Pierre Clostermann Dies at 85; Ace French Pilot in World War
from the NY Times
Pierre Clostermann, an ace fighter pilot who flew for de Gaulle’s Free French forces in World War II, engaging in fierce combat in the Battle of Britain and over Normandy on D-Day, died March 22 at his home in Montesquieu des Albères in southwestern France. He was 85.
After the war, Mr. Clostermann became a pillar of Gaullist politics.
French newspapers, from the national Le Monde and Le Figaro to the regional press, registered his death as the passing of one the country’s last true war heroes. Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin eulogized him as a “legend and an example” to all citizens.
After France fell to the Germans in 1940, Mr. Clostermann heeded de Gaulle’s call for the French to continue the fight on the side of the Allies. He trained with the Royal Air Force and fought in the Battle of Britain and over Continental Europe. In three years he flew more than 420 combat sorties, shot down 33 enemy aircraft and possibly more, and rose to command a fighter wing.
After the war, he worked as an aeronautical engineer and became a vice president of the Cessna Aircraft Company. He also entered politics and spent 23 years as a high-profile Gaullist in the French legislature until giving up his seat in 1969.
Technorati Tags: Pierre Clostermann, ace fighter pilot, de Gaulle, Free French forces, World War II, war hero
