I'm trying to find some verified information about the dates that the Morane-Saulnier N (aka Bullet) were in use by RFC squadrons. None of the WWI books I have give any information about this so I've been relying on websites to get any information, and I'm very cautious about uncorroborated secondary sources!
So far, I've found information suggestion that three squadrons were equipped with the M-S N; 1, 4 and 60 Sqn. However, I'm suspicious that I've found no other reference to 4 Sqn being so equipped other than a single Wikipedia page so I'm inclined to discount that, leaving 1 and 60 Sqns. In total, only 49 of this model were used by the RFC.
Major Eustace Grenfell, while in 1 Sqn scored 6 kills flying an M-S N from 13 Sep 1915 to 17 Jan 1916 (four of his six kills were in a single engagement on the 17th!). Firm and verifiable dates, so I'm inclined to believe them. However, what about the other M-S Ns?
The other bit of info I've found is much more vague. 60 Sqn, freshly formed, arrived in France in May 1916 'partially equipped' with the M-S N. Then "In the opening weeks of the battles of the Somme in the summer of 1916, the squadron suffered heavy casualties and it was withdrawn from the front." - after which it returned to active service equipped with the Nieuport Scout. The a Battle of the Somme began 1st July 1916 (I know this well, my grandfather was there and often told increasingly tall tales of it), but the "opening weeks" is rather an imprecise phrase!
If anyone has books or info about the 1 or 60 Sqn (and even 4 Sqn, although I think wiki is just plain wrong!) and can give any more information on service dates of the Bullet / M-S N in a RFC use, I'd be much obliged!
Thanks in advance.
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