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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 GR II / 36 is
attached to the 5th Army within the Air Cooperation Forces of the
ZOAE (East Air Operations Area).
Staff
|
Commanders
of the group
GR II/36
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| Commander
POUTIER |
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December
28, 1939
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Commander
BAILLY Paul
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December
29, 1939
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June
3rd, 1940
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Commander
of the 3rd Squadron
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Captain
PARDAILLAN Salvat
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Commander
of the 4th Squadron
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Captain
HOQUETIS Lionel
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Pilots
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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
|
Sqn.
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Informations
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Civil-statut
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Photos
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Citations
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| BAILLY
Paul |
Commander
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|
Staff
Group
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After entering the
Saint-Cyr military academy in 1922, he chose aviation and
was posted to the 3rd Fighter Regiment in 1924. He was qualified
as a balloon observer, then as an aircraft observer in 1925,
and finally as a military pilot in 1926. He fought during
the Jebel operations in 1926 with the 39th Aviation Regiment
and then with the 54th Air Wing. He was seriously wounded
during the fighting.
He also took part in the Black Cruise in November 1933.
He joined the Ecole de Guerre in 1935 and was posted to
the military cabinet of the Minister for Air in 1937. He
was appointed to the Air Force General Staff in 1938. During
the ‘Phony War’ he took command of the GR II/36
reconnaissance group. In June 1940, he was seconded to the
3rd office of the General Staff of the Commander-in-Chief
for all theatres of operations,
He was then assigned to the DAT (Défense Aérienne
du Territoire) in 1942. He returned to Great Britain in
August 1943 and set up the Tunisie and Guyenne groups. In
April 1945, he was appointed commander of the schools group
in AFN.
He took command of
the Groupement moyens militaires de transport aérien
in 1946 before being appointed 1st Deputy Chief of Staff
of the Air Force General Staff and then Commander of the
French Air Defence in 1949. He was placed at the disposal
of the Commander-in-Chief, Centre-
Europe as Chief of Staff from 1953 to 1955. He was finally
appointed Chief of Staff of the Air Armed Forces in 1955
and Inspector General of the Air Force in 1958.Paul BAILLY
went on aircrew leave in September 1959.
Paul Bailly was killed on 31 May 1976 in a road accident:
he was 72 years old.
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Born on 2 September
1903 in Nice (06 - Alpes-Maritimes)
Killed on 31 May 1976 at Ligny-En-Barrois (55 - Meuse)
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| BOURGOIN
René - Léon |
Lieutenant
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Observer
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On
May 22, 1940, his aircraft, a Potez 63-11 was hit by the Flak
during a low-altitude mission. The Pilot is seriously injured
and it is the Observer, Lieutenant BOURGOIN who succeeds in
bringing the aircraft back to the ground and putting the train
back in. |
Born on 17 May 1916
in Carry-le-Rouet (13 -
Bouches du Rhône)
Died in Marseille (13 - Bouches du Rhône) on 10 March
2012
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| CAMBEFORT
Jacques - Jean |
Sub-Lieutenant
|
Observer
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Mentioned
in the official journal of October 28th 1940 for two missions
carried out within the GR II/36 on April 1st and May 26th 1940.
He also belonged to GAO 517 (see photo), without precise date
to date |
Born on 4 September
1911 in Salvagnac (81 - Tarn)
Died in Paris on 6 April 1983
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| CASTERAN
Roger |
Chief
Warrant Officer
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Pilot
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Roger
CASTERAN left Groupe GR II/36 in mid-May 1940 to join GAO I/520. |
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| CATHALA
Adrien - Jean-Baptiste |
Chief
Warrant Officer
|
Pilot
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|
- On September 29, 1939, his aircraft, the Potez 540 No.160,
was accidentally destroyed on landing when returning from a
night mission. Chief Warrant Officer CATHALA is unharmed.
- On May 22, 1940, his aircraft, a Potez 63-11 was hit by the
Flak during a low-altitude mission. The Chief Warrant Officer
CATHALA is seriously injured and it is the Observer, Lieutenant
BOURGOIN who manages to bring the aircraft back to the ground
and the landing gear. Staff Sergeant CATHALA will die shortly
after landing. |
Born on 23 July 1908
at La Livinière (34 - Hérault)
Killed on 22 May 1940 at Metz (57 - Moselle)
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| COUDERC
Jean |
Staff-Sergeant
|
Pilot
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| DARDE
Christian - Maurice |
Lieutenant
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Observer
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Christian
DARDE was posted to the École de l'Air in 1936 and then
to the GR II/36 in 1938, with which he took part in the French
Campaign.
After the Armistice, he was posted to the GR I/36 at Setif in
1941 before being put on Armistice leave in 1943.
He took up flying again in 1946 at the Tours school, then at
Avord, before being posted to group II/61 ‘Maine’
in 1948. In 1949, he attended the Air Force's advanced technical
studies course and joined the EMGFA's legislation office in
1950. He was sent to Indochina with the ‘Franche-Comté’
II/62 group from November 1953 to February 1955. He joined the
ESGA (Ecole Supérieure de Guerre Aérienne) in
1956. He was appointed chief of staff at the joint special weapons
command in 1960 and carried out several missions in Reggane
(Algeria). He was assigned to the military cabinet of the Minister
for the Armed Forces in 1964, was appointed assistant to the
General Commanding the Tactical Air Force and the 1st Air Region
and was finally placed at the disposal of the Chief of Staff
of the French Air Force for space and missile issues. Christian
DARDE was placed on aircrew leave in 1969 with the rank of Air
Division General. |
Born
on 21 February 1916 in Le Mans (72 - Sarthe).
Died in Paris (75) on 11 June 2006 |
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|
DARRE
Paul -
Jean |
Lieutenant
|
Pilot
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He
was killed in Algeria on 15 August 1944 while fighting with
GB 2/63 "Sénégal". |
Born on 22 June 1907
in Lahitte-Toupière (65 - Hautes-Pyrénées)
Killed on 15 August 1944 at Misserghin (Algeria)
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| DELASSAUX |
Staff-Sergeant
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Machine-Gunner
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On
May 22, 1940, his aircraft, a Potez 63-11 was hit by the Flak
during a low-altitude mission. The Pilot is seriously injured
and it is the Observer who manages to bring the aircraft back
to the ground and put the train back in. He had previously asked
the Staff-Sergeant DELASSAUX to evacuate in parachute, and this
one, unscathed poses without incident. |
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| DELIOT
Jean |
Chief-Warrant-Officer
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Machine-Gunner
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| DERVILLE
Ignace - Louis |
Lieutenant
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Observer
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Born 15 May 1914 in
Wervicq-Sud (59 - Nord)
Died at Neuilly sur Seine (92 - Haut de Seine) on 28 February
2004
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| GENAY
Claude - François |
Lieutenant
|
Observer
|
4th Sqn.
|
On September 29, 1939,
his aircraft, the Potez 540 No.160, was accidentally destroyed
on landing when returning from a night mission. Lieutenant
GENAY is injured.
Lieutenant Claude GENAY
was killed during a bombardment on 13 October 1944.
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Killed
on 13 October 1944 |
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| GIRARD
Max |
Staff-Sergeant
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Radio
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| GOAILLE
Roger - Henri |
Sub-Lieutenant
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Observer
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Born on 7 June 1916
in Bordeaux (33 - Gironde)
Died at Pau (64 - Pyrénées-Atlantiques) on 3
October 2004
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| HENON
Albert |
Lieutenant
|
Pilot
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| HOQUETIS
Lionel - Marie |
Captain
|
Crew
Chief
|
Staff
4th Sqn.
|
On
September 29, 1939, his aircraft, the Potez 540 No.160, was
accidentally destroyed on landing when returning from a night
mission. Captain HOQUETIS is unscathed. |
Born on 3 July 1908
in Bordeaux (33 - Gironde)
Died at Bordeaux on 4 April 1997
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| MATIGNON |
Chief
Warrant Officer
|
Machine-Gunner
|
4th Sqn.
|
On
September 29, 1939, his aircraft, the Potez 540 No.160, was
accidentally destroyed on landing when returning from a night
mission. Chief Warrant Officer MATIGNON is injured. |
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| PARDAILLAN
Salvat |
Captain
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|
EM 3rd
Sqn.
|
Salvat
PARDAILLAN, then Adjutant in the 3rd Aviation Regiment, was
appointed in August 1929 for his involvement in the fighting
in the Djebel. He already had 9 years of active experience. |
Born on 2 February 1899
at Urugne (64 - Pyrénées-Atlantiques)
Died at Pau (64 - Pyrénées-Atlantiques) on 29
April 1979
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| POUTIER |
Commander
|
|
Staff
Group
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|
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| SANTINI
Alexis |
Sergeant
|
Pilot
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|
Alexis
SANTINI was called up in 1935. He was a student pilot at the
Istres school in 1939 before being posted to the GR II/36 in
1940. After the Group was disbanded in August 1940, he took
charge of the men in the Uzès Troupe and volunteered
to go to Indochina, but after his departure was cancelled, he
was posted to ECN I/13, Escadrille de Chasse de Nuit (Night
Fighter Squadron). He was demobilised in 1942 and joined the
Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur des Alpes in
1944.
He was posted to Indochina from 1946 to 1949, then again from
1950 to 1955, where he was in charge of helicopter testing.
He was posted to the Chambéry training base in 1956,
then to Algeria where he headed the helicopter training division
until 1962. He was appointed to the command of light aviation
at Villacoublay. Alexis SANTINI was placed on leave from the
Air Force in 1963 with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. |
Born
on 31 October 1914 in Ota (20 - Corsica)
Died in Paris (75) on 31 January 1997 |
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Stories
of crews
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Crews
of Group
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Names
of crew members
|
Rank
|
Function
|
Informations
|
|
Crew
|
CATHALA
Adrien |
Chief
Warrant Officer
|
Pilot
|
Potez
540 n° 160 :September 29, 1939, accidentally destroyed
on landing. Lieutenant GENAY and Chief Warrant Officer MATIGNON
are injured |
| HOQUETIS
Lionel |
Captain
|
Crew
Chief
|
| GENAY
Claude |
Lieutenant
|
Observer
|
| MATIGNON |
Chief
Warrant Officer
|
Machine-Gunner
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|
Crew
|
CATHALA
Adrien |
Chief
Warrant Officer
|
Pilot
|
Potez
? : Hit by Flak May 22, 1940. The Pilot, Chief Warrant
Officer CATHALA is killed. It's the Observer, Lieutenant BOURGOIN
who puts the train gear back. |
| BOURGOIN
René |
Lieutenant
|
Observer
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| DELASSAUX |
Staff-Sergeant
|
Machine-Gunner
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Stories
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Airfields
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Period
of use of airfields
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Names
|
County
|
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Malamison
|
02
- Aisne
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August
28, 1939
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Couvron
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02
- Aisne
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September
16, 1939
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Nancy
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54
- Meurthe et Moselle
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February
19, 1940
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Azelot
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54
- Meurthe et Moselle
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April
22, 1940
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Neufchâteau
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88
- Vosges
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May
29, 1940
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Ambérieu-En-Bugey
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01
- Ain
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June
13, 1940
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Loyettes
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01
- Ain
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June
16, 1940
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Montélimar
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26
- Drôme
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June
17, 1940
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Marignane
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13
- Bouches du Rhône
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June
18, 1940
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Salon-de-Provence
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13
- Bouches du Rhône
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June
19, 1940
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Perpignan
La Salanque (Potez)
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66
- Pyrénées Orientales
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June
20, 1940
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Bizerte-Sidi Ahmed (Bloch) |
Tunisia
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June
20, 1940
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Tunis
El Aouina
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Tunisia
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June
21, 1940
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| Sétif
(Bloch) |
Algéria
|
June
21, 1940
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Alger
Maison-Blanche
|
Algéria
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June
22, 1940
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Sétif
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Algéria
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June
23, 1940
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Click
on the map to enlarge :
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Itinerary
of the GR II/36
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Aircrafts
The GR II/36 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 540
- 1 Potez 63-11
- 3 Bloch MB174
Casualties
|
Crewmen
killed
|
1
|
| Chief
Warrant Officer CATHALA (Combat) |
May 22,
1940
|
|
Crewmen
injured
|
2
|
| Lieutenant
GENAY (Accident) |
September
29, 1939
|
| Chief
Warrant Officer MATIGNON (Accident) |
September
29, 1939
|
Sources
- Mr Yves CAMBEFORT : The Sub-Lieutenant Jacques
CAMBEFORT was his Father
- 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 Jacqueline and Paul MARTIN - Editions Aéro-Editions
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