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Air Observation Group GAO I/520


Historical

On the date of the outbreak of the German attack of May 10, 1940, the GAO I / 520 is attached to the IV Army in the Air Cooperation Forces of the ZOAE (East Air Operations Zone).


Staff

Commanders of the group GAO I/520
Commander RODET      

 


Personnel

Pilots and crew of the Group
Names of crew members
Rank
Function
Informations
Civil-statut
Photos
Citations
BERNARD
Lieutenant
Observer
Seriously wounded on September 24, 1939 aboard the Mureaux 115 No.107. The aircraft, attacked by Me109 is damaged, but the pilot, manages to join his ground.  
 
CAPPOEN
Lieutenant
Observer
Wounded in aerial combat on October 10, 1939 aboard a Mureaux 115: Put in enemy territory, he managed to join the French lines      
CASTERAN Roger
Chief-Warrant-Officer
Pilot
       
DAVAS
Sub-Lieutenant
Pilot
Succeeds to join the AFN on June 22, 1940 aboard a Mureaux 115      
DE-CHILY Bernard
Lieutenant
Observer
       
DE-SEGUINA-PAZZIS Roger
Lieutenant
Observer
       
DUCASSE Georges
Lieutenant
Pilot
Lieutenant DUCASSE was wounded on October 16, 1939 aboard a Mureaux 115, attacked by mistake, by a Morane 406 ... The pilot managed to join his field.  
 
DUPUIS Marcel
Staff-Sergeant
Pilot
       
GRIVEL
Adjutant
Pilot
On April 21, 1940, his aircraft, the Potez 63-11 No.246 crashes after a failure to take off. Adjutant GRIVEL, ejected from the aircraft at the time of the unpaved, is injured.      
JEROME
Sergeant
Observer
On April 21, 1940, his aircraft, the Potez 63-11 No.246 crashes after a failure to take off. Sergeant JEROME, injured, managed to leave the aircraft before it ignited.      
LAINS Jacques
Sub-Lieutenant
Observer
       
LAURENT Jean
Sub-Lieutenant
Observer
On October 16, 1939, his Mureaux 115 was attacked and damaged by mistake by ... a Morane 406. Sub-Lieutenant LAURENT is unscathed.      
LAYAHE
Sergeant
Pilot
Wounded in aerial combat on October 10, 1939 aboard a Mureaux 115: Put in enemy territory, he managed to join the French lines      
PETIT Edmond - Léon
Sub-Lieutenant
Pilot
Edmond PETIT was drafted in 1936 and joined the Istres school. He qualified as a military pilot in 1937 and joined the 32nd Reconnaissance Wing based at Chateauroux. He passed the EOR (Reserve Officer School) and joined the Avord School before being posted as a pilot to the GAO 520, with which group he took part in the 1940 campaign. On 24 September 1939, he managed to return his Mureaux 115 No. 107, which had been badly damaged after an Me109 attack, to its airfield. He was taken prisoner on 16 June at Neufchâteau and sent to an oflag in Germany. He tried to escape several times: he started an underground tunnel, but was sent to another camp. He escaped from the train and headed for Munich, then Lindau and Bregenz. He was recaptured and imprisoned in Bregenz, then taken back to oflag XVII near Austerlitz, where he began digging underground again until 1945.
He resumed training at Avord in 1946, was assigned to the military rehabilitation service and then to the sports section of the 3rd Bureau. From 1948 to 1953, he worked in the central sports department, then in 1954 in the information department of the Air Armed Forces Secretariat. He was posted to the DAT in 1955 and then again to the sports department. Edmond PETIT was placed on aircrew leave in 1961.
Born 19 November 1914 in Nevers (58 - Nièvre).
Died in Boulogne-Billancourt (92 - Hauts de Seine) on 4 May 2000.
 
POTTIE Henri
Lieutenant
Observer
Killed on September 10, 1939 aboard the No.106 Mureaux 115 shot down by 4 Me109.      
RODET
Commander
Commander of the Group
     
SCHONER Albert
Staff-Sergeant
Pilot
       
SUSS Georges
Sergeant
Machine-Gunner
       
TACQUARD Jean
Sergeant
Pilot
Killed on September 10, 1939 aboard the No.106 Mureaux 115 shot down by 4 Me109.      
VUILLEMIN
Adjutant
Pilot
       

 

 

Stories of crews

Crews of Group
Names of crew members
Rank
Function
Informations
Crew
TACQUARD Jean
Sergeant
Pilot
Mureaux 115 n° 106 : Destroyed in aerial combat on September 10, 1939 in Moselle: His crew is killed
POTTIE Henri
Lieutenant
Observer
Crew
LAYAHE
Sergeant
Pilot
Mureaux 115 n° ? : Damaged in air combat, he managed to land in enemy territory. The crew managed to escape the Germans. Lieutenant CAPPOEN is injured
CAPPOEN
Lieutenant
Observer
Crew
PETIT
Sub-Lieutenant
Pilot
Mureaux 115 n° 107 : Severely damaged in air combat, he managed to reach his land: Lieutenant BERNARD was seriously injured
BERNARD
Lieutenant
Observer
Crew
DUCASSE
Lieutenant
Pilot
Mureaux 115 n° ? : Damaged during an attack by a ... Morane MS406! Lieutenant DUCASSE is injured
LAURENT
Sub-Lieutenant
Observer
Crew
GRIVEL
Adjutant
Pilot
Potez 63-11 n°246 : Destroyed following a takeoff failure: the crew is injured
JEROME
Sergeant
Observer

 


Airfield

Airfields
Period of use of airfields
Names
County
Delme Morhange
57 - Moselle
September 3, 1939
Keskastel
67 - Bas-Rhin
September 24, 1939
Morhange
57 - Moselle
October 4, 1939
Guéblange-lès-Dieuse
57 - Moselle
May 10, 1940
Martigny-les-Gerbonvaux
88 - Vosges
Juny 13, 1940
Til-Châtel
21 - Côté d'Or
Juny 14, 1940
Roanne
42 - Loire
Juny 15, 1940
Castres
81 - Tarn
Juny 17, 1940
Marignane
13 - Bouches du Rhône
Juny 19, 1940
Alger Maison-Blanche
Algérie
Juny 21, 1940

Click on the map to enlarge :

Itinerary of the GAO I/520

 


Aircrafts

The GAO I/520 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 :

  • 5 Mureaux 115
  • 1 Potez 63-11

 


Casualties

Crewmen killed
2
Sergeant TACQUARD (Combat)
September 10, 1939
Lieutenant POTTIE (Combat)
September 10, 1939
Crewmen injured
5
Lieutenant CAPPOEN (Combat)
September 10, 1939
Lieutenant BERNARD (Combat)
September 24, 1939
Lieutenant DUCASSE (Méprise)
October 16, 1939
Adjutant GRIVEL (Accident)
April 21, 1940
Sergeant JEROME (Accident)
April 21, 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