Book. « Le Groupe Lorraine au combat – T1 – Du désert libyen à la libération de l’Europe -1941-1945 »
Here’s a book that tells the story of an Air and Space unit that became a legend when it was created at the very start of the Second World War.
1940. France may have been defeated on home soil, but Charles de Gaulle’s beloved (and loyal) Free France was still present in the air. One of these units, which refused to accept defeat, was called “Groupe réservé de bombardement n°1” (GRB1). In 1941, this unit was renamed “Groupe Lorraine” (now comprising two squadrons, “Metz” and “Nancy”), and began operations in Africa: Chad, Nigeria, Libya, etc. By the end of 1941, the unit had distinguished itself over the Libyan desert aboard Blenheims on loan from the Royal Air Force. It was then assigned to Mediterranean surveillance from Syria. In early 1943, the Groupe Lorraine landed in England, from where it carried out bombing raids over France and the Netherlands.
Now operating the American Douglas A-20 Havoc (commonly known as the “Douglas Boston”), the unit soon took part in D-Day, before helping to liberate the Falaise pocket in the summer of 1944, illustrating its motto: “We’re here”. The rest of the war saw the Group strike Germany right up to the final days of the war, leave Royal Air Force command for that of the Armée de l’Air once peace had returned to Europe, before being disbanded in 1952 and integrated into the 30th Fighter Wing – an era to be rediscovered in the last of these two volumes.
For its attitude during the conflict against Nazi Germany, the group was awarded the Liberation Cross. The group flew some 3,000 sorties, dropped 2,500 tons of bombs and lost 127 men, to whom this 208-page book pays tribute with color photos.
Book. “Le Groupe Lorraine au combat – From the Libyan desert to the liberation of Europe – 1941-1945. Author, Mathieu Mounicq. Éditions Histoire & Collections. ISBN: 1038012600
