Roger Sauvage Fighter pilot Date of Birth: 26.03.1917 Country: France

Biography of Roger Sauvage

Roger Sauvage was born on March 26, 1917, in Paris, to a family of Martinique immigrants. He joined the French Air Force (VVS) in 1935 and initially served in the reconnaissance unit, flying the "Murat" aircraft. In 1937, he conducted several flights to photograph the fortifications on the German "Siegfried Line". In April 1939, he was assigned to the fighter group GC I / 5, equipped with Curtiss H-75A planes. However, due to his experience as a reconnaissance pilot, he was offered to fly one of the few "Potez 631" planes available in the group. Sauvage was later transferred to the night fighter group ECN I / 16, also armed with these aircraft.

During the war, Sauvage achieved two group victories in May 1940 against Luftwaffe bombers, but on May 14, he was mistakenly shot down by a Royal Air Force "Hurricane" aircraft. After the armistice, he was sent to North Africa. In late 1943, as a volunteer, Sauvage joined the Eastern Front and in January 1944, he joined the "Normandie" group with the rank of aspirant. After completing training flights on the Yak-9 aircraft, he participated in combat operations in May as part of the 1st squadron "Rouen". With his experience, Sauvage quickly integrated into the squadron and continued to achieve victories. On October 14, over Ragnit, Sauvage, along with Taburé, engaged in combat with a group of four Focke-Wulfs and shot down one of them.

On October 16, 1944, during the most successful day of the "Normandie" group, which saw about 100 combat sorties and the destruction of 29 enemy aircraft in aerial combat and around 50 on the ground, Sauvage recorded three group victories. In January 1945, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant, and at that time, the group was flying the new Yak-3 aircraft, which French pilots found to be remarkable. Sauvage experienced this firsthand on January 16, 1945, near Gumbinnen, when he achieved two victories, shooting down one FW-190 personally and another as part of a group. The next day, he achieved another personal victory by shooting down another FW-190.

By the end of World War II, Sauvage had achieved 16 aerial victories, 14 of which were with the "Normandie-Niemen" squadron (3 personal and 11 as part of a group). Another victory did not receive official confirmation. After the war, Sauvage remained in active service and in 1954, he was promoted to the rank of Captain. He wrote a book about his combat experience titled "Evening of Aviation" ("La Soir de I'Air"). Sauvage passed away in September 1977.