1. Marcel Albert
Public Domain
The combat path of fighter pilot Marcel Albert began in the Summer of 1940. In the battles for France, he shot down two enemy planes.
After the capitulation of France, Albert found himself in the ranks of the Vichy regime's Air Force. Not wanting to serve for the collaborators, he fled to Great Britain and joined General Charles de Gaulle’s patriotic ‘Free France’ movement.
In 1942, the general agreed with the Soviet side on the formation of the ‘Normandie’ squadron, which, as part of the Red Army Air Force, was to fight the enemy on the Eastern Front. French pilots took the controls of Soviet fighters.
In 1943, an air regiment was established at the base of the squadron, which was renamed ‘Normandie-Niemen’ the following year. Senior Lieutenant Albert commanded the 1st ‘Rouen’ squadron in it.
On November 27, 1944, Marcel Albert was awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ for his courage and heroism in battles with the German invaders. By that time, he had flown 193 combat sorties and shot down 23 enemy aircraft, including two in France.
The pilot safely lived to see Victory and, after the war, emigrated to the United States, where he died in 2010 at the age of 92.
2. Roland de la Poype
Public Domain
Roland de la Poype came from an old noble family and one of his ancestors was a Napoleonic general. Like Marcel Albert, Poype did not accept the capitulation of his country and joined the ranks of the ‘Free French’ movement.
At the end of 1942, the pilot found himself in the USSR. There, for his aristocratic origins, he was nicknamed the ‘Marquis’.
Poype mastered the Yak-1b fighter well and once even managed to land the plane on the only surviving wheel. At the same time, he ignored the commander's order to jump out of the damaged combat vehicle with a parachute.
“Flying is as easy as a kite. But, if you dive at 800 km per hour, you can lose your wings,” the Frenchman said. With the permission of the command, he painted a shark's mouth on his fighter.
Poype took part in the Battle of Kursk and the liberation of Byelorussia. He had 125 combat sorties and 16 (according to other sources – 15) enemy aircraft shot down.
On November 27, 1944, the ‘Marquis’ was awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’. After the war, he went into business and, like Marcel Albert, died at the age of 92.
3. Jacques Andre
Public Domain
At the beginning of World War II, Jacques Andre fought against the Allied forces in the ranks of the Vichy French Air Force and, in 1942, went over to their side. But, at the end of 1943, he went to the USSR and joined the ‘Normandy’ air regiment.
Andre was distinguished by his determination, quick reaction and ability to instantly navigate the situation. He said this about his Yak-3 fighter: “In this machine, I feel like a complete master of the air.”
The pilot fought most effectively in East Prussia. There, he shot down seven enemy aircraft. In total, Jacques Andre boasted 15 aerial victories.
On June 4, 1945, for courage and military valor, Junior Lieutenant Andre was awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’. After the war, he continued to serve in the French Air Force and rose to the rank of colonel, and after retirement, he organized a gardening business and took up sports professionally.
The pilot died in 1988 at the age of 69.
4. Marcel Lefebvre
Public Domain
Marcel Lefebvre became one of the first pilots of the ‘Normandy’ squadron. It was he who suggested giving it this name in honor of his native region.
Inquisitive, sociable and energetic, Lefebvre quickly mastered the Russian language, easily got along with his Soviet colleagues and became one of the most important pilots of the squadron, a mentor for the young recruits.
He felt confident in the Yak cockpit and managed to get out of the most difficult situations. All he demanded from the mechanics was the ideal cleanliness of the combat aircraft. “A pilot must fly with white gloves,” Lefebvre liked to repeat.
In early May 1944, he was assigned to command the 3rd ‘Cherbourg’ Squadron. However, he was only destined to remain in the post of commander for a very short time.
On May 28 of the same year, near Vitebsk, he came under fire from German anti-aircraft guns. Upon landing, the damaged plane caught fire. Lefevre suffered terrible burns and died in hospital a week later.
On June 4, 1945, the pilot was posthumously awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’. He had 105 combat sorties and 11 enemy aircraft shot down.
5. Jean-Loup Chretien
Public Domain
Not all of those awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ had anything to do with the ‘Normandie-Niemen’ air regiment. In 1982, first French cosmonaut Jean-Loup Chretien received the award.
In 1979, the USSR proposed a joint space flight to France. It was Chretien who was honored to participate in it. He was trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center near Moscow and, in 1982, he flew to the ‘Salyut-7’ orbital station on the ‘Soyuz T-6’ spacecraft.
In 1988, Chretien made his second flight as part of the Soviet-French ‘ARAGATZ’ program. During it, he successfully completed a spacewalk – the first among representatives of a third country (not the U.S. or the USSR).