Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

Gentlemen,

Was there any examples of Luftwaffe pilot veterans serving in French military aviation after World War II? There were ex-pilots of the Luftwaffe in the French Foreign Legion but they served as ground infantryman since the FFL doesn't have any flying machines. I was thinking that the French Army Light Aviation might had some Luftwaffe veterans of WWII.

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

Gentlemen

Siegfried Freytag in FFL flew helicopters according to an interview on Australian TV a year before his death.

Cheers
Russell

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

interesting. As Edward says - the Légion was transported by regular Armée de l’Air units. Freytag served for eighteen years in the 5e régiment étranger d’infanterie

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

Gentlemen,

So the ex-Luftwaffe pilots of WWII who were in the French Foreign Legion may have a chance of flying French flying machines especially helecopters after all. The French military higher ups may had called for volunteers in the FFL who were ex-pilots to fly again. The topic about Luftwaffe pilot veterans flying and fighting in other air forces of the world after WWII especially the French military is unknown but interesting. It takes time and research. I sincerely hope we can come up with more examples of WWII Germans pilots in a foreign air force soon.

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

Hello,

Fhj-Uffz. René Darbois, born 1924 in Metz/France.
Served with 3./JG 4, chanced sides at 25. July 1944 in Italy.
Bf 109G-6, WNr. 160 756. Plane still in NASM marked as plane from JG 27.

Darbois chanced his name and flow Spitfire with an french unit in the RAF and flown 122 Missions as an helicopterpilot during the war in Indochina. Suizid 14.2.1955!!
h.

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

Gerhard Thyben (157V -JG54) served as pilot with the Colombian AF.

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

René Darbois
https://www.amazon.fr/Darbois-Pilote.../dp/2876929015
Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur, 21 Décembre 1954.
There is a René Darbois at Metz, born 1949, and councillor at Metz (ecologist).
...
Source internet.

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

Hello,
Rene Darbois was also an member of the Patrouille d'Etampes in 1948, today known as Patrouille de France.
h.

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

How about Syria and Turkey ?

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

Regarding Syria I have found something. Two German pilots served at the Military aviation school in Aleppo as instructors, Fritz Stehle and Alwin Meyer (both former members of ZG 26 and JG 7). They also trained the nucleus of the Lebanese Air Force there.


https://www.globalsecurity.org/milit...d-airforce.htm


https://medium.com/war-is-boring/how...a-804f0e1d1283



Walther Schuck and Hartmann Grasser also served as instructors/ advisors to the Syrian Air Force but I haven't found any further details about their service there.


Another former Luftwaffe pilots who supposedly worked for the Syrian Air Force are:


-Siegfried Keil (or Keyl)
-Erwin Holm
-Herbert Liebker (or Luebkehr or Lübker)
-Hans Möhr


Jupp Förster (former NJG 2 and NJG 3 pilot) made his international pilot license 1948 in Lebanon in order to be employed by "Middle East Airlines".


Hope this helps!

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

Which show was this on, Russel?
Is there a clip available anywhere?

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

Dear Schlageter,

Pretty interesting information about the former Luftwaffe pilots that were in the Syrian and Lebanese Air Forces indeed. Thank you for sharing.

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

Nick

Foreign correspondent was the show, and I cannot recall if there was a clip or not, although I saw it live. To say I was astonished is an understatement

Russell

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

Hello,

Contact the Australian Broadcasting Commission:

https://www.abc.net.au/foreign/contact-us

The ABC has excellent archives. Don't know about a clip, but you might be able to get a transcription.

Col

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

I thought that the Germans in the Luftwaffe that were born in Alsace and Lorraine territory might have joined the French Air Force after WWII. Might be possible.

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

Only the famous JG4 Rene Darbois, who defected with the me109g later painted as my friend Clades white 2 of JG 27, seen at Smithsonian air and space. Darbois was later a flier in Indochina, and sadly committed suicide years later.
Only one other, I've met whose name was Roger, sorry forgot his family name, he flew JU 52's in Indochina for a time.

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

I'm not surprised if the veteran pilots from the Luftwaffe would be called to fly the Ju-52 transport planes of the French Air Force during the war of Indochina. I know there was no air-to-air combat over Indochina back then.

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

The French Air Force and the French Naval Force had a lot of ex-Luftwaffe aircraft in their inventory. Fw-190s,Ju-88s,Ju-52s,Fi-156s,etc. The Luftwaffe pilot veterans who did joined the French Military Aviation would have no trouble flying them. Kind like a reunion to the Germans.

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

I wonder if there were Luftwaffe pilot veterans ever became airmen of fortune and flew combat sorties over South Africa especially the Congo? The need of pilots from different countries of Europe to go into action over that hot region was great.

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Ex-Luftwaffe pilots in French Military Aviation After WWII
 

I like this topic that I made. So I will move it forward.

Edward L. Hsiao