This is old news I'm afraid but I had been reading about Belgian flyers and came across this .... I'd like to think that it was serendipity ..... RIP "Cheval" Another World War II ace passed away recently. Raymond "Cheval" Lallemant, one of Belgium's leading World War II Aces, died after a long period of illness on 30th January 2008. Lallemant is perhaps best remembered for pioneering the Allied "tank-busting" tactics flying the Hawker Typhoon. Lallemant was one of the Belgian pilots that in 1940 escaped to France and later to Britain. When he arrived in England, his training hadn't been completed, so Lallemant was initially posted to an RAF flying school. In September 1941, he was assigned to No. 609 Squadron at Biggin Hill. He flew with Spitfires Mk. I and Mk. V. In 1942, No. 609 Squadron became one of the first to re-equip with the then-newest RAF fighter, the Hawker Typhoon. It is on this aircraft that Lallemant really showed his ability, shooting down five Focke Wulf Fw 190s and being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in March 1943. Promoted to Flight Lieutenant, he was posted to No. 198 Squadron, also on Typhoons, as a flight commander. With this unit, Lallemant destroyed a Messerschmitt Bf 110 and shared another. In August 1944, he was promoted to Sqn/Ldr and became the CO of No. 609 Squadron. The unit took very active part in the battle of the hedgerows in Normandy and the Falaise pocket. He was nearly killed on 14 September 1944. Lallemant's aircraft was shot down by flak over Arnhem and crashed into the ground with him trapped in the cockpit. He suffered severe burns and spent several months in the hospital. For his exploits in France he was awarded the second DFC. Returning to active duty, Lallemant became CO of the No. 349 (Belgium) Squadron in Holland, flying on Spitfires. This squadron remained in as part of the occupation forces in Germany until being transferred back under the Belgian control on 24 October 1946. After the war, Lallemant remained with the Belgian Air Force. He retired from active service in 1972 as a colonel. He passed away at the age of 88.
Raymond A. "Cheval" Lallemant Raymond A. "Cheval" Lallemant, one of Belgiums leading World War II Aces, pioneered allied "tank-busting" tactics flying the Hawker Typhoon. He was born in 1917 in Blicquy, Belgium. On 10 May 1940, while he was a student in pilot training at the Aeronautique Militaire in Wevelghem, Belgium, Luftwaffe Dornier Do 17's attacked the schools airfield; the Sitzkrieg turned into the Blitzkrieg. With Belgium quickly overrun by Guderians panzers , Lallemant and six of his classmates fled through France to Morocco, where they hoped to continue their flight training. In the chaotic days that followed, they joined a group of nearly 400 Polish airmen hoping to make their way to England and enter the Royal Air Force (RAF). At Casablanca, Lallemant's group of aviators boarded the SS Harison . Under continued threat from U-boats and long-range Focke Wulf FW 200 Condor bombers, they convoyed through the North Atlantic, arriving at Liverpool, England, on 12 July 1940. After being arrested as a suspicious foreigner, Lallemant was posted to an RAF flying school at Innsworth, Gloucester, and then to Oldiham, England, were he completed his flight training. In September 1941, Sergeant-Pilot Lallemant was assigned to 609 Squadron at Biggin Hill, Kent, on the southeastern edge of London. Pilots of 609 Squadron came from many countries, including Belgium, France, Norway, and Canada. Lallemant checked out in the Hawker Typhoon and quickly showed his mettle by shooting down five Focke Wulf Fw 190's. He was awarded the RAF's Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in March 1943. Posted to the Napier Engine Factory, he tested production Hawker Typhoons and Tempests and flew the little known Blackburn Firebrand. Promoted to Flight Lieutenant, he did a short stint with 197 Squadron, and then joined 198 Squadron as a flight commander. In 198 Squadron, he downed a Messerschmitt Me 109 Zerstör twin-engined fighter and "shared" in the downing of a Messerschmitt Me 109 Nachtjäger flown by Oberfeldwebel Helmut Vinke, one of the Luftwaffe's night fighter experten. Promoted again, to squadron leader, he returned to his beloved 609 Squadron as Officer Commanding (OC) in August 1944. With the battle for the hedgerows of Normandie roaring, Lallemant, using a squadron-level modification of the gunsight, made "train and tank busting" with the rocket-firing Typhoon into a fine art! The Stars and Stripes newspaper flatly declared 609 Squadron to be the best Typhoon-equipped unit in the allied 2d Tactical Air Force. On 14 September 1944, while Lallemant was flying his Typhoon, named "Winston Churchill," bad luck struck. He was attacking a German anti-aircraft artillery position, during the Allies' ill-fated attempt to reach "a bridge too far" at Arnhem in the Netherlands, when he was hit by ground fire. With his canopy jammed and unable to bail out, Lallemant crash landed his burning "Tiffy" in France. He spent several months recovering from the burns to his hands and face. Awarded his second DFC, he returned to duty as OC, 349 (Belgium) Squadron. He flew Spitfires over occupied Germany, until he was forced back to England for more "guinea-pig" plastic surgery. Returning to his native country, Lallemant remained in the Belgian Air Force, where he served first as Director of Operations, and then became Commander of a flight wing at Florennes. He spent a year at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, at Air War College and then returned home to a variety of assignments, including Command of the Belgian Fighter School and a staff tour at NATO Military Headquarters. He retired from active service in 1972 as a colonel. Welcome to the Air Command and Staff College Gathering of Eagles Homepage!
