F RAF ACES WWII P.CLOSTERMANN

Pierre Clostermann was born in 1921 and died in 2006 at the age of 85. He was a French WWII fighter ace who recorded 33 air victories. Pierre Clostermann was interested in flying from an early age, and at the age of 16 he completed a pilot course. Despite attempts to join the French air force in 1939-1940, it was rejected every time. After the defeat of his homeland in the 1940 campaign, he made his way to Great Britain, where in 1942 he underwent training as a fighter pilot. After its completion, he was assigned to the 341. Free French Fighter Squadron, fighting on Spitfires. As part of it, he achieved his first air victories. In 1943 he was transferred to the 602nd Fighter Squadron of the RAF, with further successes. He also took an active part in the air combat over Normandy in the summer of 1944 as part of Operation Overlord and subsequent operations. In July 1944, he was awarded the DFC and moved to staff work, but at his request, in 1945, he returned to the line and "transferred" to the Hawker Tempest Mk. V serving as a fighter pilot until the end of the war. He retired from active military service in August 1945 with the rank of lieutenant colonel of the RAF. It is worth adding that after 1945 Pierre Clostermann worked in the French aviation industry (including Air France). He was also a deputy to the French parliament.