Over the course of one semester, a group of eight fifth-year engineering students at UTBM spent 1,000 hours building a 1/10-scale model (1 meter long).
This iconic aircraft has returned to LA BA-116 in Luxeuil, where it was stationed in 1945 during the liberation operations.
On Wednesday, April 6, the official presentation of the model took place at 116th Air Base.
This event marks the beginning of a wonderful collaboration between UTBM and BA 116!
The French Air Force, which had been fighting alongside the Allies since late 1942, included an aerial reconnaissance group, the II/33.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry flew with this group on two occasions as part of the first squadron: In 1940, flying a Bloch 174—including the famous flight over Aras (the setting for the book *Pilote de guerre*)—and then in 1944, flying a Lockheed F5-D Lightning (a variant of the P-38 designed for photographic reconnaissance). He went missing in action on July 31, 1944, over the Mediterranean near Marseille.
In late September 1944, the II/33 advanced northward with the Army it was supporting and established itself in Dijon.
On January 1, 1945, it was reorganized. The group’s first squadron became GR I/33 “Belfort” and continued to fly the Lightning, while the second formed GR II/33 “Savoie” and flew the Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX… while awaiting the fabulous Mustang!
In January and February 1945, the “Savoie” was equipped with North American F6-Ds, a photographic reconnaissance variant of the famous P-51D Mustang (nicknamed the “Cadillac of the Sky” by its American pilots), while the group had been stationed at the Luxeuil-les-Bains airfield since November 17, 1944.
The delivery of the aircraft and the training of the pilots led to the very first combat mission flown by Mustangs on February 19, 1945.
The Spitfires were gradually phased out, and by early March, the 18 Mustangs were carrying out combat operations.
In order to keep pace with the front, GR II/33 moved to the Colmar airfield on March 24, 1945.
On March 29, German artillery positioned on the right bank of the Rhine systematically shelled the area, forcing the group to fall back to Luxeuil for a few days.
The F6-Ds would conduct their operations from Colmar until May 8, 1945.
On September 12, they would leave France to deploy to Freiburg im Breisgau.
The “Savoie” Mustangs would continue to fly for nearly ten more years before giving way to jets: the Republic F-84G Thunderjet.
And for a time, Luxeuil would have been filled with the distinctive roar of the 12-cylinder V-type Packard Merlin engine, which powered the best American fighter of World War II.
