Marcel Albert
Marcel Albert | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 November 1917 Paris, France |
| Died | 23 August 2010 (aged 92) Harlingen, Texas, U.S. |
| Allegiance |  France |
| Service/ |
|
| Years of service | 1938-1948 |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union Legion of Honour |
Marcel Albert (25 November 1917 – 23 August 2010) was a French
Soviet Air Force and the Royal Air Force
.
Background
Born on November 25th, 1917 in
Hawk 75 fighters.[1]
World War II
In February 1940 Albert was assigned to
Groupe de Chasse I/3, a unit operating France's top fighter, the Dewoitine D.520. When German troops invaded France in May 1940, his squadron was redeployed to the Reims airfield. On 14 May 1940, Albert shot down a Do 17 bomber and later that day, a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, although this victory was not confirmed. He also earned a probable victory over a Heinkel He 111
bomber before the armistice.
Under the Vichy government, his squadron was redeployed to Algeria where Albert flew a few missions against the British forces in Gibraltar. On 14 October he and two other pilots defected and surrendered their airplanes to the British.
Having reached England, Albert joined the RAF and flew 47 missions in Spitfires with 340 Squadron.
In late 1942, Albert joined the
Normandie fighter group, a Free French fighter unit that was being sent to the Soviet Union to help fight the Germans. The Normandie group entered the fight in April 1943, flying Russian-built Yak-1 fighters, and later Yak-9s and Yak-3s
.
Albert quickly proved to be one of Normandie's best pilots. His first kill was over a
Focke-Wulf Fw 189
on 16 June 1943. In July he claimed 3 more, and he was given command of the 1st escadrille on 4 September 1943. During the offensive against Eastern Prussia in October 1944, he scored 7 victories.
His score totaled 23 victories (including 15 shared)[1] in 262 combat missions, making him the second highest-scoring French ace of World War II. On 27 November 1944 he was awarded the Soviet Union's highest decoration, the Gold Star and title of "Hero of the Soviet Union" — an award rarely issued to foreigners.[2][3]
Postwar
After the war Albert flew as a test pilot in 1946 and was later sent to
air attaché, where he met his future wife, an employee at the American embassy. In 1948, he left the military and moved to the United States with his wife, and lived in Chipley, Florida, then his last two years in Harlingen, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley.[4] Albert died there on 23 August 2010.[5]
Awards
- Grand'Croix de la Légion d'Honneur (Journal Officiel de la République française dated 14 April 2010) [6]
- Compagnon de la Libération[7]
- Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 with 15 palms and 3 silver gilt stars
- Médaille de la Résistancewith rosette
- Hero of the Soviet Union (27 November 1944) [2]
- Order of Lenin (27 November 1944) [2]
- Order of the Red Banner
- Czechoslovak War Cross
- Order of the Patriotic War 1st class (11 March 1985) [2]
List of credited aerial victories
| Plane shot down | date | Unit | Plane flown | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Do 17 | 14 May 1940 | GC 1/3 | D.520 | North of Suippes (France) |
Fw 189 |
16 June 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-1 | Brusna-Mekovaïa (USSR) |
| Bf 110 | 14 July 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-9 | Jagodnaja (USSR) |
| Fw 190 | 17 July 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-9 | Jagodnaja-Krasnikovo (USSR) |
| Fw 190 | 17 July 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-9 | Beloto-Orel (USSR) |
| Ju 88 | 19 July 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-9 | Krasnikovo (USSR) |
| Ju 87 | 31 August 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-9 | Yelnya (USSR) |
| Fw 190 | 1 September 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-9 | Yelnya (USSR) |
| Fw 190 | 17 September 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-9 | 10 km W of Yelnya (USSR) |
| Fw 190 | 22 September 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-9 | 30 km SE of Smolensk (USSR) |
| Hs 126 | 4 October 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-9 | Krasny, Krasninsky District, Smolensk Oblast (USSR) |
| Fw 190 | 12 October 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-9 | Horki (USSR) |
| Ju 88 | 15 October 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-9 | 10 km N of Horki (USSR) |
| Fw 190 | 15 October 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-9 | 7 km N of Horki (USSR) |
| Fw 190 | 15 October 1943 | Normandie |
Yak-9 | 7 km N of Horki (USSR) |
| Ju 87 | 16 October 1944 | Normandie |
Yak-3 | Pillupönen (East Prussia) |
| Ju 87 | 16 October 1944 | Normandie |
Yak-3 | Pillupönen (East Prussia) |
| Fw 190 | 16 October 1944 | Normandie |
Yak-3 | SE of Stallupönen (East Prussia) |
| Hs 129 | 18 October 1944 | Normandie |
Yak-3 | S of Stallupönen (East Prussia) |
| Hs 129 | 18 October 1944 | Normandie |
Yak-3 | S of Stallupönen (East Prussia) |
| Fw 190 | 18 October 1944 | Normandie |
Yak-3 | Stallupönen (East Prussia) |
| Bf 109 | 23 October 1944 | Normandie |
Yak-3 | 8 km S of Stallupönen (East Prussia) |
| Bf 109 | 26 October 1944 | Normandie |
Yak-3 | SE of Stallupönen (East Prussia) |
References
- ^ a b "Marcel Albert, french fighter pilot". Retrieved 5 September 2015.
- ^ a b c d Ufarkin, Nikolai. "Герой Советского Союза Альбер (Albert) Марсель (Marcel)". Retrieved 5 September 2015.
- ^ "Marcel Albert Top French Ace of WW II". Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
- ^ Aaron Pena. "A CAPITOL BLOG". Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
- ^ https://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iX5ZLvSJZid9AkfL9fmiwSD2hVFQ [dead link]
- ^ DEFM1008929D
- ^ "Ordre de la Libération". Retrieved 5 September 2015.