Michel Donnet
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Michel G. L. "Mike" Donnet, (1 April 1917 – 31 July 2013) was a Belgian pilot who served in the
Belgian Army The Land Component (, ), historically and commonly still referred to as the Belgian Army (, ), is the Land warfare, land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land ...
and British
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
(RAF) during the
Second World War 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 ...
. He shot down four enemy aircraft confirmed, and achieved the RAF rank of wing commander. After the war, he returned to the
Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air and Space Component (, ) is the Air force, air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force (; ). It was founded in 1909 and is one of the world's oldest air services. ...
, and held several important commands before retiring in 1975.


Second World War

On 1 March 1938, he joined the ''Aviation Militaire Belge'' (Belgian Army Air Force). On 26 March 1939, he was commissioned as sergeant-pilot, and on 1 March 1940 he signed for a further three years' service. Donnet flew Renard R.31 reconnaissance aircraft with the 9/V/1Aé ( 9th Escadrille of the First Aviation Regiment) at Bierset. After the German invasion on 10 May 1940, he flew sorties during the 18-day campaign. On 1 June 1940, he was taken (
POW POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. POW or pow may also refer to: Music * P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...
) by German ground forces when Belgium capitulated, and he was held in camps in Germany and France. On 10 January 1941, he was repatriated to Belgium.


Flight to freedom

After release in German-occupied Belgium, he met his former colleague sergeant-pilot Léon Divoy, and they briefly planned to build an aircraft with which to escape to England. Their search for a propeller suggested that there was one still attached to a complete stored aeroplane. That proved to be a Stampe et Vertongen SV-4B (OO-ATD) which was owned by Baron Thierry d'Huart. It was stored in a locked small hangar at his property, the Chateau de Terblock outside Brussels. Although German troops were stationed at the chateau, Donnet and Divoy spent four months preparing their plan, with the help of many trusted friends and the
Belgian Resistance The Belgian Resistance (, ) collectively refers to the resistance movements opposed to the German occupation of Belgium during World War II, German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Within Belgium, resistance was fragmented between many ...
. This involved bicycle rides of three hours from the Stockel area of Brussels to Terbloc and return at night, improvisation of flying instruments, obtaining scarce petrol, and testing systems. Divoy won the toss to pilot the SV-4B, but the aircraft had dual controls so Donnet would assist him. On 19 May 1941, they planned to fly, but the engine failed to start and the first attempt was abandoned. More work delayed the second attempt; finally at 0245 on 5 July 1941, they took off and headed approximately west-north-west towards the coast. After narrowly avoiding a searchlight, the engine stopped, but eventually picked up. After about two hours' flying, they sighted land during sunrise, but the geography did not match the intended destination in Kent. The engine started running roughly, so they landed at the nearest suitable landing area in a field. They quickly confirmed that they were in England, and headed on foot towards the nearest police station,
Thorpe-le-Soken Thorpe-le-Soken is a village and civil parish in the Tendring District, Tendring district of Essex, England. It is located east of Colchester, west of Walton-on-the-Naze and Frinton-on-Sea, and north of Clacton-on-Sea. History Since 2002, arch ...
, near Clacton, Essex. The Stampe SV-4B was later camouflaged and marked 'J7777', then impressed into service with No. 24 Sqn and then No. 510 Sqn, finally marked MX457 and nominally based at
RAF Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the London Borough of Barnet, northwest London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of ...
. In 1945, it was returned to its owner Thierry d'Huart in Belgium.Donnet 1974


RAF service

On 26 July 1941, Donnet was accepted by the
RAF Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (R ...
. On 27 July 1941, with Léon Divoy, he joined No. 61 ( OTU) at
RAF Heston Heston Aerodrome was an airfield located to the west of London, England, operational between 1929 and 1947. It was situated on the border of the Heston and Cranford, London, Cranford areas of Hounslow, Middlesex. In September 1938, the British ...
where as a Pilot Officer he converted to operation of Spitfires. On 7 September 1941, he was briefly posted to No. 143 Squadron RAF.


No. 64 Squadron

On 15 September 1941, he was posted to 64 Sqn at
RAF Turnhouse Royal Air Force Turnhouse, or more simply RAF Turnhouse, is a former Royal Air Force Sector Station located in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is now Edinburgh Airport. History A landing ground was first established at Turnhouse in 1915. The airfield ...
, flying Spitfire Mk.IIs on patrols and escorting shipping convoys in the North Sea, including some detachments to
RAF Drem Royal Air Force Drem, or more simply RAF Drem, is a former Royal Air Force station, just north of the village of Drem in East Lothian, Scotland. The motto of the station was ''Exiit Hinc Lumen'' which means "Light has departed from this plac ...
. On 17 November 1941, the squadron relocated to
RAF Hornchurch Royal Air Force Hornchurch, or more simply RAF Hornchurch, is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, sector station in the parish of Hornchurch, Essex (now the London Borough of Havering in Greater London), located to ...
with Spitfire Mk. Vs. His time there was spent on dogfighting exercises, escort for bomber missions, ground attacks on occupied Belgian airfields, and combat against
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (Shrike) is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the ...
s. In April 1942, the squadron moved to RAF Rochford (Southend). On 4 April, he saw his friend Léon Divoy collide with another Spitfire during the same mission; Divoy baled out, and spent the remainder of the war as a POW. Donnet flew further missions against Fw 190s from RAF Hornchurch, and in July 1942 he converted to Spitfire Mk. IXs. On 21 July 1942, he was awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre, and soon afterwards achieved his first confirmed kill against a Fw 190. On 19 August 1942, he took part in escorting USAAF
B-17 The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...
s during the
Dieppe Raid Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was a disastrous Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a ...
. On 2 September 1942, he was assigned to take over command of 'A' flight of 64 Squadron. On 19 February 1943, he was awarded the DFC (UK), after he had completed 100 sorties. On 26 March 1943, he was promoted to Acting Squadron Leader of 64 Squadron, flying Spitfire Mk. Vs from RAF Ayr, for escort duties and ship deck-landing training. On 7 August 1943, the squadron moved to RAF Friston. On 5 November 1943, he was posted to a Fighter Leaders' course, and then on 19 November 1943 to No. 52 OTU.Halley 1980


No. 350 Squadron

On 23 March 1944 Donnet was posted as Squadron Leader of No. 350 Squadron (composed of Belgian pilots), flying Spitfire IXs from
RAF Peterhead Royal Air Force Peterhead or more simply RAF Peterhead is a former Royal Air Force sector station located east of Longside, Aberdeenshire and west of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. History The airfield was built in 1941 and disbanded i ...
, then in April from RAF Friston. On 6 June 1944, during the
Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
(D-day), he led the squadron in providing continuous fighter cover over the beachhead. In July 1944, the squadron moved to
RAF Westhampnett Royal Air Force Westhampnett or more simply RAF Westhampnett is a former Royal Air Force satellite station, located in the village of Westhampnett near Chichester, in the English County of West Sussex. It was built as an emergency landing ...
. On 8 August 1944, he moved with the squadron to
RAF Hawkinge Royal Air Force Hawkinge or more simply RAF Hawkinge is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Ashford, north of Folkestone, Kent and west of Dover, Kent, England. The airfield was used by both the Royal Flying Corps and the Roya ...
, flying Spitfire XIVs against
V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb ( "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () name was Fieseler Fi 103 and its suggestive name was (hellhound). It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug a ...
s. On 3 September 1944, he learned that Belgium had been liberated, and next day he led a celebratory formation of 12 Spitfires over Brussels. On 29 September 1944, the squadron moved to
RAF Lympne Royal Air Force Lympne or more simply RAF Lympne is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, satellite station in Kent used during the World War I, First and World War II, Second World Wars. It was opened in 1916 by the ...
.


Wing commander

On 23 October 1944, he was posted as Wing Commander of No. 132 Sqn and No. 441 Sqn at RAF Hawkinge, flying Spitfire IXs. In February 1945, he was posted as Wing Commander of three RAF squadrons, No. 64 Sqn, No. 126 Sqn and No. 234 Sqn at
RAF Bentwaters Royal Air Force Bentwaters or more simply RAF Bentwaters, now known as Bentwaters Parks, is a former Royal Air Force station about northeast of London and east-northeast of Ipswich, near Woodbridge, Suffolk in England. Its name was taken fr ...
, flying Mustang IIIs on bomber escort duties. In August 1945, he studied at the RAF Staff College. On 21 March 1945, he was posted to
RAF Fersfield Royal Air Force Fersfield or more simply RAF Fersfield (originally known as RAF Winfarthing) is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located southwest of Norwich, Norfolk, England. History Built in 1943/1 ...
with No. 64 Sqn and No. 132 Sqn, for escort duties with
Mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...
s of No. 140 Wing on
Operation Carthage Operation Carthage, on 1945 in Denmark, 21 March 1945, was a British air raid on Copenhagen, Denmark in World War II, Denmark during the Second World War which caused significant collateral damage. The target of the raid was the ''Shellhus'', ...
over Copenhagen. During his war period, Donnet flew 375 missions, shot down four enemy aircraft confirmed, and damaged at least another five.


Postwar

After the war, he was posted to the Belgian Ministry of Defense to reorganise the Belgian Air Force, and to update it with aircraft such as
Gloster Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turbojet engines, pioneere ...
and
Republic F-84 The Republic F-84 Thunderjet is an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thunde ...
. He then led the HQ of
No. 83 Group RAF No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group is a group within the Royal Air Force, currently based at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Originally formed in 1943, during the Second World War it formed part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force (2TAF) and was known as No ...
, he became commander of
Allied Air Forces Central Europe Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AAFCE) was the NATO command tasked with air and air defense operations in NATOs Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT) area of command. History Allied Air Forces Central Europe was activated on 2 April 1951 at F ...
and then Commander of HQ of
RAF Second Tactical Air Force The Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force (RAF) during and after the World War II, Second World War. It was made up of Squadron (aviation), squadrons and personnel from the RAF, other Co ...
. He took presidency of the direction committee of project NADGE (
Integrated NATO Air Defense System The NATO Integrated Air Defense System (short: NATINADS) is a command and control network combining radars and other facilities spread throughout the NATO alliance's air defence forces. It formed in the mid-1950s and became operational in 1962 as ...
) and afterwards became Military Attaché at the Belgian Embassy in London. He was a member of the Military committee of NATO. On 1 July 1975, he retired from the Belgian Air Force as a lieutenant general, having flown over 5,000 hours.


Military awards and decorations

* Grand officer of the order of Leopold with palm * Grand officer of the order of the crown with palm * Commander of the royal order of Leopold II * War cross WWII with 4 palms * Escaper's cross * WWII commemorative medal with swords *
Prisoner of war medal The Prisoner of War Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was authorized by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on 8 November 1985. The United States Code citation for the POW Medal statute is . The ...
*
1940–1945 Military Combatant's Medal The 1940–1945 Military Combatant's Medal (, ) was a Belgian war medal established by royal decree on 19 December 1967 and awarded to all members of the Belgian Armed Forces who fought from the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Award ...
* Military cross, first class * Commander of the royal Victorian order (UK) * Knight of the legion of honor (France) *
Distinguished Flying Cross (UK) The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers, and since 1993 to other ranks, of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countri ...
* Air crew Europe star with rosette (UK) * Atlantic star with rosette (UK) * 1939–1945 star (UK) * Defence medal (UK) * War medal 1939-1945 (UK) * Medal of a liberated France (France)


Personal life

Michel was a son of Jean Georges Hyacinthe Marie Donnet (1888–1957) and Mariquita Jeanne Françoise Eyben (1891–1979). Jean Donnet was a refrigeration contractor who served in World War One as a volunteer with the Belgian army engineer corps. Michel Donnet married Jacqueline 'Kiki' Gautier (b. 1925). They had four daughters (Anne, Marie, Therese, Claire) and one son (Jean). He died on 31 July 2013, at Waterloo, Belgium.


References


Bibliography

*Donnet, Michel. 1968. (in French). ''J'ai Volé la Liberté : 1940 – 1945''. Editions Arts et Voyages *Donnet, Michael. 1974. ''Flight to Freedom''. Ian Allan *Donnet, Mike and Branders, Leon. 1979, 1991. (in French). ''Ils en étaient! Les Escadrilles Belges de la RAF''. Les Presses de l'Avenir *Donnet, Mike. 1994. (in French). ''Envols Pour La Liberté''. Editions Racine *Donnet, Mike. 1997. (in French). ''50 ans d'Aviation Militaire''. Musée Royal de l'Armée *Donnet, Mike. 2001. (in French). ''Lucien Jansen un Héros du XXe Siècle''. Editions Racine *Donnet, Mike. 2007. (in French). ''Les Aviateurs Belges dans la Royal Air Force''. Editions Racine *Halley, James J. 1980. ''The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force''. Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd


External links


The legend about the museum SV4 OO-ATD
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donnet, Michel 1917 births 2013 deaths Belgian World War II pilots Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Grand Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Knights of the Legion of Honour Royal Air Force officers Belgian Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II People from Richmond, London Belgian Air Component airmen Belgian prisoners of war in World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Belgian expatriates in the United Kingdom