Belgian Wings
Belgian Air Force, past and present.
The Aeronautical Reference Site - De Luchtvaart Referentie Site - Le site référence de l'Aéronautique
Single engine, single seat fighter aircraft
The SPAD S.XIII C.1 was one of the most successful French fighter designs of World War I , developed by Société Pour l'Aviation et ses Dérivés (SPAD) and basically an improved and more powerful (Hispano-Suiza 8Be V8 engine) version of the SPAD S.VII C.1 (which also served with the Belgian Aviation Militaire). Initially Belgium acquired around 14 Spad XIII’s in early 1918 with deliveries starting in March 1918 in order to replace and supplement the SPAD VII’s assigned to N° 10 Squadron (Comet). After the armistice and having been satisfied with the performance of the SPAD XIII the Belgian Government ordered an additional 37 aircraft to equip N°s 8, 9 and 10 squadrons of the 4th Group d’Aviation based at Schaffen as a stop-gap measure before the arrival of the newly ordered Nieuport-Delage Nid-29 C.1. An estimated total of 51 SPAD XIII C.1’s served with the Belgian Air Service until 1925. Initially the aircraft were registered with type letter "S", but later on this was changed into "SP" when the SPAD XI (which also used the "SP" letter code) was faced out. Two of these aircraft have been preserved for posterity: SP-49 is on public display at the Brussels Air Museum (WHI) while c/n 4377 (Belgian serial not known) initially preserved at Charleroi in its original Belgian Air Service paint was exchanged for a Caudron G.III from the “Amicale Jean Salis" at La Ferté-Alais (Fr.). Today this machine is in flying condition in France as F-AZFP of the Memorial Flight, unfortunately this aircraft was not restored in its Belgian colors but rather as a fighter of SPA 83 “Les dragons”. (Daniel Brackx)
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Date In
Mar 1918
SP01
History
Date Out
Dec 1925
S(P)1, 10 Sqn (Comet), SOC (Stricken Off Charge) 29 Sep 1925
Date In
Mar 1918
SP02
History
Date Out
Jan 1925
S(P)2, 10 Sqn (Comet), 9/IV Gr. (Chardon), SOC 20 Jan 1925
Date In
Mar 1918
SP03
History
Date Out
Feb 1925
S(P)3, 10 Sqn (Comet), 9/IV Gr. (Chardon), SOC 24 Feb 1925
Date In
Mar 1918
SP04
History
Date Out
Oct 1922
S(P)4, 10 Sqn (Comet), 9/IV Gr. (Chardon), crashed at IV Gr. on 14 October 1922.
Date In
Mar 1918
SP05
History
Date Out
Oct 1922
S(P)5, 10 Sqn (Comet), 9/IV Gr. (Chardon), crashed at IV Gr. on 26 Oct 1922.
Date In
Mar 1918
SP06
History
Date Out
-
S(P)6, 10 Sqn (Comet), fate unknown.
Date In
Mar 1918
SP07
History
Date Out
1926
S(P)7, 10 Sqn (Comet), 9/IV Gr. (Chardon), I/2Aé (Mar 1926), fate unknow
Date In
Mar 1918
SP08
History
Date Out
-
S(P)8, 10 Sqn (Comet), 9/IV Gr. (Chardon), fate unknown
Date In
Mar 1918
SP09
History
Date Out
-
S(P)9, 10 Sqn (Comet), 9/IV Gr. (Chardon), 11/II Gr. (Red Cocotte), fate unknown
Date In
Mar 1918
SP10
History
Date Out
Jul 1925
S(P)10, 10 Sqn (Comet), 9/IV Gr. (Chardon), II/2Aé, SOC at I/3Aé (Serv. Techn) on 02 Jul 1925.
Date In
Mar 1918
SP11
History
Date Out
Jan 1925
S(P)11, 10 Sqn (Comet), 9/IV Gr. (Chardon), 8/IV Gr. (1922), SOC on 20 Jan 1925.
Date In
Mar 1918
SP12
History
Date Out
Jan 1925
S(P)12, 10 Sqn (Comet), 9/IV Gr. (Chardon), SOC on 20 Jan 1925.
Date In
Mar 1918
SP13
History
Date Out
Jan 1925
S(P)13, 10 Sqn (Comet), 9/IV Gr. (Chardon), SOC on 20 Jan 1925.
Date In
Mar 1918
SP14
History
Date Out
Apr 1925
S(P)14, 10 Sqn (Comet), 8/IV Gr. (Bulldog), SOC on 02 Apr 1925.
Date In
Feb 1922
SP15
History
Date Out
Jan 1925
S(P)15, first SPAD XIII of the second order, 9/IV Gr. (Chardon), SOC 20 Jan 1925.
Date In
1922
SP16
History
Date Out
Apr 1925
S(P)16, IV Gr., V Gr., II/3Aé, SOC on 02 Apr 1925.
Date In
1922
SP17
History
Date Out
Sep 1925
S(P)17, SOC at Serv. Techn. on 26 September 1925.
Date In
1922
SP18
History
Date Out
Nov 1922
S(P)18, IV Gr., marked as destroyed at IV Gr. on 13 Nov 1922.
Date In
Jun 1922
SP19
History
Date Out
Sep 1925
S(P)19, IV Gr., SOC at Serv. Techn. on 26 Sep 1925.
Date In
Jun 1922
SP20
History
Date Out
Sep 1925
S(P)20, IV Gr., SOC at Serv. Techn. on 26 Sep 1925.
Date In
Jun 1922
SP21
History
Date Out
-
S(P)21, IV Gr., SOC at Serv. Techn. on 17 Jun 1925.
Date In
Jun 1922
SP22
History
Date Out
Apr 1925
S(P)22, IV Gr., SOC at Serv. Techn. on 02 Apr 1925.
Date In
Jun 1922
SP23
History
Date Out
Jan 1925
S(P)23, IV Gr., SOC at Serv. Techn. on 20 Jan 1925.
Date In
Jun 1922
SP24
History
Date Out
-
S(P)24, IV Gr., fate unknown.
Date In
Jul 1922
SP25
History
Date Out
-
S(P)25, IV Gr., fate unknown.
Date In
Jul 1922
SP26
History
Date Out
-
S(P)26, IV Gr., V Gr. (Oct 2023), fate unknown.
Date In
Aug 1922
SP27
History
Date Out
Apr 1925
S(P)27, IV Gr., SOC at Serv. Techn. on 02 Apr 1925.
Date In
Aug 1922
SP28
History
Date Out
Jul 1926
S(P)28, IV Gr., I/3Aé, SOC at Serv. Techn. on 02 Jul 1926.
Date In
Aug 1922
SP29
History
Date Out
Sep 1925
S(P)29, IV Gr., SOC at Serv. Techn. on 26 Sep 1925.
Date In
1922
SP30
History
Date Out
Jan 1925
S(P)30, IV Gr., V Gr., SOC on 20 Jan 1925.
Date In
Sep 1922
SP31
History
Date Out
Nov 1925
S(P)31, IV Gr., V Gr., II/3Aé, exact fate unknown
Date In
Sep 1922
SP32
History
Date Out
-
S(P)32, IV Gr., fate unknown
Date In
Oct 1922
SP33
History
Date Out
-
S(P)33, 9/IV Gr (Chardon), seriiously damaged in ground collision at Evere (w/o ?)
Date In
Oct 1922
SP34
History
Date Out
Sep 1925
S(P)34, IV Gr., I/2Aé, SOC at Serv. Techn on 26 Sep 1925.
Date In
Oct 1922
SP35
History
Date Out
Jun 1925
S(P)35, 9/IV Gr. (Chardon), I/2Aé, SOC at I/2Aé on 26 Jun 1925
Date In
Oct 1922
SP36
History
Date Out
Apr 1925
S(P)36, 10/IV Gr. (Comet), II/2Aé, SOC on 2 Apr 1925.
Date In
Oct 1922
SP37
History
Date Out
Jan 1925
S(P)37, IV Gr.SOc on 27 Jan 1925.
Date In
1918
SP38
History
Date Out
Oct 1922
S(P)38, Written off in accident on 27 Jan 1922 (See also SP38).
Date In
1918
SP39
History
Date Out
Jan 1922
S(P)39, (c/n 6464) - re-registered "39" from 6464 on 26 Oct 1921, Written off in accident on 27 Jan 1922 (see also SP37.).
Date In
1918
SP49
History
Date Out
1921
S(P)49 (c/n 6949), noted at the “Exposition des Avions de Guerre et du Matériel Aéronautique” at Evere in July 1919, transported to Royal Army Museum Brussels in 1921, restored at Goetsenhoven in 1975, on public display.
Date In
-
SPxx
History
Date Out
-
(c/n 4377), used as instructional airframe at the Université du Travail at Charleroi, transferred to the Brussels Air Museum still in its original Belgian colour scheme, transported to "l'Amicale Jean Salis" at La Ferté-Alais (FR) in exchange for Caudron G.III in 1977. Restored and transferred to the Memorial Flight Association in 1990. In flying condition painted to represent the aircraft of brigadier Trémeau, SPA 83 "Dragon" Escadrille, January 1918.