''Escadrille 26'' is a squadron of the
French Air Force
The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...
founded in 1914 and still active today.
History
Escadrille 26 was founded on 26 August 1914, at
Arras
Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...
. It was originally equipped with ''
Morane-Saulnier
Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier was a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier (aircraft manufacturer), Raymond Saulnier (1881–1964) and the Robert and Léon Morane, Morane brothers, Léon (1885–1918) and ...
'' aircraft, leading to its designation as ''Escadrille MS26''. It went into action attached to VI Armée of the French ground forces until 24 September 1914; it then switched bases to the
Kingdom of Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the ...
.
[Franks, Bailey 1992, p. 91.]
During 1915, it re-armed with ''
Nieuport 11
The Nieuport 11 (or Nieuport XI C.1 in contemporary sources), nicknamed the ''Bébé'', was a French World War I single seat sesquiplane fighter aircraft, designed by Gustave Delage. It was the primary aircraft that ended the Fokker Scourge in ...
s'', and became ''Escadrille N26''. In June 1916, it moved to
Cachy
Cachy () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Geography
Cachy is situated on the D168 road, some southeast of Amiens and near to Villers-Bretonneux
Villers-Bretonneux () is a commune in the Somme de ...
to join an improvised formation, ''Groupe de Combat de la Somme''. This ''groupe'' initially consisted of three other units in addition to ''Escadrille N26''—''
Escadrille N3'', ''
Escadrille N103'', and ''
Escadrille N73
''Escadrille 73'' of the French Air Force originated at Corcieux on 23 May 1915 as Detachment N 49 during the World War I.
History
It was initially assigned to the ''VII Armee'' front. On 1 April 1916, it was renamed Detachment Nieuport de Corc ...
'' and became the famous ''
Fighter Squadron Storks (Escadrille des Cigognes)'' . Command of the ''groupe'' was granted to Capitaine Antonin Brocard. On 1 November 1916, the ''groupe'' was formalized as ''
Groupe de Combat 12
Groupe de Combat 12 (GC 12) 'Les Cigognes' ('The Storks') was the most celebrated and successful French Air Service Groupe de Chasse during the World War I. Its roster included Georges Guynemer, René Dorme, Alfred Heurteaux, René Fonck, Raoul Ech ...
'', Brocard commanding.
[
On 16 April 1917, ''GC 12'' switched from ''VIII Armées theater of operations to that of X Armée and VII Armée; they were then involved in the ]Second Battle of the Aisne
The Second Battle of the Aisne (french: Bataille du Chemin des Dames or french: Seconde bataille de l'Aisne, 16 April – mid-May 1917) was the main part of the Nivelle Offensive, a Franco-British attempt to inflict a decisive defeat on the Germa ...
. During July 1917, the ''escadrille'' moved to 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, ...
to aid ''1er Armée''. On 11 December 1917, it would return to ''VII Armée''. As the year ended, the ''escadrille'' restocked with '' SPADs'', becoming ''Escadrille SPA 26''.[
In January 1918, ''SPA 26'' was posted to ''IV Armée''. It moved to ''VI Armée'' in March, and ''X Armée'' in June. It began July 1918 with ''V Armée'', and moved to ''1er Armée'' on the 29th. On 18 September 1918, the ''escadrille'' was posted back to IV Armée, and remained there until war's end.][
On 12 January 1919, ''Escadrille SPA 26'' was cited by IV Armée for the destruction of 51 enemy aircraft and the disability of 70 more.][
''Escadrille SPA 26'' is still current in today's French Air Force.
]
Commanding officers
* Capitaine Robert Jannerod: 26 August 1914 - January 1915
* Capitaine Pierre de Malherbe: January 1915 - November 1915
* Capitaine Thobie: mid-November 1915
* Capitaine Jacques de Sieyes
Jacques Edouard de Plan de Sieyes de Veynes (21 July 1891 — 25 June 1949) was a Legion of honor decorated captain who acted for de Gaulle against Vichy.
His parents were Raoul de Plan de Sieyès de Veynes (1848 - 1944), lawyer, Joan of Indy (1 ...
de Veynes: 17 May 1916 - 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 ...
3 July 1916
* Capitaine Victor Menard: July 1916 - April 1917
* Capitaine Mathieu Tenant de la Tour
Capitaine Mathieu Marie Joseph Antoine Tenant de la Tour (5 December 1883 - 17 December 1917) was a French World War I flying ace credited with nine aerial victories. He scored one of the first aerial victories over an observation balloon.
Biogra ...
: April 1917 - Killed in flying accident 17 December 1917
* Capitaine Joseph M. X. de Sévin: 25 December 1917 - end of war[
]
Notable personnel
* Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
Roland Garros
* Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
Marcel Bernard
Marcel Bernard (; 18 May 1914 – 29 April 1994) was a French tennis player. He is best remembered for having won the French Championships in 1946 (reaching the semifinals a further three times). Bernard initially intended to play only in the dou ...
* Major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
[Franks, Bailey 1992, p. 148.] Joseph M. X. de Sévin
* Sous lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 19 ...
Noël de Rochefort
* Adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...
Gustave Naudin
* Maréchal-des-logis Constant Soulier[
]
Aircraft
* ''Morane-Saulnier
Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier was a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier (aircraft manufacturer), Raymond Saulnier (1881–1964) and the Robert and Léon Morane, Morane brothers, Léon (1885–1918) and ...
'': 26 August 1914
* ''Nieuport 11
The Nieuport 11 (or Nieuport XI C.1 in contemporary sources), nicknamed the ''Bébé'', was a French World War I single seat sesquiplane fighter aircraft, designed by Gustave Delage. It was the primary aircraft that ended the Fokker Scourge in ...
'': 1915
* ''Nieuport 17
The Nieuport 17 C.1 (or Nieuport XVII C.1 in contemporary sources) was a French sesquiplane fighter designed and manufactured by the Nieuport company during World War I. An improvement over the Nieuport 11, it was a little larger than earlier N ...
''
* '' SPAD''[
]
Endnotes
References
* Franks, Norman; 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'' Grub Street, 1992. , .
Further reading
* Bailey, Frank W., and Christophe Cony. ''French Air Service War Chronology, 1914-1918: Day-to-Day Claims and Losses by French Fighter, Bomber and Two-Seat Pilots on the Western Front''. London: Grub Street, 2001.
* Davilla, James J., and Arthur M. Soltan. ''French Aircraft of the First World War''. Stratford, CT: Flying Machines Press, 1997.
* ''Les escadrilles de l'aéronautique militaire française: symbolique et histoire, 1912-1920''. Vincennes: Service historique de l'armée de l'air, 2004.
External links
Escadrille MS26 - N 26 - SPA 26
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
French Air and Space Force squadrons