The Museum of the Order of the Liberation, at the Hôtel national des Invalides, is preparing to pay tribute, through an exhibition, to Édouard Corniglion-Molinier, FAFL (Free French Air Force), Companion of the Liberation and inveterate aviator.
A FAFL from the two World Wars
The museum of the Order of the Liberation, at the Hôtel national des Invalides, is preparing to pay homage, through an exhibition, to one of the airmen of the FAFL (Free French Air Force) known for his name, but whose course is much less… And which really deserves that we stop there. Judge for yourself. From his maiden flight as a teenager, to his speed record aboard a Mystery IVN in 1955 when he was a minister, Édouard Corniglion-Molinier’s life was marked by a passion for ‘aviation. Seven times cited at the age of 20, he is the youngest fighter pilot of the First World War and one of three French pilots to have obtained at least one victory in each of the two world conflicts.
Over Yemen and within the España squadron
“Seduced by the perfume of adventure” offered to him by a certain André Malraux, he flies over Yemen with the latter in search of the kingdom of the legendary Queen of Sheba and works alongside the Spanish Republicans in setting up the España squadron still alongside André Malraux. He was still fighting in the skies of France in 1940. Among the first resistance fighters in France from the summer of 1940, he then contributed, alongside General de Gaulle, to the creation of fighter and bomber units of the Free French Air Force.
From October 2, 2023 to February 4, 2024
Following this red thread of aviation, the exhibition produced by the Museum of the Order of Liberation will focus on evoking the many facets of Édouard Corniglion-Molinier’s life. The Museum of the Order of the Liberation pays tribute to him on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his disappearance, through the exhibition “A knight of the sky. Édouard Corniglion-Molinier, Companion of the Liberation (1898-1963)”. It will be held from October 2, 2023 to February 4, 2024, at the Museum of the Order of the Liberation, Hôtel national des Invalides, in Paris.
