Suzanne Henriette Jannin, also Suzanne Henriette Delvoye, (1912–1982) was a French dentist, a

resistance fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

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 opposin ...

, and an air force pilot in

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, 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 the west an ...

. After receiving her military pilot's licence in 1948, she gave up dentistry to devote herself to aviation. From 1951, she undertook

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

reconnaissance missions in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

until she returned to France in 1954. In 1957, she once again took up dentistry opening a practice in Paris.

Early life

Born in

Belleville-sur-Meuse Belleville-sur-Meuse (, literally ''Belleville on Meuse'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in the Grand Est regions of France, region in northeastern France. Population See als ...

on 28 July 1912, Suzanne Henriette Jannin studied dentistry at Nancy, receiving her diploma in 1939. In May 1939, she began to train as a pilot at

Tomblaine Tomblaine () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Stage 7 of the Tour de France on 7 July 2012 started in Tomblaine. The Stade Marcel Picot, football stadium to Ligue 1 side AS Nancy, is located within th ...

on a

Potez 43 The Potez 43 was a family of French light utility and sports aircraft, developed in early 1930s. They were three-seat single-engine high-wing monoplanes. Design and development The plane was a development of Potez 36. First of all it featured n ...

French resistance and World War II

During German occupation, she became an active participant in the

French resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

. As a member of the Meuse department's F.F.I., Region C, under Colonel Grandval, she lodged British and American parachutists, escorting them from Verdun to the Swiss border. She also provided medical services, transmitted news reports, and transported documents, weapons and munitions. On 1 September 1944, she became a lieutenant and on 1 January 1944 she joined the army's Women's Auxiliary Administration Corps. Rather than take on administrative duties, she found a 4-by-4 vehicle which enabled to ferry French prisoners back from Germany. Between 6 May and 15 August 1945, on her own initiative, she led four convoys of 38 vehicles, repatriating a total of 650 prisoners.

Aviation and French Air Force

A keen aviation enthusiast, she became president of the Verdun Air Club. After giving up her dental practice in Verdun, she moved to Paris where she could devote all her time to aeronautics. In 1948, she received her military pilot's licence followed by additional training courses at

Saint-Yan Saint-Yan is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Geography The Arconce forms part of the commune's southern border and the Loire part of its western border. Climate Educati ...

and at

Challes-les-Eaux Challes-les-Eaux (; Arpitan: ''Chales''), known as Triviers until 1872, is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 5,609. Chambéry Aerodrome is located in th ...

. In April 1951, she joined the Far Eastern Women's Auxiliary Administration Corps (Corps des auxiliaires féminines d’administration: Cafaeol) as a dental captain based in

Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain ''Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, includi ...

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, ...

. In 1952, General Lionel-Max Chassin encouraged her to join the Air Force. In order to do so, she had to give up her officer's grade and become a simple corporal. On 6 April 1953, she was sent to join the 52nd squadron at Tan-Son-Nhut near

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

where she piloted Morane Criquets. She was the second woman to become a pilot in the Air Force and the first in Indochina. She flew day and night, both on reconnaissance, guidance and rescue missions, clocking up 290 flights, of which 86 were war missions. After being sent to

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

, she gave up aviation for a time to provide dental services to the troops stationed there. In her own words, Jannin explained: "I always tried to help my country, to assume responsibility and that's why I went to Indochina."

Later life and commemoration

After General Chassin's departure, it was difficult for her to continue her missions. She returned to France in 1954, where she continued to serve as an Air Force dentist until 1957, stationed first in Saclay and then in Châtillon-sous-Bagneux. She then re-established her dental practice in Paris. On 27 April 1961, she married Gustave Delvoye in Paris. Suzanne Jannin died in 1982. Her funeral was held on 10 July 1982 at

Mons-en-Barœul Mons-en-Barœul () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a suburb of the city of Lille, and is adjacent to it on the northeast. The name Mons-en-Barœul means mount in the Barœul, the city is built on a slight hill; th ...

, a suburb of

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

. In September 2019, a plaque in memory of "Suzanne Jannin Pilote en Indochine" was unveiled by ''Le Souvenir Français'' at Belleville-sur-Meuse, her birthplace. The square on which the plaque stands was ceremoniously named "Square Suzanne Jannin" by the mayor, Yves Peltier.

Awards

Jannin received the following awards: *

Knight of the Legion of Honour 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, ...

Officer of the National Order of Merit An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort depa ...

Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures The ''Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieurs'' (War Cross for foreign operational theatres), also called the ''Croix de Guerre TOE'' for short, is a French military award denoting citations earned in combat in foreign countri ...

Resistance Medal The Resistance Medal (french: Médaille de la Résistance) was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 ...

* Aeronautical Medal * Colonial Medal for Indochina *

Military Health Service honour medal The Military Health Service honour medal (french: "Médaille d'honneur du service de santé des armées") is a French decoration created 30 August 1962. The medal recognizes individuals who have contributed or lent their support to the French ...

*Grande medaille d'or de l'Aéroclub de France

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jannin, Suzanne 1912 births 1982 deaths People from Meuse (department) French Resistance members French aviators French women aviators French dentists Knights of the Legion of Honour Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures Recipients of the Resistance Medal Recipients of the Aeronautical Medal 20th-century dentists 20th-century French women