Jacques Andrieux (15 August 1917 – 21 January 2005) was a French fighter ace of the

Second World War 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

credited with 6 aerial victories.

Early life

Jacques Andrieux was the son of a military doctor, who was deported to Germany as a ''Résistant'' and died in captivity. According to some sources, Andrieux joined the French air force as a non-commissioned officer in 1937. Others contend that he was simply a private pilot and was drafted in the air force at the beginning of the war. At the time of the invasion of France, Andrieux was not an active pilot and did not take part in the fighting. Demobilised in August 1940, he fled on a fishing boat from Brittany to Great-Britain on 16 December 1940 and joined the Free French Air Force.

Wartime service

Posted to Odiham as a trainee Sergeant pilot, after training he was assigned to No. 130 Squadron in September 1941, flying Spitfires. He achieved his first aerial victory by downing a Fw 190 near

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 ...

28 February 1943. Promoted to Lieutenant in 1943, he was posted to No. 91 Squadron in April 1943 and shot down three more German fighters with this unit. In June 1944 he joined No. 341 Squadron, also known in French as ''Groupe de Chasse n° 3/2 "Alsace"'', with the rank of captain. On 26 August 1944 he took command of the unit when

Jacques-Henri Schloesing Jacques-Henri Schloesing (1919–1944) was a French aviator. 1919 births 1944 deaths Companions of the Liberation Free French Air Forces officers French Protestants Officers of the Legion of Honour French military personnel killed in Wo ...

was killed in combat. During this period he destroyed another two German fighters, thus becoming a fighter ace. He ended the war with the rank of Wing Commander commanding 80 Operational Training Unit at RAF Ouston. His final claim total was 6 destroyed, 4 'probables' and 2 damaged.''Aces High''; Shores & Williams, page 98

Postwar service

After the war, he continued a career in the French air force. He commanded a fighter training unit in

Meknès Meknes ( ar, مكناس, maknās, ; ber, ⴰⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ, amknas; french: Meknès) is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th c ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...

until 1950. He then took command of the ''2e Escadre de Chasse'' in

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earl ...

, France, and later of the ''4e Brigade aérienne'' in Bremgarten,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. He also commanded the ''12e Escadre de Chasse'' in Cambrai. He retired in 1970 with the rank of ''général de brigade aérienne'' and held various civilian positions. He died on 21 January 2005 in Saint-Georges-de-Didonne where he was buried.

Medals and awards

* Grand Croix of the French

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

* Compagnon de la Libération * Grand Croix of the

Ordre National du Mérite The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's es ...

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

1939-45 with 13 citations *

Croix de la Valeur Militaire The Cross for Military Valour (french: Croix de la Valeur Militaire) is a military decoration of France. It recognises an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations w ...

with two citations * Médaille de l'Aéronautique * Chevalier du Mérite agricole * Distinguished Flying Cross with Bar (UK) *

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an ...

(USA)

Writings

* Jacques Andrieux, ''Le ciel et l'enfer'', Presses de la Cité, 1965 * Jacques Andrieux, ''Une poignée d'as''

References

Bibliography

* Thierry Le Roy, ''Les Bretons et l'aéronautique des origines à 1939'', Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2002.

External links

(in French) * http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Rare-archive-footage-reveals-heroes/story-11508208-detail/story.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Andrieux, Jacques French Air and Space Force personnel French World War II pilots Free French military personnel of World War II 1917 births 2005 deaths military personnel from Lorient Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Companions of the Liberation Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite Recipients of the Cross for Military Valour Recipients of the Aeronautical Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Silver Star