Firstly, a question for NC900:

If 346 Squadron was classed as RAF rather than FAFL, does this mean the French crews were also? If that is true would the RAF hold the Service Records of these men? The UK Veterans Agency site does not mention French Service Records but does give details on how to obtain Czech, Polish and Commonwealth Service Records. I think I’ll give them a ring Monday and clarify things. Perhaps we can get better contact details with which Sandra can track the records down in France.

As long as I know:

To be a Free French you had to join De Gaulle between june 1940 to August 1943. SC BIAGGI joined De Gaulle in 1942 and apparently wasn’t registered as FAFL (was that because it took time to incorporated him into a service ?)

the 346 wasn’t an FAFL squadron but a RAF bomber command squadron (1st May 1944).
Most of those men came from North Africa and were already in the French Air Force before . The reason why they were not FAFL is certainly because they didn’t joined De Gaulle from 1940 but only after North Africa was free by the Allied.

Frankly I think the records of those men must be in France but they will not be recorded as FAFL with an FAFL number. (May be wrong)

I have the list of all the FAFL KIA (1940-1945) unfortunatly the SC BIAGGI does not appear in it and none of the other victims as well . (Aviateurs de la Liberté / Colonel Henry Lafont / Service Historique de l’Armée de l’Air )

Please have a look at this page for some additionnal information and very interresting (and sad, directly connected to D. BIAGGI) comment with the same photo.

http://www.francaislibres.net/liste/fiche.php?index=55508

and also this one :

http://halifax346et347.canalblog.com/archives/equipages_du_groupe_guyenne/index.html
&
http://halifax346et347.canalblog.com/archives/2008/10/08/10875429.html

It may worth to contact those sites to see how to get the record of the Sergent Chef BIAGGI.

Cheers,

Oliver

Aircraft recognition in my country has always been a problem, sorry…
no wonder why people see Concorde still flying around here !!!:D

Olivier

Of course you may – I hope this goes to a good home; it will make far less than an equivalent Spitfire part, but has a much more interesting history! It also had English lettering on the glass, presumably from when they were taken over by the RAF, but it came away when I cleaned the instrument.
All the best
Bruce

Thank you, Bruce,
And as you say a much more interesting history! Much more difficult to find than German intruments, one of the reason is that the US export (or british) cockpit are not well documented so it’s difficult to know where those gauges were fitted.
Few month ago I put the following Pioneer rate of climb instrument on my blog
This type could be fitted on Curtiss H-75 / Boston / Maryland…etc

Cheers,
Olivier

You’re welcome,
This a photo of the French DB-7 Cockpit. I circled the instrument in green.

Please, may I use the picture of your advert to put in my blog ?

http://blogsperso.orange.fr/web/jsp/blog.jsp?blogID=452573&articleID=18757080

Cheers,

Oliver

Sorry, but I’m doubtful about this story, that, by the way, I nerver heard before, those French pilots must have been in the Free French Forces or the RAF for quite a long time to be familiar with this type of A/C and to carry out such mission, one traitor, why not, five crew at the same place with the sufficient experiences (RAF training) and futher more by the end of 1942 in Africa + 5 BLENHEIMS destroyed by HURRICANES cannon fire must leave records somewhere… I don’t buy it…but it’s a tale isn’t it ?

Cheers,

Oliver