French Squadron Markings

[davecww1]

Hi Steve,
The book Lafayette Flying Corps by Nordhoff and Hall, while being a highly collectible and expensive book to buy (around $300 for the 2 volume set last time I looked) has color profiles of many (not sure if all) of the French Escadrilles. Surely every one that had an American volunteer serving with them. This book was last published around 1961 if I remember correctly. But I was able to get a copy through my local public library in the inter-library loan program, and it was shipped to my local library for me to check out. I was able to make scans of the many pages of Escadrille insignia, but unfortunately during a move I misplaced the disk with the scans. Check out your local library to see if any other librarys in your state have this book, then check it out and start the scanner up!
Good luck,
Dave

[Frederic Mason]

Hello Gilles; You mention a 77 Euro book on French Insignia from an Official archive. Which archive is this and where is it/address, etc.? I'd like to obtain this book.

There is another folio of three booklets of WWI French Escadrille insignia, entitled, ESCADRILLES, published by: edite par, LA 1 ere Division Aerienne - avec l'aide de, La Fondation Des Oeuvres, Sociales Du Ministere De L' Air - au profit, Des Veuves Et Des Orphelins, De L'Armee De L'Air. This has no date of publication or address of the publisher. It is a blue folio of 8 1/2"x11". The three booklets are titled, Chasse, Reconnaissance and Bombardement, with the respective Escadrille emblems of each within. They include colored pen/ink drawings of aerodrome activities on the backcovers and watercolor a/c art on the fronts. The price and availability of this item is unknown. I think it was printed in the 1960's.

Thank you all for your kind additions to this subject, one of my favorites in WWI lore.

[gilles]

The book is published by the Service historique de l'armée de l'air (SHAA) now Service historique de la defense-Air (SHD-air).
http://www.servicehistorique.sga.def...he.php?id=274#

It seems they sell worldwide but I don't know what kind of payment they accept. I paid mine with a cheque on a french bank.

You can have a look at the book on the memorial flight site :http://memorial.flight.free.fr/indexuk.html
click on "archives" , there are 2 samples of the book in "articles"

Gilles

[SCMc]

Dave,

Thank you for the suggestion. It may be available at the Los Angeles Library, which is not too far away.

I am glad that this thread has had some general interest. Thanks to all.

Steve

[davecww1]

No problem Steve,
surely CA must have this book somewhere in the state, and your local library should be able to look it up on their computer and order it for you. The public librarys can be a great resource for WW1 books written from the end of the war until around 1970. Unfortunately not many of the later volumes are carried such as the flying machines Press books, although a friend of mine found a copy of the Austro hungarian aircraft book at the UMASS library in Amherst MA.
Good luck,
dave

[flypaper]

Originally Posted by Dan_San_Abbott

SCMc:
There is document titled, "L'AVIATION FRANCAISE
1914 - 1940, SES ESCADRILLES.SES ENSIGNES" by Commandant E. Moreau- Berillion. It is in eight folios and has every marking and variation of every Escadrille in the French Air Force complete with a short history of all the units. The markings are in hand painted water colors. When I bought mine, it costed and arm and a leg. I received the folios one at a time, so the cost was spread out. I would estimate about $1500. Believe me, it is worth it.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

Dan-San, I am sure it was a limited to 1,000 copies, when I bought mine it cost me $60.00, plus the dealer had loose sheets from the folios he threw in for free. I have to agree with you, nothing out there comes close.

[Taz]

SCMc- The latest word on WW-I French markings is Les escadrilles de l' aeronautique militaire francaise Symbolique et historie 1912-1920 ISBN 2-11-094692-x. Published by Sepeg International and available through the Aviation Bookshop at:

www.aviation-bookshop.com

Highly recommended but expensive. Great photos and markings of all French escadrilles plus all known dates of service and commanders.

Taz
Terry Phillips