Breguet 14, part eight. European Users, part five. Polish users.

 

Preliminary note: Almost every Polish word has been translated by Google, as none of us speaks Polish, so expect typos, and even grammar failures when you read that language. Apologies.

The Bréguet 14 was a French biplane of the World War I which was used both in the bomber and reconnaissance roles. It was employed by many nations around the globe, among them, Poland.
The newly created Government of the Second Polish Republic acquired both the Br.14A and Br.14B in vast numbers from French Escadrilles that were in Poland as part of the occupation force. 
Those escadrilles were:

• BR 39: Equipped with 15 Br.14A.2s, this unit was initially based at Lublin, to take part in the Ukrainian Front against the Soviets, as both Poland and the Russian SFSR were in war against each other. In September 1919, the French gave the aircraft of this escadrille to the Wojska Lotnicze (Polish Air Force) who transferred them to the 16 Eskadry Wywiadowczej (16th Reconnaissance Squadron). This unit served until June 1920 when it ran out of serviceable aircraft and was, therefore, disbanded.
• BR 59:  Equipped also with 15 Br.14A.2, this unit was also based at Lublin and was transferred to the Wojska Lotnicze in September 1920. It was renamed as 17 Eskadry Wywiadowczej (17th Reconnaissance Squadron) and by mid-July 1921 the unit was disbanded.
• BR 66: Based at Wilno in January 1919, this unit was designated as 4 Eskadry Wywiadowczej (4th Reconnaissance Squadron) and was equipped with Br.14B.2, the bomber variant. It was disbanded in July 1920 as there were no serviceable aircraft available and some machines passed on to the Republic of Central Lithuania.

Apart from those French units, some native units of the Wojska Lotnicze employed the Br.14 as the Polish Government ordered seventy additional Br.14s directly from France and, in November 1919 there were enough machines to form a new squadron:

• 10 Eskadry Wywiadowczej (10th Reconnaissance Squadron). This unit was initially based at Lwow, but it was sent to Brzesc in August 1920 and then to Poznan-Lawica airfield in October, to be re-equipped with Bristol F.2B fighters in early 1921. 
• 1 Pulk Powietrzny (1st Aerial Regiment): This unit was formed when even more machines arrived in 1921 (which were ordered in 1920). Based in Warsaw, this regiment was composed of two squadrons, each one of them hosting two Eskadras (flights). Those squadrons were 1 and 4 Dyon Wywiadowczej (1st & 4th Intelligence Squadrons) with 12 , 16 and 3 and 8 Eskadras respectively. This unit replaced their Br.14 with Potez 15 in 1924. 

After the mid-1920s, when almost every Br.14 was withdrawn from active service, they were used as elementary trainers, forest dusters or even bomber trainers until 1933 when the last Polish Br.14 was written off.

Sources:

1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bréguet_14

2nd Flying Machines Press - French Aircraft of the First World War

3rd Windsock Datafile Special - Breguet 14

Morane-Saulnier Type AI

 

The Morane-Saulnier AI was a French parasol-wing fighter which was developed during World War I. 

In 1916 Morane-Saulnier designed the Type P two-seater reconnaissance parasol-wing aircraft, but it wasn't successful, so they moved on to design new types of fighters. Namely the Type AF biplane fighter and the parasol-wing AI which was itself a refinement of the Type N fighter with the intention of replacing both the Nieuport 17 and the SPAD S.VII. 

The AI was mainly of conventional construction. The fuselage had a circular cross section built around a wooden framework, the flat wing was swept back with a section in the middle cut to improve pilot's field of view. It was hold by parallel lift struts which ran from the base of the forward section of the fuselage to two thirds the way along the wing and braced with a pair of compression struts. Strength tests on the wings showed that this arrangement should've been safe. 

It was powered by a single Gnome Monosoupape 9N radial engine which yielded 150 hp of power and drove a two-bladed propeller.

The first prototype, which flew for the first time in 1917, was armed with a single Vickers 0.303 in machine gun placed on the nose and was given the official designation of Morane-Saulnier MoS.27 by the French Aéronautique Militaire (Military Aeronautics - the forerunner of the Armée de l'Air). It was tested at Villacoublay, in Seinte-et-Oise department, on 7th and 9th August 1917 manned by Eugene Gilbert. Further trials made in September, judged the aircraft as very maneuverable, with excellent control response and an excellent field of view for the pilot.

Work on a second version, the MoS. 29 was underway in September. This version differed from the MoS.27 in having two machine guns and had a slightly larger tail surface, but, otherwise, it was similar to the MoS.27. 

The Type AI was ordered into mass production and a total of 1.210 machines, mostly of the MoS.29 variant, were produced. It entered service in early 1918 and it served with the following three Escadrilles (Squadrons) of the Aéronautique Militaire; N.156 (which became M.S.P. 156 in February 1918), N.161 (which became M.S.P. 161) and N.158 (which became M.S.P. 158). 

The MoS.29 proved to be popular among its pilots who praised its speed and maneuverability, however, in service conditions, the wing proved to be very weak. In fact, some aircraft were lost when their wing either came off or folded in mid-air killing their pilots. The reason was never investigated, it was probably related to wing flutter or a similar phenomenon unknown in those years. By mid-May the Type AI was relegated from frontline service. 

Morane-Saulnier then answered by converting the MoS.27/29 into an advanced trainer by removing guns ,reducing fuel capacity and introducing extra wing bracings. This trainer variant received the denomination of MoS.30 and was made in two sub-variants, the standard MoS.30, powered by a single Le Rhône 9Jb engine, which delivered a power of 135 hp and the MoS.30bis powered by a de-rated Le Rhône 9Jby engine rated at 90-95 hp of power. 

The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was shown the MoS.29, to check their interest on the type on 12th August 1917, but Hugh Trenchard, chief of the RFC rejected it. The MoS.30 was, however exported as trainers to various countries:

• Belgium: During the last stages of the World War I three machines were sold to the Belgian Aviation Militaire, which assigned them to the 9e Escadrille (9th Squadron). 
• Czechoslovakia: The newly created Czechoslovak Army Air Force, had one MoS.30 in service in 1919. As we couldn't find graphical information, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Japan: The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service evaluated a single MoS.30 in 1922. Just like the previous user in this post, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Poland: A total of 21 MoS.30 were exported to Poland between 1920 and 1922. They served as advanced trainers in various flying schools all around Poland until 1925 when they were replaced by more modern types like the MoS.35.
• Switzerland: The Swiss Fliegertruppe (Swiss Army Aerial Corp) operated one MoS.30 in 1919.
• USSR: A total of four MoS.30 were evaluated and used for test and trials by the Workers and Peasants' Red Air Fleet (the forerunner of the Soviet Air Force)
• USA: Fifty-one MoS.30 were purchased by the American Expeditionary Force in France and were employed at their training base at Issoudun, at the department of Indre. After the war they re-sold to other countries. We couldn't however find graphical evidence. However, we think they wouldn't differ too much from the French MoS.29, so we decided to leave them out.

Sources:

1. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_morane_saulnier_Type_AI.html

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_AI

3. http://bequickorbedead.com/article_detail/french-trainings-morane-saulnier-ms-30e1/ (translated)

4. https://www.valka.cz/Morane-Saulnier-AI-t51372 (translated)

Morane-Saulnier L - Various European users

We keep on going with the various users of the Morane-Saulnier Type L and today we cover its European and Turkish users except for French, British and Russian ones which will have their own post.

• Belgium: The Belgian Aviation Militaire adquired some Morane-Saulnier L prior to the World War I together with the Morane-Saulnier Type G. The type L was employed in the scout role during the early days of the World War I and was outdated and quickly replaced. As we couldn't find graphical evidence of the type L in Belgian service, the colours should be considered as speculative.
• Czechoslovakia: Apparently, the Czechoslovak state had at least one Type L in service, however any further information is unknown and the drawing must be considered as speculative.
• Finland: This country had also some Type L that adquired together with the modified licensed Swedish version Thulin D. Apparently it served its role as scout/trainer in the early Finnish Army Corps of Aviation.
• Holland: Apparently at least one airplane served with the Dutch Aviation corps. However, as we couldn't find any further information, the drawing is speculative.
• Poland: Somehow, the early Polish Air Force got a Type L that was probably used as a trainer during its early days. As we couldn't find further info the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Romania: Prior to World War I the Romanian Army bought a Type L and it served as scout during the war. As there isn't graphical evidence to support the claim, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Ottoman Empire: The Ottoman Aviation Commission bought a Type L before the war and it was used in the early war. It was widely liked and later they bought the German Pfalz copy.
• West Ukrainian People's Republic (ZUNR): Apparently some ex-Russian built Type L served with the ZUNR during their convoluted existance.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_L

2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard - Part two

The Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard was exported after the war to various countries as the RAF rejected it for service.
Ireland was one of those buyer countries as the Irish Government bought one (out of just four in the world) Martinsyde Type A Mk.II which was a transport variant of the Buzzard, to escape from the Anglo-Irish negotiations in case they failed. It was written off on 11th October 1927.
The Buzzard served also with the Irish Air Corps as at least four of them (this time in their fighter variant). They were bought from the Aircraft Disposal Company in  1922 which was the company that bought most of the Buzzards after Martinsyde went bankrupt. They served with the No.1 "The Humming Bird" Squadron based at the Baldonnel Aerodrome. Most of them were written off from 1925 until 1929.
It seems that the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service bought one airplane with testing purposes in the early 1920s from the Aircraft Disposal Company. Apparently they weren't impressed and didn't buy more of them. As we couldn't find graphical evidence of the Buzzard under Japanese command, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
The Karinės Oro Pajėgos (Lithuanian Air Force) bought two Buzzards in 1922 from the Aircraft Disposal Company where they served under the denomination of "Amerikietis" and "Amerikiete".
Under the command of the Wojska Lotnicze (Polish Air Force) it was bought in January 1921 and it served as a fighter until June 1923 when it was assigned to the Experimental section of the Military Aviation Research Centre. One year later, in winter 1924 it was repaired and repainted in white and red horizontal stripes to be the personal airplane of the Polish Air Force Commander who kept the airplane as his personal one until March 1926. 
The Buzzard was also gifted to Portugal in October 1919 and was assigned to the Arma de Aeronáutica Militar (Military Aeronautics Arm) where it served with the Grupo de Esquadrilhas de Aviaçao República (Republican Aviation Flight Group) formed in Amadora and later they were transferred to the Esquadrilha Mista de Depósito in the city of Tancos. A second batch of Buzzards arrived in 1923 and they were also assigned to the Esquadrilha Mista de Depósito which existed until 1926 when it disbanded and replaced by the Esquadrilha de Caça Nº1 (Fighter Squadron No.1) and served together with the Spad S.VII. They served until 1933. 

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martinsyde_Buzzard
2. http://www.ipmsireland.com/forms-downloads/aercorpsaircraft1922-1997.doc
3. http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2428
4. http://www.samolotypolskie.pl/samoloty/1807/126/Martinsyde-F-4-Buzzard (translated)
5. https://altimagem.blogspot.com.es/2012/04/16-martinsyde-f-4-buzzard.html (translated)
6. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Avro 504K European Users, part two

Now's the time for the second part of the European users of the Avro 504K.

• Ireland: The Irish Air Corps had six of them from 1922 until 1932. Further details are unknown.
• Latvia: The Latvian air force adquired two Avro 504K in 1924 and 1925 which were active until 1930 when they were replaced by the German Udet U.12 Flamingo.
• Norway: The Norwegian Army Air Service used some 504K apparently during the 1920 with a modified engine. Further details are, unknown.
• Poland: The Polish Air Force had one in inventory during the 1920s. 
• Russian Republic (Whites): Apparently one was used by the Slavonic-British Air Corps during the Northern Campaign of the Russian Civil War. Interestingly enough, it was used in the recon role, hence the observer machine-gun, instead in the training role.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_of_the_Irish_Air_Corps

2. http://latvianaviation.com/Avro_504K.html

3. http://www.avro504.org/ActualAircraft.html

Ansaldo A.1 Balilla - Polish users, part two

Today we finish with the Polish users for this Italian airplane.

We are centering in the Polish-built Lublin A.1 Balillas.

The Lublin A.1 was a license-built version of the Ansaldo A.1 Balilla manufactured by the Lublin factory, in the Polish city of Lublin.

They were heavier than their Italian counterparts, around 80 Kg heavier and showed frequent problems with the engine and the quality of the welds. That leaded to various accidents, many of them fatal. Because of that bad reputation, in 1924, in spite of the Ansaldos' effort to convince that the type was reliable, the production was reduced from 100 to 80, and eventually only 57 of them were built. In 1925 their armament was completely retired and in 20th September 1927 the last of the Balillas was written-off from Polish service because they had been gradually replaced with Blériot-SPAD S.51, Blériot-SPAD S.61 and Potez 25.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansaldo_A.1_Balilla
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
3. Windsock Datafile 88 - Ansaldo A.1 Balilla

Ansaldo A.1 Balilla - Polish users, part one

We keep going with this Italian fighter, now we are centering in the Polish users. As Poland used this fighter so widely, we had to divide it into two parts.

A Polish purchasing commitee visited Italy in 1919 looking for new weapons, and they closed a deal for ten evaluation airplanes. Those were delivered to Warsaw in January 1920. Initally the impression caused, mainly from American volunteers was extremely good due to its' high speed, fuel capacity and maneuvrability. It's curious to point out that this last aspect was disdained by the Italian pilots.

On May 25th they were deployed on the front line (the Polish-Soviet war was active during those days) and all except one of them were destroyed during a Soviet counter-attack in Ukraine. However, the Polish commitee had already closed another contract to buy another 25 machines plus a license to locally build them. The new batch of airplanes arrived in Poland after hostilities ended and, in July 1921 the first of 36 machines were produced in the Lublin factory.

Anyway, we are going to cover the Lublin-built ones in the next post.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansaldo_A.1_Balilla
2. Salamander Books - The Complete book of fighters.

Albatros D.V - Foreign users

We keep drawing the Albatros airplanes until it was eventually incorporated into Focke-Wulf, and now it's the turn for the Albatros D.V. This time focusing on the few foreign users.

The Albatros D.V was a German fighter airplane widely used by the Imperial German Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) during the World War I. It was the final development of the Albatros D.I and the last Albatros fighter to be operationally employed. In spite of its obsolescence and faults in many aspects, approximately 2500 D.V were manufactures in both of its variants, the D.V and D.Va.

As this post is dedicated to the foreign users, those are:

• Ottoman Empire: The German Jasta 1F, which operated under Ottoman markings, received at least six airplanes in mid-to-late 1918. As we couldn't only find text references to those airplanes, the drawing must be considered as speculative.
• Turkey: Those ex-Ottoman airplanes were taken over by the Turkish Army which used to equip some fighter squadron which took part in the Turkish Independence war.
• Poland: The Polish authorities bought an Albatros D.V from a German pilot in Gdansk on 13th May 1920 and it was assigned to the newly created Polish Naval Air Squadron based on the city of Puck. It served until November 1922 when it was written-off.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albatros_D.V

Albatros D.III - Foreign Users

We come up with this new airplane that played a very important role during the World War I. In this post we are centering into the foreign users.

The Albatros D.III was a German biplane fighter that was widely used by many German aces and it was the preeminent fighter during the period of time that Germany ruled the skies which was known as the "Bloody April".

As this post is about the foreign users for this one, the nations covered in this post are:

• France: On 21st April 1917 the German pilot Lt. Friedrich Wilhelm tried to attack a French artillery observation balloon, but he was shot down by the French lieutenant Languedoc which managed somehow to capture the airplane intact. This airplane would later be sold to the United States which sent it to McCook airfield in Dayton, Ohio in order to perform aerial experiments between 1917 and 1927.
• Lithuania: The Lithuanian air force used many German leftovers in order to equip their newly created air force.
• Ottoman Empire: The Albatros D.III started to be delivered to Ottoman Empire in March 1918 and, in October 1918 a total of 29 D.III had been delivered, 10 of which had no engines at all.
• Turkey: Some of the Albatros employed by the Ottoman Empire were employed by the newly created Turkish Army which used them in their independence war. They were writen off in 1922. The colours of this one are speculative.
• Bulgaria: Some few Albatros D.III were seized from retreating German forces in late 1918. Some sources claim that it was just a pair of airplanes, however it's very hard to know considering that they never were officially  'taken on charge'. It's known, however, that they were used by some Bulgarian pilots for training after some reparations, performed at the workshop of the Bojurishte airfield, were made. As there aren't graphical evidence on these airplanes, the colours should be considered speculative.
• United Kingdom: Originally piloted by the German lieutenant Georg Simon, it was shot down by a Nieuport belonging to the Royal Flying Corps on 4th June 1917 and he was made prisoner. After that his airplane was repainted and showed as a war prize even if the radiator water pipe was missing.
• Poland: The newly created Polish government employed many German leftover airplanes, and also bought some of them, specially those manufactured by OAW and used them in the Polish-Soviet war of 1919-1920, mainly in ground attack duties. Some of them were used by the famous Kosciuszko Squadron which was mainly equipped with the Austro-Hungarian improved variant, the Oeffag Va.253.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albatros_D.III
2. http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/bulgaria/af/types/albatros.htm
3. http://www.traditions-air.fr/unit/avion/avions_ww1_02.htm

Oeffag Va.253 - Polish Users

We continue with the bulk of the Polish users of the Va.253.

After the war ended, Poland adquired 38 Va.253 airplanes and used them in the Polish-Soviet war, in ground attack roles. They liked it that much, that they sent a commendation letter to the Oeffag factory.

The ones shown in this entry are those belonging to the famous Kościuszko Squadron which comprissed many American volunteers. 

Halberstadt CL.II - Foreign users

We start with a new airplane and with an entry shorter than usual.

The Halberstadt CL.II was a German escort fighter/ground attack airplane designed during the first World War that excelled during that conflict.

As we are centering in the foreign users of this airplane, and they were rather... scarce, only two non-German nations employed it after the war. Lithuania and Poland.


Under Lithuanian command, they were among the very first (if no the first) attack airplanes that equipped their air force. They may have seen some action at any of the Lithuanian independence wars (1918-1920).

Under Polish command, they saw action specially in the Polish-Soviet war where they served in at least two squadrons, the 2nd squadron and the 14th, both dedicated to the ground support role, where this airplane excelled.

Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 - Foreign Users

We keep drawing. This time it's the turn for the airplane that, arguably, was the best airplane of the whole Great War.

The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter of the first world war.
Given that we are covering the foreign users of this airplane, we are going to center on the S.E.5a model.
The S.E.5a model was an improved version of the initial S.E.5 model. It was powered by a 200hp Hispano-Suiza 8b engine and some of them were powered by a 200hp Wolseley Viper.

It was license built in the USA by the Austin Motor Company and also by Ebehart Aeroplane company.

The countries covered in this entry are:

• Argentina: The Argentine Naval Aviation bought some of them as late as 1927 and used them as advanced trainers.
• Australia: Some SE5a were given to Australia as part of the imperial gift after the end of the Great War and they constituted the backbone of the very early Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). They served until 1929 when they were replaced by the Bristol Bulldog.
• Canada: The Canadian Air Force employed SE.5a together with Sopwith Dolphin in the No.1 fighter squadron. However, as we couldn't fin graphical info, both the colours and registrations are speculative.
• Chile: The Chilean Military Aviation Service bought some SE.5a in 1924 to equip the newly formed 1st Aviation Company.
• Ireland: Apparently one SE.5a served in the Irish Air Corps during the Irish Civil War. It operated from the Fermoy aerodrome, in southern Ireland and was destroyed due to an engine failure. We couldn't find graphical evidence, so the drawing must be considered as speculative.
• Japan: The British Aviation Mission on Japan took one Viper-engined SE.5a to Japan after the armistice in order to serve in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. We couldn't find any graphical info about that airplane so it must be considered as speculative.
• Poland: The Polish Air Force bought at least one ex-RFC from the United Kingdom and was used in the Polish-Soviet war.

Ansaldo SVA - Foreign Users, Third Entry

We finish the foreign users for this airplane, by adding the remaining users:

• Poland: It is known that the Polish Wojska Lotnicze employed some of them in the Polish-Soviet war as scouts.
• USSR: It is known too, that the Soviet Air Regiment used some (apparently captured from the Polish front) SVA as scouts also.
• Spain: The Spanish Aeronáutica Militar (Military Aeronautic) employed some SVA.5 in the scout role in North Africa, during the Rif War.
• Uruguay: The Uruguayan Escuela Militar de Aeronáutica (Military School of Aeronautics) employed some SVA.10 in order to teach their pilots. They remained active until 1932.
• USA: The USAAS and later, the USAAC, employed an SVA.5 and, weirdly, the military attache in Rome, had an Ansaldo A.202 as his personal airplane. It's not very common to own a prototype as your personal airplane.
• Yugoslavia: The Royal Yugoslavian Army Aviation Detachment employed some SVA.5. As we couldn't find info about those airplanes. All we could do, was to speculate.

Ansaldo SVA - Foreign Users, Second Entry

We continue with the Ansaldo SVA, this time with more foreign users of this multi-role airplane.

• Lithuania: Lithuania kept some SVA.10 used in observation role during the 20s. There's not much more many information.
• Paraguay: As many of you have already guessed, the Ansaldo SVA played an important role in south American countries not just for being one of the first airplanes in many of these countries air force's, but also for being the protagonist of the first aerial combat ever in that territory when two opposing SVA.5 faced together in a dogfight. It was also used as a trainer, and not just as a fighter.
• Peru: Peru had some SVA.5 in active during the 20s. Their fate or where they were based is unknown.
• Poland: The newly created Wojska Lotnicze (Polish Air force) adquired some trainers in order to equip their flying schools. The one that employed the SVA was the advanced pilot's school, based first at an ex-German airfield in the city of Poznan but moved to Grudziądz in December 1920.

Albatros D.II - Foreign Users

We keep going with the Albatros fighter series. This time we deal with the foreign users of the D.II.

The Albatros D.II was a German fighter, an evolution of the D.I intended to solve the poor upward visibility issues by repositioning the upper wing closer to fuselage and slightly forward and re-arranging the cabane struts. Otherwise, it was basically the same aircraft as the D.I.

We have to note that at least three variants of this airplane existed:

• D.II Early production model: The initial production version with the upper repositioned in order to achieve better upward visibility and Windhoff 'Ear' radiators on the sides. 
• D.II Late production model: The late production model had the Windhoff radiators removed and replaced by a Teves und Braun type radiator placed on the center of the upper wing. This was done because the German Inspectorate for flying troops banned the usage of 'ear' radiators due to their position at a lower level than the crankcase of the engine they were intended to cool down. 
• Oeffag Va.53/Oeffag series 53: License built Austrian version of the D.II featuring it's own engine, a 138Kw (185hp) Austro-Daimler engine which was intended to achieve better results than the standard Mercedes D.III. It was manufactured during a brief period of time before switching production to the more advanced Albatros D.III. However, as the Austrian D.III proved, the Austro-Daimler engine, with the cylinder heads covered by a cowling proved to be much more suitable for winter operations.

It was employed by the following nations:

• Austro-Hungarian Empire: As we have said, Oeffag produced 16 examples before switching the production to the Albatros D.III. It should be noted that those 16 airplanes were unarmed since they were intended to be equipped with an fuselage-integrated Schwarzlose machine gun. The fate of those 16 airplanes it's unknown. Most probably they were reconverted into Albatros D.III
• United Kingdom: The Royal Flying Corps manage to capture at least one D.II and used it for testing purposes.
• Lithuania: After the Germans retreated from the baltic area many of the leftover airplanes were pressed into service in the newly created countries. It probably saw action at the Lithuanian war of Independence. (1918-1920)
• Ottoman Empire: The 6.Boluk (6th Squadron) was composed entirely by German pilots. It was equipped with D.II until the armistice and it saw action in the famous battle of Gallipolli.
• Poland: As Lithuania, some leftovers were taken over and pressed into service with the newly created Polish Air Force. Although liked by the pilots, it was outdated and, just as the Albatros D.III, it was used in the ground attack role during the Polish-Soviet war.

SPAD S.VII - Third entry, foreign users vol. 3

We continue with our SPAD S.VII saga, this time with even more foreign users of the SPAD S.VII, this entry is a continuation of this other one:

• Poland: One of the main post-war users of the SPAD S.VII and one of the very first airplanes that constituted the Wojska Lotnicze (Polish Air Force) back in 1918. It saw action during the Polish Soviet war.
• Portugal: It made famous in this country because the Portuguese ace Oscar Monteir Torres, the only Portuguese pilot who died in aerial-combat during the great war, flew one of these. When the Portuguese Aviation Corps was founded back in February 1919, the fighter squadron was equipped with S.VIIs. This same squadron was renamed in December 1921 as 'Captain Monteiro Torres Squadron'.
• Romania: Apparently some S.VII were employed during the great war by the Romanian Royal Aeronautics. As we couldn't find graphic evidence, the colours are speculative.
• Imperial Russia: The Imperial Russian Air Service employed them widely in the eastern front of the great war and it was also used by the Whites during the Russian Civil War. It's also worth mentioning that the three versions of this airplane were employed: The ones made by SPAD themselves, the ones made by Blériot and the ones made locally by DUX in Moscow.
• Serbia: Some Serbian pilots, integrated in the French SPA.523  squadron, flew S.VII airplanes which later, after the war would form the very first fighter units of the kingdom of Croats Slovenes and Serbs, or, as was commonly known, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (those will be covered in the next entry). During the great war they were used in the Macedonian (Thessaloniki) Front
• Red Army/USSR: The Russian Red Army, employed them widely during the Russian civil war and Polish Soviet war and was among the very first fighters used by the Workers' and Peasants' Air Fleet (the precursor of the Soviet Air Force). They were ex-Imperial units or captured ones.

Note: We know that theorically those SPAD used by the United Kingdom should be in this entry (as we are following an alphabetical order for the foreign users), but considering that they used it very widely we decided to make a dedicated entry just for them.

SPAD S.VII - Second entry, foreign users vol. 2

Previous note: This is a continuation of this post If you haven't read it, i recommend you to check it out.
We continue with the SPAD S.VII, this time with more foreign users for this French Fighter.

We are covering the next countries this time:

• Imperial Germany: During the very first part of 1918 a single S.VII was captured from the French SPA65 unit. It was heavily repainted by his new owner. 
• Greece: The Royal Hellenic Army Air Service bought some airplanes. The one depicted below served in 1920.
• Kingdom of Italy: Italy used them widely during the Great war and it became very popular since it was flew by various of their best aces like Francesco Baracca or Giorgio Pessi. It was also among the very first planes that composed the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) with planes carried over from the previous Corpo Aeronautico Militare (Military Aeronautical Corps) during 1923.
• Empire of Japan: The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service employed them, allegedly for domestice defense purposes during the 20s. As we couldn't find any graphical evidence, the drawing are speculative.
• Netherlands: The Luchtvaartafdeling (The Dutch Aeronautical corps) employed some SPAD S.VII. Supposedly they were airplanes that were forced to land in neutral Dutch territory during the Great War, as we couldn't find graphical evidence on this one neither, the colours are speculative.
• Peru: Allegiadly Peru used some Ex-Argentinean planes during the early 20s for evaluation purposes. However they were rejected. The graphical evidence on Peruvian SPADs doesn't seem to exist, so the drawing is considered speculative.
• Poland: One of the main post-war users of the SPAD S.VII and one of the very first airplanes that constituted the Wojska Lotnicze (Polish Air Force) back in 1918. It saw action during the Polish Soviet war.