5 October 1918, one day before his 30th birthday.
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