Free French Flight refers to three specific fledgling units in the Free French Air Force (FAFL) which were created in the Middle East on 8 July 1940.
Free French Flight N° 2 was stationed at Haifa and initially consisted of one Potez 63.11 (a second and third arriving on 14 October and 3 November 1940 respectively) and two MS 406 (a third appearing on 14 February 1941). A Miles Magister was used as a hack and was superseded by a Loire 130 on 12 March 1941. The unit diary refers to the arrival of a Potez 29 and a Bloch MB.81 (with a Salmson 9 powerplant) from Heliopolis on 28 September 1940 but neither aircraft appears in the subsequent daily unit statistics forms (RAF Form 765a). [4] A memo dated 4 April 1941 from the RAF's Free French liaison officer to General Spears advises 'in practically every case the aircraft were unserviceable chiefly owing to lack of spares'. [5]
The port of Haifa was bombed on 6 September 1940 by the Regia Aeronautica . The four bombers were intercepted by Flying Officer Peronne in a Potez 63.11 and Warrant Officer Ballatore in a MS 406. Due to the deteriorating serviceability of the aircraft, flying hours decreased and the unit diary itself only covers September 1940.
In addition to these units, there were some units formed in the UK:
Independent of the hierarchy of the RAF, there were aviation detachments in Chad, Cameroon and Equatorial Africa.
The Dewoitine D.520 is a French fighter aircraft that entered service in early 1940, shortly after the beginning of the Second World War.
The Armée de l'Air is the name used for the French Air Force in its native language since it was made independent of the Army in 1933. This article deals exclusively with the history of the French air force from its earliest beginnings until its destruction after the occupation of France. French naval aviation, the Aéronautique Navale is covered elsewhere.
The Dewoitine D.500 was an all-metal, open-cockpit, fixed-undercarriage monoplane fighter aircraft designed and produced by French aircraft manufacturer Dewoitine.
The Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 is a French fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. It was France's most numerous fighter during the Second World War and one of only two French designs to exceed 1,000 in number. At the beginning of the war, it was one of only two French-built aircraft capable of 400 km/h (250 mph) – the other being the Potez 630.
The Bloch MB.150 was a French fighter aircraft developed and produced by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch. It featured an all-metal construction, complete with a retractable undercarriage, low cantilever wing and a fully enclosed cockpit.
Pierre Le Gloan was a French flying ace of World War II. Unique in the annals of wartime flying, he scored victories against German, Italian and British forces. Flying in the French and Vichy French air forces, his career has led some to call him the only pilot to become a flying ace on both sides of the war. He was killed in a landing accident in September 1943.
The Polish Air Forces was the name of the Polish Air Forces formed in France and the United Kingdom during World War II. The core of the Polish air units fighting alongside the Allies were experienced veterans of the 1939 invasion of Poland. They contributed to the Allied victory in the Battle of Britain and Allied air operations during the war.
The Potez 630 and its derivatives were a family of twin-engined, multirole aircraft developed for the French Air Force in the late 1930s. The design was a contemporary of the British Bristol Blenheim and the German Messerschmitt Bf 110.
French Naval Aviation is the naval air arm of the French Navy. The long-form official designation is Force maritime de l'aéronautique navale. Born as a fusion of aircraft carrier squadrons and the naval patrol air force, the Aéronavale was created in 1912. The force is under the command of a flag officer officially titled Admiral of Naval Aviation (ALAVIA) with his headquarters at Toulon naval base. It has a strength of around 6,800 military and civilian personnel. It operates from four airbases in Metropolitan France and several detachments in foreign countries or French overseas territories. Carrier-borne pilots of the French Navy do their initial training at Salon-de-Provence Air Base after which they undergo their carrier qualification with the US Navy.
The No. 341 Squadron also known in French as Groupe de Chasse n° 3/2 "Alsace", was a Free French squadron in the RAF during World War II.
This is the order of battle for the Japanese invasion of French Indochina during World War II.
The Free French Air Forces were the air arm of the Free French Forces in the Second World War, created by Charles de Gaulle in 1940. The designation ceased to exist in 1943 when the Free French Forces merged with General Giraud's forces. The name was still in common use however, until the liberation of France in 1944, when they became the French Air Army. Martial Henri Valin commanded them from 1941 to 1944, then stayed on to command the Air Army.
The Vichy French Air Force, usually referred to as the Air Force of Vichy or Armistice Air Force for clarity, was the aerial branch of the Armistice Army of Vichy France established in the aftermath of the Fall of France in June 1940. The Vichy French Air Force existed between June 1940 and December 1942 and largely served to defend Vichy French territories abroad.
Escadron de Chasse 1/2 Cigognes is a French Air and Space Force fighter squadron currently stationed at BA 116 Luxeuil - Saint-Sauveur Air Base, Haute-Saône, France.
No. 329 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force fighter squadron founded upon the personnel and traditions of the French 1/2 fighter squadron Storks, having markings "5A" 1944-1945.
Colonel Armand Jean Galliot Joseph de Turenne, Marquis de Turenne d'Aubepeyre was a French World War I flying ace credited with 15 aerial victories. He went on to serve his nation in the military until 1942.
The No. 342 Squadron also known in French as ''Groupe de Bombardement n° 1/20 "Lorraine", was a Free French squadron in the RAF during World War II.
The Polish Fighter Squadron, also known by its designation GC I/145, was the largest fighter unit of the Polish Air Forces in France. Formed of Polish pilots who evaded capture by the Nazis and the Soviets in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of 1939, the unit was initially earmarked to be sent to Finland as part of the aborted plan of Allied intervention in the Winter War. Eventually it took part in the Battle of France defending the French skies along with the allied armies.
Escadron de Chasse is a French Air and Space Force fighter squadron currently stationed at BA 188 Djibouti Air Base.
The Groupe de ravitaillement en vol 2/91 Bretagne or Air Supply Group 2/91 Bretagne is a unit of the French Air and Space Force specialized in missions of air supply. Implanted on an Aerial Base, the unit is equipped with Boeing KC-135FR Stratotanker and Boeing C-135FR Stratolifter tanker/transports.