Historically and French Nationally Important Log Book Set of Captain Pierre Mendès-France, Free French Air Force, No342 Lorraine Squadron and Post War Prime Minister of France, Responsible for Ending the French Campaign in Indo-China, the pair of logs cover his service from 1939 until 1940 with the French Air Force and then his service with the Free-French Air Force once France had surrendered to the Germans. The first log book has paper cover with a inked name label to the front. Inked entries in the log for the later stages of 1939 and then into the spring of 1940. Many ink stamps and signatures of commanding officers etc. His blue covered Royal Air Force log book begins on the 2nd February 1943, with flights from RAF West Freugh in Scotland. It would appear that in July and August 1943 he began flying operationally in Boston (Douglas A-20 Havoc) aircraft. On August 8th 1943 a entry is noted for a low level attack on the French city of Rennes. On 16th August he notes a raid on a railway factory on Denain, Northern France. Ink stampings for the Free French squadron and signatures of the commanding officers of the Squadron. Throughout the summer and in to the autumn of 1943, he flew many operational sorties against German targets in occupied France, many of these are noted with detail in the log book. The last entry in the log is in 1943 when he flew from Gibraltar to Algiers to join up with the Free French government under Charles de Gaulle. A period picture of Charles de Gaulle accompanies the log books, along with ‘Lorraine Squadron’ by Paul Lambermont and also a large folder of research.

Pierre Isaac Isidore Mendès-France was born on 11th January 1907 in Paris. He was the son of a textile merchant. He was well educated and became a member of the French Radical Party in 1924. He joined the French air force in 1939 and when France surrendered to Germany in 1940, he managed to escape with other pilots to French North Africa.

He was arrested by the Vichy government in North Africa and tried for desertion. He managed to escape from captivity with the Vichy and managed to get himself to England where he joined Charles de Gaulle’s Free French forces. He was posted to No342 (Lorraine) Squadron and served with them with great distinction in 1943. He would make many notes on operations carried out by the newly formed squadron, it was these notes which formed much of the book ‘Notebooks of the Lorraine Group’ which remained un-published until 1984.

On 3rd October 1943, he took part in the operation to bomb the Chevilly-Larue transformer station just outside of Paris which knocked out the power to the city of Paris for some time. It would appear from his personal notes that he recorded that he batted with his conscious over the bombing missions on his homeland and the effects it was causing to his countrymen. He goes in to detail in relation to the raid on 3rd October 1943.

He was sent a secret message by Charles de Gaulle to join him and the French government in exile in North Africa. He later went back to Paris after its liberation in 1944. He was appointed to the role of Minister of National Economy in de Gaulle’s provisional government. <br>He continued in politics after the war and was the French prime minister from 18th June 1954 until 23rd February 1955. During this time, he was responsible for ending the French war in Indo-China with North Vietnam communist leader H? Chí Minh. He was also heavily involved in the end of the French colonial empire, with the demise of the French control in Morocco and Algeria. <br>A very interesting, historical and French nationally important log book set which is worthy of museum exhibition.