14 May 1940:
The 14 May 1940 was the first day of mourning of the French Air Force and particularly of the GC I/3, the first fights were very hard for the pilots because they often happened at 9000m. At 6am the 14 May, a patrol of 3 aeroplanes took off for a mission of airfield covering, the mission was leaded by the Sous-lieutenant De Salaberry, by the Adjudant Carrier and by the Sergent Albert, this last one will seriously damage a Dornier 17 which will land at the north Suippes.


A few time after they landed and refueled, the three pilots will take off with some others pilots of the Group for a mission of escort of some Bréguet 693 of the GBA I/54 and II/54, they were also helped by the Bloch 150 of the GC I/8 and by the Hurricanes of the n°501 sqn of the RAF. They took off at 9am and, once they were on the zone, they began to attack a box of 9 Do-17 escorted by some Bf-109. The Capitaine Challe, the Sous-lieutenant Potier and the Sergent Caussat shot down a Dornier bomber but touched in the engine, the Capitaine Challe was obliged to come back at Wez-Thuisy where he'll land at 10am. The Adjudant Carrier was shot down on board of its D.520 n°73 and have been seen for the last time in his burning Dewoitine by the gunners of a French AA battery. The Adjudant Octave will shoot down a Bf.109 and the S/lt de Salaberry will also shot down an other Messerschmitt which was in the six of the Sgt Albert, the both 109s crashed near of the city of Fimes. In the same time, four pilots of the SPA 88 "Serpent" (snake) attacked a formation of 9 He-111 of the I/KG.55 but without any results.
On the way back, the S/lt de Salaberry helped some pilots of the n°501 sqn to shoot down a 111.

Between 12.40pm and 1.50pm, a new mission were done by 5 pilots will see nothing else than the destruction of the fire system of the D.520 of the Sgt Touret, the cause is the presence of two shells of 20mm in the breech.
But in the same time, a patrol intercept a squadron of Heinkel bombers which are not escorted and in tight formation,the S/lt Potier and Salva shot down one of the bomber but touched at his turn, the S/lt Potier were forced to bale out but as he baled out too low, he was mortally wounded when he touched the ground. Also touched, the S/lt Salva was forced to land in a field on his landing gear but as the engine was stalled, he abandoned his aeroplane.

At 6pm, a new mission is started from the side of Sedan where two patrol of Bf.110 of the III./ZG26 were detected. The French airmen tried to climb higher but the Germans pilots engaged the fight at 4500m, the S/lt Madon lead the attack and touch his enemy at the first pass, few seconds later, the sgt Combette will try a head-to-head with a Bf-110 and will win it. The Capitaines Pape and Schneider shot down two 110 and one other was probably shot down by the sgt Bellefin.
The score at the end of the day is of 11 aeroplanes shot down.


The following day, 12 fighters of the GC I/3 intercept a group of Do-17, the S/lt Parisse probably shot down a Do-17 but he was touched and forced to land with the landing gear held in, the aeroplane (n°115) will be recovered by the mechanics.

Few minutes later, an other group of Do-17 will be intercepted by the patrol of the Adjudant-chef Bourbon, the Dewoitine n°86 of the S/lt Boutarel was touched and forced to land with the landing gear held in, the Capitaine Challe, for avenge his wingman, shot down two Do-17 above of Reims and of Neufchâtel.
In the same time, the Lieutenants Lacombe and Thierry were asked to intercept the enemies bombers above of Reims. In despite of the fact that they were ready to land, the both Dewoitine took the direction of Reims, the Lt Thierry shot down a bomber but was damaged by a 110, he was forced to land on the belly. The aeroplane of the lt Lacombe was riddled with bullets and destructed in front of the quick advance of the Wehrmacht.
At 8.50am, the S/lt Blanck shot down a 111 and the S/lt Prévost shoot down a Bf.110 for his first important fight.

At 1.40pm, 3 patrols of fighter which were escorting a Potez 63 above Belgium are attacked by a group of Bf.109 of the Jagdgeschwader 77, the S/lt Blanck and the Adjudant Octave shot down in collab a fighter and an other fighter was perhaps shot down by the Adj Octave. The sgt Barberis and the S/lt Madon, severely damaged by the Germans fighters superior in number were forced to land.

In the same time, another patrol of three D.520 were attacked above of the border by some other 109 of the JG77, the sgt Bellefin was killed at the commands of his fighter which crashed in a forest. The Sergent Rigalleau had his aeroplane set in fire, he didn't baled out and crashed with his aeroplane. Only the Adj Combette has baled out after his controls were severely damaged. He passed out during his descent and when he came round, he was hanging by his parachute in a tree, once he was cleared of his parachute, he walked to the West and was captured 10km further.

Since the beginning of the Battle of France, the GC I/3 already loose 4 of its pilots.

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This draw is inspired of a photography, it represent three french fighter pilots in flight suit next of the Dewoitine 520 n°94 which opered in the 5eme Escadrille of the GC I/3 also knewn as the SPA 88 "Serpent" and was flown by the Sergent Rigalleau (shot down the 15/05/1940).
I just modified the flag and the lorry in the background for show in what situation was France in 1940, the ripped flag represent the attacks of the Luftwaffe over the French airfields in the mornings and the lorry is a commercial one because France had not enough military lorries when it entered in war so the French Army did the requisition of all lorries for carry the material and the soldiers.

I can date the photo between March 1940, month where the first D.520 arrived in the group, and the morning of the 15 May 1940.
But for put a little story behind this scene, we can imagine that happened the evening of the 14 May 1940, when the pilots have to make the bereavement of their both comrades who fell in action or maybe the 15, just before the take off after the one two of them will die.


The GC I/3 was the most victorious Fighter Group of the French Air Force with 70 victories between September 1939 and July 1943 whose 6 were won before May 1940 and 18 after the 16 june 1940 (12 British and 6 Americans). 13 pilots were killed whose one Czech (the Lieutenant Korek shot down the 5 june 1940) and 5 others were captured.
After July 1943, when the Group joined the Free French Air Force, it took the name of GC I/3 "Corse" and was equipped with the Spitfire.

This Group was also the only one of the French Air Force to report some cases of desertion, that was the Sergents Albert (3 victories), Durand (5 collabs) and Lefèvre who desert the Air Force the 14 October 1941 during a training flight during the one they took the direction of Gibraltar. They will be more known later because they joined the glorious GC 3 "Normandie" which fought in Russia.
The Sergent Albert got 4 victories more and 16 collabs, reached the grade of Capitaine, died at Arlington, Texas, USA in 2010
The Sergent Durand got 4 personal victories more and one collab more, he reached the grade of Sous-lieutenant, missing at Yelnya (Ельня), USSR, the 1/09/1943 at 25 years old.
The Sergent Lefèvre got 7 victories and 3 collabs, he reached the grade of Lieutenant before to die the 5 June 1944 at 26 years old after he was shot down the 28 may 1944, he got the commandment of the 3eme Escadrille "Cherbourg" of the GC 3 "Normandie"