A diploma in dentistry earned at Nancy in 1939 marked the start of Suzanne Jannin’s career, yet her path quickly diverged toward active combat and aviation. Throughout the Second World War and later in Indochina, she transitioned from a clinical practitioner to a strategic participant in French military operations, serving as both a clandestine resistance fighter and a reconnaissance pilot.
Resistance and Wartime Repatriation
During the German occupation, Jannin participated in the French Resistance within the Meuse department as a member of the French Forces of the Interior under Colonel Grandval. Her duties involved escorting British and American parachutists from Verdun to the Swiss border, alongside transporting weapons and classified documents. In 1944, she joined the Women’s Auxiliary Administration Corps. Following the war, she organized four convoys using 38 vehicles to repatriate 650 prisoners from Germany to France.
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Jannin initially pursued aviation as the president of the Verdun Air Club, training on a Potez 43 at Tomblaine. After moving to Paris to focus on flight, she secured her military pilot’s licence in 1948. She underwent subsequent instruction at Saint-Yan and Challes-les-Eaux. In 1951, she deployed to Tonkin, French Indochina, serving initially as a dental captain before transitioning to the Air Force in 1953 at the urging of General Lionel-Max Chassin.
Service in Indochina
To join the Air Force, Jannin accepted a reduction in rank to corporal. Based at Tan-Son-Nhut with the 52nd squadron, she flew Morane Criquets as the first female Air Force pilot in Indochina. She completed 290 flights, including 86 combat missions involving reconnaissance and rescue operations. Her service later shifted toward providing dental care to troops stationed in Laos before she returned to France in 1954.
Post-Military Career and Commemoration
Upon returning to France, Jannin continued as an Air Force dentist at Saclay and Châtillon-sous-Bagneux until 1957. She subsequently resumed private dental practice in Paris and married Gustave Delvoye in 1961. She passed away in 1982, with services held in Mons-en-Barœul. In 2019, the town of Belleville-sur-Meuse inaugurated Square Suzanne Jannin, featuring a plaque commemorating her service.
Fast facts
- Born: 28 July 1912, Belleville-sur-Meuse
- Died: 1982, Lille
- Dental Diploma: 1939, Nancy
- Military Pilot License: 1948
- Indochina War Missions: 86
- Notable Awards: Legion of Honour, Resistance Medal, Aeronautical Medal
Questions readers ask
Did Suzanne Jannin continue her dental career after the war?
Yes, she practiced dentistry both before the war, during her time with the Air Force, and eventually returned to private practice in Paris in 1957.
Was she the first woman to pilot aircraft in the French Air Force?
She was the second woman to become a pilot in the Air Force and the first woman to perform that role in Indochina.
Achievements
- Legion of Honour
- National Order of Merit
- Resistance Medal — 1945
- Aeronautical Medal
- Colonial Medal
