Date of birth:

August 18th, 1916 (Chateau Forsac, Benayes, France)

Date of death:

April 21st, 1955 (Mont de Marsan, France)

Service number:

30610

Nationality:

French

After studying at the Jesuit Fathers College in Sarlat, holder of the baccalaureate, he was called up for military service in November 1938.

He joined the Air Force in March 1939 as a career cadet. Patented pilot in November 1939, he followed an internship at the Avord hunting school before being assigned to air base 127 where he completed his training when the armistice of June 1940 arose.

He followed the retreat of his unit to the Pyrenees and embarked on June 24 at Saint-Jean-de-Luz on the Arandora Star bound for England. Landed in Liverpool, he immediately signed his commitment to the "Legion de Gaulle" on June 29.

After training in the ranks of the Royal Air Force, Adjutant de Montbron is, with his comrade Maurice Choron, assigned on September 14, 1940 to 64 Squadron.

On October 2, he joined the ranks of 92 Squadron with which he took part in the last phase of the Battle of Britain; he shot down a Messerschmitt 109, in collaboration with two British pilots on November 1, 1940 over the Thames estuary. On November 9, he obtained another victory, shared with one of his comrades, against a JU 88.

Patrol leader, on June 16, 1941, he supported a fight against several enemy aircraft and damaged one very seriously.

After nine months of operations and two air victories, the second lieutenant of Montbron was shot down and wounded above Saint-Omer on July 3, 1941. Wounded, he was taken prisoner by the Germans and taken into detention at the Oflag XXI from where he vainly tries to escape; in detention, he notably met Philippe de Scitivaux, himself shot in April 1942.

Released in May 1945, he continued his career as an officer in the Air Force with the rank of captain.

He served at the Meknes hunting school then, returned to France in May 1949, joined air base 102 in Dijon; he received his stripes as commander in February 1952.

Assigned to the Military Aerial Experiments Center (CEAM), Xavier de Montbron accidentally died during a training flight on April 21, 1955 in Mont-de-Marsan. He was buried in Benayes.

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• Photo 1: Tom MacNeill
• - Battle of Britain London Monument
  - Ordre de la Liberation
  - Xavier de Montbron - Les Frances Libres