13. France produced air aces during the Second World War, despite the German occupation
It is a commonly held belief among many that France effectively left the war in June, 1940, after their defeat in the Battle of France. This is both inaccurate and unfair. France kept fighting, despite the collaborationist puppet government at Vichy. The Resistance in France continued throughout the war, supported by British and American special forces. The Free French Forces under deGaulle fought the Germans in all areas of the European Theater. They included Free French Air Forces, which contained pilots many of whom defected, with their airplanes, to the British in Gibraltar, as well as to Great Britain.
Besides operating their own squadrons, including one sent to the Eastern Front in support of the Soviets, Free French squadrons served in the RAF, operating Spitfires and Hurricanes. The leading French ace of the war, Pierre Clostermann, scored 33 victories, though he frequently flew ground-attack missions. In his reports to superiors, he claimed the destruction of over 200 motor vehicles, including five German tanks. He also claimed more than 70 railroad locomotives and trains, and the sinking of two E-Boats, the German equivalent of the American PT-Boat. Following the Normandy invasion, Clostermann and his unit became one of the first French aviation units to return to operations on French soil.