''Escadrille Spa80'' was a French fighter squadron active during World War I, from 13 December 1916 to 11 November 1918. It was credited with 23 aerial victories.

History

Originally created at Lyon-Bron, France on 13 December 1916 as ''Escadrille N80'' because it was equipped with

Nieuport XVII 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 ...

fighters, it was attached to ''V Armee''. On 17 March 1917, the squadron became part of ''

Groupe de Combat 14 A group is a military unit or a military formation that is most often associated with military aviation. Air and aviation groups The terms group and wing differ significantly from one country to another, as well as between different branches ...

''. Groupe de Combat 14 would support ''X Armee'' beginning 10 May 1917. On 5 July, they were transferred to ''II Armee''. On 11 October 1917, they were transferred to ''VI Armee''. Within a week, they were refitted with SPAD fighters, changing their unit designation to ''Escadrille Spa80''.''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'', pp. 97 - 98. The ''Groupe de Combat'' would support the British Royal Air Force's 3rd Brigade beginning 15 April 1918. From 5 May 1918 until war's end, the ''Groupe'' returned to supporting French units. ''Escadrille Spa80'' ended World War I credited with aerial victories over 21 German airplanes and two

observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War ...

s.''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'', p. 98.

Commanding officers

* '' Capitaine'' Francoise Glaize: 13 December 1916 * Lieutenant Paul Ferrand: 18 October 1917

Notable members

* ''

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 ...

Robert Delannoy Sous Lieutenant Robert Joseph Delannoy was a French World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.The Aerodrome websitRetrieved 4 August 2020 Biography Robert Joseph Delannoy was born in Roubaix, France on 2 September 1890. In 1910 ...

Aircraft

: 13 December 1916 *

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 Béc ...

: c. 18 October 1917''SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War I'', p. 50.

Endnotes

Reference

* Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank (1993). ''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'' London, UK: Grub Street Publishing. . * Guttman, Jon (2002). ''SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War I''. Bloomsbury USA Fighter squadrons of the French Air and Space Force Military units and formations established in 1916 Military units and formations disestablished in 1918 Military units and formations of France in World War I Military aviation units and formations in World War I {{France-mil-unit-stub