Jean Sauvage, Normandie-Niémen fighter pilot and ace †

Jean SauvageThe commandant Jean Sauvage, who fought with the famous Normandie-Niémen fighter group on the Eastern Front, recently passed away aged 97.

Flying Morane-Saulnier MS. 406 fighters with GC III/3 during the Battle of France, he was credited with three shared aerial victories. He was sent to North Africa after the armistice and joined the Allied forces after the North Afircan landings in late 1942. He was credited with another shared victory during this period.

He volunteered for the “Normandie” fighter group, which he rejoined in January 1944. On October 27, 1944, he was credited with his only Easter Front victory when he shot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 190, making him an ace. (French standards for ‘acedom’ included shared victories).

He left the air force shortly after the war and became a captain with Air France.

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