SPAD VII or XIII

[Gallo Rojo]

Please help me to figure out: is this a SPAD XIII or VII. I'm guessing XIII

[Guntruck]

G-R, this site reckons it is a SPAD VII of Marcel Bloch, Spa 112

http://fandavion.free.fr/spad_constructeur.htm

[Gallo Rojo]

Yup, that's the site I get the pic from
Problem: as far as I know, Slt Marcel Bloch never served in the SPA 112; he was in the SPA 62 instead. Although this plane lacks the good-looking fighting-cock that was Escadrigle SPA62's emblem, it does has the 'inverted' three-colour band at the end of the fuselage that SPA62 SPADs had at least until 1917, and it's nicknamed FANTASIO III ("Fantasio" was the name of all Bloch's mounts)

So I'm wondering if it's really a SPAD 7 or a SPAD 13

[Naharaht]

Here is Marcel Bloch with his SPAD VII Fantasio II bearing the fighting-cock of SPA62.

This is a SPAD XIII flown by Sgt Fernand Chavannes SPA112 August 1918.

The two red bars are the squadron markings. Notice that the rear edge of the tail is more rounded on a SPAD XIII.

From this my opinion is that your photograph is of a SPAD VII belonging to Marcel Bloch of SPA62, possibly a new one photographed before the squadron emblem had been painted on it (?).

Please note that he was not the same Marcel Bloch as the one, who changed his name to Marcel Dassault after WW2 and founded the famous aircraft company.