Escadron de Chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen Air Base (BA 118). During the rallying of général Charles de Gaulle through the Appeal of 18 June 1940 inviting Frenchmen to join him in London, some went on to Great-Britain in order to continue the fight with the Allies. Great-Britain became the most important « Free French military base and rallying point. Following the rupture of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact by Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941, representatives of Vichy were declared as Persona non grata by the Soviet Authorities and were asked to return to France. Colonel Charles Luguet, the air attaché of the Vichy Government in Moscow, changed
Brian Lane (RAF officer) 1940, Lane married famous racing driver Eileen Ellison in Cambridge. During the Dunkirk evacuation in May 1940 Lane was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his bravery, and his official rating as a fighter pilot classed "exceptional". He became acting squadron commander on 25 May 1940 when the incumbent commanding officer was shot down over Dunkirk. By September 1940, during the peak of the Battle of Britain, Lane's abilities as a fighter pilot and leader were duly recognised and he was promoted to squadron leader. Lane's No. 19 Squadron RAF often operated with No. 242 Squadron RAF, and led