World War Two – World Warbird News https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com The latest in warbirds and historical aviation Wed, 24 Oct 2012 21:27:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/WWN-icon-256-150x150.png World War Two – World Warbird News https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com 32 32 Roland de la Poype † https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2012/10/24/roland-de-la-poype-%e2%80%a0/ https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2012/10/24/roland-de-la-poype-%e2%80%a0/#respond Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:25:51 +0000 http://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/?p=1691

Continue reading]]>

Roland de la Poype (Photo © Bernard Delfino)

Roland de la Poype, a French ace of the Normandie-Niémen group, died aged 92 at Saint-Tropez in Southern France on 23 October.

Roland Paulze d’Ivoy de la Poype, Compagnon de la Libération and Hero of the Soviet Union, was one of the first Frenchmen to rejoin General de Gaulle in June 1940. He volunteered to fight on the Eastern Front with the Free French Normandie fighter group and was credited with 16 aerial victories.

After the war, he became a successful engineer and industrialist. He created the groundbreaking DOP pyramidal container in 1952 and the all-plastic body of the Citroën Mehari. He was also the founder of the Marineland maritime sealife park in Antibes.

Source: AFP

]]> https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2012/10/24/roland-de-la-poype-%e2%80%a0/feed/ 0