Lafayette Escadrille banner. Image courtesy US Air Force Museum.
- The Lafayette Escadrille (aka Escadrille Americaine) makes its first patrol over the Battle of Verdun on the Western Front. Formed in April 1916, the unit is composed largely of American volunteer pilots. They would join the Army Air Service’s 103rd Aero Squadron following America’s entry into the war in 1917. The Escadrille is named in honour of Marquis de Lafayette, hero of the American and French revolutions.
- French forces extend their position south-east of Haucourt and repulse attacks north-east of Mort Homme in the Battle of Verdun
- Britain and Germany sign an agreement in London to permit the transfer of wounded and sick prisoners of war to be interned in neutral Switzerland. Some 68,000 men would be sent there before the end of the war. Prisoners of War in Switzerland
