L’Aéronautique Militaire 1914-1918
My friend Philippe Jourdan just printed an extremely interesting book about the WWI French squadrons insignias.
The book is written in French and English. It begins with a short foreword from the « Division symbolique air du service historique de la Défense, followed by the book summary and a foreword of the author.
In a few pages, the author resume the historical evolution of the Aéronautique Militaire from the beginning to the end of WWI. Then you have a « portrait of an Escadrille » followed by a summary of the numbering of the squadrons and a vademecum.
…And then comes the big work : all the know squadron insignias are depicted, squadron after squadron, classified by the squadron numbers. Richly illustrated by Philippe Jourdan Cédrick Daïrien and Damien Coquelet, the insignias are authentified by pictograms that explains the sources of informations : drawings from canvas fuselage ; drawings from fuselage photos ; drawings on document ; and Moreau Berillon drawing.
All the squadrons are depicted, with the exception of those (a minority) for whom no insignia was known, or not firmly confirmed. Illustrations are splendid and the author describes for each insignia its origins (who created it), the evolution of the colors, etc.
It’s definitively a book to own if you are interrested by the French aviation of the Great War.
To buy the book, send an email to Philippe Jourdan :
Philjourdan@aol.com
Daniel Clamot
