The companion of the Release Claude Raoul-Duval died in 98 years

The last one representing free French Air forces among the Companions of the Release died at the 98 years age on May 10th.

Claude Raoul–Duval was born on October 22nd, 1919 and received a military formation at the Flying school in 1939.

In 1940, whereas he refuses the defeat, he is promoted sub–lieutenant and tries to embark in Bordeaux on the “Marsillia” which refuses to take along the pilots of the Flying school of North Africa. At this point in time it decides to join England while embarking on a Dutch boat.

Pilot with the free French Air forces, it follows a one year training in the schools of Royal Air Force. Volunteer for the Middle East, it joined the group of Alsace hunting in 1941 in Lebanon then it carries out about fifty missions in operations in Lybie.

Repatriated in the United Kingdom with its unit in January 1943, it carries out missions on the Eastern face, in particular with the top of occupied France where its plane is cut down with the top of Le Havre. After having jumped in parachute and to be wounded, it succeeds in escaping the enemy. It takes part then in Resistance being used as conveyor for the networks Comet and Burgundy while making escape several killed pilots.  Of return in England after a difficult escape for which it has to cross the Pyrenees and part of Spain with four American pilots and two French officers and his wife, it is reallocated with the Alsace group and takes part in the operations on England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands during the year 1944; among the offensive soixante–seizes with the top of the enemy territory, one counts two of them on June 6th, 1944 at the time of the landing of the Allied in Normandy.

Capitaine Claude Raoul–Duval achieved a hundred and sixty missions with 220 hours of flight; after the war, it takes again the civil life in the trade then the bank in Africa (Congo, Nigeria, Algeria) then in Brazil and Paris starting from 1969 until 1995 when it retires.

Large Officer of the Legion of Honour, the President of the Republic paid him homage and addressed his condolences to the family. He was one of the last survivors of the Companions of the Release still in life. From now on, there remain only six about it of which Daniel Cordier, secretary of Jean Moulin, on the 1,038 which had engaged within free France during the German Occupation.

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VERONIQUE YANG

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