AVIONS N°261

Editorial

The difficulty of the historian's work.

The articles in this issue have one thing in common: the details they provide on their subjects, whether it is the unknown exploit of a US Navy pilot in Korea, the German gliders striking down the Belgian army on May 10, 1940 (don't forget that gliders were a secret weapon when they first appeared!) or the career of one of the greatest French aces of 14-18. To do this, their authors have often had to delve into archives that had long been classified, find the testimonies of the various protagonists and family documents, reconstruct with a thousand difficulties the way in which the events had unfolded at the time... The work of the historian is a real profession, it requires rigor and know-how that are only acquired over the years. The article by my Spanish colleague Carlos Lázaro on the ace Manuel Vázquez is in this vein: it is the first time that the biography of one of the greatest pilots of the Spanish Civil War has been written with such precision, whether it is his career or his record of achievements reconstructed for the first time in its entirety. AVIONS is proud to publish it. Others will follow, in particular on Republican aces.

With our visit to the SHLADA enthusiasts in Lyon, this issue also offers you a new News section that will become recurring. We will now regularly tour the associations and institutions that aim to collect, preserve or restore the French aeronautical heritage. This is immense and we must be proud of it… What better way to show it than to show it? I hope you enjoy reading!
Christophe Cony

Contents:
- Readers' letters.
- Korea 1952: the real hero of "Top Gun". Full story, by Guy Julien with the participation of Christophe Cony.
- 1941-1943, the Grumman Martlet in combat in the desert. Full story, by Geoffrey Bussy.
- Eben Emael (May 1940): the masterstroke of the German gliders. Full story, by Philippe Saintes and Jean-Louis Roba with the participation of Christophe Cony.
- A disciple of García Morato: the ace Manuel Vázquez Sagastizábal. Full story, by Carlos Lázaro Ávila.
- Michel Coiffard, the “sausage burner” from Nantes. First part, by Christophe Cony.
- News: SHLADA, the meeting place for enthusiasts in Lyon. Full story, by Philippe Guillermin.
- Infoloisirs. By Michel Ledet and Christophe Cony.

On the cover:
Everyone knows the movie "Top Gun"... But who knows that the final feat of the hero played by Tom Cruise (three victories in one mission) strangely resembles that of a real US Navy pilot, Lt Royce Williams, who claimed control of a modest F9F Panther three or maybe even four Soviet MiG-15s in 1952? AVIONS tells you more about this affair kept secret for almost fifty years...