| Escadrille MS 31 – N 31 – SPA 31 | |
|---|---|
 Squadron insignia | |
| Active | 1914 |
| Country |  France |
| Branch |  French Air Service |
| Type | Fighter Squadron |
| Engagements |  World War I |
Escadrille 31 of the French Air Force was founded at the beginning of the World War I, on 24 September 1914, at Dijon Air Base. Once equipped with Morane-Saulnier Ns, it was posted to I Armee of the French Army.
In February 1915, Escadrille MS 31 was moved to defense of Verdun. In April 1915, it returned to I Armee; on the 26th, it began re-equipping with Nieuport 10 two-seaters. [1] By January 1916, the Escadrille 31 had rearmed with ten single-seater Nieuport 11s. When the unit acquired Lieutenant de Villeneuve as commander in mid April, he instituted the use of a Roman archer as the escadrille insignia. In October, Escadrille N 31 shifted to support II Armee. The following month, the unit was incorporated into Groupe de Combat II. Escadrille 31 began receiving SPADs on 7 January 1917. However, it would not totally rearm with SPADs until 17 September, when it was renamed Escadrille SPA 31. [1]
The escadrille would serve as part of GC II through the remainder of the war. When the armistice came, it had been credited with 42 aircraft and four observation balloons destroyed, and have earned two citations from Army Corps. [1]
Escadrille 3Les Cigognes was a famous French aviation unit during the World War I. It was often referred to as the 'Stork Escadrille N3' due to its insignia. Pilots from Groupe de Combat 12 adopted the name and placed images of storks in different phases of flying on their planes.
Escadrille 103 of the French Air Force was an elite aviation unit on the Western Front during World War I. One of its many aces, René Fonck was the highest scoring Allied fighter-pilot.
Escadrille 12 of the French Air Force was formed in 1912 and known for introducing Nieuport aircraft to the World War I air combat.
Escadrille 26 is a squadron of the French Air Force founded in 1914 and still active today.
Escadrille 73 of the French Air Force originated at Corcieux on 23 May 1915 as Detachment N 49 during the World War I.
Escadrille 62 is a French Air Force squadron. It was founded on 11 August 1915 at Lyon–Bron Airport.
Escadrille 65 of the French Air Force was established during World War I. It was founded at Lyon-Bron Airport on 2 August 1915.
Escadrille 67 of the French Air Force was founded at Lyon-Bron Airport during the First World War, on 17 September 1915. On 24 September, they were assigned to the IV Armee of the French Army. By late October, the escadrille was assigned to the defense of Verdun.
Escadrille 15 is one of the oldest units of the French Air Force, which was founded on 22 August 1912 at Reims, France, and is still active.
Escadrille 23 of the French Air Force was formed at Brie on 4 August 1914.
Escadrille 37 of the French Air Force was established at Chateauford, France in January 1915. Its original equipment of Morane-Saulniers led to its original designation of Escadrille MS 37.
Groupe de Combat 11 of the French Air Force was founded on 1 November 1916, being formed by consolidating Escadrilles 12, 31, 48, and 57.
Escadrille SPA.48 was a unit of the French Air Force during World War I.
Escadrille 57 of the French Air Force was founded during World War I, on 10 May 1915.
Escadrille 38, variously known as Escadrille MS38, Escadrille N38, or Escadrille SPA38, was a French fighter squadron founded on 8 January 1915. Fighting until the 11 November 1918 armistice, they were responsible for downing 98 German aircraft in aerial combat.
Escadrille Spa49 was a squadron of the French Air Services active during World War I, from 1915 - 1918. Credited with 37 aerial victories over German aircraft, it won a unit citation on 8 November 1918.
Escadrille Spa.81 was a French fighter squadron active in World War warfare during 1917 and 1918. With nine flying aces in its ranks, it downed 88 German aircraft. It was twice Cited in orders and entitled to the Fourragere of the Croix de guerre.
Escadrille Spa.102 was a French fighter squadron founded in 1913. It served throughout the First World War in a variety of aircraft types, claiming 85 aerial victories, of which 18 were approved.
Escadrille Spa.112 was a French air force squadron active for the near-entirety of World War I. After serving until mid-1917 in various iterations of a bombing squadron, they were re-equipped with Nieuport fighters. With their Nieuports, and their subsequent SPADs, they destroyed 28 enemy airplanes by the ceasefire.
Escadrille Spa.68 was a French fighter squadron active from Autumn 1915 until the Armistice that ended World War I. It was equipped with a mixed lot of Nieuports until they were gradually replaced by SPADs in November 1917. The squadron was one of four bundled into Groupe de Combat 20 in February 1918. By war's end, Escadrille Spa.68 was credited with the destruction of 15 enemy aircraft.