The cancellation ceremony took place at the House of the Russian Historical Society within the framework of the "Normandie-Neiman - 75 Years" Round Table. The participants in the ceremony were Vladimir Shelikhov, Deputy Head of the Federal Communications Agency; Alexander Choubaryan, Co-Chairman of the Russian Historical Society, member of the Russian Academy of Sceinces (RAS) and academic advisor at the RAS World History Institute; and Anne-Marie Guido, French pilot Maurice Guido's daughter.
The Normandie-Niemen Regiment was a French aviation regiment, who fought during the Second World War against the Nazi invaders in the territory of the Soviet Union. On November 25, 1942, the Soviet-French agreement was signed on the formation of the French air squadron. The squadron was formed on December 4, 1942 in the city of Ivanovo, it was named "Normandie" in honor of the French province, the most affected by the German occupation. On April 5, 1943, the squadron began operations. July 5, 1943, it was transformed into a regiment "Normandie".
November 28, 1944 the regiment was given the honorary name "Neman" for military merit and courage during the air battles in the fighting for the liberation of Lithuania and the crossing of the Neman River, and since then it became known as the Normandie-Niemen Regiment. During the fighting on the Soviet-German front of the Second World War, the regiment pilots flew 5,240 sorties, carried out about 900 air battles, won about 300 battles, damaged more than 80 German airplanes. 96 pilots were awarded Soviet and French military awards, four were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The postage stamp depicts a bas-relief with a group of soldiers who fought during the Second World War as part of the Normandie-Niemen Regiment. Circulation: 287,000 stamps. Face value is 41 RUB.
"The Federal Communications Agency and JSC "Marka" annually issue philatelic products dedicated to important historical events. This project has been implemented within a joint postage stamp issue between the Russian Federation and the French Republic and is a vivid example of the exchange of cultural traditions between countries. The stamps with a total circulation of 287 thousand copies will fly around the world telling all users of postal services about the history of our countries and their great deeds," said the Deputy Head of the Federal Communications Agency.
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