Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) Aviator and writer
Born in Lyon (France) on June 29, 1900.In July 1912, the young boy received his first flight in Ambérieu. Flying was then the prerogative of those who are still called the "Adventurers of the Sky" and extremely rare were their passengers. It is this flight that will decide his vocation as a pilot.
In 1921, he did his military service with the 2nd Aviation Regiment of Strasbourg and it was there that he learned to fly. In 1926 he published his first account, the action of which took place in the world of aviation. On October 14, 1926, Saint-Exupéry joined Latécoère as a pilot, who transported mail from Toulouse to Dakar. But it was at Cap-Juby where he was appointed head of aeroplace that his career took a decisive turn. It was there that he wrote "Courrier-Sud" and in 1931 it was the release of "Vol de Nuit" that won the Prix Fémina the same year. He was then attached to Air France and embarked on journalism.
In 1935, aboard a "Simoun", he attempted to break the record on Paris-Saigon, but on the night of December 29 to 30, 1935, he crashed in the desert before reaching Cairo. He will then buy a second Simoun to complete a prospecting trip of 15,000 km across Africa for Air France. In 1938, he tried to connect New York to Tierra del Fuego, but he crashed on takeoff from Guatemala and was seriously injured. He spent a long convalescence in New York and published in 1939 "Terre des Hommes", the grand prize for the novel of the French Academy and the National Book Award in the United States.
1939, war breaks out. Mobilized with the rank of captain, he was initially refused a medical examination. He managed to get assigned to the 2/33 group and transform on Potez 63. After June 1940, he returned to the USA where he wrote his most significant works: "War Pilot", "Letter to a Hostage" and in 1943 the famous "Little Prince".
But the Americans went to war and in 1943 arrived in New York the military mission of General Bethouard charged with recruiting among the French resistance fighters in the USA those who volunteered to resume combat. Saint-Exupéry will be among the first to respond to his call. He moved to North Africa and returned to group 2/33 as a reconnaissance pilot. He managed to get qualified on "Lightning P38" and, based in Corsica, completed 10 war missions.
On July 31, 1944 he flew from Borgo (CORSICA) never to return. As aviator Didier Daurat wrote, he disappeared ... among stars like the Little Prince.
HISTORIAPHIL
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