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The squadron of the Escadron d'Instruction en Vol (EIV - Flight Instruction Squadron) "Limousin" taken on one of the Dassault-Dornier Alphajet of the BA-705 of Tours. The EIV 3/4 is the direct heir of the EC 3/4 "Limousin", former squadron which assured the missions of the Strategic Air Forces Command of the French Air Force thanks to its three flights, the 1ère and 2ème Escadrilles of the GC I/9 "Aigle" (eagle) and "Fennec" and the SPA 96 "Gaulois" (Gaul).
The original squadron was only composed with the flights "Aigle" and "Fennec", it was created on 1st November 1939 on the air base of Oran (French Algeria) and served briefly during the Battle of France during the one their only victory will be an Italian bomber Savoia-Marchetti S-79 which was shot down by the Czech lieutenant Vezely on 17th June 1940 in North Africa. It served, then, on the obsolet fighter Morane-Saulnier 406.
On 1944, the Fighter Group is reconstituted with the awful P-39 Aircobra. It was again mothballed on 1946 without having knew the fights of Europe as it always remained in North Africa.
(P-39Q of the 2ème Escadrille of the GC I/9 at Meknès certainely between 1944 and April 1945)
It was recreated a new time on June 1950 on F6F Hellcat at Oran for take action in the Indochina War where it will act with the F8F Bearcat. After 1600 war missions, it was again mothballed on 1st November 1952 but there, it left with two citation to the account of the Aerial Forces and with the fourragère of the External Operations Theatres.
(Photo of a Bearcat of the 2ème Escadrille of the EC 1/9 after a crash-landing probably due to an engine failure as they engine were stopped when the propeller touched the ground)
On 1st April 1954 is created the Escadron de Chasse 1/9 "Limousin", heir of the GC I/9, it was equipped with F-84G until 1956 when they received F-84Fs. It was mothballed in 1965, on the same date that the 9e Escadre.
(A double light patrol of 4 F-84Fs of the 1st and 2nd Flights of the EC I/9)
On April 1980, the traditions of the GC I/9 were gave to the 7e Escadre de Chasse and the Squadron was formed again under the name of EC 4/7 and was introduced in pre-strategic nuclear strikes and in low altitude cover missions and ships attacks missions with the SEPECAT Jaguar. For the pre-strategic nuclear strikes, the squadron had the nuclear weapon AN-52 of 25 kilotons. It was mothballed on 31st Jully 1989.
(A Jaguar of the EC 4/7 "Limousin" at take off)
On 1st August 1989, the day after its mothballing, the squadron is reactivated within the 4e Escadre and took the name of EC 3/4 "Limousin" where it finally integrated the FAS (Forces Aériennes Stratégiques - Strategic Air Forces Command) on the BA-125 of Istres with the Mirage 2000N and where it received its third flight, the SPA 96 "Gaulois" on 1991. From 1992 to 1996, the Squadron was affected all-weathers conventional assaults but in 1996 it took back its mission of Pre-strategic nuclear strikes missions. Its only missions it did during this period where 10 conventional bombing missions over Bosnia and Herzegovina on December 1994 as it was based in Italy. On 2011, the Squadron is replaced by the EC 2/4 "Lafayette" in the FAS and is mothballed and let the SPA 96 to this latter. The Squadron is formed again on 13th September 2013 on the BA-705 of Tours and get the designation EIV 3/4 "Limousin" as it passed on training squadron on the Dassault Dornier Alphajet.
There, it's the current Squadron insignia composed if its two Flights insignias, it's painted on the tailfin of an Alphajet, thing which is rather rare as it's mostly the Flights Insignias which are painted on the tailfin but I suppose that this one is an aircraft from the 1st Flight as we can see the mark of the flight emblem under the one of the Squadron.
A little help about French Air Force organization:
Escadre = Wing (not totally sure), generally composed with 3 squadrons (the bold number is the one of the wing: GC 1/9)
Escadron = Squadron, generally composed with 2 or 3 flights (depending on the period) (the bold number is the one of the Squadron: GC 1/9)
Escadrille = Flight, composed of between 7 and 12 aeroplanes, are the heirs of WWI squadrons.
The original squadron was only composed with the flights "Aigle" and "Fennec", it was created on 1st November 1939 on the air base of Oran (French Algeria) and served briefly during the Battle of France during the one their only victory will be an Italian bomber Savoia-Marchetti S-79 which was shot down by the Czech lieutenant Vezely on 17th June 1940 in North Africa. It served, then, on the obsolet fighter Morane-Saulnier 406.
On 1944, the Fighter Group is reconstituted with the awful P-39 Aircobra. It was again mothballed on 1946 without having knew the fights of Europe as it always remained in North Africa.
(P-39Q of the 2ème Escadrille of the GC I/9 at Meknès certainely between 1944 and April 1945)
It was recreated a new time on June 1950 on F6F Hellcat at Oran for take action in the Indochina War where it will act with the F8F Bearcat. After 1600 war missions, it was again mothballed on 1st November 1952 but there, it left with two citation to the account of the Aerial Forces and with the fourragère of the External Operations Theatres.
(Photo of a Bearcat of the 2ème Escadrille of the EC 1/9 after a crash-landing probably due to an engine failure as they engine were stopped when the propeller touched the ground)
On 1st April 1954 is created the Escadron de Chasse 1/9 "Limousin", heir of the GC I/9, it was equipped with F-84G until 1956 when they received F-84Fs. It was mothballed in 1965, on the same date that the 9e Escadre.
(A double light patrol of 4 F-84Fs of the 1st and 2nd Flights of the EC I/9)
On April 1980, the traditions of the GC I/9 were gave to the 7e Escadre de Chasse and the Squadron was formed again under the name of EC 4/7 and was introduced in pre-strategic nuclear strikes and in low altitude cover missions and ships attacks missions with the SEPECAT Jaguar. For the pre-strategic nuclear strikes, the squadron had the nuclear weapon AN-52 of 25 kilotons. It was mothballed on 31st Jully 1989.
(A Jaguar of the EC 4/7 "Limousin" at take off)
On 1st August 1989, the day after its mothballing, the squadron is reactivated within the 4e Escadre and took the name of EC 3/4 "Limousin" where it finally integrated the FAS (Forces Aériennes Stratégiques - Strategic Air Forces Command) on the BA-125 of Istres with the Mirage 2000N and where it received its third flight, the SPA 96 "Gaulois" on 1991. From 1992 to 1996, the Squadron was affected all-weathers conventional assaults but in 1996 it took back its mission of Pre-strategic nuclear strikes missions. Its only missions it did during this period where 10 conventional bombing missions over Bosnia and Herzegovina on December 1994 as it was based in Italy. On 2011, the Squadron is replaced by the EC 2/4 "Lafayette" in the FAS and is mothballed and let the SPA 96 to this latter. The Squadron is formed again on 13th September 2013 on the BA-705 of Tours and get the designation EIV 3/4 "Limousin" as it passed on training squadron on the Dassault Dornier Alphajet.
There, it's the current Squadron insignia composed if its two Flights insignias, it's painted on the tailfin of an Alphajet, thing which is rather rare as it's mostly the Flights Insignias which are painted on the tailfin but I suppose that this one is an aircraft from the 1st Flight as we can see the mark of the flight emblem under the one of the Squadron.
A little help about French Air Force organization:
Escadre = Wing (not totally sure), generally composed with 3 squadrons (the bold number is the one of the wing: GC 1/9)
Escadron = Squadron, generally composed with 2 or 3 flights (depending on the period) (the bold number is the one of the Squadron: GC 1/9)
Escadrille = Flight, composed of between 7 and 12 aeroplanes, are the heirs of WWI squadrons.
Category Photography / Miscellaneous
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1280 x 960px
File Size 573.1 kB
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