TEXT IN FRENCH
They came from all over France, from all walks of life, some even from France’s shattered colonial empire. They did not share the same culture or the same beliefs. Corporals, non-commissioned officers and officers; they were of all ranks but all, without exception, volunteered. They did not seem destined to become friends, and yet they did become so even though they had not all followed the same path, but they all had the same goal: the restoration of the honor, of the past splendor, of their homeland.
They are no longer with us today, but they are remembered for their immense task, that of restoring the reputation and image of French aviation, of resoldering its fractured wings, in order, through them, to restore France to the dignity that was hers before that disastrous year 1940 when they were, unjustly, considered responsible for its defeat.
The Russians provided them with remarkable tools with which they fashioned the jewel that was their unit: the Normandy Fighter Group which, by the will of the Soviets, became the Normandy-Niemen Regiment. Many books have already reported their exploits, but they deserve that their memory be celebrated again and again and carried as an example for future generations to make people understand how France, a defeated, scorned, martyred country, was able, thanks to a handful of only 96 men was in four years able to retake its seat as one of the great nations by showing the world that She was fighting on all fronts. Sometimes it only takes the ardor of a handful of men in battle to convince and command the admiration of others—Stalin in this case. A portrait of fifteen of these men is painted in these pages as well as a description, abundantly illustrated with color profiles of their “mounts”: the Yakovlev fighters, chosen no doubt because their engine was an evolution. of the French Hispano – Suiza 12Y French engine.
The author, a former president of the Caen flying club in Normandy knew Normandy Nieman veteran Joseph Risso very well and they worked together on commemorations and museum exhibitions. Gaël Taburet, the last surviving veteran died on February 10, 2017. On that day, with his passing, a page of glory for the Air Force was turned. These 96 heroes are now history. François Robinard has collected the memories of five of them, saved by history, mainly those of General Risso. They form the basis of this book.
