Escadrille is a type of military unit in numerous armed forces, notably in air force

Air force

An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...

s of continental Europe. While the term is sometimes translated to English as Squadron

Squadron

Squadron has different meanings:*Squadron , a cavalry or other unit that consists of a number of troops.*Squadron , a unit of aircraft that consists of three or four "flights", with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, depending on aircraft type and air force.*Squadron , a unit of 3-4 major naval vessels...

 (especially in modern context), escadrilles of nations other than the United Kingdom and United States were usually half the size.

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 a typical British aerial squadron had ca. 18 planes, and its American counterpart could have anywhere between 24 and 40 planes. At the same time France, Poland and Italy's basic air force unit fielded around ten machines (twelve in France, ten in Poland, nine in Italy). Typically two to three escadrilles formed an Air Group or Squadron . The German equivalent of the Squadron, the Staffel, was also usually half the size of a British squadron, with the unit actually called a squadron being an equivalent of an Anglo-American Wing rather than a squadron.

History

The first air escadrilles were formed in France already before the Great War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, in 1912, initially as a loosely-defined group of planes capable of similar tasks, in most cases not more than 6 aeroplanes in each. During the war the escadrille became the basic independent unit of aviation within the French armed forces. An escadrille of the epoch was a homogeneous unit, armed with a single type of aeroplane, with permanent flying and ground personnel attached, motorised transport and tent hangar

Hangar

A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...

s. By mid-1915 the French Air Force

French Air Force

The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...

 grew to 119 escadrilles of 10 aircraft each: fourteen of fighters, 50 of bomber planes and the rest composed of reconnaissance, spotter and communications planes.

Initially acting independently, during the Battle of Verdun

Battle of Verdun

The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...

of 1916 the fighter plane escadrilles started to be formed into larger formations, for easier coordination of tasks.