Edmond Marin la Meslee
Encyclopedia
Edmond Marin la Meslée (February 5, 1912 - February 4, 1945) was a French fighter pilot in World War II. He ranks as the 5th highest-scoring French ace of this conflict with 16 aerial victories.
, France. After studying law, he took government-subsidized flying lessons at the Morane flight school and gained his license in 1931. At 19, he entered the French Air Force
and, after graduating from the school at Istres, was assigned to a unit in Strasbourg
. At the end of his two-year tour, he re-enlisted for another two years, despite having to serve at a lower rank.
In October 1937, he was admitted to the Air Force Academy and graduated with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He was assigned to the GC I/5 fighter group (Reims), to fly one of its 32 Curtiss H-75 fighters. Groupe de chasse are French fighter units approximately equivalent to a two-squadron wing in the British RAF. There he was taught by Jean Accart, who thought highly of his potential as a fighter pilot.
During the Battle of France
, Marin la Meslée distinguished himself by shooting down 16 "certain" German aircraft, although some sources credit him with as many as 20 including his 4 "probable" ones. On June 1, his leader was wounded and "Marin" replaced him at the head of the first escadrille (approx. a squadron of 12 fighters) of GC I/5.
After the armistice, GC I/5 was evacuated to Saint-Denis-du-Sig and later to Rabat
, Morocco
, but did not see much action against the British.
After Operation Torch
, French forces in North Africa joined the Allied forces, and Marin la Meslée's unit left for Tafaraoui, Algeria
in September 1943 to receive American equipment that eventually materialized as P-39 Airacobras.
Marin la Meslée was promoted as CO of his unit, then renamed GC 1/5 "Champagne", on January 9, 1944. The group went back to combat on September 30, 1944, operating from Salon-de-Provence
in support of the French and Allied forces pursuing the Germans along the Rhône River
, flying mostly ground support missions.
On February 4, 1945, near Colmar
, Edmond Marin la Meslée was shot down during a strafing attack when his Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
suffered a direct hit from a 40 mm anti-aircraft shell (German "Flak"). His aircraft exploded in the crash but his body was nevertheless recovered by the Germans. He had received a piece of shrapnel in the head, and had probably died even before the crash.
On February 14, 1953, his name was given to the Reims - Champagne Air Base.
; Longwy
2. 12 May 1940 ; Ju 87
; Bouillon
3. 12 May 1940 ; Ju 87 ; Pouru St-Rémy
4. 12 May 1940 ; Ju 87 ; Sainte-Cécile
5. 13 May 1940 ; Bf 109
; Stonne
6. 15 May 1940 ; Hs 126
; Vendresse
7. 16 May 1940 ; Do 215 ; Rethel
8. 18 May 1940 ; He 111
; Rethel
9. 18 May 1940 ; He 111 ; Ponsart
10. 18 May 1940 ; He 111 ; Laon
11. 19 May 1940 ; He 111 ; Hesse
12. 24 May 1940 ; Hs 126 ; Saint-Loup-au-Terrier
13. 25 May 1940 ; Hs 126 ; Boult-aux-Bois
14. 26 May 1940 ; He 111 ; Tannay
15. 3 June 1940 ; Hs 126 ; Sommauthe
16. 10 June 1940 ; Ju 88 ; Châtillon-sur-Bar
Croix de guerre (avec onze palmes) ;
Distinguished flying cross.
Biography
Edmond Marin la Meslée was born on February 5, 1912 in ValenciennesValenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
, France. After studying law, he took government-subsidized flying lessons at the Morane flight school and gained his license in 1931. At 19, he entered the French Air Force
French Air Force
The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
and, after graduating from the school at Istres, was assigned to a unit in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. At the end of his two-year tour, he re-enlisted for another two years, despite having to serve at a lower rank.
In October 1937, he was admitted to the Air Force Academy and graduated with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He was assigned to the GC I/5 fighter group (Reims), to fly one of its 32 Curtiss H-75 fighters. Groupe de chasse are French fighter units approximately equivalent to a two-squadron wing in the British RAF. There he was taught by Jean Accart, who thought highly of his potential as a fighter pilot.
During the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, Marin la Meslée distinguished himself by shooting down 16 "certain" German aircraft, although some sources credit him with as many as 20 including his 4 "probable" ones. On June 1, his leader was wounded and "Marin" replaced him at the head of the first escadrille (approx. a squadron of 12 fighters) of GC I/5.
After the armistice, GC I/5 was evacuated to Saint-Denis-du-Sig and later to Rabat
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, but did not see much action against the British.
After Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, French forces in North Africa joined the Allied forces, and Marin la Meslée's unit left for Tafaraoui, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
in September 1943 to receive American equipment that eventually materialized as P-39 Airacobras.
Marin la Meslée was promoted as CO of his unit, then renamed GC 1/5 "Champagne", on January 9, 1944. The group went back to combat on September 30, 1944, operating from Salon-de-Provence
Salon-de-Provence
Salon-de-Provence is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. It is the location of an important air base.-History:Salon was a Gallo-Roman oppidum well positioned on the salt trade routes between Adriatic, Atlantic and Mediterranean seas, hence its name...
in support of the French and Allied forces pursuing the Germans along the Rhône River
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
, flying mostly ground support missions.
On February 4, 1945, near Colmar
Colmar
Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court....
, Edmond Marin la Meslée was shot down during a strafing attack when his Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
suffered a direct hit from a 40 mm anti-aircraft shell (German "Flak"). His aircraft exploded in the crash but his body was nevertheless recovered by the Germans. He had received a piece of shrapnel in the head, and had probably died even before the crash.
On February 14, 1953, his name was given to the Reims - Champagne Air Base.
List of credited aerial victories
1. 11 January 1940 ; Do 17Dornier Do 17
The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
; Longwy
Longwy
Longwy is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.The inhabitants are known as Longoviciens.-Economy:Longwy has historically been an industrial center of the Lorraine iron mining district. The town is known for its artistic glazed pottery.-History:Longwy initially...
2. 12 May 1940 ; Ju 87
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
; Bouillon
Bouillon
Bouillon is a municipality in Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Luxembourg Province.The municipality, which covers 149.09 km², had 5,477 inhabitants, giving a population density of 36.7 inhabitants per km².- History :...
3. 12 May 1940 ; Ju 87 ; Pouru St-Rémy
4. 12 May 1940 ; Ju 87 ; Sainte-Cécile
5. 13 May 1940 ; Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
; Stonne
6. 15 May 1940 ; Hs 126
Henschel Hs 126
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1970 . ISBN 0-356-02382-6....
; Vendresse
7. 16 May 1940 ; Do 215 ; Rethel
8. 18 May 1940 ; He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
; Rethel
9. 18 May 1940 ; He 111 ; Ponsart
10. 18 May 1940 ; He 111 ; Laon
Laon
Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:The hilly district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance...
11. 19 May 1940 ; He 111 ; Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
12. 24 May 1940 ; Hs 126 ; Saint-Loup-au-Terrier
13. 25 May 1940 ; Hs 126 ; Boult-aux-Bois
14. 26 May 1940 ; He 111 ; Tannay
Tannay
Tannay is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-Geography:Tannay has an area, , of . Of this area, or 46.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 13.7% is forested...
15. 3 June 1940 ; Hs 126 ; Sommauthe
16. 10 June 1940 ; Ju 88 ; Châtillon-sur-Bar
Awards
Légion d’honneur ;Croix de guerre (avec onze palmes) ;
Distinguished flying cross.