Eleusis Airport, May 1941: a French Vichy Air Force’s Potez 540 parked on this Greek airport near Athens used as technical stop for the ferry flight from Algiers to Rayak, Lebanon, of the Dewoitine D.520 of the Groupe de Chasse (Fighter Group) GC III/6 moved urgently to French Levant attacked by the British and Free French Forces. On board of this Potez 540, a former bomber now employed in ancillaries roles, travelled the GC III/6’s technical personnel committed to support the D.520 moved to Levant where the Vichy’s air forces were almost destroyed by the RAF and RAAF’s air raids. See also www.ww2incolor.com/d/756906-2/D520-JU52-ELEUSIS. Victor Sierra

Stop at Eleusis

This is a Latécoère 298 belonging to Escadrille de Torpillage T2 which force landed at Boisjean. So dire was the situation at the end of May that this slow and vulnerable torpedo floatplane was thrown into dive-bombing and strafing the advancing german columns, with predictable results: they were decimated.

Latécoère 298

One of five British built Westland Lysanders of Escadrille “Rennes” of Groupe “Bretagne” of Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres (Free French Air Forces) employed in tactical support missions against the Italians during the operations for the conquest of oasis of Fezzan in the Western Libyan desert. Note under wing the Cross of Lorraine, the symbol adopted from the Free French Forces during World War II. Victor Sierra