Free French Flight

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Free French Flight refers to three specific fledgling units in the FAFL which were created in the Middle East on 08 July 1940.

• Free French Flight N° 1^[1] - its designation later changed to Escadrille N° 2 de Bombardement. Subsequently it became the Nancy squadron of GB Lorraine

• Free French Flight N° 2 - its designation later changed to Première Escadrille de Chasse (E.F.C. 1). It was hierarchically a part of 33sqn, and the unit later had a dual designation of C Flight, 73 sqn. Subsequently it became Groupe de Chasse Alsace.

• Free French Flight N° 3 - its designation later changed to French Transport Flight.

In addition to these units, there were some units formed in the UK:

• Topic - six Blenheims. Along with "Jam", there was a redeployment to Chad. Both units were merged into the "Groupe réservé de bombardement n°1 " (GRB1), which subsequently became the Metz squadron of GB Lorraine.

• Jam - Official designation "Groupe de combat n°1" (GC1). It consisted of four squadrons.

• French Fighter Group - this unit's small complement of D520 fighters^[2] became part of E.F.C. 1 (see above), and its Blenheims became part of GRB1.

Independent of the hierarchy of the RAF, there were aviation detachments in Chad, Cameroon, and Equatorial Africa.

[edit] References

[edit] Aircraft of the Free French Flight

• Potez 63.11
• Dewoitine D.520
• Morane-Saulnier M.S.406
• Martin 167A-3 Maryland
• Bristol Blenheim
• Westland Lysander
• Hawker Hurricane

[edit] External links

• Article on the presence in Chad of French Air Forces (in French)
• Two images of the Potez 63.11 in the markings of Free French Flight N° 2
• Table of French allied Air Force units in WW2 (in Czech language)
• An image of a 1/72 model MS-406 in the markings of Free French Flight N° 2
• Models of Free French aircraft, including some Free French Flight aircraft (in French language)