In
this section devoted to the Air Force Pilots and Crews, I wanted
to pay tribute to all these men, whether famous or unknown, holding
victories or not. All had the courage to face an enemy always superior
in numbers, at the controls of aircrafts often outdated. Too many
have left their lives in these unequal struggles, often delivered
in complete self-denial.
The
French soldiers on the ground often search in vain for a French
cockade in the sky. Yet they were there, in high altitude fights
or away from the front lines and the controversial number of "1000"
victories is there to prove it. The balance sheet I achieved by
summing the victories by Squadrons gives a figure of 710 safe victories
and 271 probable. These German losses probably played an important
part in the conduct of the Battle of Britain.
In
the different sections, you can find individual cards on some of
these men, or the complete lists (will they be one day?) by specialty.
Since June 2020, the list
of Non-Flying Air Force personnel has been added. These men, even
if they were not in direct confrontation with the enemy, have nevertheless
played an essential role: the Mechanics, for example, who have achieved
feats of prowess, without respite, in order to make available some
aircraft, sometimes very damaged, for the missions of the next day.
To date, 3928 Men are listed
in these lists, they are distributed as follows:
- Fighter aviation: 1364 men including:
1067 French pilots
176 Polish pilots
121 Czech pilots
- Bombardment : 1037
Men
-Reconnaissance : 1061
Men
- Mechanics
: 241 Men
- Foreign Mechanics
: 21 Men
- Health, Administrative,...:
55 Men
- Air Troop
: 107 Men
- Air Force
General Staff : 43 Men
