Normandie-Niemen in pictures

[Christophe]

Here are some pictures I have taken a few weeks ago in the Normandie-Niemen Museum, in Les Andelys (Normandy).

5 240 missions, 273 confirmed victories, 36 lively ones. Such is the honours list of the Normandie-Niemen fighters group, created in September 1942 by General de Gaulle to make war on the eastern battle front.
96 pilots wrote this glorious page in the history of the French Air Force, 46 never came back home. Among them, Marcel Lefèvre was a child of Les Andelys.

This small museum dedicated to the Normandie-Niemen Regiment is very interesting and is worthwhile the visit. Moreover, the staff I met is extremely welcoming. So, don't hesitate to pay it a visit it you are in the area !

As I already said it in another thread, except two rooms dedicated to Marcel Lefèvre - a native of Les Andelys -, there are not so many items and objects specifically dedicated to the three other French Heroes of the Soviet Union. There are a number of photographs, but not their soviet medals.

But a number of objects, photographs, uniforms... relating to all the pilots and mechanics of Normandie-Niemen are displayed.

Pic : A Mirage F1 celebrating the 50th anniversary of Normandie-Niemen (the Regiment still exists), and displayed on the occasion of the creation of the Museum in 1992.

One of the two rooms dedicated to Marcel Lefèvre, one of the 4 French pilots who became Hero of the Soviet Union.

In this display case are shown Marcel Lefèvre's medals and docs :

* Marcel Lefèvre's small identification booklet for the HSU. No SN on it.

* ML's HSU star (a copy with a flat reverse, without any SN).

* ML's Order of Lenin (a copy).

* ML's Order of the Red Banner SN 96 323.

* ML's Order of the GPW 2nd Class SN 19 372.

The Museum responsible I met had no idea where could be the real HSU star and order of Lenin, as well as those of the 3 other Normandie-Niemen HSUs.

Marcel Lefèvre's French and Soviet orders and medals.

Marcel Lefèvre's HSU star (copy), and his Red Banner SN 96 323.

Marcel Lefèvre's Order of Lenin (a bad quality copy), and his Order of the GPW 2nd Class SN 19 372.

Marcel Lefèvre's Soviet ID cards.

Marcel Lefèvre's small identification booklet for the HSU. No SN on it.

ML's small HSU booklet - Close-up pic, pages 4-5.

Marcel Lefèvre's large award doc for his HSU.
His HSU is the SN 10206, attributed posthumously on 4 June 1945. The HSU SN is visible on the doc.

Marcel Lefèvre's docs for his Order of the Red Banner SN 96 323, and his Order of the GPW 2nd Class SN 19 372.

Some of Marcel Lefèvre's ribbon bars.

Ch.

[Christophe]

The 4 French Normandie-Niemen Heroes of the Soviet Union : Marcel Lefèvre, Roland de la Poype, Marcel Albert, and Jacques André.

A vase dedicated to the 4 Heroes (here, Jacques André).

The Normandie-Niemen Memorial.

Life of the Normandie-Niemen pilots...

What remains of the Yak 9 of the pilot Paul de Forges.
His plane has been shot above marshes, 80 kms from Smolensk, on 31 August 1943. The remains have been found only in 1988, after more than 40 years in the marshes.

Ch.

[Christophe]

Medal for the 55th Anniversary of the end of WW2, offered to the Normandie-Niemen Museum in June 2001, by the Normandie-Niemen Museum of the Friazino School, near Moscow.
Has someone more information about this medal ?

For those who would like to visit the Museum, here is its website link :

http://normandieniemen.free.fr/index.htm

Ch.