The Groupe de Chasse was
Belgium's first dedicated fighter wing. It was created in March 1918 at
Les Moëres
De Moeren (Dutch) or Les Moëres (French) are a marshy region in the Westhoek (region), Westhoek, politically divided between the France, French-Belgium, Belgian border. At one time the area was inhabited by the Gaul, Gallic people known as the ...
aerodrome near Veurne. On request of
King Albert I
Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. He is popularly referred to as the Knight King (, ) or Soldier King (, ) in Belgium in reference to his role during World War I ...
,
Captain-commandant
''Captain-commandant'' is a rank currently used in the Belgian Armed Forces and formerly used in the United States Revenue Cutter Service and its successor, the United States Coast Guard.
Belgium
Captain-commandant (; ; ) is a junior officer o ...
Fernand Jacquet was appointed Commanding Officer, and the ''Groupe de Chasse'' also became known as the ''Groupe Jaquet''. It consisted of the
''9ème Escadrille de Chasse'', the
''10ème Escadrille de Chasse'' and the
''11ème Escadrille de Chasse''.
[Sous nos Ailes, p.96]
By war's end, the group was able to support the offensive, and could manage to get up to 40 aircraft airborne at short notice. In October 1918, the Group moved to
Moerkerke
Moerkerke is a town in the Belgian province West Flanders and a part (deelgemeente) of the city of Damme
Damme () is a municipality and city located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, six kilometres northeast of Brugge (Bruges). The mun ...
. After the war, the three Squadrons were assigned to different aerodromes: 9 Squadron was stationed at
Berchem-Sainte-Agathe
Berchem-Sainte-Agathe ( French, ) or Sint-Agatha-Berchem ( Dutch, ), often simply called Berchem, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by Gansh ...
,
while 10 and 11 Squadrons moved to
Bochum
Bochum (, ; ; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 372,348 (April 2023), it is the sixth-largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous German federa ...
in Germany.
[Sous nos Ailes, p.102]
References
* Servais A. ''Filiation des unités de la Force aérienne''. Centre de Documentation des Forces Armées, 1978.
* Mangin, Jean A. & Champagne, Jacques P & Van Den Rul, Marcel A. ''Sous nos ailes''. G. Everling - Arlon (1977)
* Pieters, Walter M. ''Above Flanders' Fields: A Complete Record of the Belgian Fighter Pilots and Their Units During the Great War, 1914-1918''. Grub Street, 1998. ,
Endnotes
Military units and formations of the Belgian Air Component
Military history of Belgium during World War I
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