A French Nieuport fighter plane in flight, possibly a Nieuport 17, but possibly another model up to the Nieuport 27, with machine guns both above the upper wing, and along the fuselage.The V struts, machine gun mounted above the upper wing, circular cowling, upward sweep of the tail, the tail itself, all mark the plane as a Nieuport.
1. French plane taken above the clouds.
"Flying relentlessly in search of new prey, Navarre soon acquired an additional sobriquet 'la Sentinelle de Verdun.' Ever the individualist—with more than a soupçon of ego—he advertised his presence to the poilus he supported by painting the fuselage of one of his Nieuport 11s red and that of another, N576, in blue, white, and red bands like the French flag. On March 2, he brought another Albatros down between Fleury and Fort Douaumont, where its wounded occupants were taken prisoner."
Jean Navarre was an early French Ace — a pilot with five or more victories. That on March 2nd was his sixth. The Battle of Verdun had begun on February 21. After twelve confirmed victories, Navarre was shot down on June 17, 1916, suffering severe head injuries that prevented him from flying in combat again.
The Origin of the Fighter Aircraft by Jon Gutman, page 44, copyright © 2009 Jon Gutman, publisher: Westholme Publishing, publication date: 2009
1916-03-02, 1916, March, Jean Navarre, Navarre, Nieuport
