France Red Cross Aircrew wings

[Chris Boonzaier]

Saw something unusual on ebay today...

These come in gold and silver.

Gold is a pilot, silver I guess for Nurse.

French red cross flight crew wings, I think indochina epoch....

[Chris Boonzaier]

2

[Chris Boonzaier]

The Nurses "convoyeuse de l'air" are breveted by the airforce and are there for medical flights repatriating wounded by air. they are state diplomed nurses, breveted by the air force and have officers rank.

[jules118]

A small proportion of the nurses also undertook parachute training. Here is the French Indochina period Parachutist wings which were awarded to the female para qualifed nurses of the Infirmières Parachutistes Secouristes de l'Air.

jules

http://www.juleswings.wordpress.com

A site for collectors of militaria and travelers interested in military history.

Edited December 9, 2012 by jules118

[jules118]

And another from my collection,

French Indochina era pilots badge worn by the Red Cross Aviation Section aka IPSA (Infirmières Pilotes - Secouristes de l'Air) of the Vietnamese Armed Forces. Many of the IPSA nurses were also dual qualified as helicopter pilots and parachutists.

Some of the French IPSA nurses, serving in Indochina, had formidable combat records. Paule Dupont d'Isigny was one such nurse. A veteran of the French resistance, Bernard Fall in his book "Street without Joy" recalls that she had "4200 flying hours, 30 combat missions and enough medals for bravery to last a regular army officer from military academy to retirement as a general."

http://www.juleswings.wordpress.com

A site for collectors of militaria and travelers interested in military history.