''Escadrille 103'' of the French Air Force was an elite aviation unit on the Western Front during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. One of its many aces,

René Fonck Colonel René Paul Fonck (27 March 1894 – 18 June 1953) was a French aviator who ended the First World War as the top Entente fighter ace and, when all succeeding aerial conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries are also considered, Fonc ...

was the highest scoring Allied fighter-pilot.

History

Escadrille 103 was formed from '' Breguet Escadrille 17'', which was founded on 2 August 1914 at

Longvic Longvic () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Population Personalities Rangers F.C. Rangers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the Govan district of Glasgow which plays in the Scott ...

. On 16 November 1914, it re-equipped with

Voisin Voisin (French for "neighbour") may refer to: Companies *Avions Voisin, the French automobile company :*Voisin Laboratoire, a car manufactured by Avions Voisin *Voisin (aircraft), the French aircraft manufacturer * Voisin, a Lyon-based chocolat ...

s, becoming ''Escadrille VB.3''. On 23 November 1914, it was posted to ''Groupe de Bombardment No. 1'', commanded by

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

Louis de Goys de Mezeyrac. On 4 March 1915, it was redesignated ''Escadrille VB.103''. As part of GB.1, the escadrille was cited for its valor on 27 May 1915. General

Ferdinand Foch Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Art ...

issued the citation on 1 June. Foch would issue a second citation on 19 September 1915, based on the bombing raids of the 13th on

Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning " Ludwig's Port upon Rhine"), is a city in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the river Rhine, opposite Mannheim. With Mannheim, Heidelberg, and the surrounding region, it form ...

.Franks, Bailey 1992, p. 103. On 19 February 1916, the escadrille was converted to an ''escadrille de chasse'' (fighter squadron). It was issued

Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

s and renumbered as ''Escadrille N.103''. On 16 April 1916, the unit was amalgamated into ''Groupement de Combat de la Somme'', along with Escadrilles N.26, N.73, and N.3. Escadrilles N.37, N.62, and N.65 were also temporarily assigned to the groupement. All seven units were placed under command of Brocard. On 1 November 1916, the original four squadrons, including ''Escadrille N.103'', were consolidated as ''Groupe de Combat 12'' (GC 12), under the continuing command of Brocard. The SPADs in GC 12 bore insignia of storks in different phases of flight and were known as "Les Cignones." On 28 January 1917, the unit was posted to the Xe Armée. It transferred to the VIIe Armée in March. On 12 July, it moved to support Ier Armée in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

. GC 12, including ''Escadrille 103'', was transferred to VIe Armée again on 11 December 1917.Franks, Bailey 1992, p. 89. ''Escadrille 103'' continued its service within GC 12, as the group made transitions to support Xe Armée on 5 June 1918; Ve Armée on 17 July; to Ier Armée on 29 July; and to IIe Armée on 9 September 1918. It received its third citation on the 9th, though the first as fighter unit ''Escadrille Spa.103''. It was credited with destroying 85 enemy aircraft and disabling 69 others. Its final tally for the entire war was 108 enemy aircraft and three observation balloons destroyed. The heritage of the escadrille continues in the present day French air force; it is represented by the top bird on the Escadrille de Chasse 1/2 squadron emblem.

Commanding officers

* ''Escadrille VB.3'' ** Capitaine Georges Benoist: 2 August 1914 * ''Groupe de Bombardemente No. 1'' ** Chef de Bataillon Louis de Gous de Mezeyrac: 23 November 1914 -

POW A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

27 May 1915 ** Capitaine Willermoz: 28 May 1915 - 15 June 1915 ** Lieutenant de Vaisseau Cayla: 15 June 1915 - 30 June 1915 ** Capitaine Max Boucher: 1 July 1915 - 22 October 1915 ** Lieutenant de Monju: 23 October 1915 - early February 1916 * ''Escadrille N103'' ** Capitaine Gallet: early February 1916 - 12 July 1916 ** Lieutenant Barbey: mid July 1916 ** Capitaine Jean d'Harcourt: late July 1916 - 27 March 1918 ** Lieutenant Joseph Batlle: 27 March 1918 - end of war

Notable personnel

* Auguste Baux

Aircraft

* Breguet Type IV U1 & U2: August 1914 *

Voisin III The Voisin III was a French World War I two-seat pusher biplane multi-purpose aircraft developed by Voisin in 1914 as a more powerful version of the 1912 Voisin I. It is notable for being the aircraft used for the first successful shooting dow ...

and

Voisin V The Voisin V was a French pusher-type bomber aircraft of World War I. Development history The Voisin III had proved a successful bomber, but its payload was limited by the Salmson M9 engine, which produced only 120-hp. With an already identif ...

: November 1914 * Nieuport 11 and Nieuport 17: 1916 *

SPAD VII The SPAD S.VII was the first of a series of highly successful biplane fighter aircraft produced by ''Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) during the First World War. Like its successors, the S.VII was renowned as a sturdy and r ...

and

SPAD XIII The SPAD S.XIII is a French biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War, developed by '' Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) from the earlier and highly successful SPAD S.VII. During early 1917, the French designer Louis ...

: 1917

Endnotes

References

* Franks, Norman, and Frank W. Bailey. ''Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914-1918''. London: Grub Street, 1992. , .

External links

Escadrille BR 17 - VB 3 – VB – 103 – N 103 – SPA - 103

VB 103, N 103, SPA 103 Historique, Missions, Combats

Les Cigognes
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 French Air and Space Force squadrons