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Title: L’Armee de l’Air Description: The group of three gaze into the skies as if looking directly into their future as members of L’Armée de l’Air—France’s newest military service. One is an engineer, another a pilot, the third a navigator. Regardless of their different roles, they all wear the new insignia and uniforms of the new service. Before 1933, when the French government created an Air Ministry to govern all French military aviation activities, the French army controlled and operated all military aviation forces. This chain of command was typical amongst the European nations and United States. While the U.S. would not establish an independent Air Force until after World War II, France took action during the interwar period. In 1922, the French government created a designated air arm of the army. While this action indicated the government’s recognition of aviation’s potential, it kept control in the hands of the army. Given this situation, non-aviators made key decisions regarding budget, management, personnel, and material. |
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Years of internecine arguing between those defense officials who proposed a new Air Ministry to operate all French air power and those who supported keeping air power under the army’s umbrella ensued. On April 1, 1933, the Armée de l’Air was officially established. A law enacted on July 2, 1934 defined the organizational chart of this new, independent military branch. The poster recruits pilots, radio operators, machine gunners, and mechanics. The three men are dressed in the respective uniforms of these posts: dark blue for officers and pilots, brown for aircraft crewmen, and pale blue for service personnel. Each is also holding an item related to his duty, whether it be a tool, a flight plan and map, or navigational and communications documents. Behind the figures and to the right is the front portion of a transport aircraft manufactured by French aircraft company Wibault. The founder of Wibault, Michel Wibault, designed France’s first all-metal airplane. His company’s transport aircraft, with the distinctive extended nose and engine cowling, were employed not only by the French military, but also by France’s airlines. At this time, military and civilian aircraft operations often used the same types of airplanes and modified them to serve their specific needs—such as capability to house bombs or alternately, carry passengers Artists Maurice David’s poster is typical of recruiting posters of its era. He uses red, white and blue, the colors of the French national flag, includes airplane and personnel. David’s artwork, however, differs from the usual because people, rather than airplanes, dominate the image. Small aircraft fly to the left edge of the poster. The Wibault looks ready to fly off in the same direction, and the new recruits, also gaze to the left. All face the same direction, left—which might be symbolic of France’s interest in establishing its prominence as a significant national power in the west. |
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