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Captain Jean-Marie ACCART

Biography

Jean-Mary ACCART was born on April 7, 1912 in Fécamp.
At the age of twenty, after having worked at the "Compagnie Générale Translatique" as a sailor, he joined the French Navy and was assigned to the battleship "Bretagne". He will quickly request his assignment to the Naval Aeronautics and will be transferred to the 3S1 Escadrille, based in Hyeres and equipped, at the time, Seaplanes CAMS37. First Observer, he obtained his pilot's license in 1933. In 1935, he applied for his assignment with the Air Force and will be assigned in December to GC I / 5, 1st Squadron, equipped with Nieuport Nid 622. These they will soon be replaced by Dewoitine 500 and 501. In 1937, he will attend the Zurich Air Meeting and promoted to Captain, he will take command of the 1st Squadron of GC I / 5 in October.

From March 1939, he will take an active part in the testing and development of the new fighter bought from the United States: the Curtiss H75.

During the Campaign of France, he will win 12 Victories, alone or in collaboration, before being seriously wounded on June 1, 1940 (see Facts of Weapons)

He will manage to go to Nice with his family in July 1940, where he will remain for his convalescence. He will remain in the Air Force Armistice: it is during this period that he will write his book "Chasseurs du Ciel", which describes the action of GC I / 5 during the Campaign of France. the invasion of the Free Zone in 1942, He decides to join England to continue the fight but will be interned some time in Spain. He will nevertheless reach North Africa in November 1943.

He is appointed Commander in January 1944, and is in charge of creating the GC 2/2 "Berry" Fighter Group, equipped with Spitfire V. The new unit will be transferred to England and will be integrated into the RAF under the name of 345th Squadron. During support missions during the landing, and later, when the group is converted to spitfire IX, Commander Accart will not have the opportunity to meet the enemy. In November 1944, he was transferred to the General Inspectorate of the Air Force, based in Paris, and remained there until the end of the conflict.

After the war, he held various positions of responsibility within the Air Force, and will leave active service in March 1965. He is then General of Army Corps and is Inspector of Armament Manufacturing Programs.

Jean Mary Accart died on August 19, 1992

Some feats of arm

On May 11, 1940, a GC I / 5 double Patrol, under the command of Captain Accart, took off on alert to intercept a group of German bombers. Sergeant PERINA and Captain MOREL, teammates of Captain ACCART, manage to isolate a Heinkel 111 and shoot him down. They then attack another enemy aircraft, which damaged, will be forced to land in Campaign. Captain ACCART pursues the last Heinkel, and seriously damages him before he runs out of ammo. The enemy gear will make a forced landing in Germany, but the French pilot could not confirm his fall, will be credited with a Probable victory.

On June 1, 1940, Captain ACCART attacked with his teammates and a Group Dewoitine 520 GC II / 7, a major formation of Heinkel 111. The Patrol GC I / 5 succeeded in isolating one of the Heinkel 111, but although hit the rear gunner defends himself fiercely. He touches the aircraft of the Sub-Lieutenant CALVEZ who must land in the field then the Captain ACCART. The latter receives a bullet that sinks deep between the two eyes. The pilot still manages to evacuate his plane, but hits the empennage of his aircraft. He managed to open his parachute before losing consciousness. It will be recovered on the ground by civilians and treated first at the Pontarlier Hospital before being evacuated to Lyon. He will keep his life deep in his brain so close to his brain that the risk of losing his sight would have been too great to attempt the extraction.