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The Squadron 2/8 " Nice
" two constituting flights have no marine origine. First is
the black panther from SPA 78 which originated during 1916 with Bébé
Nieuports and totalled 80 kills of which 40 received homologation.
After dissolution SPA 78 came back to activity during 1928 and
was incorporated during 1933 into 7th Fighter Wing. Having a
common fate with 2nd flight SPA 73 Cigogne (stork) it enterd WWII
with Morane MS 406 fighters and got Dewoitine 520s at the end of
May 1940. In June the SPA 78 and 73 of GC II/7 crossed the
Mediterranean Sea to install in Algeria.
Unit became Squadron 326 of Royal Air Force on 1st October 1943
with Spitfire Vcs and went to Armée de l'Air on 3 November 1945
to become 1st flight of Fighter Group GC II/7 as it existed
before war. The Groupe de Chasse or Fighter group corresponded in
France to a squadron with 2 flights. The unit went to Indochina
in November 1945 where it had the particularity to fly Japanese a
few exhausted Nakajima Oscars before flying Spitfires and
remained until August 1946 to immediately be re-formed in Germany
where it became Escadron de Chasse (Fighter Squadron) EC 2/7 to
start in Algeria during 1947 flying P-47 Thunderbolts until
receiving Vampires in 1950, Sud Est Mistrals in 1953 and next
Dassault Mystère IV A since 1961. It was at this time than 2/7
became 2/8 Nice while former EC 2/8 Languedoc became 3/7
Languedoc, 8th Wing becoming an OTU at Cazaux with its land and
sea firing ranges.
