René Challe was born on June 6, 1913, in Besançon. From 1935 to 1937, he studied at the popular Saint-Cyr military academy. He joined aviation in 1938, one of four pilot brothers in the Challe family. He began his service in a unit stationed in Versailles.
He participated in aerial battles over France in the summer of 1940. Flying an MS.406 fighter, as part of the GC III/7 unit, he achieved his first aerial victory on May 15, shooting down a Do.17 bomber. He was demobilized in 1942.
Service with Normandie-Niémen
In March 1944, along with his younger brother Maurice, Challe arrived at the “Normandie” regiment. Soon after, following a brief retraining on the new Yak-9 fighter, Challe began performing combat missions, quickly proving himself to be a skilled, decisive, and resourceful pilot.
In May 1944, Captain René Challe was appointed commander of the 4th squadron (“Caen”) of the “Normandie” regiment. He achieved his first victory in Russia on June 26, 1944, shooting down a Bf.109 fighter, and then, as part of a group, downed another aircraft. For his courage and bravery shown in battle, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class.
On October 16, 1944, a significant day for “Normandie,” he secured two immediate victories. By the end of the month, in battles over East Prussia, he shot down two more aircraft.
The Last Battle
On January 17, 1945, he flew his last battle. On that day, in the Gumbinnen area, a group of Fw.190s appeared. René, leading two pairs of fighters, decided to intercept the enemy. However, his wingman’s engine malfunctioned during takeoff, so only three of them reached the target.
There turned out to be significantly more “Focke-Wulfs” than expected – 15 aircraft – but despite this, the French rapidly attacked the enemy. From a short distance, almost point-blank, René shot down an Fw.190. Another one seemed to be in his sights, but he needed to help Marqui, who was being fired upon by another “Focke-Wulf”. René turned his aircraft, fired a long burst, and the Fw.190, evading fire, went into a steep turn.
Deciding to finish off his opponent, René rushed towards him. Turning around, he saw another “Focke-Wulf” on his tail, but since it was at least 600 meters away, he decided he would have time to shoot down his victim. However, at the moment he had the enemy in his sights, a bright flash of fire and an explosion erupted in his cockpit, shattering the canopy.
The pilot’s left arm was broken, and numerous fragments lodged in his body. The aircraft, performing a half-roll, plummeted downwards. Close to the ground, René managed to level the plane into horizontal flight. Under the cover of his friends, he managed to reach the airfield and lost consciousness after landing. The injury was very severe, and the treatment prolonged. He never returned to his regiment. His combat activity with “Normandie” resulted in 7 aerial victories (according to some sources, 6 personal and 1 group).
From the hospital, René traveled to France, carrying the sorrowful news for his mother that his younger brother Maurice had died on March 27. After Maurice had shot down a Russian plane, he always longed to wash away the guilt with his own blood. He washed it away with enemy blood, striking down 10 enemy aircraft. After the war, René Challe remained in the Air Force. However, in the mid-1950s, due to his health, he was forced to leave aviation.