MOSCOW, May 9 (RIA Novosti) - On May 9, Russian and French Presidents Vladimir Putin and Jacques Chirac opened a memorial dedicated to General de Gaulle.
Famous Russian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli authored the memorial to the glorious French military and political leader. The eight-meter-high figure of Charles de Gaulle is placed on a ten-meter pedestal. The leader of the French Resistance is shown in a military uniform.
On the same day, Jacques Chirac laid flowers at the memorial plaque to honor the memories of the pilots of the Normandie-Niemen air squadron. The plaque is placed on the building that housed during the war the French Military Mission where the famous regiment was formed.
The history of the first separate fighter squadron Normandie-Niemen started on December 4, 1942. On that day, the Normandie air squadron consisted of 15 French volunteers officially became part of the Soviet Air Force. As early as in 1943, the French pilots actively participated in the struggle against Nazi Germany.
The French air squadron suffered heavy losses. From the original 15 volunteers only three were left. Overall, during the war the regiment lost 42 pilots. The names of all pilots who were killed in combat engrave with gold on the memorial plaque placed on the wall of the building Number 29 on Prechistenskaya Embankment in Moscow.
