Bréguet 14, part one. South and Central American users.

 

The Bréguet 14 was a French bomber and reconnaissance biplane of the World War I. It was manufactured in large numbers during and after the conflict. It was used by the French Aéronautique Militaire (French Aeronautical Corps) but it was also exported to many countries all around the globe, among them, the following ones:

• Argentina: The Aeroposta Argentina (Argentine Air Mail) employed three Breguet 14 built by Latécoère for aerial mail duties. They arrived at Buenos Aires in late 1925 and served mainly in the Buenos Aires-Asunción  and Buenos Aires-Montevideo aerial routes. They were reported to be still in active in December 1934 when they were written off.
• Brazil: Brazil bought 16 Breguet 14 A.2 and B.2 in 1919. Four Breguet 14 B.2 served with 1a Esquadrilha de Bombardeio (1st Bombing Squadron), based at Santa María, Rio Grande do Sul, and six Breguet 14 A.2 served with the 3a Esquadrilha de Observaçao (3rd Observation Squadron), based at Alegrete, Rio Grande do Sul. Apart from those machines, six more Breguet were locally assembled. 
  They served until 1928 when those squadrons were disbanded and their aircraft sent to the Escuela de Aviaçao (Aviation School) at Campo dos Alfonsos, in Rio de Janeiro. 
  Another unit, Esquadrilha de Aperfeiçoamento (Operational Conversion Squadron) was based at Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paulo, with six Breguet 14 A.2 in strength. This unit saw combat action during the Paulista Revolt of July 1924. During that month that squadron flew 11 bombing and reconnaissance sorties losing one aircraft to an accident. The Breguet remained there from August to September 1924 , this time as part of the Destacamento de Aviaçao (Air Detachment), of the Brazilian Army. 
  In 1927 every Brazilian Breguet 14 were withdrawn.
• El Salvador: One Breguet 14 B.2 was acquired from France in the mid-1920s. This machine was used for good will flights to both Honduras and Nicaragua in 1926. Unfortunately, it crashed in March 1927 while delivering smallpox vaccine to Managua.
• Guatemala: Three Breguet 14 were shipped to Guatemala by a French air mission in 1918. Anyway the main instructor with the mission died and the crates where the aircraft were, they were sent back to France unassembled. However, we drawn a what-if looking Breguet 14 in Guatemalan colours.
• Paraguay: One Breguet 14A.2 was employed by the Governmental Forces during the Paraguayan Civil War of 1922-1923. It was destroyed during a forced landing at the Ñu-Guasu airfield in the city of Luque, close to the capital, Asunción.  
• Uruguay: The Uruguayan Escuela Militar de Aeronáutica (Military Aeronautical School, forerunner of the Uruguayan Military Aviation) bought six Breguet 14A.2 in 1921. Three Breguet 14T Sanitaire (AKA Breguet 14TS. It was the aerial ambulance version) were acquired in 1927 and one additional 14TS was acquired in June 1928. The 14.A.2 served with the Escuela Militar de Aeronáutica until 1928 when they were replaced by the Potez 25. 
  The 14TS were regrouped in their own unit, named 'Aviación Sanitaria' (Sanitary Aviation), the first of that kind in South America. They served until 1931 when they were replaced by the Farman F.190

Sources:

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

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

3. http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/user/every/paraguay-af-all-time-aircraft-used-listing.htm

4. https://www.histarmar.com.ar/AVIACION/EloyMartin/LOS-COMIENZOS-DE-LA-AVIACION-POLICIAL.pdf (translated)

5. https://www.fau.mil.uy/es/noticias/69-los-aviones-ambulancia-al-servicio-del-estado.html (translated)

6. Helion - 08 Aerial Operations in the Revolutions of 1922 and 1947 in Paraguay The First Dogfights in South America

Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard - Part three

The Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard was a British fighter designed in 1918 that was planned to enter service in the Great War. It was powered by a 300hp Hispano-Suiza 8Fb inline engine and was armed with two 0.303 Vickers machine guns placed in the front of the fuselage.
The type was expected to equip the French Aéronautique Militaire, the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Service with more than 1500 airplanes ordered.
They served with the Spanish Aeronáutica Militar from 1922 when  10 or 12 were bought. Eight of them were sent to the African city of Melilla, while the rest were used to train pilots in Los Alcázares aerodrome, in the south of Spain. Those serving in Melilla formed the "Escuadrilla Martinsyde" until they were replaced by the Nieuport-Delage NiD.29 in 1924. After being retired from service they were used as trainers serving with the training squadron in Cuatro Vientos, in Madrid. They served there until 1931 when the Spanish Republic was declared and, as they were really outdated, they passed on to the Republican Aeronáutica Naval were they served in the base of San Javier, at the southern of Spain until the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936.
Apparently one-hundred of them also served with the Soviet Workers' and Peasants' Air Fleet in 1919 until some date in the mid-late 1920s when they were retired from service.
The type also served with the Uruguayan Escuela Militar de Aeronáutica (which was the name of the predecessor of the Uruguayan Air Force) in 1925.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martinsyde_Buzzard
2.http://www.ejercitodelaire.mde.es/stweb/ea/ficheros/pdf/229800650173ACD6C1257C99003F6930.pdf (translated)
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters.

Avro 504K - Latin American users, part two

Now's the turn for more latin-american users of the Avro 504K.

• Chile: In 1920 Chile feared that Bolivia wanted their sea access back, they started to rearm themselves. They bought for the Chilean Army: Twenty Airco DH.9 Bombers,  eight RAF SE.5a, twelve Bristol M.1C plus two Avro 504 and three Sopwith Baby, one Felixstowe F.2A, six Short 184 and two Avro 504K for the Chilean navy. They served in the Chilean aviation school.
• Perú: They bought at least three of them during the early 1920s in order to equip their flying schools.
• Uruguay: Uruguayan government bough some 504K which served from 1919 until as late as 1934 in the Escuela Militar de Aviación (Military Aviation School). 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_504

2. http://ivansiminic.blogspot.com.es/2012/04/sucesos-de-1920.html (translated)

3. http://www.insigniamag.com/peru17.html

4. http://www.pilotoviejo.com/avro504k.htm (translated)

5. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Ansaldo A.1 Balilla - Latin-American users

We switch countries and airplanes, France for Italy and the ANF Les Mureaux by the Ansaldo ones.

The Ansaldo A.1 Balilla was an Italian fighter designed in 1917 and it didn't enter into service until July 1918.

In this post we are going to center in the Latin-American users of it.

• Argentina: The 350º Squadriglia was assigned to Argentina in order to try to sell many type of airplanes. From old Farmans to the newly Caproni bombers. That's why many aces flew some propaganda flights there. On 30th April 1919, two Italian pilots, Locatelli and Tenente Silvio Scaroni flew two Balillas from Buenos Aires to Rosario in a round-trip. Later, on 5th September the Tenente Edoardo Olivero made a round trip from Buenos Aires to Tandil and was followed on 27th September by another Buenos Aires-Tandil-Tres Arroyos flight which took three days in total. They couldn't sale any airplane to the government, however it's known that at least one was sold to the Centro de Aviación Civil (Civilian Aviation Center) in the city of Castelar. As we couldn't find any graphical evidence on this one, the colours should be considered as speculative.
• Costa Rica: It's reported that at least one Balilla was flown in Costa Rica in 1920. Again, there isn't any graphical evidence on this, so it's just an speculative drawing.
• Honduras: It's also reported that at least one was flown in Tegucigalpa in August 1920 plus another unspecified others in September, but not further details are known. As the previous ones, the colours are speculative due to the lack of graphical sources.
• Mexico: Mexico ordered the Ansaldos in January 1920 but they didn't arrive until December 1920. It was flight tested by Lievre, crashed and was rebuilt by the Talleres Nacionales de Construcciones Aeronauticas (National Aircraft Construction Workshops) TNCA and given the registration of 1-D-79. It was tested again in April 1921 piloted, most probably by the German pilot Fritz Bieler. The American pilot who was hired to reorganize the Mexican Fuerza Aerea (Mexican Air Force), Lt. Ralph O'Neil flew it on June 10th, August 1st and September 12th 1921. On May 1st 1923 it was assigned to the newly formed 1er Escuadrón de Caza (1st Fighter Squadron) but that unit barely saw any action and was centered in training duties. Unfortunately, the airplane spun while performing a low altitude barrel roll during a fund rising event at Balbuena Airfield, killing its' pilot, the Teniente Ramón Alcalá on 12th August 1923. 
• Peru: Two Balillas were shipped to Peru, where, after a memorable demonstration flight from Lima to Trujillo performed by the Italian pilot Enrico Silvio Rolandi on 28th March 1921 were bought by the Peruvian Aviation Corps. However some sources claim that it was a SPAD S.VII the airplane that performed that flight. In any way, Rolandi made another flight from Lima to San Vicente de Cañete in order to carry a sum in behalf of the government. After that the Italian mission returned to Italy liquidating its' assets at cost. One Balilla is known to have crashed on 7th December 1922.
• Uruguay: The Italian mission in Argentina linked the capital cities of Argentina and Uruguay and, on June 20th 1919, the Tenente Giorgio Michetti and Sergente Nicola Bo flew from Buenos Aires to Montevideo and back, in order to extend the sales to that country. Some sources claim that at least one airplane was sold. As the graphical evidences of this one are lacking, the drawing should be considered as speculative.

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 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.

SPAD S.VII - Fourth entry, foreign users vol. 4 *UPDATED*

We keep going with our SPAD S.VII compilation, this time a little bit shorter than usual:

• 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. 
• Siam/Thailand: The Thai king Rama VI, ordered the creation of an aviation division for the Siamese army, and the very first fighter squadrons were equipped with French built SPAD and Nieuport fighters. Please note that those two profiles are somewhat 'semi-speculative' as we only could find black & white references that were often unreadable.
• Ukraine: The Ukrainian People's Republic got two ex-Russian SPADs and used them in the Polish Soviet war. They were integral part of the Ukrainian first air regiment.
• Uruguay: The Uruguayan military school of aeronautics bought some S.VII together with some S.XIII and used them as trainers but they were also part of their first fighter squadron. However we couldn't find graphical evidence on this, so the colours must be considered as speculative.
• USA: Previously used by American pilots in the famous 124th squadron (Lafayette Squadron), the S.VII was among the very first airplanes used by the USAAS (United States Army Air Service), the precursor of the USAF.
• Yugoslavia: Ex-Serbian airplanes were used as trainers in the first flying schools of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

*UPDATE: We felt that the American users were... incomplete, that's why we decided to expand the USAS users and, in order to be consequent with our own criterions, we decided to treat the Lafayette Squadron as part of the French Aéronautique Militaire (as it was in reality) and therefore take them out of this drawing, only to replace them with more USAS airplanes, but don't worry because you can find the Lafayette squadron one's here..

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**UPDATE: About the Spanish Pujol Comabella: In 1917 SPAD society granted to Pujol Comabella Society of Barcelona (which was shortly after absorved by the Hereter society) some blueprints and incomplete specifications of their best product, the S.VII fighter. The Pujol Comabella society started to make a replica of it as best as they could, getting a nice replica of the original and named as 'España'. However, given the quality of the employed materials or because the blueprints and specifications were incomplete, the performance was inferior to the original. 
That factor and the lack of need of a fighter, because up to that date the only role the Spanish Military had performed was to bomb and strafe Rifean positions in the Spanish protectorate in Morocco, made the project to fail given the lack of interest. 

Neither political scenario was favourable, it was in the middle of a great political crisis and at the edge of a revolution which was easily put-down by the army without any help from the aviation, which was highly concentrated in the protectorate of Morocco. 

It is interesting to point out how, the differences. It lacks windshield, the upper nose panel is lifted and the tail has two supporting wooden bars instead of just one, probably changes suggested by the engineer Eduardo Barron who was supervising the construction of the replica. Also it's interesting to see how on the presentation model, the characteristic bird of Georges Guynemer was copied. 

Only 12 of them were built and were declared obsolete and scrapped in 1922.