Normandie-Niémen
| Normandie-Niemen | |
|---|---|
| Régiment de chasse Normandie-Niemen | |
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| Country | France |
| Allegiance | Free France |
| Branch | Free French Air Force |
| Type | Fighter squadron |
| Engagements |
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| Decorations | |
The Normandie-Niemen Regiment (Russian: Нормандия-Неман) is a fighter squadron, later regiment (of three squadrons) of the French Air Force. It served on the Eastern Front of the European Theatre of World War II with the 1st Air Army. The regiment is notable for being one of only three units from Western Allied countries to see combat on the Eastern Front during World War II, and Normandie-Niemen was the only Western Allied unit to fight with the Soviet forces until the end of the war in Europe.
The unit originated in mid-1943 during World War II. Initially the groupe comprised a group of French fighter pilots sent to aid Soviet forces on the Eastern Front at the suggestion of Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French Forces, who felt it important that French servicemen serve on all fronts in the war.
Groupe de Chasse 3 (GC 3) (3rd Fighter Group) in the Free French Air Force, first commanded by Jean Tulasne, fought in three campaigns on behalf of the Soviet Union between 22 March 1943, and 9 May 1945, during which time it destroyed 273 enemy aircraft and received numerous orders, citations and decorations from both the Free French and Soviet governments, including the French Légion d’Honneur and the Soviet Order of the Red Banner. Joseph Stalin awarded the unit the name Niemen for its participation in the Battle of the Niemen River.
As of 2005[update] the unit, known as Escadron de chasse 1/30 Normandie-Niemen, flew Dassault Mirage F1 CT planes. The squadron was briefly disbanded in June 2010 and re-activated in 2011 as a Dassault Rafale unit, with formal reactivation on 25 June 2012 as Escadron de chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen.
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