259:. He claimed Bf.109s "probably destroyed" on 26 February 1941 and on 15 March. He was himself most probably shot down on 29 October flying Hurricane Mk.I V7383. Taking off at 12.00 hours, he crashed in attempting a forced landing between trees near Teston at 12.40 with a damaged engine and a glycol leak. An eyewitness of his shooting down was René Mouchotte: "Attacked by Messerschmitts, higher up than we were; we did not see them, the sun is so dazzling. They dropped out of the sky like three stones and climbed back without giving us time to say ʽOuf!ʼ In the scrap that followed I saw two of ours shot down. One of them was my only French comrade in the squadron. Luckily he was not hit and landed in a field. The enemy has a terrible advantage in superiority of altitude."
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on 10 August where he flew 15 hours on Tiger Moths and
Hectors. He was posted to 6 OTU, Sutton Bridge on the 19 August, converting to Hurricanes and joined No. 245 Squadron at
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Wounded on 27 June 1942, he returned to action in
January 1943, flying fighter operations over the Western Front. He finished the war flying a
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Lafont was born in Cahors, France on 10 August 1920. Attracted by flying, he obtained his pilot's license and, in
November 1938, entered the
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Lafont was one of eleven French pilots posted to RAF St. Athan in late July. He moved to No. 1 School of Army Co-operation at
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Mk. IX, and had completed 230 operational missions. He left the air force in 1966 with the rank of colonel.
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Croix de Guerre with three palms, Cross for
Military Valour, Companion of the Ordre de la Libération
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In May 1941, he was posted to 59 OTU as an instructor for French pilots coming from 10 FTS at
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transport aircraft, surviving a takeoff with sabotaged propellers locked in coarse pitch, to
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161:– 2 December 2011) was a French aviator. He was the last surviving French veteran of the
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on 9 October, participating in the latter stages of the Battle of
Britain flying
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TNA, AIR 27/2123, Form 540 and Form 541, RAFMA, MFC77-16-15, AM 1180 A130347/40
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Aviateurs de la liberté, mémorial des Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres
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For the head of the French
Gestapo during the German occupation, see
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Lafont was awarded the Croix de Guerre with three palms and the
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360:"Henry Lafont, Pilot, Dies at 91; Fought in Battle of Britain"
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335:"Décès du colonel Henry Lafont, Compagnon de la Libération"
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with
Germany. With five other servicemen, including
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289:From 1967 to 1984, Lafont was director of the
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486:Recipients of the Cross for Military Valour
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348:, 2 December 2011, accessed 20 April 2012
243:On 18 September, Lafont was attached to
399:"Last French Battle of Britain pilot",
358:Goldstein, Richard (17 December 2011).
311:Companion of the Ordre de la Libération
213:. They escaped by flying a twin-engine
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205:and Charles Guérin, he escaped from
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26:For the Puerto Rican comedian, see
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223:Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres
211:Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres
124:Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres
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491:Companions of the Liberation
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423:Battle of Britain Voices
16:French Air Force officer
28:Henry LaFont (comedian)
309:. He also was made a
105:Years of service
403:, February 2012, p12
268:No. 341 Squadron RAF
245:No. 615 Squadron RAF
157:(10 August 1920 in
476:People from Cahors
340:2011-12-24 at the
240:on 11 September.
177:flying school at
163:Battle of Britain
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209:to join the
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155:Henry Lafont
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129:Battles/wars
80:(2011-12-02)
49:Henry Lafont
37:Henry Lafont
21:Henri Lafont
511:2011 deaths
471:1920 births
456:(in French)
465:Categories
317:References
295:Le Bourget
257:Hurricanes
238:Aldergrove
169:Early life
87:Allegiance
61:1920-08-10
249:Prestwick
230:Old Sarum
219:Gibraltar
199:Armistice
108:1938–1966
100:Air Force
425:, p. 440
338:Archived
279:Spitfire
264:Ternhill
253:Northolt
95:Service/
70:, France
421:Reeve,
369:12 July
187:Algeria
116:Colonel
301:Awards
234:Odiham
179:Istres
159:Cahors
137:Awards
97:branch
90:French
68:Cahors
401:Pilot
272:Libya
371:2022
207:Oran
183:Oran
121:Unit
113:Rank
75:Died
55:Born
293:at
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