''Escadrille SPA.48'' was a unit of the
French Air Force during World War I.
Unit history
''
Escadrille
A flight is a small military unit within the larger structure of an air force, naval air service, or army air corps; and is usually subservient of a larger squadron. A military aircraft flight is typically composed of four aircraft, though ...
48'' was created on 29 March 1915 at
Villacoublay near Paris, flying the
Morane-Saulnier L
The Morane-Saulnier L, or Morane-Saulnier Type L, or officially MoS-3, was a French parasol wing one or two-seat scout aeroplane of the First World War. The Type L became one of the first successful fighter aircraft when it was fitted with a si ...
. Active throughout the war at various locations on the
Western Front, the ''escadrille'' replaced its aircraft with
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 in early 1915, then with
SPADs at the end of 1916. By
11 November 1918 the pilots of the ''escadrille'' had logged 9,826 flying hours, with 54 confirmed and 48 probable victories, at a cost of 11 killed and 12 wounded.
Commanders
Notable members
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Albert Achard
Albert Achard (26 March 1894 – 21 August 1972) was a French flying ace of the First World War, credited with five aerial victories, one as an observer and four as a pilot. He served as a reserve air force officer in the 1920s and 1930s, and ret ...
(3 April – 29 September 1915)
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René Dousinelle (13 April 1917 – October 1918)
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Gilbert de Guingand (22 April 1917 – 22 October 1918)
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Auguste Lahoulle
Général Auguste Joseph Marie Lahoulle was a French military officer who began his career as a World War I flying ace. He was a double ace during the war, credited with List of World War I aces credited with 10 victories, ten confirmed aerial vic ...
(19 May 1916 – 4 January 1917 & 16 October 1917 – January 1918)
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René Montrion (6 April 1917 – 28 June 1918)
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Jean Navarre (1 – 24 February 1916)
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Jacques Roques (2 January 1917 – November 1918)
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Armand de Turenne
Colonel Armand Jean Galliot Joseph de Turenne, Marquis de Turenne d'Aubepeyre (1 April 1891 – 10 December 1980) was a French World War I flying ace credited with 15 aerial victories. He went on to serve his nation in the military until 1942.
...
(13 June 1916 – 12 January 1918)
*
Edmond Caillaux (18 February 1896 – 22 January 1943)
[The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/caillaux.php Retrieved 1 August 2020.]
Aircraft flown
The following aircraft were operated by the unit between 1915 and 1918.
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Morane-Saulnier L
The Morane-Saulnier L, or Morane-Saulnier Type L, or officially MoS-3, was a French parasol wing one or two-seat scout aeroplane of the First World War. The Type L became one of the first successful fighter aircraft when it was fitted with a si ...
*
Nieuport 10
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Nieuport 12
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Nieuport 11
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Nieuport 17 (& 23)
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SPAD S.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 ...
References
;Bibliography
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Further reading
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{{wwi-air
French Air and Space Force squadrons