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Roland
de La Poype can take great pride in having changed our universe.
His journey was typical of the majority of the Free French Aviators.
After the war, few of them would continue their career in the
French Air Force. Returning to civilian life, they would apply
their enterprising spirit of the war years, and many of them would
find a new career as successful, and as brilliant as their military
career.
Roland de La Poype was born in the Puy-de-Dôme region of France
on July 28, 1920. In August 1939 he enlisted in the French Air
Force as a student pilot and obtained his pilot license in March
1940. As the storm of war hit France, he was at the fighter pilot
school at Etampes. With his comrades of his graduating class,
they followed Commandant Lionel de Marmier to Saint-Jean de Luz
where they embarked for England along with Polish Aviators.
Joining the FAFL (Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres, or Free
French Air Force), he was stationed in French Equatorial Africa
from July 1940 to January 1941. Proceeding to England with the
rank of Sergeant, he was integrated into Squadron 602, where he
would get his baptism of fire. His promotion in rank rose rapidly,
becoming a Flight - Lieutenant
in the RAF in August 1942
(his French rank however never changed).
Then, he signed up and volunteered to serve with other French
pilots on the Russian front, arriving at Ivanovo on November 28
1942 with the first element of GC 3 Normandie.
He stayed there for two years,
during which time his record of accomplishments earned him the
rank of Warrant Officer and then the rank of Captain, receiving
the highest order of decorations, including Hero of the Soviet
Union.
After the war, he stayed a while longer with the "Neu-Neu" (A
French expression describing the group Normandie Niemen), and
after that, he became the Air attaché in Belgium, and hence in
Yugoslavia. In 1947 the first part of his "living a full life"
had come to a successful conclusion. The opportunity for the second
part of his life came at the age of 27, and it would be no less
successful than the first.
A visionary and genius inventor, Roland de la Poype understood
that the future was in the use of plastic and disposable containers.
In May 1947 he built a factory and began manufacturing a product
that would revolutionize the life of the French people: a small
plastic shampoo container with just the right amount for one usage.
It was called "The berlingot Dop"! He had started a powerful
industry of plastic wrapping for all of life's domains, from alimentary
products to leisure items.
In 1985 he took a well-deserved retirement.
Roland de La Poype
Flight Lieutnant
N° 602 Squadron
22.08.42 (1) Bf 109 Gravelines
[62]
Warrant Officer
GC3
Victory list:
31.08.43 (1) Ju 87 Ielnia [USSR]
01.09.43 (2) Fw 190 Ielnia [USSR]
04.09.43 (1) Fw 190 Ielnia [USSR]
19.09.43 (3) Ju 87 Ielnia [USSR]
22.09.43 (1) Ju 87 Smolensk [USSR]
01.10.43 (6) Hs 126 Krasno [USSR]
13.10.43 (2) Fw 190 Gorki [URSS]
14.10.44 (1) Bf 109 Ragnit [Eastern Pomerania]
16.10.44 (5) Ju 87 Pillupönen [E-P]
16.10.44 (1) Ju 87 Pillupönen [E-P]
16.10.44 (2) Fw 190 Stallupönen [E-P]
16.10.44 (2) Fw 190 Stallupönen [E-P]
18.10.44 (2) Hs 129 Stallupönen [E-P]
23.10.44 (1) Fw 190 Gumbinnen [E-P]
26.10.44 (3) Bf 109 Walterkehnen [E-P]
(X): total number of pilots participating to the destruction of
the enemy airplane.
[XX]: geographical French department or country.
Neu-Neu = NN= Normandie-Niemen
©
Aéro Editions, Aérostories, 2001.
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