"Luis Fortin: Dodging Flak for France" Topic

Luis Fortin: Dodging Flak for France
Bomber pilot Luis Fortin was a rare bird among World War II airmen: an Argentine-born volunteer in a Free French squadron in Britain's Royal AirForce, flying an American
-built plane.
By Jon Guttman

There is a reason it was called a world war. Besides the major powers involved, numerous lesser countries were caught up in the global struggle that officially began with the German invasion of Poland on September 1939.Volunteers from neutral or occupied countries fought in the Allied or Axis armies, navies or, most noticeably, air forces. The Luftwaffe included Slovak, Croatian and Spanish fighter squadrons. The Soviet army air force had Czech,Polish and French regiments. During the 1939- 40 Winter War, Finland had a flight whose Gloster Gladiator fighters and their pilots came from Sweden. Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) outdid them all, however, with squadrons made up of Czechs, Poles, Belgians, Dutch, French and Norwegians, as well as three "Eagle Squadrons" of Americans who had volunteered before their country entered the conflict. Within that context, Luis Horacio Fortin may have a multinational status unique among wartime airmen. An Argentine citizen, he volunteered to fight for France and, after doing some of his training in Canada, ended up in an RAF squadron of French airmen-in-exile carrying on the struggle from Britain
flying American built aircraft.

PDF link

Interesting story – thanks again.

Most welcome. I really like the individuals who keep up the fight and don't give up. Robert