The Aviation Magazine Volume 7 issue 4 #43 June Special Edition | Page 36
© Christopher Mifsud
The history of the La Fayette Escadrille did not end when the squadron was incorporated into the American
Air Service but continued after WWI. From 1920 to 1939, the French Ministère de l' Air (Air Ministry) as‐
signed the title La Fayette Escadrille in recognition of the American flyers, and to carry on the tradition,
among them:
At the beginning of WWII, the La Fayette unit was re‐formed in North Africa where it flew with the Free
French Air Force. Initially outfitted with the Curtiss P‐36 “Hawk” known in France as the Curtiss H75‐C1 (the
“Hawk” name was not used in France) they were soon upgraded with the superior P‐40F “Warhawk” when
12 P‐40Fs of the former USAAF were transferred to them. Over the course of WWII, the Groupe 2/5 flew in
the North African, Italian, French and German theatres with several types of fighter aircraft.
In 1920 7th Squadron of the 35th Aero Regiment, and its planes carried the Sioux head insignia.
In 1933, the Sioux Squadron was joined with the other elite group, Cigognes (the Storks) to form the
Groupe de Chasse 2/5, Escadrille La Fayette. This unit flew the Dewoitine 500, at various bases through‐
out France during the 1930’s and was stationed at Toul‐Croix‐de‐Metz when the Second World War
broke out in September 1939.
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