''Escadrille Spa.87'' (also known as ''Escadrille N.87'') was a French fighter squadron active during the First World War, from March 1917 to the Armistice. They were credited with 28 confirmed victories over enemy aircraft,

History

''Escadrille Spa.87'' was founded at Lyon-Bron, France on 8 March 1917 as a

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fighter squadron called ''Escadrille N.87''. It was attached to a French field army, ''VIII Armee'', until 1 July 1918.''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'', p. 99 The squadron re-equipped with SPAD S.7 and

SPAD S.13 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 ...

fighters on 4 May 1918, and was renamed ''Escadrille Spa.87''. By the Armistice, the fighter squadron had been credited with destroying 28 enemy aircraft.

Commanding officers

* Unknown: 8 March 1917 - 1 January 1918 * ''Capitaine'' Pierre Azire: 1 January 1918 - 30 June 1918 * Lieutenant Joseph Jochaud du Plessis: 30 June 1918 - war's end

Notable members

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* Adjutant

Lucien Gasser Adjutant Lucien Marcel Gasser (1897-1939) was a French flying ace during World War I. He was a double ace, credited with ten confirmed aerial victories. World War I On 21 August 1914, Gasser volunteered for military service until war's end. As a ...

Aircraft

* March 1918 inventory: ** Four

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s ** Three

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s ** Two SPAD S.7s * 4 May 1918 refitting: ** SPAD S.7The Aerodrome website page on the SPAD S.

Retrieved 1 September 2020 **

The Aerodrome website page on the SPAD S.1

Retrieved 1 September 2020

End notes

Reference

* Norman Franks, 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. . Fighter squadrons of the French Air and Space Force Military units and formations established in 1917 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