Pierre Pouyade
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Pierre Pouyade (25 June 1911 – 5 September 1979) was a French Air Force general,
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
flying ace, and a commander of the Normandie-Niemen squadron. By the end of the War he had scored eight solo victories and two group victories, all but one on the Eastern Front.


Biography


Early life

Pouyade was born into a military family and studied in the
Prytanée National Militaire The Prytanée national militaire is a French military school managed by the French military, offering regular secondary education as well as special preparatory classes, equivalent in level to the first years of university, for students who wish ...
from 1924 to 1928. In 1930 he entered Saint Cyr but after two years decided to pursue a career in the Air Force. He was commissioned as a pilot in the Versailles Air Academy in 1934. Lieutenant Pouyade served in the 6th Fighter Wing at Chartres Airfield from 1935 to 1937 and was then transferred to the Reims-based 13th Fighter Wing. On 15 June 1939 he was promoted to captain.


World War II

During the Battle of France he served as commander of GCN II./13, a Potez 630 night fighter squadron. On 2 June 1940, after destroying an enemy
He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after th ...
, he was shot down and wounded. He remained in the
Vichy French Air Force The Air Force (french: Armée de l'air), usually referred to as the Air Force of Vichy (''Armée de l'air de Vichy'') or Armistice Air Force (''Armée de l'Air de l'armistice'') for clarity, was the aerial branch of the Armistice Army of Vichy Fran ...
. On 23 November 1940 he was posted to
French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
as a fighter squadron commander with EC II./295, flying the MS.406. The colony, nominally administered by the Governor General
Jean Decoux Jean Decoux (5 May 1884 – 21 October 1963) was a French Navy admiral who was the Governor-General of French Indochina from July 1940 to 9 March 1945, representing the Vichy French government. Early life and naval career Decoux was born in Bordea ...
, was practically under Japanese rule in the aftermath of the 1940
Franco-Thai War The Franco-Thai War (October 1940 – January 28, 1941, th, กรณีพิพาทอินโดจีน, Krṇī phiphāth xindocīn; french: Guerre franco-thaïlandaise) was fought between History of Thailand (1932–1973), Thailand an ...
. Pouyade was ordered to engage any Chinese Air Force or '
Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States ...
' planes encountered. On 2 October 1942 Pouyade deserted, stealing the Japanese air defense plans for the region. He took off from Bach Mai Airfield in a Potez 25 and flew to China, crash-landing near Kunming. There he made contact with the
Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
delegation in Chongqing, which arranged for him to travel to
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. The
Vichy Government Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...
sentenced him to death in absentia for his desertion.


Free French Air Force

After a five-month-long journey through India, Africa and the United States he reached Britain in February 1943. The commander of the
Free French Air Force 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 Fre ...
, General Martial Valin, introduced him to Charles De Gaulle, who assigned him to recruit volunteers for the Normandie squadron, a Soviet-based Free French Air Force unit which took part in the combat operations on the Eastern Front. Pouyade was sent in May 1943 to the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
to participate in the fighting as chief of an escadrille in the unit, arriving in June 1943. On 14 July, he claimed a Bf 110, and a Fw 189 and a Ju 87 the next day. On 18 July the Normandie-Niemen commander Jean Tulasne was shot down in a battle over Oryol and killed, and Pouyade replaced him. Under his leadership the unit took part in the battles for
Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
. On 21 July 1944, after its participation in
Operation Bagration Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп ...
the unit was renamed Normandie-Niemen, for its contribution to the campaign in the eponymous river's area. They were later involved in the fighting over
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
and East Prussia, as part of General Georgi Zakharov's 303rd Air Army. On 11 November 1944 Pouyade was relieved from his duty as commander and replaced by Louis Delfino. He returned to the now-liberated France, where he was severely injured in a car accident in January 1945. After recovering, he returned to active duty at April. When the war ended he held the rank of lieutenant colonel and had scored eight solo and two group kills in 178 sorties.


Post-war life

In 1947 Pouyade became president
Vincent Auriol Vincent Jules Auriol (; 27 August 1884 – 1 January 1966) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1947 to 1954. Early life and politics Auriol was born in Revel, Haute-Garonne, as the only child of Jacques Antoine Aurio ...
's air attache, a post which he held for three years. From 1950 to 1953 he was the military attache in the French Embassy in
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. Afterwards he served as an instructor in the
NATO Defense College NATO Defense College (NDC) is the international military college for North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries. It is located in Rome, Italy. History The idea of a NATO Defense College originated with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the f ...
. In 1956 Brigadier General Pouyade retired from the French Armed Forces. After his discharge he worked as an advisor on Soviet matters in the French arms company CSIAé (Sindicate of Aerospace Industries) and as the director of the overseas department in RICOM. On 9 February 1966 he replaced Jean Charbonnel as the
Union for the New Republic The Union for the New Republic (french: L'Union pour la nouvelle République, UNR), was a French political party founded on 1 October 1958 that supported Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle in the 1958 elections. History The UNR won 206 of 579 s ...
's deputy for
Corrèze Corrèze (; oc, Corresa) is a department in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region ...
in the French National Assembly. From March 1967 until April 1973 he held the same post for
Var Var or VAR may refer to: Places * Var (department), a department of France * Var (river), France * Vār, Iran, village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Var, Iran (disambiguation), other places in Iran * Vár, a village in Obreja commune, Ca ...
. Pouyade chaired the Franco-Soviet Friendship Association and was awarded the
Lenin Peace Prize The International Lenin Peace Prize (russian: международная Ленинская премия мира, ''mezhdunarodnaya Leninskaya premiya mira)'' was a Soviet Union award named in honor of Vladimir Lenin. It was awarded by a pane ...
by the Soviet government during 1976. He died from cancer in 1979 and his ashes were scattered off the coast of
Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
.Pouyade on flyaces.ru.
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References


External links


Pierre Pouyade
on Pobeda.by. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pouyade, Pierre 1911 births 1979 deaths People from Yonne Politicians from Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Union for the New Republic politicians Union of Democrats for the Republic politicians Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 4th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic French generals French aviators French World War II flying aces French expatriates in the Soviet Union People sentenced to death in absentia Lenin Peace Prize recipients Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross Recipients of the Order of the Dragon of Annam Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Companions of the Liberation Recipients of the Resistance Medal Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Aeronautical Medal Deaths from cancer in France Burials at sea Military attachés