Martial Henri Valin (14 May 1898 in Limoges – 19 September 1980 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a French Air Force general. He initially served as a cavalryman in the First World War. After nine years cavalry service in the ''

chasseurs d'Afrique The ''Chasseurs d'Afrique'' were a light cavalry corps of chasseurs in the French Armée d'Afrique (Army of Africa). First raised in 1831 from regular French cavalry posted to Algeria, they numbered five regiments by World War II. For most of ...

'', dragoons,

spahi Spahis () were light-cavalry regiments of the French army recruited primarily from the indigenous populations of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The modern French Army retains one regiment of Spahis as an armoured unit, with personnel now ...

s, and

hussars A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely a ...

, he eventually volunteered for the French Army's aviation branch, the ''aéronautique militaire'', in 1926. He commanded the

Free French Air Forces The Free French Air Forces (french: Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres, FAFL) were the air arm of the Free French Forces in the Second World War, created by Charles de Gaulle in 1940. The designation ceased to exist in 1943 when the Free Frenc ...

from July 1941 to June 1944, and was then Chief of General Staff of the French Air Army from October 1944 until 1946. He participated in both World Wars and the

Rif War The Rif War () was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by France in 1924) and the Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco. Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at first inflicted several de ...

Life

Martial Valin was born in Limoges. During the First World War he served as a soldier in the 4th Dragoons in 1917. He was soon selected for officer training and returned to active service in 1918 as an aspirant in the 3rd ''Chasseurs d'Afrique''. With this regiment he took part in the battle of l'Aisne, during which he suffered from gas poisoning. In 1919 he received his commission as a sub-lieutenant and served with the 16th Dragoons, but in 1920 was sent on to the Saumur Cavalry School. He was then promoted to Lieutenant, serving with the 21st Moroccan

Spahi Spahis () were light-cavalry regiments of the French army recruited primarily from the indigenous populations of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The modern French Army retains one regiment of Spahis as an armoured unit, with personnel now ...

s in the French mandates in the

levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...

and then the 22nd Moroccan

s in French Morocco, with whom he took part in the

in 1925. His last cavalry regiment was the 4th Hussars in France. In 1926 Martial Valin volunteered as an aviator, serving as an observer in 1927 and then a pilot from 1928, specialised in night flying and bombing. In 1929 he became a captain, first as an

escadrille A flight is a small military unit within the larger structure of an air force, naval air service, or army air corps; and is usually subservient of a larger squadron. A military aircraft flight is typically composed of four aircraft, though ...

commander, then as a staff officer. In the mid-1930s he became a staff officer with the air force general staff. In 1938 he was promoted to

commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

and served with the 33rd Air Squadron (at this time a French "squadron" was equivalent to an RAF "wing") Appointed a military attache in Rio de Janeiro in 1940, he arrived in England in 1941 to assist the Free French. Vice-admiral Muselier had started to form the Free French Air Forces and Valin worked on this task under Muselier from June 1940, later being officially appointed the chief of these forces in 1941. In August 1941, Valin was appointed to a political role on the exiled ''Comité national français'' as the "air forces commissary". In 1944, Valin participated in the Liberation of Paris. Martial Valin died in 1980 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, and was buried in his town of birth, Limoges.

Promotions and career

:1917: private :1918: aspirant :1919: sub-lieutenant :1921:

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

:1926: transfers to ''aeronautique militaire'' :1929: captain :1938:

:June 1940 :

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

:April 1941 : lieutenant-colonel appointed acting

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

:August 1941 : lieutenant-colonel appointed acting air brigade general, and appointed member of the

French National Committee The French National Committee (french: Comité national français, CNF) was the coordinating body created by General Charles de Gaulle which acted as the government in exile of Free France from 1941 to 1943. The committee was the successor o ...

:March 1942 : promoted to colonel acting air brigade general :October 1942 : promoted to air brigade general :March 1944 : air brigade general appointed acting air divisional general :October 1944 : promoted to air divisional general :January 1945 : air divisional general appointed acting air

corps general An army corps general or corps general is a rank held by a General officer who commands an army corps. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. Normally, the rank is above the divisional ...

:April 1947 : promoted to air

:October 1950 : promoted to air

army general Army general is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System.　 In countries that adopt the general officer four rank system, it is rank of general commanding an army in the field, but in coun ...

:May 1954 : appointed air army general without age limit ("''maintenu en activité sans limite d'âge''") {{DEFAULTSORT:Valin, Henri 1898 births 1980 deaths French Air Force generals French Army officers French military personnel of World War I Chiefs of the Staff of the French Air and Space Force French military personnel of World War II