“French heroes of the Soviet Union”

Consisting of Free French volunteers, the Normandie-Niemen Regiment was a Soviet fighter regiment which served on the Eastern Front from 1942 until the end of the war. Flying Yak fighters (Yak-1, Yak-9, and Yak-3), the regiment would score a total of 273 aerial victories against Axis pilots. Several members of the regiment were also awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union while the regiment itself was awarded multiple awards and orders by both the French and Soviet governments. Among these are the Légion d'Honneur, the Croix de la Libération, the Médaille Militaire, the Croix de guerre, the Order of the Red Banner, and the Order of Alexander Nevsky. After the war, the Normandie-Niemen Regiment was gifted 37 Yak-3 fighters by the Soviet government in recognition for their valor during the Great Patriotic War. Today, Escadron de chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen carries on the legacy of the Normandie-Niemen Regiment in the French Air Force.

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