The Patrol of Istres is
created May 10, 1940 to protect the region of Montpellier-Salon-Istres.
The unit is attached to Patrol Group n° 4: Two Patrols on
Koolhoven FK58 in Istres and Salon and one on Morane MS406 in
Clermont. The lack of equipment will call into question the planned
organization: the Patrol of Montpellier is preserved but the other
two are gathered in Salon and form a group with the two Patrols
of Clermont.
There will be no FK58 to
cover Istres. This coverage will be carried out by morane MS406.
On June 8, a new organization is set up: the Istres patrol, with
that of Montpellier, will create the East Subgroup of the ZOAA.
But in fact, nothing happens as planned despite the request on
June 15, to detach as soon as possible 6 MS 406 from the EAA301
of Toulouse and two others from Montpellier to equip the Patrol
of Istres.
Thus the 6 missions requested
on June 23 and the following two on June 24 can not be done ...
very little information on this patrol, but it seems that the
pilots are French.
