Escadrille 3 Les Cigognes was a famous French aviation unit during the World War I. It was often referred to as the 'Stork Escadrille N3' due to its insignia. Pilots from Groupe de Combat 12 adopted the name and placed images of storks in different phases of flying on their planes.
Escadrille emblem – flying stork, down-stroke
Spad XIII with down-stroke stork insignia
Georges Guynemer's original SPAD S.VII, nicknamed "Vieux Charles", preserved at Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace
Mirage of the Groupe de Combat 12 (GC 12) 'Les Cigognes' ('The Storks')
Escadrille 103 of the French Air Force was an elite aviation unit on the Western Front during World War I. One of its many aces, René Fonck was the highest scoring Allied fighter-pilot.
Spad S.XIII of René Fonck with the flying stork unit emblem
WWI era French Service Aéronautique American volunteer pilot Phelps Collins, January 1918