Louis Delfino (5 October 1912 – 11 June 1968) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and a General in the

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...

. Delfino was born on 5 October 1912 in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Delfino entered

Saint-Cyr military academy Saint-Cyr refers to the popular child-saint Cyricus, whose following was strong in France because relics were brought back from Antioch by the 4th-century Bishop Saint Amator of Auxerre. Saint-Cyr may refer to: Places France * École spécia ...

in September 1931, graduated, and was promoted to second lieutenant in 1933. He joined the French Air Force and, after earning his wings on 27 July 1934, began his flying career as a reconnaissance pilot. In 1939, shortly before the outbreak of World War II, he joined Groupe de Chasse I/4 (GC I/4) in

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

. GC I/4 was moved to

Wez-Thuisy Val-de-Vesle () is a commune in the Marne department in the Grand Est region in north-eastern France. History The Val-de-Vesle commune was created in 1965 with the merger of the former communes of Courmelois, Thuisy and Wez. See also *Commune ...

in August 1939, and Delfino, now a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the unit, saw little action in the opening months of the war. On 17 May 1940, he was named commandant of the GC II/9's 4th squadron. After the armistice, he rejoined his old group, GC I/4, in

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

. In August 1943, he became deputy commandant, but the coastal patrol missions did not satisfy his adventurous temperament, so he applied for transfer to the Normandie-Niemen squadron. Delfino obtained his transfer to Normandie-Niemen on 28 February 1944. He succeeded

Pierre Pouyade Pierre Pouyade (25 June 1911 – 5 September 1979) was a French Air Force general, World War II 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 b ...

as the head of the regiment on 12 November. A major in June 1944, he was promoted to wing commander/lieutenant colonel in April 1945. He finished the war with sixteen confirmed victories and four additional claimed. On 1 January 1946, he became the leader of the 611th wing, composed of only one group – the Normandie-Niemen. On 11 August, he became commandant of the 11th wing upon its return from

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

. As a colonel in 1951, he was named inspector of the fighter arm the following year. His tenure at this post had an important influence on the regulation and use of fighters. As commandant of defense zone 901 in 1954, he received his first stars in 1957. He then worked with the aerial territorial defense, of which he took command in May 1961. Promoted to air marshal/lieutenant-general in 1964, he became inspector general of the French Air Force. He died of a heart attack on 11 June 1968, at age 56.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Delfino, General 1912 births 1968 deaths École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni French Air Force generals French World War II flying aces