WAR

the age of air fighting was inaugurated in the sky near Rheims as the Great
War entered its second month.
Joseph Frantz had been flying since 1910, had won his military pilot's certificate
(number 363) in January 1911. At the military concourse at Rheims the
same year, he piloted a Savary biplane, the engine of which had been constructed
by the firm of Labor-Aviation. That company sent a young mechanic named
Louis Quenault to attend to the servicing of the engines. Quenault and Frantz
formed a team for the duration of the military trials, and in August 1914, when
Frantz joined Voisin Squadron 24, then forming, it was arranged that Quenault
be attached to the same squadron as mechanic.
The squadron was flying Voisin two-seaters—sturdy, dependable aeroplanes
in which the pilot and passenger shared a common cockpit in a bathtub-like
nacelle, the pilot in front, the passenger behind him. The air crews flew mostly
reconnaissance missions, according to the requirements of the army corps to
which they were attached. No weapons were carried in the aeroplanes, other
than the customary side arms issued to officers, or the cavalry carbines of the
enlisted men. Such weapons as were occasionally taken along were not considered
to be of any use in the air, the assigned function of the air services at the time
being the gathering of information, not fighting.
The pilots
of Voisin Squadron 24 encountered German aeroplanes from time
to time, and some of the more daring passengers took pot shots at them, but
nothing ever came of it. It was harmless, really, and the commanding officers saw
no reason to forbid such high-spirited foolishness so long as it did not interfere
with the completion of the business at hand.
Gabriel Voisin, of the Voisin Aeroplane Company, and Capitaine Andre
Faure, the commander of no. 24, without asking anyone else's opinion or advice,
decided to arm the machines of Faure's squadron because it seemed obvious to
them, if to no one else, that an aeroplane equipped with a machine gun could
shoot down another aeroplane. Why not The Voisin was a pusher, with its
engine in the back. The passenger had a clear field of fire before him, and a
machine gun mounted on a tripod would be just about as steady as it would
be on the ground. Voisin, in fact, had already improvised a mounting that could
be fitted to his aeroplanes. It was a simple tubular affair, the apex of which
was over the pilot's head, so that the butt of the gun would be convenient to
the
passenger who would stand on his seat to shoot. Voisin made a trip to the
Hotchkiss armory, and signed for twelve Hotchkiss clip-fed machine guns. He
did not, however, sign his own name; he borrowed for this signature the name of
General Bernard, who at that time was Director of Military Aviation at French
Army Headquarters. The Hotchkiss was chosen because it was reasonably dependable
and because it was light in weight.
From the beginning of September 1914 the Voisins of Faure's squadron were
armed. In the next few weeks, Frantz and Quenault met German aeroplanes
a dozen times but either were unable to get close enough to shoot, or were
off their aim. At any rate,
no decisive result was achieved. They were determined
to succeed, however, and spent much time discussing just how to
proceed.
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