French planes hit above NL between May 10 & May 15,1940.

[fredcompa]

Hello again!
Who has infos about French planes shot down above the Netherlands between May 10 >>>May 15,1940 ???
Thanks!
Fredcompa

[Laurent Rizzotti]

I have 5 French losses over Netherlands for this period

Sources:
(1) Book "Ils étaient là" (Armée de l'Air losses)
(2) Book "Les victoires de l'aviation de chasse française, tome 1. 10-15 Mai 1940", by Arnaud Gillet
(3) Aéro-Journal n° 18

10/5: nil

11/5:
Six heavy fighters Potez 631 of flotilla F1C of Aéronautique Navale (French Fleet Air Arm) attacked He 111 of KG 27s near Walcheren , shooting down two, but were then attacked by Bf 110s and two French fighters were lost. One crew (lieutenant de vaisseau Albert Folliot (pilot) and maitre Frey (air gunner)) baled out, Frey being seriously wounded, while the ptehr crew (maitre Samery (pilot) and quartier-maitre Le Maresquier (gunner)) was lost at sea.
Source (2) (3)

12/5: nil

13/5:
During a morning patrol of Breda area by 9 Morane 406 of GC III/3, the capitaine Roger Trouillard (born 10 May 1909) was shot down in flames by German fighters and killed when his Morane 406 n° 549 crashed at Etten-en-Leur. This was probably in a battle vs I./JG 26.
Source (1) (2)
Potez 63.11 n° 297 of GAO 501 shot down by 9 Bf 109s at Oirschot, near Eindhoven. All 3 crew members (Cne Albert Wiccaert (pilot, born 28 February 1911), Lt Louis Coqueton (observer) and Sgt Louis Leygnac (air gunner)) were killed.
Source (1)

14/5:
Amiot 354 n° 30 of GB I/34 was hit by Flak in Maastricht aera and crash-landed in the country, crew escaped unhurt, so probably the crashplace was in Belgium (as in this Dutch part of this area the crew will probably have been captured by Germans) (this was very probably a night raid, but I don't know if it was during the night of 13-14 or 14-15).
Source (1)

15/5: nil

[Lucien]

Two remarks :

- The Folliot/Frey was shot all right above Netherlands but they landed with their parchutes, in Belgium.
- The Samery/Le Maresquier crew was not lost at sea but were killed in the crash of their a/c into a house in Flushing. They are buried in the French Military cimetary of Kapelle, in Zelande.

[Wim de Meester]

Just a few comments. Lieutenant de Vaisseau Folliot and Maitre Frey (wounded) were able to leave their stricken plane shortly before it crashed near the hamlet with the name "Pyramide" just southeast of Biervliet (still Holland). The two crew landed at Biervliet and were treated by French troops in the area.

and yes Maitre-Pilote Saméry and Quartier-Maitre Le Maresquier were (re)buried in the French military cemetery at Kapelle in 1949. At first they were laid to rest at the Roman-Catholic churchyard at the Seisweg in Middelburg.

[Lucien]

Lt Folliot was shot down and killed by USN AA gun fire on November 8th 1942 in Fedala, Marocco and could of course not be interviewed but I met Frey twice before his death in 1995. He told me his whole story ; at the moment he jumped from the disabled Potez, he was hit by a full burst of machine gun (fourteen bullets in his body !!!). His parachute which was on automatic mode, did open normaly and landed him, he was unconscious, in Belgium. That is whai he told me the last time I saw him in Toulon in 1993.
Now, human memory being what it is, after 50 years, anything can happen...

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello Lucien,

Interesting story about Mr Frey, but explaining maybe the discrpency between his memories and the local account. I supposed he woke up in a French and Belgian hospital and was brought by troops retreating through or from Belgium, so he was probably told he has been shot down there.

If you have them, I will be interested by the following details of these two losses:
_ serial numbers of both Potez.
_ full names of involved airmen.

Merci d'avance

[Lucien]

- Lieutenant de vaisseau pilot Albert, Julien, Emile, Antoine FOLLIOT, born 13/06/1909 at Marseille.
- Second-maître wireless operator Maurice, Robert FREY, born 19/12/1914 at Saint-Nazaire. Ended up its career as an Officier en chef des équipages (equivalent to Commander). Passed away in Marseille on 01/03/1995.

- Maître pilot Pierre, Georges SAMERY, born 12/08/1912 at Fameck.
- Quartier-maître air gunner Eugène, Louis LEMARESQUIER, born 03/05/1917 at Tourlaville.

Records of Flottille F1F were lost in Calais in May 1940 and the identities of the Potez involved are not know.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Thanks, Lucien

Now as you said that, I remember searching the record of 1F in the SHM and not finding much about May 1940.

[Pieter H]

I think we have to interpret the question a bit broader.
Many encounters of french forces took place over the western part of the dutch province Brabant, centered around Breda. So although the list of actual crashes in Holland of french aircraft is almost complete, many of them crashed or landed just across the belgian border after being hit over the southern part of Holland. In many cases the fights actually took place right over the dutch-belgian border.
That makes the following list:

May 10
Mureaux 115 lost at Herkingen, Zeeland, probably after being hit by ground fire (see earlier threat on this forum)

May 11
Around noon the 2 Potez 631 of F1C as mentioned in the earlier postings

Around 17.00-18.00 big fight between large patrol of GC I/4 Hawks and JG26 right over the dutch-belgian border. Also interception of bombers over Brabant. 4 losses:
No 75 at Sterreken (B), Lt Naudin WIA
No 99 at Zundert (NL)- Wuustwezel (B), Sgt Lacroix KIA
No 116 at Brasschaat (B), Lt Verry WIA
No 172 te Zoersel (B), Cdt Hertaut KIA
No 77 made a belly landing at Mardijck, Sgt Debethune WIA
and another 15 machines were damaged at different degrees.
But at least 3 Bf109s and 1 He111 were shot down.

May 12
Potez 63-11 No 317 of GR I/35shot down at St Job in 't Goor (B) after being attacked by Bf109's over Tilburg during a reconnaisance mission over Tilburg and 's Hertogenbosch. Crew sLt Lamy, sgt-chef Sordet, sgt-chef Vanaret is treated briefly in a belgian hospital and returns to their base a few days later.

May 13
early morning Morane No 996 or 549 of Cn Trouillard shot down at Etten-Leur as already reported.

also early in the morning, Potez 63-11 No689 of GAO552 is hit by flak during a mission over western Brabant, and crashes at St Niklaas (B). The whole crew (Adj-chef Lux, Lt Colpin, Adj Sacquepee) killed.

around 17.00 Potez 63-11 No297 of GAO501 crashed at Oirschot (NW of Eindhoven) after being shot down by Bf109 of 1/JG26.

around 19.00 a patrol of GC I/4 Hawks encounters bombers escorted by Bf19s over Western Brabant and the east end of the Westerschelde river. The aircraft of Lt Hisrschauer (no?) makes a belly landing at La Clinge, right on the belgian-dutch border of Zeeuws Vlaanderen. 1 He11 and 1 Bf109 are shot down too.

May 14-16
No losses

May 17
during patrol over the Westerschelde, covering the retreat of the 7th Armee, a patrol of GC I/4 Hawks encounters Bf109s of I/JG20. 2 Hawks are shot down: Sgt Bompain and Lt Hirschauer jump by parachute over the Westerschelde, sgt-chef Cartier makes a belly landing on return at Mardijck. 2 Bf109s are shot down.

I think this is the complete list.
Any additional info is welcome!

Pieter