Remeber the Normandie Nieman

[Twix]

Created on April 5 1943 the Normandie was a French volunteer squadron which fought in the Soviet Airforce. One year later it was renamed the Normandie-Nieman after the squadron's heroic action over a crucial waterway in the path of the Red Army's advance. The Normandie-Nieman shot down just under 300 German warplanes and two French pilots became Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Does anyone have any more info on this gallant squadron of WWII?

Remember Normandie-Nieman
http://download.sovmusic.ru/m/normandi.mp3

Yak-3 Fighter - flown by Normandie-Nieman pilots

source: http://home.att.net/~historyzone/Yakovlev.html

[Rodan Lewarx]

Initially squadron Normandie-Neman became a regiment in summer 1943. You can find some fotos here:
http://davi-pedali.narod.ru/n.htm
http://www.pobeda.vitebsk.net/nebo/bp/nn_foto.php

Also there are a french site devoted to Normandie - Neman: http://normandieniemen.free.fr

Regards

[ToKu]

On Olsztyn (former Allenstein) Russian War Cemetery quite a few of those brave men are burried.

Well more then a hundred (AFAIR), anyway I was always amazed by the number which seemed for me quite large. Now I'm almost sure the number must be some kind of mistake (or manipulation on purpose) - thanks to the french site.

[Victor]

See this older post: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 6553#76553

On 19 January 1942, De Gaulle proposed to Stalin to send some pilots and technicians to fight on the Eastern Front. The offer was of course accepted.

On 1 September 1942, at Rayak, in Lebanon, was formed GC 3 (Groupe de Chasse 3=3rd Fighter Group), later renamed GC Normandie, under the command of cdt. (Maj.) Joseph-Marie Pouliquen. It had 11 pilots and 47 ground personnel. They arrived at the training base at Ivanovo (250 km NE Moscow) in early 43 and started to fly on the Yak-1M. On 22 March 1943, the 14 Yaks of the Normandie squadron arrived on the front, subordinated to the 303rd Air Division/1st Air Army. In September 1943 they converted to the Yak-9Ts.
In the first year on the front (1943) they claimed 86 kills (77 confirmed+9 probable) and 16 enemy aircraft damaged. They lost 25 Yaks.
In January 1944, the group was reorganized as a regiment, with four squadrons. In July, flying the new Yak-3s, the French pilots reappeared on the front. In October, during the Soviet offensive in East Prussia, the regiment claimed 29 kills only in one day! At the end of 1944, 201 kills have been confirmed.
They continued to fight to the end of the war.
They had been credited with 273 confirmed kills, 37 probable kills, but lost 52 pilots and 87 aircraft of their own. They flew 5240 sorties and engaged in 869 dogfights. Four of its pilots became heroes of the SU and the unit received the Cross of the Legion of Honor, the Croix de Guerre, the Alexander Nevski and Red Banner Orders.

After the WWII, the Normandie-Niemen fought in Indochina in 1950-51 and then was transferred to Algeria and then to France (1962). It also took part in the Kossovo war.
Presently the EC 2/30 Normandie-Niemen has Mirage F1-CTs and is based on the BA-132 air base.

[ToKu]

I visited the cemetery during weekend.

Plate on cemetery's gate say that 670 (exact number) French airmen are burried there. Except them 4200 Soviet , and 250 Polish People's Army soldiers (not exact numbers, little more in reality, I had no pen and paper during visit).

I also wonder where this Poles came from. There was no People's Army unit in Allenstein area during Eastern Prussian Operation. Probably they were killed after the war, during fights with democratic underground.

[Twix]

Here is an interview with one of the French pilots Roland de la Poype:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21x5lrUp ... re=channel

[neumark6]

Are there any memories of the members of the "Normandie Niemen" form the german POW camps? I'm especially interested in memories of Jean Bertie, Boris May and Constantin Feldzer. Can you also recommend any books concerning this unit?

Thanks in advance for help.

[Pips]

If your interested in the unit I strongly recommend the book French Eagles Soviet Heroes, by John D Clarke. Details the unit and more importantly the men of the unit. Great read, with a detailed bibliography.