Spa 31

[john snelling]

Spa 31
suffered 17 killed, 5 wounded and 6 pow having achieved 47 victories and 19 not confirmed

Commanding Officers:
26 Apr 1916: Ltt Lucien Couret de Villeneuve
17 Jul 1917: Cne Charles Dupuy
6 May 1918: Ltt Paul Reverchon

Aircraft:
05 Jan 1916 N11
Feb 1916 One of nine N11 escadrilles sent to the Battle of Verdun
Jul 1916 N10/11/12 x 10, MS Type LA x 1
Oct 1916 N11 x 3 also received a N16 x 1
Oct 1916 N17
Feb 1917 N17/23/24/Spad VII x 12, Sop 1a2 x 2, MS LA x 1
Apr 1917 N17 x 4, Sop 1A2 x 2, Spad VII x 9
02 May 1917 N10 x 1, N24 x 1, Spad VII x 7
Sep 1917 Spad XIII
14 Jul 1918 Spad VII/XIII x 6

Aces:

Jules Charles Covin Rank: Sous Lieutenant
1 10 Nov 1916 MF52 Scout
Observer Lt Villaume, Gunner Soldat Michel
2 26 Jan 1917 R213 EA Carlepont
Observer Adj Gimmic, Gunner Soldat Massier
3 23 Sep 1917 N31 Two-seater Brimont
Shared with Adj Poreaux, MdL de Freycinet
4 24 Oct 1917 N31 Rumpler C (1454) Cramaille
5 30 Jan 1918 N31 EA Beine
Shared with S/Lt Borde, MdL Lienhard, Brig Jacques Gerard
6 03 Feb 1918 N31 Fokker DR.I Pontgirard
Wounded in action 21 March 1918. Died from his wounds


Georges Pierre Blanc Rank: Adjudant
On 31 March 1917 he joined Escadrille N31 and scored five victories with this unit by the end of October 1917.
1 07 May 1917 N31 Two-seater Courtecon
Shared with Cpl Chapelle, Sgt Roland
2 02 Jun 1917 N31 Two-seater Nanteuil-ls-Fosse
Shared with Cpl Chapelle
3 07 Oct 1917 N31 EA Lierval-Laval
Shared with Adj René Dousinelle
4 17 Oct 1917 N31 Balloon Bruyeres
Shared with Adj Louis-Antoine Chartoire
5 30 Oct 1917 N31 EA Moulin-Didier
Louis-Antoine Chartoire Rank: Sous Lieutenant
1 17 Oct 1917 N31 Balloon 1 Bruyeres
2 04 Jul 1918 Spa31 Two-seater 2 Romigny
3 28 Sep 1918 Spa31 Fokker D.VII 3 Bois de Bouc
4 02 Nov 1918 Spa31 Scout Montgen-Lechesne
5 Spa31
1 Shared with Adj Georges Blanc
2 Shared with Adj Deley, MdL Gerbault
3 Shared with S/Lt François Portron, MdL Jacquet

François Portron Rank: Sous Lieutenant
1 22 May 1918 Spa31 Two-seater 1 Bouillancourt
2 01 Aug 1918 Spa31 Balloon 2 Epoye
3 11 Aug 1918 Spa31 Fokker NE of Crugny
4 28 Sep 1918 Spa31 Fokker 3 N of Bois de Bouc
5 01 Oct 1918 Spa31 Scout 4 Orfeuil
1 Shared with Lt Reverchon
2 Shared with Adj Deley
3 Shared with S/Lt Louis-Antoine Chartoire and MdL Jacquet
4 Shared with MdL Libault, S/Lt Marrec

Jacques Ortoli
February 25, 1915, he was promoted to sergeant . April 28, 1915 Ortoli won with his copilot, his first aerial victory by shooting a two-seater observation aircraft Rumpler flying a Farman . And he won one of the first aerial victories in the history of military aviation.
1 28 Apr 1915 MF8 1 Rumpler C Miraumont
1 Observer Lt J Menj
On 11 March 1916 he was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer .
July 8, Ortoli - head injuries - is evacuated to the hospital.
07 Oct 1916 posted
2 04 Jun 1916 N31 Nieuports LVG C
3 23 Jun 1917 N31 EA Cunel
4 06 Mar 1917 N31 EA Nogent l'Abbesse
5 23 Mar 1917 N31 EA Aumenancourt
6 24 Mar 1917 N31 EA N of Reims
7 25 Mar 1917 N31 EA Brimont
8 25 Mar 1917 N31 EA Freslon
19 Apr 1918 promoted to the rank of lieutenant .
9 19 Jun 1917 N31 EA 2
2 Shared with S/Lt Jean Chaput, Lt Joseph de Sevin
10 19 Jun 1917 N31 EA
11 24 Jun 1917 N31 Two-seater Bouy
10 May 1918 he took command of 57 Squadron which then flies on SPAD
At the Armistice , Ortoli 1235 flight hours on the clock. He has participated in 500 strike sorties and 400 escort, photographic reconnaissance, or in support of artillery. He was wounded in combat twice by anti-aircraft batteries.

Loses
16Feb17 Ltn.d.R. Baldamus-n/c of Jasta 9 Nieuport 15.15 S. Aure z.L.gzw. #2183, Esc. N.31, Brig. Girard, MIA
25Mar17 Vzfw. Sauerwein 1v of Jasta 7 Spad 16.15 Fort Marre 23 Esc. N.31, Sgt. H. Lémonon, IIC,FTL
6Apr17 Ltn.d.R. Dossenbach-9v of Jasta 36 Nieuport Silléry 4 #244, Esc. N.31, Lt. J. Mistarlet, POW
26May17 Ltn.d.R. Kissenberth-4v of Jasta 16 Spad S.7 Somme-Py 5 #S.294, Esc. N.37, S/Lt. A. Cabaud, KIA
10Jul17 Vzfw. Strasser-4v of Jasta 17 Sopwith 2 21.00 S. Nieuport 19 M.S. #937, Esc. N.31, M.d.L. C. Gauthier,POW & Sold. A. Denis,POW
10Aug17 Uffz. Brettel-2v of Jasta 10 Spad S.7 16.25 Klerken,S. Dixmuiden 12 Esc. Spa.31, M.d.L. E. Camus, MIA
10Aug17 Ltn.d.R. Voss-35v of Jasta 10 Spad S.7 16.25 SW Klerken,Dixmuiden 13 Esc. Spa.31, Capt. H. Rousseau, MIA
19Aug17 Ltn.d.R. Gontermann 31v of Jasta 15 Spad 1 10.40 Spancy Icuy, SW Jouy 31 Esc. Spa.31, Sgt. A. Chapelle, WIA
10Sep17 Ltn.d.R. Voss-45v of Jasta 10 Spad S.7 18.15 Paschendaele-Westroosebeke #1746, Esc. Spa.31, Sgt. J. Tiberghein, KIA 28
24Sep17 Ltn. Osterkamp 6v of MFJ-1 Spad S.7 La Frobische 36 #2466, Esc. Spa. 31, Capt. d'Aymery, POW
27Oct17 Vzfw. Kramer 3v of Jasta 12 Spad S.7 S. Fresnes 13 Esc. N.31, Brig. Feissel, WIA
31Mar18 Ltn.d.R. Becker 8v of Jasta 12 Spad 1 W. Montdidier 117 Esc. Spa.57, Adj. P.A. Thuries, POW
19May18 Oblt. von Wedel-3v of Jata 11 Spad S.7 20.00 E. Harbonnières 277 #3284, Esc. Spa. 31, Cpl. S. Drew, KIA
19May18 Ltn.d.R. Menckhoff-26v of Jasta 72 Spad S.7 18.40 9 #3284, Esc. Spa. 31, Cpl. S.R. Drew,Jr., KIA
23Aug18 Vzfw. Seitz 10v of Jasta 8 Spad S.7 9.35 Bouvancourt 86 #S.3331, Esc. Spa.31, Cpl. Marchal, MIA
29Sep18 Ltn.d.R. von Freden-13v of Jasta 50 Spad 1 10.00 Somme-Py 38 Esc. Spa.31, Capt. P. Reverchon, KIA

[Dom S]

I do enjoy these posts John - nice to see another one. I keep promising myself SPA 78 some time - now there's a one-man band of a squadron....

[csadn]

I do enjoy these posts John - nice to see another one. I keep promising myself SPA 78 some time - now there's a one-man band of a squadron....

Most squadrons were -- something like 10% of pilots ever scored any victories, with maybe 10% of those scoring more than 5; everyone else was there so the one guy could fatten his score.

[Dom S]

True to a fair extent, but 78's a fairly extreme example - I don't have the figures handy, but seem to recall Pinsard was the squadron's only ace in the whole war, with over half of the squadron's tally....