Hello all
well then. . Let us start a new project: I had to set my Albatros D. I aside and get my hands on the long awaited Copper State Models Nieuport XI.
Since I saw it for the first time on Albin Denis fantastic site
http://albindenis.free.fr/Site_escadrille/page_centaine.htm where he collected incredible information on all French escadrilles of the Great War, I knew once I had to build Georges Peletier dOisys Nieuport 11 with a cat on the moon. His markings are also discussed here
https://forum.pages14-18.com/viewtopic.php?t=49758
When Copper state announced their Nieuport XI early and revealed the decal variants, I was more than happy: It was exactly that machine . . . Well, actually not so much, as the kit represents an earlier Nieuport Pelletier-d'Oisys that also was painted in a similar way. I was not aware of the existence of an early, CDL version of these markings, I just had known the camouflaged one that had ended up in an uncomfortable way at Lemmes on 16 April 1916. Lemmes was one of the aerodromes that was used by the French during the battle of Verdun.
Georges Pelletier-d'Oisy was according to Albin Denis born on March 9, 1892 in Auch. I add all the information on him till his death in 1953 translated with deepl from French to English:
Enlisted in the 3rd Dragons regiment, May 23, 1910 - Pre-war profession Law student - Switched to aviation as a student pilot, October 14, 1912 - Brevet de pilote militaire n? 294 dated June 19, 1913 - Pilot of escadrille HF 19 from July 1, 1913 to March 1, 1915 - Appointed Mar?chal des Logis, October 3, 1913 - Appointed Adjutant, November 1, 1914 - Mentioned in the Army Order, November 2, 1914 - Military Medal and Mentioned in the Army Order, November 22, 1914 - Chevalier de la L?gion d'Honneur and Mentioned in the Army Order, April 8, 1915 - Appointed temporary Second Lieutenant, September 27, 1915 - Pilot of escadrille MS 12 from March 1, 1915 to May XX, 1916 - A citation in the Army Order, June 15, 1916 - Pilot of escadrille N 69 / SPA 69 from May XX, 1916 to February 18, 1918 - Ensured the delivery of a SPAD VII 150 HP, September 17, 1916 - Ensured the delivery of a SPAD VII 150 HP, October 20, 1916 - Ensured the delivery of a Nieuport, January 25, 1917 - Delivery of an aircraft, March 31, 1917 - Commendation in the Army Order, June 15, 1917 - Appointed lieutenant, September 27, 1917 - Hospitalized at VR 75 from XXX to February 18, 1918 - Assigned to the Fighter Group 16 staff, effective March 15, 1918 - 5 victories - Seconded to the French Air Force, June 15, 1917 - Appointed lieutenant, September 27, 1917 - Hospitalized at VR 75 from XXX to February 18, 1918 - Assigned to the Fighter Group 16 staff, effective March 15, 1918 - 5 victories in the Fighter Group 16 staff, effective March 15, 1918 - Seconded to the French Air Force, effective March 15, 1918.5 certified victories - Seconded to the French military aviation mission in Constantinople, March 1, 1919 Raid between Constantinople and Paris in 1919 - Non-stop raid between Paris and Vienna in 10 hours in 1920 - Non-stop raid between Paris and Bucharest in 19 hours in 1921 - Appointed to the Tunisian aviation group in 1922 - Raid between Casablanca and Tunis, 1700 km in 1922 - Appointed Officer of the Legion of Honor, December 30, 1923 - Raid of 19. 600 km in 20 stages between Villacoublay and Tokorosawa (Tokyo / Japan) aboard a Breguet 19A2 from April 24 to June 9, 1924 - Appointed Commander, March 25, 1930 - Appointed Commander of the L?gion d'Honneur in July 1931 - Took part in the Croisi?re Noire in 1933 - Assigned to the West African Aeronautical Command - Appointed Lieutenant-Colonel in late 1936 - Commander of the 25th Tunis Wing - Appointed Colonel, June 15, 1939 - Assigned to transport group no. 15 in May 1915 - Air brigadier general, May 1, 1945 - Died in Marrakech (Morocco), May 15, 1953 - General Georges Pelletier d'Oisy has been laid to rest in the Auch cemetery since March 29, 1958.
And after all, he obviously really loved cats and moons. Here is a later potograph of him stationed in Tunis in 1922:
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b9022838pI dug out all Nieuport 11 literature I could find. I do not think that I will really need them as this kit is fantastically researched. But hey, the books look good next to the kit in the photo, don?t they?
And I started to build. The detail in the cockpit alone is amazing, the fit is fantastic. And there is a little Zoukei Mura flair around that cockpit: Much of the details under the tank will never be visible again if you close the fuselage, what I intend to do. I painted these details anyway. But that took its time . . .
One thing I would highly recommend before painting or glueing something is to drill all those tiny plastic tongues (can one say that?) on the wooden fuselage frame parts for rigging.
Au revoir (Hey, it is a French plane!)
Andreas
