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Fighter Group GC I/8
1st Squadron (Ex 3C2)
2nd Squadron (Ex 3C3)

Historical

The I / 8 fighter group, formed on January 1, 1936, consisted of two squadrons that were originally Navy squadrons: the 3C2 (winged trident) being the first squadron of the group and the 3C3 (jumping lion) the second .

At wartime, the GC I / 8 is still equipped with DEWOITINE D501 and D510. The first BLOCH MB152 will arrive only from October 18, 1939.

On the date of the outbreak of the German attack of May 10, 1940, GC I / 8 is attached to Group No. 22 of the "Reserved Air Forces" of the ZOAE (East Air Operations Area).

The Group is definitively dissolved in November 1942.

Staff

Commanders of the group GC I/8
Commander COLIN
October 1941
 
Deputy Commanders
Captain BERTROU
November 9, 1939
  
Captain PEYREGNE
December 4, 1939
June 6, 1940
Commanders of the 1st Squadron
Captain PEYREGNE
December 4, 1939
Lieutenant BOUYSSE Raymond
December 4, 1939
February 1, 1942
  
Lieutenant CAMDESSUS
February 1, 1942
December 1, 1942
  
Commanders of the 2nd Squadron
Captain ASTIER-DE-VILLATTE
May 10, 1940
Sub-Lieutenant LAMAISON Robert (par intérim)
May 11, 1940
May 16, 1940
  
Captain CALMON Robert
May 16, 1940
September 1, 1940
  

 

Pilots

Pilots of Group
Names of pilots
Rank
Squadron
Victories
Informations
Civil Statut
Photo
Citations
Sure
Prob.
AMBROGI Marc
Commander
Staff Group
1
Assigned to GC I / 8 on December 9, 1939
      
ASTIER-DE-VILLATTE Adrien
Captain
Staff 2nd Sqn
1
Killed on May 10, 1940
  
 
BERTROU
Captain
Staff Group
Moved to GC I / 2 on December 4, 1939
      
BOUYSSE Raymond
Lieutenant
1st Sqn.
2
1
Transferred to 1st Squadron on December 4, 1939, then transferred to GC III / 9
      
CALMON Robert
Captain
Staff 2nd Sqn
2
     
CANCIEL
Lieutenant
     
CASTEL Henri
Adjutant
2nd Sqn.
1
Injured in aerial combat May 27, 1940
  
 
CHALLE
Commander
Staff Group
     
CHARVET
Sub-Lieutenant
2nd Sqn.
Has been transferred to an unknown date.
      
CHOULET Henri
Staff-Sergeant
1st Sqn.
Killed on May 16, 1940
      
COCCALOTTO
Lieutenant
1st Sqn.
Potez 630 Pilot
      
COLIN
Commander
Staff Group
     
CORRIN Daniel
Staff-Sergeant
1st Sqn.
4
     
CZERNIAK Jerzy
Sub-Lieutenant
2nd Sqn.
Polish pilot assigned to GC I / 8 from 16 to 18 June 1940
      
DARLAY
Sergeant
1st Sqn.
1
     
DE-CALONNE-D'AVESNES
Captain
     
DEKASTELLO Josef
Sub-Lieutenant
1st Sqn.
Czech pilot assigned on March 15, 1940, killed on June 3, 1940
      
DE-LA-SALLE
Captain
     
DENIEL
Staff-Sergeant
1st Sqn.
Assigned to GC I / 8 November 21, 1939. Bléssé, he will leave the Group
      
DROIT Marcel
Sergeant
2nd Sqn.
Killed on January 26, 1940
      
DUPOUY Pierre
Sergeant
2nd Sqn.
Killed in aerial combat May 17, 1940
      
FICHEPAIN
Sub-Lieutenant
1st Sqn.
Assigned to GC I / 8 June 19, 1940
      
FLANDI Augustin
Sub-Lieutenant
1
Assigned to GC I / 8 May 11, 1940. Killed in air combat May 15, 1940
      
FREY Juliusz
Captain
2nd Sqn.
Polish pilot assigned to GC I / 8 from 16 to 18 June 1940
      
FROZART
Sergeant
     
GIORDANI
Staff-Sergeant
2nd Sqn.
1
     
GLOWCZYNSKI Czeslaw
Sub-Lieutenant
2nd Sqn.
Polish pilot assigned to GC I / 8 from 16 to 18 June 1940
      
GOUACHON-NOIREAULT Pierre
Sub-Lieutenant
2nd Sqn.
3
     
GUEHENNEC
Staff-Sergeant
     
GUY
Adjutant
1st Sqn.
     
HOLECEK Rudolf
Lieutenant
1st Sqn.
Czech pilot assigned to GC I / 8 from May 19th to June 20th, 1940
      
HONORAT
Staff-Sergeant
     
JAHAN
Chief Warrant Officer
1st Sqn.
     
JAUGSCH Leon
Sub-Lieutenant
1st Sqn.
Polish pilot assigned to GC I / 8 from 16 to 18 June 1940
      
KOTHERA Zdennek
Master-Corporal
1st Sqn.
Czech pilot assigned to GC I / 8 on May 19, 1940. He returned to the CIC de Chartres on May 24, 1940
      
KRALIK Antonin
Master-Corporal
2nd Sqn.
1
Czech pilot assigned to GC I / 8 on March 15, 1940. Killed on May 27, 1940
      
LABONDE
Commander
Staff Group
     
LAMAISON Robert
Sub-Lieutenant
2nd Sqn.
2
1
     
LEVREUX
Sergeant
2nd Sqn.
     
LIAUTARD
Staff-Sergeant
1st Sqn.
4
2
Accidentally injured on June 12, 1940.
      
LOUVEAU
Sergeant
1st Sqn.
2
     
MALBOS
Sergeant
2nd Sqn.
     
MANGE
Chief Warrant Officer
1st Sqn.
Assigned to GC I / 8 on September 3, 1939. Transferred to AFN in December 1939
      
MARTIN
Sergeant
1st Sqn.
Officer pupil, transferred to the School on September 2nd, 1939
      
MAUREL
Sergeant
1st Sqn.
2
1
Injured in aerial combat on June 3, 1940.
      
MICHAUD
Staff-Sergeant
1st Sqn.
1
     
MORAVEK Emil
Staff-Sergeant
2nd Sqn.
Czech pilot assigned to GC I / 8 from 19 to 24 May 1940
      
NAVRATIL Antonin
Lieutenant
2nd Sqn.
Czech pilot assigned to GC I / 8 on March 15, 1940. Bled on May 20, 1940
      
NIEWIARA Andrzej
Master-Corporal
1st Sqn.
Polish pilot assigned to GC I / 8 from 16 to 18 June 1940
      
NICOU
Chief Warrant Officer
2nd Sqn.
     
PEYREGNE Marcel
Captain
Staff 1st Sqn.
4
1
Killed on June 06, 1940
  
 
PINON
Sergeant
2nd Sqn.
     
PORODO Emmanuel - Jean
Sub-Lieutenant
2nd Sqn.
1
Emmanuel PORODO joined the École de l'Air at Salon and Chartres in 1937. He was posted to Etampes in 1939 with the GC I/8, with which he took part in the French Campaign. After the Armistice, he joined Jeunesse et Montagne in 1940. He was posted to the AOF in 1942 with the GC I/4 fighter group, then the GC I/2. He joined the Meknès fighter school in 1944 and was then posted to the GC II/3.
He moved with this group to Germany before being sent to Indochina in 1947 at Nha Trang. He was posted successively to the Cognac school in 1948, to the 2nd fighter squadron in Dijon in 1949, to the 3rd fighter squadron in Reims in 1951, and finally to air defence zone 901 in Saint-Valéry in 1953. In 1954 he was posted to the equipment programmes office at the armed forces headquarters, and in 1957 was transferred to the Brétigny air experiment centre. He was appointed liaison officer to the general commanding the French forces in Germany in 1961. Emmanuel PORODO retired in 1965 with the rank of Colonel.
 Born 26 November 1917 in Moelan sur Mer (29 - Finistère)
Died in Dijon (21 - Côte d'Or) on 20 January 1994		    
PORQUET
Sub-Lieutenant
     
POSTREHOVSKY Bohumil
Master-Corporal
2nd Sqn.
Czech pilot assigned to GC I / 8 from 19 to 24 May 1940
      
PRCHAL Eduard
Staff-Sergeant
1st Sqn.
3
Czech pilot assigned to GC I / 8 from December 29, 1939 to June 20, 1940
      
PUITOUVEAU
Captain
     
RESTOUX
Lieutenant
1st Sqn.
1
Assigned to GC I / 8 May 15, 1940
      
REZNICEK Jiri
Master-Corporal
1st Sqn.
Czech pilot assigned to GC I / 8 on May 19, 1940. He returned to the CIC de Chartres on May 24, 1940
      
ROSENTHAL
Lieutenant
Assigned to GC I / 8 on December 9, 1939.
      
RUBY Jean
Sub-Lieutenant
1st Sqn.
1
Killed on May 19, 1940 in aerial combat.
  
 
SALVA
Lieutenant
     
SEVELY
Lieutenant
1st Sqn.
     
SIKA Jaroslav
Master-Corporal
2nd Sqn.
3
Czech pilot assigned to GC I / 8 on March 15, 1940
      
SOUCHE Germain
Chief Warrant Officer
 
 
SPACEK Ototo
Corporal
1st Sqn.
2
Czech pilot assigned to GC I / 8 from March 15 to June 20, 1940. Accidentally wounded on June 12, 1940.
      
TANGUY Victor
Sub-Lieutenant
1
1
 
 
THOLLON Robert
Sub-Lieutenant
1st Sqn.
8
 
 
TREGOUET
Staff-Sergeant
     
WATOLSKI Ernesgt
Corporal
2nd Sqn.
Polish pilot assigned to GC I / 8 from 16 to 18 June 1940
      
WETZEL
Adjutant
2nd Sqn.
     
WILCZEWSKI Waclaw
Lieutenant
1st Sqn.
Polish pilot assigned to GC I / 8 from 16 to 18 June 1940
      
ZADROZINSKI Zdzislaw
Lieutenant
1st Sqn.
Polish pilot assigned to GC I / 8 from 16 to 18 June 1940
      
ZEROVNICKY Jan
Lieutenant
2nd Sqn.
1
Czech pilot assigned to GC I / 8 on March 15, 1940
      
ZIMPLICH Stanislav
Lieutenant
2nd Sqn.
Czech pilot assigned to GC I / 8 May 19, 1940
      

 

Airfield

Airfields
Period of use of airfields
Names
County
HYERES
83 - Var
August 25, 1939
CHERBOURG-MAUPERTUS
50 - Manche
March 11, 1940
VELAINE-EN-HAYE
54 - Meurthe et Moselle
April 1, 1940
LA FERE-COURBES
02 - Aisne
May 12, 1940
CHANTILLY LES AIGLES
60 - Oise
May 16, 1940
CLAYE-SOUILLY
77 - Seine et Marne
May 20, 1940
BRETIGNY-SUR-ORGE
91 - Essone
June 9, 1940
CESARVILLE
45 - Loiret
June 11, 1940
CHATEAUROUX-DEOLS
36 - Indre
June 14, 1940
ROCHEFORT
17 - Charente-Maritime
June 17, 1940
ROYAN-CORNE l'ECLUSE
17 - Charente-Maritime
June 18, 1940
CAZEAUX
33 - Gironde
June 22, 1940
AGEN LA GARENNE
47 - Lot et Garonne
June 23, 1940
TOULOUSE FRANCAZAL
31 - Haute Garonne
June 24, 1940

Click on the map to enlarge :

Itinerary of the GC I/8

 

Aircrafts

The GC I/8 was equipped since its creation in Janvier 1936, following aircrafts :

The used aircrafts are described in the accessible file by the link below. You will find Nb of series, Registration, date of affectation to the group, and fate of the plane there.

In this list are identified :

    - 7 Dewoitine D501
    - 1 Dewoitine D510
    - 1 Potez 631
    - 3 Bloch MB151
    - 121 bloch MB152
    - 16 bloch MB155

     

Records

1/2 or 1/3 of victories were obtained in association with another Group.

Confirmed Victories
31
Messerschmitt BF110
6
Messerschmitt BF109
8
Henschel Hs 126
3.5
Dornier Do 215
1
Dornier Do 17
8
Junker JU86
1
Junker JU87
1
Junker JU88
0.5
Heinkel He111
2
Likely Victories
8
Messerschmitt BF110
1
Messerschmitt BF109
2
Junker JU87
2
Junker JU88
1
Dornier Do 17
2

 

Casualties

Killed Pilots
9
Sergeant DROIT (Accident)
January 26, 1940
Captain ASTIER-DE-VILLATTE (Combat)
May 10, 1940
Sub-Lieutenant FLANDI (Combat)
May 15, 1940
Adjutant CHOULET (Combat)
May 16, 1940
Sergeant DUPOUY (Combat)
May 17, 1940
Sub-Lieutenant RUBY (Combat)
May 19, 1940
Staff-Corporal KRALIK (Combat)
May 25, 1940
Lieutenant DEKASTELLO (Accident)
June 3, 1940
Captain PEYREGNE (Combat)
June 6, 1940
Wounded Pilots
7
Adjutant DENIEL (Accident)
February 12, 1940
Adjutant GUY (Combat)
May 11, 1940
Lieutenant NAVRATIL (Combat)
May 20, 1940
Adjutant CASTEL (Combat)
May 27, 1940
Staff-Sergeant MAUREL (Combat)
June 3, 1940
Corporal SPACEK (Accident)
June 12, 1940
Staff-Sergeant LIAUTARD (Accident)
June 12, 1940

 

 

Sources

- The citations or decorations listed are extracted from the Official Journals archived in « Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France »
- 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
- Book "Bloch 152" from S. Joanne - Editions LELA Presse
- ...