Marcel
Albert (right), in Cannes beginning of May 1940, with second
Lieutenants Boutarel and Irumberry de Salaberry, and Adjutant Cartier
who was shot down and killed on the 14th of May.
What an extraordinary journey for this
Parisian " wisecracking " kid, in succession, a lathe operator for the
Renault factory, hero of the Soviet Union, and consortium executive in the
USA…
Born in Paris on the 25th of November 1917, Marcel Albert started his
working life as a lowly apprentice for the Renault Company in Billancourt
outside of Paris. Fascinated with aviation, he passed both basic pilot
licenses thanks to a Government grant. In 1938, he entered the Istres
flight school and obtained his military pilot license in July of that
year. Promoted to Corporal, he was assigned a year later to the first
fighter wing.
When World War Two began, he was transferred to the CIC (fighter pilot
school centre) in Chartres as an Instructor. Insisting on being sent to
the front, he finally got his wish in February of 1940, and he was
assigned to the 2nd escadrille of fighter group I/3 based in Cannes, as
the transition to Dewoitine D-520 was in progress.
It was with GC I/3 that Marcel Albert
obtained his first two victories; one confirmed on Mai 14th, and one
probable on the 20th. After a long period of inactivity due to the
armistice, Albert planned on " deserting " the Air Force of the Armistice
with two other comrades; Sergeants Durand and Lefèvre. On the 14th of
October 1941, taking off from Oran Algeria for a routine patrol, the three
pilots headed for Gibraltar, where from there, they would rally the free
French in England. At the end of the RAF's mandatory transition in a
training unit, Albert was assigned to the Group " Ile de France " in May
of 1942 where he would fly 48 war missions.
Volunteering for the Russian front, he went to the group " Normandie " on
the 7th of October 1942. On the 16th of June 1943 he achieved his first
success in Russia:
" With Préziosi, we had taken off to protect the small train station of
Soukinovichi located near the front. All of a sudden, an interpreter came
on the radio, announcing that an enemy reconnaissance airplane was taking
photos of the train station. Looking in the direction of the station, I
spotted a twin boom airplane, probably a Focke-Wulf 189. I rocked my wings
to alert Préziosi, we had radio, but we seldom used it. The " Fritz "
never saw us coming, and after we shot at him, he performed a reversed
turn, coming very close to us. The airplane had lost the cone of its
centre cockpit; one of its engines was stopped and full of holes.
We followed him for a while and I could smell the odour of burnt varnish
as we flew behind him. We abandoned him at an altitude of about 50 meters
and Préziosi and I flew on home. Photos taken of the FW-189's airdrome by
the Russians that very morning showed 12 airplanes on the field. In the
evening, as they again took photos, there was one airplane less, and that
fact confirmed our victory.
In the cockpit of his Yak-9 (white "6") in Tula, at the end of 1943
During the Orel battle, Albert would add
five more victories to his score. Following the loss of Lieutenant Léon,
he took command of the 1st escadrille on the 4th of September 1943. When
the "Normandie" moved to its winter quarters in Toula on the 6th of
November 1943, Albert learned of his promotion to the rank of lieutenant.
During the offensive against Eastern Prussia in October of 1944, he scored
7 new victories; Stalin honoured Albert by naming him " Hero of the Soviet
Union ".
Promoted to Captain, Marcel Albert left the regiment
on the 12th of December 1944. He was one of the rare survivors of the
first contingent, and one of only three pilots of the " Normandie Niemen "
who became a " Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur ".
He would again join his regiment for their triumphant return at Le Bourget
airport in June of 1945. Named Inspector of the Fighter Arm in October of
1945, he became the Air attaché in Prague, then left the Air Force,
immigrated to the United States where he got married and became President
of a large consortium of companies.
ALBERT Marcel
Sergeant
GC I/3
14.05.40 (2) Do 17 Suippes [51]
Pilot officer / Second lieutenant
GC 3
16.06.43 (2) Fw 189 Brusna-Mekovaïa [USSR]
14.07.43 (1) Bf 110 Iagodnia [USSR]
17.07.43 (1) Fw 190 Iagodnia [USSR]
17.07.43 (2) Fw 190 Znamenskaïa [USSR]
19.07.43 (5) Ju 88 Znamenskaïa [USSR]
31.08.43 (1) Ju 87 Ielnia [USSR]
01.09.43 (2) Fw 190 Ielnia [USSR]
17.09.43 (1) Fw 190 Ielnia [USSR]
22.09.43 (1) Fw 190 Smolensk [USSR]
04.10.43 (6) Hs 126 Krasno [USSR]
12.10.43 (1) Fw 190 Gorki [USSR]
Flying officer / First lieutenant
15.10.43 (3) Ju 88 Gorki [USSR]
15.10.43 (2) Fw 190 Gorki [USSR]
15.10.43 (2) Fw 190 Gorki [USSR]
16.10.44 (5) Ju 87 Pillupönen [Eastern Pomerania]
16.10.44 (2) Ju 87 Pillupönen [E.P.]
16.10.44 (1) Fw 190 Stallupönen [E.P.]
18.10.44 (2) Hs 129 Stallupönen [E.P.]
18.10.44 (3) Hs 129 Stallupönen [E.P.]
23.10.44 (2) Bf 109 Stallupönen [E.P.]
26.10.44 (3) Bf 109 Walterkehmen [E.P.]
(X): total number of pilots participating to the destruction of the enemy
airplane.
