French Airforce of World War 1
French military aviation was born in 1909.
After the approval of the law by the French National Assembly on 29 March 1912,
French Military Aeronautics became officially part of the French Army, alongside the four traditional branches of the French Army, the infantry, cavalry, artillery, and engineers.
French aircraft during World War I, flying over German-held territory, 1915 France was one of the first states to start building aircraft.
At the beginning of World War I, France had a total of 148 planes (8 from French Naval Aviation (aéronautique Navale) and 15 airships.
By the time of the armistice in November 1918, 3608 planes were in service.
5,500 pilots and observers were killed from the 17,300 engaged in the conflict, amounting to 31% of endured losses.
A 1919 newspaper report reports the French Air Force had a 61% percent war loss.
