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Bomber Group GB I/38

1st Squadron
2nd Squadron


Historical

On the date of the outbreak of the German attack of May 10, 1940, GB I / 38 is attached to Group No. 10 of the "Reserved Air Forces" of the ZOAE (East Air Operations Area).


Staff

Commanders of the group GB I/38
Commander GOUGNON
March 1940
Captain FAURE
March 1940
Commander of the 1st Squadron
Captain BROHON Raymond
 
Commander of the 2nd Squadron
Captain LAGRAVIERE  

 


Pilots

Pilots and crew of the Group
Names of crew members
Rank
Function
Sqn.
Informations
Civil-statut
Photos
Citations
ANGLADE Jean - Henri
Chief-Warrant-Officer
Machine-Gunner
 
BAURET Paul -Henri
Lieutenant
Crew Chief�
Born January 1, 1917 in Paris (75)
Died October 1, 2008 at Equemauville (14 - Calvados)
   
BOYER
Staff-Sergeant
   
BROHON Raymond - Georges
Captain
Cder 1st Sqn.

Raymond BROHON graduated from the Ecole de Saint-Cyr in 1932.
He joined the GB I/38 and took command of a squadron before becoming Group Commander in 1940.
From 1940 to 1942, he was assigned to the 2nd Air Staff Office. Appointed Commander, he managed to reach Great Britain, and fought as a pilot with RAF Squadron 346. After the war, as a Lieutenant-Colonel, he was appointed head of the 3rd Air Force Bureau from 1946 to 1947. He later became a member of the French Delegation to NATO (Washington). He held various staff positions, including Commandant of the Reims Air Base in 1955. With the rank of General, he joined the Headquarters of the Supreme Allied Command Europe in 1956. He then took command of the French Air Force in the Middle East, and at his own request, ended his career in 1961 with the rank of Air Corps General. Returning to civilian life, he did not remain inactive, successively taking over the management of several aeronautical companies (SFERMA, SECA, SOGERMA, Sud Aviation, SNIAS, etc.).

Born September 7, 1911 in Blendecques (62 - Pas de Calais)
Died June 3, 2002 in Vichy (03 - Allier)
 
BROUARD Jean - Joseph
Lieutenant
Crew Chief
Born August 31, 1902, Gacé (61 - Orne)
Died August 12, 1973 at Nîmes (30 - Gard)
   
CLAVAUD
Staff-Sergeant
Machine-Gunner
On April 1, 1940, an Amiot 143 is touched by the Flak and must land in Luxembourg. The crew fire the plane before being interned. Staff Sergeant CLAVAUD is unharmed.
   
CONQUERIAUX
   
DESCHAMPS    
DEVAUX Léon - Marcel
Chief-Warrant-Officer
Machine-Gunner
Born May 6, 1908 in Senargent-Mignafans (70 - Haute-Saône)
Killed August 4, 1942 in Arles (13 - bouches du Rhône)
 
FAURE
Captain
Cder of Group et Crew Chief
On April 1, 1940, an Amiot 143 is touched by the Flak and must land in Luxembourg. The crew fire the plane before being interned. Captain FAURE is slightly injured.
   
FONTAINE    
FUSTER Serge
Sub-Lieutenant
Crew Chief
1st Sqn.

An aviation enthusiast, he joined the French Air Force in 1934 and was assigned to the 1st African Aviation Group. He joined the Ecole d'Avord before joining the 55th Escadrille in Lyon. He returned to Africa in 1935 - 1936 and was mobilized in 1939 with the GB I/38.
Serge Fuster became known under the pseudonym "Casamayor".
In 1939, he embarked on a career as an examining magistrate, which ended in 1978.
He was also a writer, with 3 novels and 10 essays published in Esprit magazine. His uncompromising analysis of the justice system from the inside earned Serge Fuster a number of sanctions, particularly after his stance on the Ben-Barka affair in 1958.
He nevertheless ended his career as President of the Versailles Court of Appeal.

Born November 28, 1911, Algiers (Algeria)
Died October 29, 1988
   
GOUGNON
Commander
Cder of Group
   
HERBIERT Charles - Victor
Adjutant
Pilot
On April 1, 1940, an Amiot 143 is touched by the Flak and must land in Luxembourg. The crew fire the plane before being interned. Adjutant HERBIER is slightly injured.
 
JEANNE Robert - Louis
Sub-lieutenant
Crew Chief

A primary school teacher in civilian life, Robert JEANNE did his military service in the French Air Force and attended the Elèves Officiers de Réserve (EOR) course, graduating as a Second Lieutenant with an Air Observer's Certificate in 1938.
Mobilised, he joined the GB I/38 and was demobilised in August 1940.
He returned to his job as a schoolteacher for a while, before becoming a salesman for a machine-tool company. This job was a cover: Robert JEANNE had joined the Resistance's SR Air Intelligence Service and became deputy to Louis LESPARRE, who headed up the network. But Louis Lesparre, who was being hunted down, had to be taken to safety in the Free Zone and Robert Jeanne replaced him. But the German police managed to infiltrate the network, and it fell in November 1942: Robert JEANNE was arrested. He was tried from 1 to 11 May 1943 and sentenced to death on 15 May 1943. He was shot on 28 May 1943 at Mont-Valérien.

Born on 7 May 1917 in Paris (75)
Killed on 29 May 1943 at Suresnes (92 - Haut-De-Seine)
   
KASTLER Robert - Maurice
Lieutenant
Observer

Robert KASTLER graduated as an engineer from the Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures.
He was called up to the GB I/38.
On 1 April 1940, an Amiot 143 was hit by Flak and had to land in Luxembourg. The crew set fire to the plane before being interned. Lieutenant KASTLER was unhurt.
From 1943 to 1947, he was a national scout commissioner for the Eclaireurs Unionistes de France, then a site engineer at Donzère-Mondragon from 1947 to 1952. From 1952 to 157, Robert KASTLER was a director at Entreprise Lefrançois, then director of Société des grands travaux en béton armé from 1957 to 1965. In 1965, he was department director, then chairman and CEO of Socaltra BTP from 1969 to 1979. At the same time, he has been a member of the editorial committee since 1953, a member of the board of directors of the journal Réforme, and an honorary adviser on technological education. Robert Kastler has also been an expert before the Paris Court of Appeal, an expert and, since 1995, an honorary expert before the Paris Administrative Court. In 1986, he also became Honorary Chairman of the Association of Experts at the Paris Administrative Court and a member of the Comité d'Organisation des meilleurs ouvriers de France.... A great career!

Born 15 January 1914 in Paris (75)
Died 6 November 2004 in Paris
   
KIRSCH
Sergeant
Radio
On April 1, 1940, an Amiot 143 is touched by the Flak and must land in Luxembourg. The crew fire the plane before being interned. Sergeant KIRSCH is unharmed.
   
LAGRAVIERE Lucien
Captain
Cder 2nd Sqn.
Born on 19 February 1895    
PILATE Jean - Lucien
Chief-Warrant-Officer
Pilot
Born in Lille (59 - Nord) on 24 January 1910
Died in Poitiers (86 - Vienne) on 8 August 2005
 
RABOUIN Roger
Lieutenant
Crew Chief
Born on 13 May 1903    
SAUVANET Léon - Antoine
Lieutenant
Chief on board
Born in Crevant-Laveine (63 - Puy de Dôme) on 24 July 1908
Died at Culhat (63 - Puy de Dôme) on 28 October 1995
 
THOMERET André - Joseph
Chief-Warrant-Officer
Pilot
Born in Valleroy-Aux-Saules (88 - Vosges) on 6 January 1910
Died at Dijon (21 - Côte d'Or) on 22 May 1978
 
VALLET    

 

Group mechanics and non-flying personnel
Name
Rank
Function
Sqn.
Informations
Civil Statut
Photo
JACQUET Marc
Lieutenant
Head of
2nd office
1st Sqn. .
Before the war, Marc JACQUET was a law student at the universities of Paris and Kiel. He did his military service in the French Air Force, with the 54th Air Wing. He attended officer training courses and graduated as a second lieutenant. He was mobilised in 1939 and appointed Lieutenant, joining the GB I/38 as head of the 2nd Bureau. He was demobilised in August 1940, and became assistant to Lieutenant-Colonel Alfred HEURTAUX, chief of staff to Air Force General Jean d'Harcourt, the General Secretary for Family and Youth. Under cover of his position, Alfred HEURTAUX set up an intelligence network for the Resistance, and persuaded Marc JACQUET to join him in hiding and become his deputy. Following Alfred HEURTAUX's arrest in November 1941, Marc JACQUET continued the network's activities, but hunted down by the Germans, he took refuge in North Africa and continued his involvement with Henri d'Astier de la VIGERIE.
In North Africa, he joined the Royalist camp, which aimed to install the Comte de Paris in power. But after the assassination of DARLAN, Marc JACQUET was sought after and had to assume an assumed identity: Marc VAUTHIER. Under this name and with the rank of Captain, he succeeded in being given command of a Cavalry Squadron and went ashore with the Allies at Saint-Trpoez on 15 August 1944. But unmasked by the Military Police, he was arrested and taken back to Algiers.
After the war, he entered politics, serving as an RPF MP from 1951 to 1955, UNR MP for the 1st constituency of Seine-et-Marne from 1958 to 1973, and finally as Senator and Chairman of the RPR Group in the Upper House from 1978 to 1981.
Born on 17 February 1913 in Mercy-Le-Bas (54 - Meurthe et Moselle)
Died in Paris (75) on 18 April 1983
 

 

Stories of crews

Crews of Group
Names of crew members
Rank
Function
Sqn.
Informations
Crew
HERBIER
Adjutant
Pilot
Amiot 143 No ? : Hit by the Flak on April 1, 1940, the aircraft must land in Luxembourg. The crew fire the plane before being interned. Captain FAURE and Adjutant HERBIER are slightly injured
FAURE
Captain
Crew Chief
KASTLER
Lieutenant
Observer
KIRSCH
Sergeant
Radio
CLAVAUD
Staff-Sergeant
Machine Gunner

 


Airfield

Airfields
Period of use of airfields
Names
County
Troyes-Barberey
10 - Aube
October 15, 1939
Nuits-Saint-Georges
21 - Côte D'Or
June 13, 1940
Feurs
42 - Loire
June 15, 1940
Avignon Pujaut
84 - Vaucluse
June 16, 1940
Perpignan
66 - Pyrénées-Orientales
June 18, 1940
Avignon Châteaublanc
84 - Vaucluse
June 19, 1940
Arles Mas-De-Rus
13 - Bouches du Rhône
June 21, 1940

Click on the map to enlarge :

Itinerary of the GB I/38

 


Aircrafts

The GB I/38 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 :

  • 11 Amiot 143

 


Casualties

Crewmen injured
2
Captain FAURE (Combat)
April 1, 1940
Adjutant HERBIER (Combat)
April 1, 1940
Crewmen prisoner
5
Captain FAURE (Luxembourg)
April 1, 1940
Adjutant HERBIER (Luxembourg)
April 1, 1940
Lieutenant KASTLER (Luxembourg)
April 1, 1940
Staff-Sergeant CLAVAUD (Luxembourg)
April 1, 1940
Sergeant KIRSCH (Luxembourg)
April 1, 1940

 


Sources

- The dates and places of birth of the Group's personnel are taken mainly from the site : "Mémoires des Hommes"
- Book : "Ils étaient là" by Mr Jacqueline and Paul MARTIN - Editions Aéro-Editions
- ...