was given to the Soviets. The first commandant, Joseph Pouliquen, was tasked by De Gaulle with forming and commanding Fighter Group 3 (GC 3) in Lebanon while awaiting Soviet approval. Fighter Group Normandie was created in late 1942 (the first date mentioned in the Marching Journal was 15 September) as "Normandie". Joseph Pouliquen suggested the name for GC 3; he had wanted to use the name of his province (Brittany, but it was already in use by a bombardment group. The first volunteer group consisted of 14 French fighter pilots and 58 mechanics, joined by 17 Soviet mechanics. The first 14 fighter pilots of GC 3 came from units of the Royal Air Force or from the Île-de-France fighter group in England and from the Alsace Fighter Group North Africa. The eight English pilots were Aspirants , Yves Mahé, Marcel Albert, Marcel Lefèvre, Albert Durand, Yves Bizien, Roland de la Poype, and Lieutenant Didier Béguin. The six "Libyans" were Aspirant Noël Castelain, Lieutenants Raymond Derville, André Poznanski and Albert Preziosi, Captain Albert Littolff, and commander Jean Tulasne. De Gaulle ordered the creation of GC 3 on 1 September 1942, commanded by Pouliquen. Mechanics, pilots and hardware travelled by rail and air via Tehran to Baku. After lengthy negotiations with Colonel Levandovitch, the military chargé d'affaires of international relations at the Soviet Air Ministry general staff headquarters, the group left Riyaq airfield on 12 November 1942 and arrived on 28 November at Ivanovo air base (250 km north-east of Moscow), via Iraq and Iran. The group were trained at Ivanovo in handling their first aircraft: the Yakovlev Yak-1. Second World War The squadron's training on the Yakovlev Yak-7 and Yak-1 lasted from 2 December 1942 to 14 March 1943. On 20 March, French mission military chief in Moscow Ernest Petit, Ivanovo base commander Schoumoff, commander of the aerial base of Ivanovo, and Colonel Levandovitch of the Soviet air force high command reviewed the group for two days. According to the reviewers, "By its military qualities and morals, this unit is ready to be sent to the front"; it became operational on 22 March 1943. First campaign (22 March6 November 1943) GC 3, equipped with the Yak-1 fighter, saw combat between Polotniani Zavod and Monastirtchina. It became the fourth squadron of the 18th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. The squadron was part of the 1st Air Army. Pilots Albert Preziosi and Albert Durand