Description
The Ile de France Group, No. 340 Squadron of the RAF, was the first fighter unit of the Free French Air Force, engaged on the European front from 1941 to 1945. Composed exclusively of French pilots, this fighter group participated in missions designed to repel incursions by Messerschmitt Bf 109s and Focke-Wulf Fw 190s into Great Britain. It escorted RAF bombers over France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, and also carried out offensive missions related to the D-Day landings, the Battle of Normandy, and the Liberation Campaign.
This history of the Free French Air Force has never been the subject of a detailed study. It is recounted here based on the testimonies, logbooks, personal diaries, and combat reports of these French aviators.
This book offers the unique feature of presenting the previously unpublished accounts of the survivors of this adventure, who spontaneously, generously, and meticulously agreed to participate in writing this historical chronicle. It is illustrated with over 800 photographs, most of which are previously unpublished.
