Nieuport 17 "X" - Frankl´s forgotten 8th victory?

[Gregvan]

Hello Friends,

I'm sorry that this information comes so late. However, I asked the eminent French aircraft historian Bernard Klaeylé about these Nieuport photos, and he generously gave me the following information. I hope it's of interest:

"Several speculations about this plane appeared in the past and the subject resurfaces from time to time.

"Particularly interesting is the 'Type 17Bis' marking on the right rudder, seldome seen so clearly. However, it doesn't mean 'Type 17 with Clerget engine' as it usually does. Plane is actually a type 17 with 80 hp Le Rhone, better known as '17B'. This appellation was soon discontinued and substituted by 'Type 21' after a few have been delivered. Most of them don't show any type marking on the rudder.

'N1442 looks like a machine from escadrille N.103 indeed, with the fuselage numeral repeated on the left top wing. Anyway a possible red star on the fuselage would be hard to see as applied over a brown area.

"The book Sharks Among Minnows appears to be half erroneous here as there is no MdL Debrod in the lists of pilots of N.103 at that time, nor any other time too. On 3 August 1916 a N.103 pilot, MdL Delbos, overturned on the airfield and was sent to hospital on 5 August, according to an N.103 jounral and his personal card. Certainly he didn't fly N1442. Maybe Debrod was once misread from Delbos.

"The only other casualty of N.103 on 3 August 1916 was Sergent Maffert, missing in action. Actually he was POW and repatriated in 1918. According to Flugsport, he flew Nieuport 833, which seems too low a number. During August 1916, N.103 losses were a type 11 and a type 17B. If we take for certain that N1442 is a N.103 plane captured on 3 August 1916, the only sensible conclusion is that N1442 was Maffert's plane.

"Frankl posing with the aircraft is quite troublesome. No recorded victory on 3 August, but his 2 August victory (not a Nieuport) was recorded. Quite surprsing that one victory was 'lost' as the next one is recorded on 9 August."

Best regards,
Bernard"