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Marcel Dassault MD-450
Ouragan was the first designed French fighter to enter service
with Armée de l'Air after WWII. This 4-UF wearing C/n 109 is
very interesting because having insigna of SPA 155 'Petit Poucet'
(Tom Thumb) and why not ? (Hop O' My Thumb) which was the 2nd
Escadrille of Fighter Squadron EC 3/4 'Flandres'. Born as N 155
on 12 July 1917 with a Cacatoes as emblem, the unit acquired its
SPA Escadrille status when receiving SPAD VIIs in the following
November and being part of Combat Group 18. Was dissolved on 25
April 1919 to be reactivated as 4th Escadrille of GC II/4
Squadron on May 1st 1939, sister 5th Escadrille being then SPA
160 .
After WWII EC 3/4 Squadron with SPA 16O 'Diable Rouge' (Red Devil)
as 1st Escadrille had a relatively short life after re-creation.
Indeed, on 1st January 1950, 4th Fighter Wing then at
Friedrichshafen with its first Vampires arriving, knew
reorganisation with the add of two new squadrons: EC 3/4 'Flandre'
and EC 4/4 'Ardennes'. This latter was the first to be disbanded
nine months later while 'Flandre' continued, transforming on
Vampires during Spring 1950. The three squadrons flew the British
fighter until 1954, March of this year seeing pilots of 1/4
Squadron go and transform to Ouragans at Dijon, inside the 2nd
Fighter Wing. April saw 4th Wing quit Friedrichshafen for
Bremgarten air base always located in Germany where pilots of
squadrons 2/ and 3/4 transformed on Ouragans up to July when last
Vampires were written-off from the Wing inventories.
With these MD 450s, 20 for each squadron, the 'Four' did its
interception mission with determination and got, for the 1956
season, the honour to assume Patrouille de France with five of
its Ouragans specially painted. (I hope publish three documents
about this if I have enough room in the two coming APIs)
Halas, EC 3/4 'Flandre' was disbanded on 30th September 1957
while, since May of that year, the other squadrons had begun
their transformation on Republic F-84Fs.
