''Escadrille SPA.48'' was a unit 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; ...

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 Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

, 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

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) * René Dousinelle (13 April 1917 – October 1918) *

Gilbert de Guingand Sous lieutenant Gilbert Marie de Guingand was a French World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories before being killed in a flying accident. Early life Gilbert Marie de Guingand was born at Viroflay, France on 21 July 1891. He bega ...

(22 April 1917 – 22 October 1918) *

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) *

René Montrion Adjutant René Montrion (7 August 1896 – 28 June 1918) was a French flying ace during World War I. He was credited with eleven confirmed aerial and eight unconfirmed victories. Early life René Montrion was born in Paris on 7 August 1896. Mil ...

(6 April 1917 – 28 June 1918) *

Jean Navarre Jean Marie Dominique Navarre (8 August 1895 – 10 July 1919) was a French aviator during World War I. As one of the pioneer flying aces, he was credited with List of World War I aces credited with 11–14 victories, twelve confirmed aerial victo ...

(1 – 24 February 1916) *

Jacques Roques Capitaine Jacques Raphaël Roques (2 August 1897 – 24 May 1988) was a Swiss citizen who flew for the French during World War I, where he was credited with five aerial victories. He returned to military service during World War II, and served wi ...

(2 January 1917 – November 1918) *

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. *

Nieuport 10 The Nieuport 10 (or Nieuport XB in contemporary sources) was a French First World War sesquiplane that filled a wide variety of roles, including reconnaissance, fighter and trainer. Design and development In January 1914, designer Gustave Delag ...

Nieuport 12 The Nieuport 12 (or Nieuport XII in contemporary sources) was a French Biplane#Sesquiplane, sesquiplane reconnaissance, fighter aircraft and trainer used by France, Russia, United Kingdom, Great Britain and the United States during World War I. ...

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 ...

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 ...

(& 23) *

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 rug ...

References

;Bibliography *

Unit history

Commanders

Notable members

Aircraft flown

References

Further reading