Barnet de Romanet and GC15

[spad]

In my sad and frankly introspective weekend I have been looking at the claims of GC15 from March 1917 until August 1918 and have questions.

Were Escadrillles moved from the front to the rear to rotate them? My question relates to a pattern where certain escadrilles make multiple (confirmed) claims whereas others within the Groupe are unable to make a single one.

With GC15 which appears to have had up to nine escadrilles attached to it at us much as one time during the period 1917-18 both SPA38 and SPA 81 far exceed the claims of other escadrilles within the groupe (many confirmed by German records). One example is the groupe made made nine claims in December 1917, six by SPA81 alone? In the period January 1918 to March 1918 SPA38 and 81 share the honours.

Reading the memoirs of several pilots there is a definite bias towards the "aces" of various escadrilles but months without confirmed or unconfirmed within Groupes that contain high-scoring escadrilles seem confusing.

regards

Keith

[Froggy]

Don't forget escadrille 37

[spad]

Sorry Bruno, N/SPA37 are my focus and it's their performance in the period early 1917 until the Spring of 1918 that I find unusual - especially when in the Spring of 1918 they begin a run of success that will continue until the end of the war.

I have been pursuing another strand of this pilots career. He is shown in many accounts as serving as an observer in C51 from July 1915-September 1915 but I can find no trace of him in the unit journal for this period and this document...

https://www.archives71.fr/arkotheque...053eca47896a0b

...indicates he left his cavalry unit on 19 September 1915 to go to 2e Groupe d'aviation and thence to Pau.

(it also notes he was promoted to quartermaster-sergeant in 1914).

regards

Keith

[Froggy]

"I have been pursuing another strand of this pilots career. He is shown in many accounts as serving as an observer in C51 from July 1915-September 1915 but I can find no trace of him in the unit journal for this period "
At that date he was still at 15 ème RCC (régiment chasseurs a cheval)-He joined aviation in September 1915
Barny joined C51 in 24 April 1916 until february 1917

http://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defe...uielem_zoom=34
(page 9 /39)

Here you'll find the exact bio of Barny de Romanet ....in french.
http://www.as14-18.net/Barny-de-Romanet

[spad]

Thanks Bruno, I had already seen these (thanks to your help a few days ago), but according to this...

http://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defe...resus_rech.php

he transferred to aviation on 20 July 1915 as a trainee pilot, Division "N" (Nieuport?). If he was still with 16e RCC until September does this mean he was accepted for pilot training but did not start until September?

regards

Keith