The Groupe de Chasse was Belgium's first dedicated Fighter Wing. It was created in March 1918 at Les Moëres

Les Moëres

De Moeren or Les Moëres are a marshy region in the Westhoek, politically divided between the French-Belgian border. At one time the area was inhabited by the Gallic people known as the Morini; they are believed to have lent their name to the territory.For many centuries, beginning around 800,...

 aerodrome near Veurne. On request of King Albert I

Albert I of Belgium

Albert I reigned as King of the Belgians from 1909 until 1934.-Early life:Born Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad in Brussels, he was the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, and his wife, Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen...

, Capitaine Fernand Jacquet

Fernand Jacquet

Captain-Commandant Fernand Maximillian Leon Jacquet was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories. He was the first Belgian pilot to score an aerial victory, on 17 April 1915, and became the first Belgian ace on 1 February 1917. He was also the first Belgian pilot to fly his...

 was appointed Commanding Officer, and the Groupe de Chasse also became known as the Groupe Jaquet. It consisted of the 9ème Escadrille de Chasse

9 Squadron (Belgian Air Force)

9 Squadron is a training squadron of the Belgian Air Component, constituting the Basic Flying Training School together with 5 Squadron.-The squadron's origins:...

, the 10ème Escadrille de Chasse

10me Escadrille de Chasse

The 5me Escadrille de Chasse was the second fighter squadron of the Belgian Air Component. The squadron was founded during World War I, reorganized into a dedicated fighter unit under its new designation of 10me Escadrille de Chasse in March 1918, and became part of a fighter wing before war's...

 and the 11ème Escadrille de Chasse

11 Squadron (Belgian Air Force)

11 Squadron is a training squadron of the Belgian Air Component, deployed at Base Aérienne 120 at Cazaux in France, in the scope of the Advanced Jet Training School .-The squadron's origins:...

.

By war's end, the Group was able to support the offensive, and could manage to get up to 40 aircraft airborne at short notice. In October 1918, the Group moved to Moerkerke

Moerkerke

Moerkerke is a town in the Belgian province West Flanders and a part of the city of Damme-External links:*...

. After the war, the three Squadrons were assigned to different aerodromes : 9 Squadron was stationed at Sint-Agatha-Berchem

Sint-Agatha-Berchem

Sint-Agatha-Berchem or Berchem-Sainte-Agathe is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.The municipality had a total population of 20,078 on 1 January 2006...

, while 10 and 11 Squadrons moved to Bochum

Bochum

Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...

in Germany.