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Site in French
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Historical
Originally, GB II/32 was
an Observation group: GO II/32. It became the GB II/32 on 1 January
1938. Initially equipped with Bloch MB200s, it was converted to
Bloch MB210s in December 1939.
On 10 May 1940, the GB II/32 was stationed in North Africa, attached
to the No 3 Bombardment Group.
The conversion of GB II/32 to the Douglas DB-7 was delayed, and
this prevented the Group from reaching France before the Armistice.
GB II/32 was disbanded in 1942.
Staff
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Commanders
of the group
GB II/32
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| Commander
CORMIER Jules |
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| Commander
ESPARRE Louis |
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Commander
of the 3rd Squadron
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Captain
GROSS Georges
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Commander
of the 4th Squadron
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| Captain
DELFAU-DE-PONTALBA
Robert |
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Personnel
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Pilots
and crew of the Group
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Names
of crew members
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Rank
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Function
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Sqn.
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Informations
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Etat
Civil
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Photos |
Citations
& Décorations
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| CORMIER
Jules |
Commandert
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Cder
Group
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Born on 19 April 1893
at Merry-Sec (89 - Yonne)
Died at Auxerre (89 - Yonne) on 29 October 1975
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| DELFAU-DE-PONTALBA
Robert |
Captain
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Cder
4th Sqn..
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4th Sqn.
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Robert DELFAU-DE-PONTALBA
is a former student of Saint-Cyr, ‘Mangin’ promotion
1929 - 1931.
After the Armistice, he joined the Free French Air Force and
was posted to the 31st Wing. On 5 July 1945, Major DE-PONTALBA
was posted to Maison Blanche (Algeria) to take up the post
of regulator of the 31st Wing.
After the war, he continued his career, which ended with the
rank of Air Brigadier General.
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Born on 14 September
1909 in Rennes (35 - Ille et Vilaine)
Died on 4 April 1987
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| DUHAMEL |
Sergeant
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Pilot
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| ESPARRE
Louis - Joseph |
Commander
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Cder
Group
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Born 20 August 1901,
Narbonne (11 - Aude)
Died at Perpignan (66 - Pyrénées-Orientales)
on 4 October 1975
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| GROSS
Georges |
Captain
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Cder
3rd Sqn.
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Born on 25 November
1907
Died 9 June 1985
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| PETIT
Edmond - Léon |
Lieutenant
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4th Sqn..
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Edmond PETIT was a man
of letters who made a career as a pilot officer in the French
Air Force from 1939 to 1960.
He took part in the French Campaign with GB II/32, then became
Head of the Air Sports Office and Secretary General of the
International Military Sports Council in 1948. In 1954, he
was appointed Head of the Air Force Information Service. He
was the creator of the international military aeronautical
pentathlon before leaving the active army in 1961 with the
rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.
From 1962 to 1968, he was in charge of public relations at
the Central Office (deputy staff) in Paris, before becoming
in 1969, Chargé de mission at Air France and then Curator
of the Air France Museum from 1973 to 86.
He is also a writer, literary critic for Forces aériennes
françaises, literary director of Icare, Deputy General
Secretary and then Honorary General Secretary of the Union
nationale des attachés de presse, member of the Association
française des relations publiques, member of the jury
of the World Aviation Film Festival, of the Grand Prix littéraire
de l'Aéro-Club de France, of the Hélices d'or
de Méribel, and President of the Guynemer literary
prize.
He is the author of:
- "Heures de Vol"
- 1957
- Les Aviateurs"
- 1960
- "Dictionnaire
de l'Aviation" - 1964
- "Histoire mondiale
de l’aviation" - 1967
- "la Vie quotidienne
dans l’aviation" -1980
- "Le nouveau Dédale
de Jean-Jacques Rousseau" - 1987
- "Roland Garros"
- 1988
- "Le Ciel et ses
poètes" - 1992
- "Au revoir Saint-Exupéry"
- 1994
- "Esnault-Pelterie
et Cyrano de Bergerac" - 1998
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Born 19 November 1914
in Nevers (58 - Nièvre)
Died at Boulogne-Billancourt (92 - Hauts de Seine) on 4 May
2000
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| STEINBERG-DE-ARMELLA
Bernard dit "DUPERIER" Bernard |
Lieutenant
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After studying engineering
at the École supérieure des techniques aéronautiques
et de construction automobile (ESTACA), Bernard Steinberg-de-Armella
joined the French Air Force in 1927 and passed his pilot's
licence in May 1928. He was posted to the 34th RA in 1928
and to the 37th RA in Morocco in 1930. He was transferred
to the reserves in November 1930, before being mobilised to
the 32nd Air Wing and assigned to the GB II/32 in 1939, with
which group he took part in the French Campaign.
Demobilised in July 1940 and refusing the armistice, he left,
after a first failed attempt in June, for England in December
1940 via the United States. He enlisted in the Free French
Air Force (FAFL) on 15 January 1941 in New York under the
name Bernard Duperier - his mother's maiden name, which he
kept after the war.
On arrival in England,
he was promoted to the rank of captain on 8 March 1941. Initially
posted to FAFL HQ, he was transferred to Operationnal Training
Unit 55 (OTU 55) on 8 April 1941. On leaving, he joined squadrons
342, 615 and 402 in succession. He was appointed commander
of the Alsace fighter group in 1941 and of the Ile-de-France
in 1942. He took command of the French fighter school in Great
Britain in December 1943. He was seconded to General Koenig's
staff in May 1944 and became head of the 3rd FFI office in
Brittany in July 1944. Léon DUPERIER was demobilised
in 1946 and transferred to the reserves with the rank of Reserve
Colonel.
He then became a company director in the United States and
France. He was also a consultant for Boeing and a director
of Air France.
Founding chairman of the ‘Appel au Général
de Gaulle’ association in 1958, Bernard Duperier was
deputy for the 8th arrondissement of Paris from 1962 to 1967.
A member of the Conseil de l'Ordre de la Libération,
he is also Honorary Chairman of the Amicale FAFL, an honorary
member of the Académie de l'Air-Espace, Honorary Chairman
of the Aéro-club de France and Honorary Chairman of
the Fédération aéronautique internationale.
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Né le 13 juin
1907 à Paris (75)
Décédé
le 8 juin 1995 à Paris.
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Stories
of crews
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Crews
of Group
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Names
of crew members
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Rank
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Function
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Sqn.
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Informations
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Airfields
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Period
of use of airfields
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Names
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County
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| Chissey |
39
- Jura
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September
1, 1939
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| Dôle-Tavaux |
39
- Jura
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November
15, 1939
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| Orange
Violès |
84
- Vaucluse
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December
15, 1939
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| Marignane |
13
- Bouches du Rhône
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May
8, 1940
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| Oran
La Sénia |
Algeria
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May
11, 1940
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| Médiouna |
Marocco
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May
14, 1940
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| Alger
Maison-Blanche |
Algeria
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June
15, 1940
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| Aîn-Beda |
Algeria
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June
16, 1940
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| Alger
Maison-Blanche |
Algeria
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June
18, 1940
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| Médiouna |
Marocco
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June
19, 1940
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Click
on the map to enlarge
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Itinerary
of the GB II/32
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Aircrafts
The GB II/32 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 :
- 3 Potez 390
- 4 Bloch MB200
- 5 Douglas DB7
Casualties
The
GB II/32 had no losses to deplore during the Campaign of France
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
- ...
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