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| Morane-Saulnier Type L. |
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| Roland Garros, 09.1913-Tunisia, after crossing the Mediterranean. |
On 01.04.1915, the first fighter plane, a Morane-Saulnier monoplane armed with an Mle 1914 Hotchkiss forward-firing machine gun was airborne. Piloted by French aviator and Escadrille MS26 reconnaisance pilot, Roland Garros (October 6, 1888 - October 5, 1918), the Morane L was capable of firing through the airscrew arc by installing deflector plates that prevented the bullets from striking the propeller’s spinning blades. On this first flight run, Garros spotted four German two-seater Albatros observation planes heading towards French lines. Two were shot and went down in flames, and the remaining two headed for home at full throttle. Over the next two weeks a total of five enemy kills were recorded. Garros and his plane became the most feared plane in the French airspace.
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