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Chief Warrant-Officer
Gilbert SCHNEIDER
Biography
Source (Photos and text) : Mr Freddy HOFFERT
SCHNEIDER Gilbert Henri was born on 23 July 1909 in Gerbéviller in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département.
He died in Villeneuve-sur-Lot on 2 February 1998 aged 88.After training as a fitter, on 27 December 1927, at the age of 18, he joined the Corps des Equipages de la Flotte of the 1st depot in Cherbourg for three years as a 2nd class sailor with no speciality.
On 16 September 1928 he obtained his radio certificate from the T.S.F. school in Toulon, and was appointed ‘Head of Station’ on 1 January 1929, then Quartermaster Flying Radio on 1 April 1929.
He made his first familiarisation flight on 23 April 1929 on a Farman Goliath at the Centre Ecole d'Aviation Maritime in Hourtin. He was then posted to Escadrille 3 B 2 at Berre. Most of his training flights were on a ‘Farman Goliath F 168’ torpedo boat (sometimes on a ‘Potez 25’ or a ‘CAMS 37’) (in-flight T.S.F., machine-gun firing, aerial photography, group flying).
On 3 May 1930, he took part in the Algerian centenary celebrations aboard Farman Goliath 168 no. 8, which flew the route Berre, Ajaccio, Bizerte and Philippeville. His aircraft overturned on landing at Philippeville, the seaplane was completely destroyed and he ended up in hospital with multiple injuries.On 27 December 1930 he was sent home, but remained on standby with the 1st Maritime Regiment until the end of his 3-year contract.
On 1 July 1931, he signed up for two years with the Sous Intendance Militaire de Paris, in the 22nd Night Bombing Aviation Regiment at Chartres, and was appointed Corporal on 3 July 1931.
On 26 October 1931 he was appointed Sergeant and obtained his Air Force Radio Navigant licence. At the time, he was flying a ‘Lioré et Olivier LeO 20’ of the 3rd Escadrille, a French twin-engine aircraft used for night bombing.
He was admitted to the career non-commissioned officer corps on 1 July 1933.
On 1 November 1933 Gilbert Schneider was posted to the 2nd Group of the 22nd Air Wing, then on 1 January 1934 to the 1st administrative company of the 22nd Heavy Defence Aviation Wing.
Note: the 22ème Régiment Aérien de Bombardement de Nuit was a French Air Force unit created before the Second World War. It gave its name to the Base Aérienne 122 de Chartres-Champhol where it was stationed.
Originally, 22 Wing was a bomber unit stationed at Chartres-Champhol airfield and made up of GB I/22 and GB II/22. On 18 September 1936, 22 Wing left Chartres airfield for Orléans-Bricy airfield. Both squadrons flew Amiot 143s.
On 13 February 1939 the 22nd Bombardment Wing changed its speciality and became a Reconnaissance unit. The GB I/22 and GB II/22 became the GR I/22 and GR II/22.
On 10 May 1940, the GR II/22 was attached to the 2nd Army of the 1st Air Division of the Northern Air Operations Zone. The GR II/22 was finally disbanded in November 1942.
Following a number of accidents involving this unit, it was nicknamed ‘The Unlucky Regiment’.
On 28 January 1935, shortly after 4pm, a failure of the left engine during take-off led to the crash of his bomber ‘Lioré et Olivier LeO 20’ n° 324 of the GB II/22 which, despite all the efforts of its pilot, crashed into two small houses in the ‘Rechèvres’ area of rue de Fresnay in Chartres; the impact was terrible and one of its tanks caught fire.
Pilot Staff Sergeant Noël Drapier and Flight Commander Staff Sergeant Dominique Giraud-Moine were burnt to death. Sergeant Gilbert Schneider, the radio operator, despite his wounds and burns, managed to save the fourth crew member, Master Corporal Maurice Alivon. A woman, Mrs Kerjean, was also killed in her house when one of the plane's engines exploded. Fifty metres further on, the aircraft landed without incident. An investigation ordered by the Ministry of the Air showed that the left engine had stopped because it had run out of fuel due to impurities clogging its fuel filter.The Military Medal was awarded to these four airmen (two of them posthumously) by a decree published in the J.O. on 8 March 1935. The Minister for the Air Force, General Denain, presented him with his decoration on his hospital bed, in the presence of the Bishop of Chartres. General Vuillemin, who had left Paris by road to attend the funeral of the victims on 1 February, was injured in a car accident.
Citation :‘SCHNEIDER Gilbert Henri, sergeant with the 22nd Air Wing; 7 years‘ service, one wound in command air service, 7 years’ air service bonus.
Exceptional merits: radio non-commissioned officer, former Navy graduate, of exceptional professional competence, passionate about his profession, neglecting no opportunity to perfect his skills in a speciality in which he has rendered the greatest services, always seeking opportunities to fly; of very fine military bearing; was seriously wounded in the performance of his duties during a command air service on 28 January 1935. Admired by his commanders for his courage and conduct at the time of the accident. Has a total of 447 hours‘ flying time by day and 114 hours’ flying time by night.
On 18 July 1935 he was seconded to the 2nd Group of the 22nd Wing at Avord (Cher). From then on, he usually flew on the ‘Bloch 200’.
Transferred from the 2nd group of the 22nd Heavy Defence Aviation Wing to the 1st group of the 15th Heavy Defence Aviation Wing on 1st December 1935, he flew a convoy of ‘Bloch 200s’ to Tunisia following the route Avord, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Los Alcazarès, Meknès, Blida, Sidi Ahmed).
Passed certificate of aptitude for command, part 1, by decision of 9 May 1936.
On 29 May 1934, the Lioré and Olivier LeO 20 ‘ n° 88 crashed on landing at Gaël airfield in Ille-et-Vilaine due to turbulence. Sergeant Gilbert Schneider was slightly injured.
Le 28 Janvier 1935, suite à une panne du moteur gauche, le Lioré et Olivier LeO 20 " n° 324 s'écrase sur deux maisons à Chartres... 2 membres d'équipages seront tués ainsi qu'une femme dans sa maison.
On 1st July 1936, posted to Base Aérienne N° 103 de Châteauroux and appointed Master Sergeant with effect from the same day.
On 4 July 1936, he took the supplementary radio navigation exam, obtaining an average score of 16.42.
On 4th October 1936 Gilbert Schneider was called up to the 15th Wing at Avord Air Base. He passed his certificate of aptitude for command, part 2, on 17 April 1937. He began flying Farman 222s in June 1937.
It took part in the Croisière Impériale France-Indochine from 8 November to 30 December 1937; but on 11 November in Cairo, its fully loaded aircraft got caught in a strip of soft sand and crashed, its landing gear mowed down without injuring anyone: the ‘Farman 222’ was out of service and would not make it to Saigon...! The crew continued on their way with another aircraft and recovered the repaired bomber on their return journey.
On 1 July 1938, he was appointed to the rank of Warrant Officer (aircrew), aircraft radio telegrapher.
But his wounds meant he could no longer fly, and he was posted to the 707th Signal Company, Avord detachment, on 18 October 1938, when he had clocked up 1,088 flying hours, including 203 at night.
On 15 December 1938, he obtained his higher diploma as a radio telegraph mechanic, and was posted to Groupement des Moyens d'Instruction et de Transmissions 427 on 1 January 1939.
As he has a temporary disability assessed at 35% by the Bourges Reform Commission and attributable to service, dated 10 February 1939, he is invited to remain in service under the conditions of the law of 31 March 1928.
On 28 April 1939, he obtained a certificate of aptitude for driving Air Force vehicles, light heavy goods vehicles: average score 14.66. On 10 March 1939, he was awarded a certificate of aptitude for driving Air Force vehicles, motorbikes and sidecars, with an average score of 14.33.
On 1 March 1940 he was promoted to the rank of radio telegraphist chief warrant officer, and was posted to Bataillon Aérien no. 103 at Châteauroux on 16 March 1940.
Note: since 1935, 9 Air Bases are considered as the main ones of the French Air Force: Chartres - Metz - Nancy - Le Bourget - Reims - Pau - Tours - Châteauroux - Lyon.
In 1939, these main bases each had an Air Battalion: the one at Châteauroux was the 103rd.
On 18 November 1940 he was posted to Bombardment Group 6 at Istres.
On 22 January 1941 he was posted to Groupe de Chasse II/8 at Marignane.
Placed on non-active service for temporary disability on 6 August 1941, he was recalled to active service on 6 August 1942 and was present on 27 October 1942.
Demobilised on 10 December 1942 by the demobilisation centre at Orange Air Base, he was temporarily kept at the Orange Storage Depot as an Air Service Officer, then assigned as an Air Service Officer to the Orange Administrative Centre, a position confirmed on 1 February 1943.
On 16 September 1943 he was posted to Compagnie de Guet 12/71 in Bourg.
On 1st November 1943 he was posted to the local Warning Centre at Lons-le-Saunier. Deputy commander of the Warning Centre.
He was transferred to the Section Aérienne de Protection 1/72 group on 6 May 1944.
On 27 June 1944 he was posted back to Compagnie de Guet 12/71; he arrived on 25 July 1944 but was taken on board on 1 July 1944 following the dissolution of Compagnie de Guet 12/71 from the Bron Air Base annexes on 30 September 1944.
Following the dissolution of the Lons-le-Saunier Warning Centre, he was transferred to the Personnel Depot of the 1st Air Region in Dijon on 16 December 1944; he arrived in the Corps on the same day. Assigned to available companies. Transferred to Training Centre No. 3 on 1st April 1945. Directed to EM. Service Aérien in execution of the Ministerial Order of October 24th, 1945 and started on November 15th, 1945. Assigned to the Groupement des Moyens Militaires de Transport Aérien at Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Considered to be serving under a 5-year re-engagement contract (4-year contract from 26 December 1941, extended to 5 years) by virtue of the decree of 2 November 1945.
He was part of the German occupation troops, seconded to Friedrischaffen from 3 December 1945 to 2 January 1946.
Assigned to the 61st Air Transport Wing at Chartres on 26 June 1946, then struck off the Control List on 1 July 1946 and taken into account by 61st Wing HQ.
On 26 March 1946 he was posted to the Compagnie d'Exploitation des Transmissions 644, and struck off the HQ register on 1 December 1946
The 4-year contract set by the Decree of 26 December 1941 for Career Officers and Non-Career Officers was extended to 6 years by the Decree of 4 December 1946.
Changed its name to Compagnie d'Exploitation des Transmissions 818 on 1 July 1947.
On 30 September 1947 he was posted to Compagnie d'Exploitation des Transmissions 801 in Dijon.
On 12 January 1948, he signed a two-year re-enlistment contract with the Dijon Air Force commissioner, commencing on 26 December 1947, under the Act of 31 March 1928, to serve as a chief warrant officer in the Non-Navigational Personnel Corps, specialising in radio mechanics.
Readmitted to the Corps of Career NCOs on 1st November 1948. Subsequently transferred to the reorganisation of Bases 801st Signal Operations Company.
On 23rd November 1951, he was posted to the Compagnie Transmission Air 813.
On 1 July 1954 he was transferred by reorganisation to Tactical Air Corps 813.
On 2 May 1955 he was reclassified to the 58-17 Services Battalion.
Reaching the age limit (47 years) as of July 22, 1956, Gilbert Schneider was struck off the rolls on July 23, 1956. He retired to Noyer-sur-Cher, then to Puits Saint-Martin in Gironde, where he was assigned to the Centre Mobilisateur de l'Air 223 in Bordeaux.
Farman F222 aboard which Gilbert SCHNEIDER took part in the Croisière Impériale in Indochina in November and December 1937.
