French Text

In 1919, an aviator officer named Anselme Marchal published an account of his war years. The book was a great success with the public, who had come to know this extraordinary figure of aeronautics who had the distinction of being the only pilot to have flown over Berlin between 1914 and 1918, during an epic 1300 km raid. In addition, his incredible escape from the famous camp in Magdebourg in the company of Roland Garros. Extensively reported on by the newspapers of the time, as well as the crazy enemy territory inspired Jean Renoir, in 1937, to write the screenplay for 'La Grande Illusion' and the camp character"Lieutenant Marshal" was played by Jean Gabin.

Becoming untraceable, this testimony is revealed for the first time in nearly a century, proposed to readers today in this volume that seeks to put the story in its context and to trace the course of this pilot's out of the ordinary, heroic life in military aeronautics.