Large Fleet Sets Off for All Parts of Empire Istres, Nov. 9.
Leaving the Istres aerodrome today, 76 military planes took off to begin large-scale manœuvres which will take them to all parts of the French colonial empire All the planes headed for Tunis. where they will separate, nine remaining in Tunis, five flying to Indo-China, twelve to Morocco, 32 going French/West Africa, and eighteen to Damascus.
M. Henry Andraud, Under-Secretary Air, attended the ceremony as hho first air fleet of this kind took off for its flight across the Mediterranean, He saluted the crews in the name of M. Pierre Cot, the Minister for Air, who was detained in Paris this morning by a Cabinet meeting.
The head of the General Staff of the y Air Corps, General Fequant, addressed the aviators before their departure, "You go to carry out the first of a series of manceuvres [that will be repeated each year. It be an eloquent demonstration of e aer vity of the country, and will be a proof of the support that the French nation can give. to its possessions."—Havas
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.