Edmond Marin la Meslée (5 February 1912 – 4 February 1945) was a French fighter pilot in World War II. 5th highest-scoring French ace of the conflict with 16 aerial victories, he was the most successful French air ace of the French campaign with sixteen confirmed (and four probable) air victories between January and June 1940.

Roland Dorgelès Roland Dorgelès (; 15 June 1885 – 18 March 1973) was a French novelist and a member of the Académie Goncourt. Born in Amiens, Somme, under the name Roland Lecavelé (he adopted the pen name Dorgelès to commemorate visits to the spa town of ...

presented him as the " Guynemer of the 1939-1945 war".

Biography

Edmond Marin la Meslée was born on February 5, 1912, in

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...

, France. After studying law, he took government-subsidized flying lessons at the Morane flight school and gained his license in 1931. At 19, he entered the French Air Force and, after graduating from the school at Istres, was assigned to a unit in Strasbourg. At the end of his two-year tour, he re-enlisted for another two years, despite having to serve at a lower rank. In October 1937, he was admitted to the Air Force Academy and graduated with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He was assigned to the GC I/5 fighter group (Reims), to fly one of its 32

Curtiss H-75 The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, is an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation ...

fighters. Groupe de chasse are French fighter units approximately equivalent to a two-squadron wing in the British

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

. There he was taught by Jean Accart, who thought highly of his potential as a fighter pilot. During the Battle of France, Marin la Meslée distinguished himself by shooting down 16 "certain" German aircraft, although some sources credit him with as many as 20 including his 4 "probable" ones. On June 1, his leader was wounded and "Marin" replaced him at the head of the first escadrille (approx. a squadron of 12 fighters) of GC I/5. After the armistice, GC I/5 was evacuated to Saint-Denis-du-Sig and later to Rabat,

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 t ...

, but did not see much action against the British. After Operation Torch, French forces in North Africa joined the Allied forces, and Marin la Meslée's unit left for Tafaraoui,

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

in September 1943 to receive American equipment that eventually materialized as

P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by the ...

s. Marin la Meslée was promoted as CO of his unit, then renamed GC 1/5 "Champagne", on January 9, 1944. The group went back to combat on September 30, 1944, operating from Salon-de-Provence in support of the French and Allied forces pursuing the Germans along the Rhône River, flying mostly ground support missions. On February 4, 1945, near Colmar, Edmond Marin la Meslée was shot down during a strafing attack when his Republic

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bom ...

suffered a direct hit from a 40 mm anti-aircraft shell (German "Flak"). His aircraft exploded in the crash but his body was nevertheless recovered by the Germans. He had received a piece of shrapnel in the head, and had probably died even before the crash. On February 14, 1953, his name was given to the

Reims - Champagne Air Base Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

List of credited aerial victories

1. 11 January 1940 ; Do 17 ;

Longwy Longwy (; older german: Langich, ; lb, label= Luxemburgish, Lonkech) is a commune in the French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine, administrative region of Grand Est, northeastern France. The inhabitants are known as ''Longoviciens'' ...

2. 12 May 1940 ;

Ju 87 The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from ''Sturzkampfflugzeug'', "dive bomber") was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Cond ...

;

Bouillon Bouillon can refer to: Food * Bouillon (broth), a simple broth ** Court-bouillon, a quick broth * Bouillon (soup), a Haitian soup * Bouillon (restaurant), a traditional type of French restaurant **Bouillon Chartier, a bouillon restaurant foun ...

(Likely belonging to Heinz Migeod of II./St.G 76 3. 12 May 1940 ; Ju 87 ; Pouru St-Rémy
4. 12 May 1940 ; Ju 87 ; Sainte-Cécile
5. 13 May 1940 ; Bf 109 ; Stonne
6. 15 May 1940 ; Hs 126 ; Vendresse
7. 16 May 1940 ; Do 215 ;

Rethel Rethel () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture and third-most important city and economic center in the department. It is situated on the river Aisne, near the northern border of Champagne and 37 ...

8. 18 May 1940 ;

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 ...

; Rethel
9. 18 May 1940 ; He 111 ; Ponsart
10. 18 May 1940 ; He 111 ;

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. ...

11. 19 May 1940 ; He 111 ;

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...

12. 24 May 1940 ; Hs 126 ; Saint-Loup-au-Terrier
13. 25 May 1940 ; Hs 126 ; Boult-aux-Bois
14. 26 May 1940 ; He 111 ; Tannay
15. 3 June 1940 ; Hs 126 ; Sommauthe
16. 10 June 1940 ;

Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called '' Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fast ...

; Châtillon-sur-Bar

Awards

* Légion d’honneur; * Croix de Guerre (avec onze palmes); * Distinguished Flying Cross

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marin la Meslee 1912 births 1945 deaths People from Valenciennes French Air and Space Force personnel French World War II flying aces French military personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur