France. French Foreign Legion & Air Force uniforms WW2

The Foreign Legion was heavily involved in World War 2, playing a large role in the Middle East and the North African campaign. The 13th Demi-Brigade was deployed in the Battle of Bir Hakeim. Interestingly, part of the Legion was loyal to the Free French movement, yet another part was loyal to the Nazi aligned Vichy Government. A battle in Syria saw two opposing sides fight against each other in a short but nasty engagement, and later on the Vichy Legion joined its Free French brethren.

Captaine, French Foreign Legion

This Legionnaire is highly decorate. On the top row of his ribbon bar is the Légion d'Honneur, France's highest military and civilian medal.

Our Captaine won this award at the Battle of Bir Hakeim, which is considered by some to be over hyped and by others to be under-rated.

When given for war services, the Légion d'Honneur carried automatic award of the Croix de Guerre with palm, displayed next. Finishing off the top row is the Medaille Militaire.

This medal was usually awarded to Marshalls, Generals and other high-ranking leaders, but was also sometimes presented to NCO's and even enlisted men for special acts of merit.

Our Captaine received his Medaille Militaire as a Sergeant during Operation Exporter, the Allied invasion of the Vichy-controlled French Levant, for rushing a nest of enemy (Vichy French) machine gun posts, destroying them and, as a result, saving many men in his unit. The tragedy of Frenchmen killing Frenchmen haunted him all his life.

That is also where he won his combat commission. The second row of ribbons displays the Croix du Combattant, awarded to all soldiers who faced an armed enemy on the field of battle. Next, the Medaille des Evades, awarded to those who escaped from enemy captivity (that is a story that deserves to be told) and returned to continue fighting; and finally the Medaille des Blesses, for soldiers wounded in combat.

The 1st Regiment FFL diamond shaped pocket badge hangs from his pocket. Around the crown of his dark blue kepi, the distinctive headgear of the Foreign Legion, are three bands of gold braid identifying him as an Infantry Captaine.

His rank is also shown by the three strips of gold lace on his shoulder boards. The "flaming grenade" on his kepi is used as an infantry symbol by both the French Army & the French Foreign Legion. Above that pocket is the unusual badge of the elite French Commandos.

Its twin seahorses on a winged anchor symbolize the commandos' swift and deadly effectiveness as both an airborne and seaborne force.

French Air Force Captaine

The Armée de l’Air

Our French Air Force Captaine was a well travelled fighting man as his decorations show. He fought the Germans in the Battle of France, where the French Air Force accounted for 600 German planes destroyed.

He then joined De Gaulle's Free French Air Force in Britain after France fell, saw service in the Battle of Britain, spent nearly 12 months in the bitter fighting of North Africa and then served in Russia with the French Normandie-Niemen Squadron making him one of the very few to have fought on both Eastern & Western fronts and in North Africa.

He was slightly wounded and was returned to UK.

He recovered in time to take part in the air war over France and the support for the D-Day landings.

The Armée de l’Air uniform was designed after the regulation 1928 (Army) Air Service uniform. It was made dark blue with a single row of four gold buttons and a golden stripe (passant) on each shoulder. The rank insignia was on the sleeves, just like the Army and Navy at that time. The cap was to be worn blue from October 1st to April 1st and white the rest of the year. The aviators chose a dagger as ceremonial side arm where the Army and Navy had sabers. Since he is not in full Parade Dress he does not wear it and he wears only ribbons not the full medal rack. The French aviators of the famous Cigognes Squadron chose to wear black ties, instead of the regulation blue, as a sign of mourning after September 11th, 1917, when Ace Georges Guynemer was shot down.

The three gold lace "rings" or bands on his sleeves and hat indicate his rank. Above his right breast pocket is his Branch of Service badge and on the pocket is his pilot's badge. His service post WW1 would, in any other Air Force, have seen him with higher rank but between wars the French nearly destroyed their own Air Service (biggest in the world at end of WW1 and still part of the Army until 1934). Promotion for aviators was slow, almost non-existent.

In 1943, the Free French Air Forces and the Vichy Air Force were reunited and equipped by the Allies. General de Gaulle sent a squadron to the USSR (the Normandie-Niemen squadron) making France the only western ally to fight on both Western and Eastern Fronts. The reunited French Air Force participated in the Air war over France and Germany before the Normandy landings and fought over Germany until May 8th 1945. The French Ace of Aces of WWII was Captain Pierre Clostermann of the Free French Air Forces who shot down 38 German planes and attacked hundreds of ground targets in Spitfire, Typhoon and Tempest aircraft which put him just ahead of our Captain who had 35 confirmed "aircraft-kills".

His decorations include the Legion d'Honneur, (left) the Croix de Guerre des Théatres d'Opérations Extérieurs (right), both awarded awarded in Russia for an act of sheer daring and courage that left his compatriots dumbfounded.
He also wears the Colonial Medal for his service time in the North African campaign. He wears the "ETHIOPIE" and "AFRIQUE FRANCAISE LIBRE" clasps on that medal on his Parade Dress medal rack.

He is also entitled to the "Wound" medal called the Insigne du Blessé Militaire. There are several USSR awards that he has chosen not to wear since the start of the Cold War.