F/L Raymond “Cheval” Lallemant RAF

197 Squadron, January – February 1944.

Five Belgian pilots flew with 197 Squadron RAF: S/L León Prévot, P/O Jean Parisse, F/O Martin Soors, F/L Raymond A. “Cheval” Lallemant, and F/O André de Bie de Bellefroid. Each contributed greatly to the Squadron’s success over the two and a half years of its existence. The individual stories of these pilots, all fraught with hardship and danger, exemplify the courage, dedication, and determination these men brought to the fight against tyranny. All, except Flying Officer Martin Soors – who made the ultimate sacrifice – were highly decorated by their native and other nations; however, for reasons of space, only their British decorations are stated here.

Flight Lieutenant Lallemant DFC (Svc. No. 116472)  arrived in 197 Squadron RAF on January 19, 1944.

After the invasion of Belgium, Raymond Lallemant, a student pilot in the Aéronautique Militaire Belge, made his way, like many others, via France and Morocco to England, where he was incorporated into the RAF in July 1940. Here he became an experienced Spitfire and Typhoon pilot, and was nicknamed “Cheval’ or “Horse” after his love of horses. Before joining 197 Squadron RAF in January 1944, Lallemant served with 609 Squadron RAF, where he claimed four “Tip & Run” Luftwaffe Fw 190 fighters destroyed and, after a short rest period, worked as a test pilot with Napier, the manufacturers of the Napier Sabre engine that powered the Typhoon.

Flight Lieutenant Lallemant’s stay at 197 Squadron proved to be remarkably short but it was not, as the 197 Squadron ORB Summary of Events records, without incident: 

“Jan 21st… In the afternoon, they went to the Cherbourg peninsula and were surprised to be met with so little flak. F/L Lallemand saw what he thought to be a ME. 210 or 410 and chased it, getting a 90° deflection burst in. We are now awaiting the development of his camera gun photos.”

The ORB goes on to say that during a Ramrod operation to bomb a target at Flottemanville-Hague:

“…one pilot of 197 Pulling out of his dive saw an Me 210 or 410 flying S at 2000ft. He had only time to take a quick squirt at 6 to 700 yds before E/A pulled up into cloud. …“

This would have been of great significance as, if confirmed as destroyed, the claim would have been 197 Squadron’s sixth aerial victory and Raymond Lallemant’s fifth, making him an “Ace”. The claim was not confirmed, however, and neither do Luftwaffe records of known losses provide confirmation.

Raymond Lallemant flew only three further sorties with 197 Squadron, all against NOBALL targets, before leaving the Squadron on February 14, 1944, for a flight commander’s position in 198 Squadron RAF at RAF Manston, Kent. On promotion in August 1944, Squadron Leader Lallemant subsequently assumed command of 609 Squadron, his old squadron and sister squadron to 198 Squadron in 123 Wing RAF. Shortly after, on September 14, Lallemant’s Typhoon was hit by flak. In the subsequent crash-landing, Lallemant was quite badly burned. Awarded a second DFC, he returned to duty as OC, 349 (Belgian) Squadron until March 1945. After further medical treatment and the end of the war, Lallemant returned to Belgium, completing a variety of appointments with both the Belgian Air Force and NATO before retiring from active service as a Colonel in 1972.

Colonel Raymond A. Lallemant, DFC & Bar

Born: August 23, 1919, died: January 30, 2008

Research and text by L. K. Byrne. Sources:  197 Squadron Operations Record Book, AIR27/1169, The National Archives, UK and 350sqn-raf.be (by kind permission of Sorge Bonge). Images courtesy of Serge Bonge, Chris Thomas, Roy Allan, Aircrew Remembered and Wikipedia.

Title image: F/L Raymond Lallemant DFC with 198 Squadron RAF, July 30, 1944. Source: Wikipedia