Frontline service time of the Spad S.VII ?

GilmoreDK · 30 July 2009, 04:29 AM

Hi there

I am curently writing a summer 1918 campaign for our ww1 tabletop game "In Clouds of Glory" ( boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/21706 ) . In that matter i need information of the frontline service time of the Spad S.VII in French and American units
As the campaign is the 2. Battle of the Marne (starting 15. juli). i need to know if the Spad VII (boardgamegeek.com/image/475776)was stil in frontline use to any extent.

Sincerely

Gilmore

Cigogne · 31 July 2009, 12:08 PM

The Spad VII served to the very end of the war. The First Pursuit Group didn't use them (some 94th and 95th Aero pilots flew them when going on patrol as guests of a French unit.) But in other Pursuit Groups/Aero Squadrons they were used, including the 103rd Aero Sqdn.

Gregvan · 31 July 2009, 03:24 PM

Besides what Cigogne says, in my opinion there were still several French escadrilles flying examples of the VII very late in the war indeed.

Greg

Cigogne · 31 July 2009, 03:43 PM

and Italians, and Greeks, and, and...

GilmoreDK · 1 August 2009, 02:46 AM

OK.. Very useful answers. I will include the plane in both the French and American plane rosters for the battle.

An additional qustion now were talking Spads: Could the SPAD (VII and XIII)fighters carry Cooper or anything like it.

Dan_San_Abbott · 1 August 2009, 11:46 AM

Hi GilmoreDK:
The SPAD XIII had a very serious servicealility problem, , it was serviceable 1 day in three. Aside from the reduction gear problem, the radiatior which was mounted directly to the engine, suffered serious leak problem and did the fuel tank. I have never understood mounting the radiator to the engine. All the engine vibration were transmitted to the radiator, which was the source of the leaking problems. A collar was fitted to the inside of radiator opening with a face plate with an opening for the propeller shaft. the face plate was secured to the reduction gear case by four bolts. I considered it a dumb design.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

Cigogne · 1 August 2009, 10:44 PM

It is also very interesting to see, for example, the usability reports of Spad XIIIs in service in the 94th Aero. Rickenbacker's aircraft was the most reliable of all of the aircraft in the unit. I think that Rickenbacker, because of his competitive, driven nature, made sure his aircraft was in the best possible condition, and it showed in the results... and the numbers of the servicibility reports. Alan Toelle showed me this and it was quite fascinating. The same held true for the Nieuport 28 aircraft used in the 94th. Rickenbacker's aircraft were the most efficient and available for service.

Aaron

GilmoreDK · 2 August 2009, 11:05 AM

Hi and thank you for your answers.

I have a couple of other questions about that period of the war:

While we are at the SPAD types. Did the french and american SPADs carry cooper bombs or anything similar for ground attack. The french and americans were heavily engaged in ground attacks during the second battle of the Marne, but did they use bombs from their SPADs or did they only use strafing attacks?

How was the compostion of figther types in the USAS?
How many Squadrons of SPAD VII/XIII, Nie.28, Camel and SE5a did they have?

I guess that the SPAD S.XIII vere the principal american figther at that time (july-august 1918) but i also find evidence of the Nie. 28 being in use.

- Gilmore

Colin A Owers · 2 August 2009, 05:28 PM

According to Robert Casari the Spad XIII was so unreliable that the VII would have been issued to new USAS Squadrons in 1919.

Colin A Owers

GilmoreDK · 3 August 2009, 06:47 AM

SPAD VII? in 1919 that plane would have been 3 years old. The USAS also fielded SE5as, Neuport 28s and Camels - all with double MGs as opposed to the SPAD VII. How come these planes were not chosen over the SPAD VII? Or is it a simple matter of supply?

- Gilmore..