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Site in French
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Historical
On the date of the
outbreak of the German attack of May 10, 1940, the GAO 512 is attached
to the 5th Army within the Air Cooperation Forces of the ZOAE (East
Air Operations Zone).
Staff
|
Commanders
of the group
GAO 512
|
| Commander
LECLERE Jean |
|
May 26,
1940
|
|
|
Lieutenant
REIX
|
May 26,
1940
|
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Other
members of staff
|
| Sub-Lieutenant
GRAPPE |
Mechanic,
Chief of Photo and Technical Services |
| Captain
GROSBOIS François |
Chief
of General Services |
| Lieutenant
LEBIGRE Pierre |
Chief
of the Heavy Photo Section |
Personnel
|
Pilots
and crew of the Group
|
|
Names
of crew members
|
Rank
|
Function
|
Informations
|
Civil-statut
|
Photos
|
Citations
|
| BERTHON
René |
Sergeant
|
Pilot
|
René
BERTHON later became a B26 Marauders pilot at Bron. |
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| CORTAL |
Aspirant
|
Machine-Gunner
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| GEORGES |
Lieutenant
|
Pilot
|
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| FROMENTEAU
Adrien - Marie |
Sub-Lieutenant
|
Observer
|
Second
Lieutenant FROMENTEAU was a reserve officer, seconded from the
Army. |
Born on 2 April 1917
at Dunet (36 - Indre)
Died at Cires-lès-Mello (60 - Oise) on 28 September
1980
|
|
|
| JAMET |
Captain
|
Observer
|
Captain
JAMET was an Artillery officer seconded to the Air Observation
Service. |
|
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| LECLERE
Jean - Julien |
Commander
|
Pilot
and Cder of the Group
|
On
26 May 1940, Potez 63-11 n°780 was shot down by 4 Me109s
after a fierce 15-minute battle. Two Me 109s, out of ammunition,
broke off the fight, but in the end the aircraft was seriously
hit and crashed into a farmhouse at Gimbrett. The crew was killed. |
Born
on 27 December 1896 at Condé en Brie (02 - Aisne)
Killed on 26 May 1940 at Gimbiett (67 - Bas-rhin) |
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|
| LICITRI
Christian |
Sergeant
|
Machine
Gunner
|
On
26 May 1940, Potez 63-11 n°780 was shot down by 4 Me109s
after a fierce 15-minute battle. Two Me 109s, out of ammunition,
broke off the fight, but in the end the aircraft was seriously
hit and crashed into a farmhouse at Gimbrett. The crew was killed. |
Born
in Paris (75) on 22 December 1915
Killed on 26 May 1940 at Gimbiett (67 - Bas-rhin) |
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|
| MESNAIN |
Sergeant
|
Machine
Gunner
|
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|
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|
| NODET
Jacques - Amédée |
Lieutenant
|
Observer
|
Jacques
NODET graduated from the Ecole Militaire de Saint-Cyr, class
"GALLIENI" (1927 - 1929).
On 26 May 1940, Potez 63-11 n°780 was shot down by 4 Me109s
after a fierce 15-minute battle. Two Me 109s, out of ammunition,
broke off the fight, but in the end the aircraft was seriously
hit and crashed into a farmhouse at Gimbrett. The crew was killed. |
Born
in Bourges (18 - Cher) on 11 March 1907
Killed on 26 May 1940 at Gimbiett (67 - Bas-rhin) |
|
|
| POMPEI
Jean |
Sergeant
|
�Pilot
|
Jean
Pompéi studied in Lyon before entering Sciences Po in
the same city. He did his military service in the air force.
From 1934 to 1939, Jean Pompéi held a number of senior
civil service posts in mainland France, including Sub-Prefect
of Bellac (87 - Haute-Vienne). On mobilisation, refusing a special
assignment, he asked to be posted to the Groupe Aérien
d'Observation 512, as a sergeant pilot. Again at his request,
he later joined the GAO 582 based in the Levant.
In September 1940, he joined the Free French Air Force. In August
1941, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the General Air Commissioner
of the FAFL in London and appointed Prefect of Oran in January
1944. In August 1947, at his own request, he was released and
appointed by General de Gaulle to the political leadership of
the Rassemblement pour la France. Appointed Préfet hors
cadre, from 1953 he held a number of positions in the industrial
sector. He died in June 1972 in Paris. |
Born
in Hué (Annam) on 11 February 1909
Died in Paris on 29 June 1972 |
|
|
| PONSOLLE
Raymond - Petit |
|
Observer
|
Raymond
PONSOLLE later became a Colonel. |
Born in Sigoules (24
- Dordogne) on 25 April 1917
Died at Limoges (87 - Haute-vienne) on 17 June 1994
|
|
|
| REIX
Albert - Germain |
Captain
|
Observer
and Cder of the Group
|
|
Born
on 2 January 1911 in Fougères (35 - Ille et Vilaine)
Died 18 January 1993 in Fixin (21 - Côte-d'Or) |
|
|
| SAIGNE
Jean - Lucien |
Sergent
|
Pilot
|
Lucien
SAIGNE was posted to GAO 512 on 12 June 1940. He then went to
England, where he ended his military career as a Major. |
Born 19 September 1918
in Sadroc (19 - Corrèze)
Died at Pau (64 - Pyrénées-Atlantiques) on 23
February 1993
|
|
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| SARLANDIE
Charles |
Lieutenant
|
Observer
|
In
1935, Charles Sarlandie entered the Poitiers Artillery School.
A reserve second lieutenant, he was posted to the 105th R.A.
(Artillery Regiment) at Bourges and did a training period at
the Avord air base to obtain the Air Observer's Certificate.
He was recalled in March 1939 and posted to GAO 512 based at
Limoges. There he met René Ségui de Sarlande,
an aviator pilot and reserve staff sergeant, who regularly came
to do training courses and was known to everyone as "Le
petit chef".
After the German attack
on 10 May 1940, the GAO 512 Group retreated southwards, finally
arriving in Bordeaux, where Charles Sarlandie boarded the
Cargo ship "Le Fort de Vaux" for Casablanca in Morocco.
It was on board that Charles Sarlandi heard General de Gaulle's
appeal, but despite the enthusiasm of the troops on board,
the Captain of the ship, a convinced Pétainist, refused
to turn away to go to London...
The landing therefore took place in Casablanca as planned,
and the GAO 512 Group joined the Casablanca Air Base, where
it was re-equipped with Gleen-Martin 167Fs.
Charles SARLANDIE, faced with the uncertainty of the situation
in North Africa following the tragic attack on Mers El Kébir
by the British, joined his family in Sarrazac, France, at
the end of the summer of 1940. In October, he met up again
with René SEGUI DE SARLANDE, whom he had met when he
was at GAO 512 in Limoges.
Together, they recruited
former members of the GAO 512 group, in particular, to feed
the Resistance groups that provided intelligence for the Free
French.
But René SEGUI DE SARLANDE, hunted down by the Gestapo
and the Milice, had to go into hiding, and passed the torch
to René Tallet, who took up René SEGUI's nom
de guerre: "Violette". He created the "Violette"
Battalion, which fought very actively against the occupying
forces.
|
Born in Saint-Mesmin
(24 - Dordogne) on 14 February 1915
Died at Saint-Yrieix-La-Perche (87 - Haute-vienne) on 29 September
1994
|
|
|
| SEGUI
DE SARLANDE René |
Staff-Sergeant
|
Pilot
|
René
SEGUI DE SARLANDE, after the Armisitice, took an active part
in the Resistance under the alias of "Vilolette".
With Charles Sarlendi, he took part in recruiting Resistance
fighters for the G.A.O. network. In particular, he contacted
former members of GAO 512. The cover provided by his garage
in Sarlande, and his role as a model aircraft instructor, meant
that he was able to travel frequently to Périgueux. But
René SEGUI DE SARLANDE, actively sought by the Gestapo
and the Milice, had to go into hiding. René TALLET took
over the pseudonym "violette" and replaced René
SEGUI DE SARLANDE. |
|
|
|
| TEISSERENC
Gaston - Marie - Léon |
Lieutenant
|
Pilot
|
Gaston TEISSERENC fought
in both world wars.
During the First World War, he was a pilot with Reconnaissance
Squadron 43, equipped with Caudron G4s. In June 1915, he was
wounded on the ground by a bomb dropped by a German aircraft
and had to be hospitalised. On 2 December of the same year,
Gaston TEISSERENC had to land his aircraft in enemy territory
and was taken prisoner with his observer.
|
Born on 2 June 1894
in Montpellier (34 - Hérault)
Died at Grimaud (83 - Var) on 6 August 1981
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Non-Navigating
Personnel
|
|
Names
of crew members
|
Rank
|
Function
|
Informations
|
Civil
Statut
|
Photo
|
| BRANDY
Pierre |
|
|
|
|
|
| DUCHATEAU
Octave |
|
|
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| FAUCHE
Jean |
Chief Warrant-Officer
|
Chief mechanic
|
|
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| FOUGERAT |
Staff-Sergeant
|
Mechanic
|
|
|
|
| FUMET
Mathieu |
|
|
|
|
|
| GRAPPE |
Sub-Lieutenant
|
Mechanic,
Chief of Photo and Technical Services
|
|
|
|
| GROSBOIS
François - Maurice |
Captain
|
Chief of
General Services
|
Captain
GROSBOIS was a Reserve officer and former pilot in the 1914-1918
war. He fought with the SPA 95 squadron, which was equipped with
Spad XIIIs. |
Born
on 30 September 1893 |
|
| JUGIE
René - Jean |
Soldier
|
|
After
the Armistice, René JUGIE joined the Resistance and, under
the pseudonym "GAO", created the "GAO" group,
which was very active in Corrèze. |
Born August 19, 1914 in
Brive-la-Gaillarde (19 - Corrèze)
Died at Brive-la-Gaillarde on 19 December 1996
|
|
| LABIOCHE
Guy - Gustave |
|
|
|
Born in Limoges (87 -
Haute-Vienne) on 21 March 1916
Died at Pessac (33 - Gironde) on 24 January 1999
|
|
| LAVAUX
Lucien - Fernand |
Soldier
|
Photographer
|
A photographer by trade,
Lucien LAVAUX decided in 1936 to join the French Air Force for
3 years with the aim of becoming an aerial photographer. He
was posted to the Duny-Le-Bourget base before joining the Photo
Department of the Air Force General Staff. But when he heard
that an Air Observation Group was being set up in Limoges, his
home town, he was transferred to this Group. Demobilised in
March 1939, he left the GAO 512, but returned to it 6 months
later on mobilisation....
During the French Campaign, he was assigned to the Group's Photo
Department, and after GAO 512 withdrew to the south, he managed
to embark for North Africa in Marseille. Demobilised, he returned
to mainland France in August 1940.
Back in civilian life, he returned to his job as a photographer
and aerial photographer. In particular, he took the 1st aerial
photograph of the martyred village of Oradour sur Vienne, in
Haute-Vienne.
After the war, a talented aerial photographer, he took beautiful
aerial photos of the Limousin region and the city of Limoges
in particular. Lucien LAVAUX is the author of a book retracing
his career as a civilian photographer and his time with the
GAO 512: "PHOTOGRAPHIE SUR TERRE ET DANS LE CIEL"
published by the Conservatoire Aéronautique du Limousin.
|
Born in Limoges (87
- Haute-Vienne) on 4 February 1915
Died in Limoges on 27 April 2007
|
|
| LEBIGRE
Pierre - Henri |
Lieutenant
|
Chief Heavy
Photo Section
|
|
Born on 9 April 1899 in
Gisors (27 - Eure)
Died in Paris (75) on 22 April 1978
|
|
| REMAURY
Lucien |
|
Photographer
then mechanic
|
Lucien REMAURY, a LATECOERE
engineer in civilian life, was initially assigned to the Photo
Department, before obtaining a position as a mechanic more suited
to his skills.
On 28 May 1950, René REMAURY was killed in an accident
involving a LATE 631: the aircraft disintegrated during a test
at Cap Ferret. The 4 crew members were killed.
|
Killed
on 28 May 1950 above Cap-Ferret. |
|
Stories
of crews
|
Crews
of Group
|
|
Names
of crew members
|
Rank
|
Function
|
Informations
|
|
Crew
|
LECLERE
Jean |
Commander
|
Pilot
|
Potez
63-11 n° 780 : Shot down by German Fighters on May
26, 1940. The crew is killed. Commander LECLERE was the boss
of GAO 512. |
| NODET
Jacques |
Lieutenant
|
Observer
|
| LICITRI
Christian |
Sergeant
|
Machine
Gunner
|
|
Crew
|
GEORGES |
Lieutenant
|
Pilot
|
Potez
63-11 n° 583 : Participates in a research mission
to cross the Rhine on 1 June 1940 |
| REIX
Albert |
Captain
|
Observer
|
| MESNAIN |
Sergeant
|
Machine
Gunner
|
|
Airfields
|
Period
of use of airfields
|
|
Names
|
County
|
|
Limoges
Feytiat
|
87
- Haute-Vienne
|
September
3, 1939
|
|
Saverne
|
67
- Bas-Rhin
|
September
12, 1939
|
|
Epinal
Dogneville
|
88
- Vosges
|
September
13, 1939
|
|
Buhl
|
68
- Haut-Rhin
|
September
30, 1939
|
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Châtillon-sur-Seine
|
21
- Côte D'Or
|
October
27, 1939
|
|
La
Perthe
|
51
- Marne
|
January
3, 1940
|
|
Auzainvilliers
|
88
- Vosges
|
May 15, 1940
|
|
Niedernai
|
67
- Bas-Rhin
|
May
20, 1940
|
|
Luxeuil
Saint-Sauveur
|
70
- Haute Saône
|
Juny
13, 1940
|
|
Lons-le-Saulnier
Courlaoux
|
39
- Jura
|
Juny
14, 1940
|
|
Saint-Rambert
d'Albon
|
26
- Drôme
|
Juny
15, 1940
|
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Béziers
|
34
- Hérault
|
Juny
17, 1940
|
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Marignane
|
13
- Bouches du Rhône
|
Juny
18, 1940
|
|
Perpignan
La Salanque
|
66
- Pyrénées-Orientales
|
Juny
23, 1940
|
|
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Click
on the map to enlarge
:
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Aircrafts
The GAO 512 was equipped
since its creation, following aircrafts :
The used aircrafts
are described in the accessible file by the link below. You will find
N � of series, Registration, date of affectation to the group, and
fate of the plane there.
In
this list are identified :
- 1 Potez 25
- 8 Potez 390
- 2 Potez 63-11
Casualties
|
Crewmen
killed
|
3
|
| Lieutenant
NODET (Combat) |
May 26,
1940
|
| Commander
LECLERE (Combat) |
May 26,
1940
|
| Sergeant
LICITRI (Combat) |
May 26,
1940
|
- Book : "Ils étaient
là" by Mr Jacqueline and Paul MARTIN - Editions Aéro-Editions
|
