Continue reading]]> François Émile Fayolle’s name is almost forgotten today. Yet this native of Auvergne fled to England as early as July 13, 1940 to keep fighting the German invaders and became one of the most prestigious Free French pilots.

After several assignments to RAF fighter squadrons, he joined No 340 (Free French) Squadron with other great names of the Free French Air Forces such as Bernard Dupérier, François de Labouchère or René Mouchotte.  The height of his career came when he was given command of No 174 Squadron, a rare distinction for a French pilot, but also saw his demise.

On 19 August 1942, during Operation Jubilee (the Dieppe landings), he was killed while flying his Hurricane, either shot down by German Flak or an enemy fighter. Until 1998 Fayolle had no official burial site as his remains were never located. Examination of RAF squadron archives make it possible to retrace his career and honour his memory.

Thibaut Coupiac has created a booklet (in French only for the moment) retracing Fayolle’s life and career. This booklet is richly illustrated with photos, maps, archives and illustrations.

Please click here to read  “François Emile Fayolle, un Français fauché à son apogée” (format PDF)

We would like to thank Thibaut Coupiac for sharing his research with our readers. You can contact the author at this email address : coupiac.thibaut@orange.fr.

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Kaleidoscope Film Distribution has released the official trailer of Hurricane, which should be reaching British cinemas and online platforms in early September. The movie tells the “untold true story of Squadron 303”. The Royal Air Force’s No 303 (Polish) Squadron was composed of Polish pilots and was one of the highest-scoring units of the Battle of Britain.

While 303’s story is more than worthy of being told again and the footage seems quite good, the trailer seems to show the movie will include some of the usual – and tiresome – “Hollywood stereotypes”. Let’s hope the full movie will be able to tell the story without exaggerations and any “bending” of historical fact. We’ll find out in a few weeks !

Find more information on the movie on http://hurricanefilm.co.uk/

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Kaleidoscope Film Distribution has published the teaser for its upcoming movie “Hurricane”, which will tell the story of No 303 (Polish) Squadron of the RAF, whose Polish pilots performed remarkably during the Battle of Britain. The story is set to be seen through the eyes of Polish ace Jan Zumbach.

The release date for the movie is not yet known but it would appear to be in 2019.

Source: Aerodynamic Media

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We are pleased to announce that the website of our friend and colleague Dimitris Vassilopoulos is now online:

http://www.greeks-in-foreign-cockpits.com/

Dimitris has already written two remarkably complete volumes on the pilots and crews of Greek parentage or origin who served in foreign air forces during World War II, notably with the USAAF and RAF.

Unfortunately, the books are currently only available in Greek. The new website is in English and will provide valuable information to anyone researching the subject. Please give them a visit !

Continue reading]]> The latest issue of Airshow, the Commemorative Air Force French Wing’s monthly newsletter, is now available.

This issue contains sad news as we’ve learned of the decease of Sandy Sansing, World War II fighter pilot and long-time French Wing honorary member. An article about Sandy’s extraordinary story was published in Airshow in 2005 and is “reprinted” in this issue.

You can download Airshow from the CAF French Wing’s website.

Continue reading]]> In April of 2011, I presented Chris Monier’s excellent book “F-8 Crusader 149210 and its drivers” in these colums. I had the pleasure of contributing to the book with a few profiles. In my review of it, I explained I thought it was a novel and very interesting approach to aviation history. Collecting anecdotes and documentation from all types of people associated with the aircraft (pilots, mechanics, wives…) brings the book very much to life.

A new expanded edition of the book is now available in hardcover, with an extra 20 pages and lower cost! If you’re looking for a great gift idea for a Crusader afficionado (yourself or a friend), then this book will not disappoint you!

To order the book, contact Chris Monier by email (skyview46@orange.fr). The cost of this book is 27.50€ (including 5.50€ of S&H).

Here is the review I had made of the first edition of the book:

It is difficult to come up with an idea that is both original and interesting in the world of aviation books. Chris Monier has managed to do this with this book, which is dedicated to F-8 Crusader BuNo 149210.

Everything started when the author purchased the nose section of 149210 in France in 2000. The aircraft was part of a set purchased by the French Navy to use as spare parts supply for its last Crusader (the French operated the Crusader until 1999).

Having salvaged the nose section, Chris Monier decided to try to learn more about this aircraft. Over several years of research, he managed to piece back together “his” Crusader’s history. And what a history! For example, “Old 149210″ was flown by Phil Vampatella on 12 June 1966. On this day, Vampatella was the wingman to Cdr Hal Marr, who scored the first Crusader kill. Vampatella later also became a “MiG killer”. 149210 turned out to be a real veteran, having flown several deployments over Vietnam and served with many US Navy and Marine Corps squadrons.

Chris Monier not only managed to discover 149210′s history, but he also found many of the pilots who actually flew it, hence the title. These men shared pictures, log books and stories with the author, who turned all of this material into a book. Some of these pilots became famous while others were never in the limelight, but all had great memories to share.

This is what makes Monier’s book so interesting: it is written in an unorthodox yet very appealing way. It is a collection of anecdotes, combat reports, miscellaneous pieces of information that, combined together, make for a fascinating and refreshing read.

The book is edited by the author, and can be purchased for 32€ + S&H. Please note that there are few remaining copies, so if you would like to purchase a copy of the book, quickly contact the author by email.

“F-8 Crusader and its drivers, the amazing tale of a US fighter jet throughout the Vietnam War”, in english, 112 pages, numerous colour and B&W pictures and artwork.

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Coming soon: Squadrons! Vol.1, covering the rare Spitfire Mk VI variant.

As some of you might know, World Warbird News is a publication of Bravo Bravo Aviation, which sells aviation art prints but also creates low-cost websites for small companies, associations and artists.

Recently, aviation historian and author Phil Listemann in association with Bravo Bravo Aviation launched a new version of the RAF in Combat website, from which most publications are now available in electronic format (PDF, Kindle or Epub).

These ebooks can be purchased with PayPal and downloaded directly from the site. A new feature of the website is the addition of a monthly set of high-resolution photographs, which can also be purchased and downloaded. The first set includes 15 wartime photographs of the Spitfire Mk XII, some of which have rarely or never been published before.

Squadrons!, a new series of publications will soon be published on the website. Volume 1 will look into the rare Spitfire Mk VI variant.

Click here to visit the new RAF in Combat website.