In 1914, the airplane was still a marvel of modern technology, and its military potential was largely unexplored. Few understood its role in war, and it was often seen only as a tool for observation. General René Chambe, the author of Au temps des carabines, Équipages dans la fournaise, Le Bataillon du belvédère, and L'Histoire de l'aviation (Flammarion), recounts a pivotal event in the history of military aviation. This event involved pioneering aviators like Guynemer, Fonck (75 victories), Nungesser, and Navarre, who would later become famous for their aerial exploits. On October 5, 1914, at 2,000 meters above Reims, a biplane with white wings passed over the battlefield, returning from German lines. This was a Voisin aircraft from the V.-24 squadron, commanded by Captain André Faure, marked with the number 89. The plane had already seen action and was regarded as one of the best in the squadron. It was piloted by Sergeant Frantz and carried mechanic Quénault as a passenger. The crew had just completed a bombing mission, dropping 90 mm shells on enemy positions behind the Brimont fort. Bombing at the time was a crude affair, with no sophisticated instruments. The crew had to estimate their position visually and then manually throw the shells from the fuselage. It was a dangerous and imprecise task, but they had done it before. Despite the lack of advanced equipment, Frantz and Quénault were among the few pilots who believed aerial combat was possible. They had already attempted to fire at German aircraft using muskets, but without success. Their goal was to push the boundaries of aerial warfare and prove that a plane could be more than just a bomber. The Voisin, though heavy and not built for speed, was the best option for bombing. However, Frantz and Quénault had a radical idea: to arm the plane with a machine gun. They believed the Voisin’s size and visibility made it an ideal candidate for an experiment. Their plan was met with approval by Captain Faure, who arranged for the installation of six machine guns. On August 18, Gabriel Voisin himself arrived at the squadron’s base, delivering the guns and ammunition. Within hours, the six Voisin aircraft were armed. On October 5, the Voisin number 89, now equipped with a machine gun, was in the air, piloted by Frantz and Quénault. As the plane soared over Reims, the two men scanned the skies, searching for an enemy aircraft. After a long search, they spotted a German biplane, the Aviatik, flying lower than them. Frantz maneuvered the Voisin into a steep dive to close the distance. The German pilot, realizing the threat, turned sharply to avoid the attack, but Frantz kept the Voisin behind the enemy plane. Quénault, the mechanic-gunner, fired the machine gun, carefully avoiding jamming by firing one bullet at a time. After a tense and chaotic aerial duel, the Aviatik suddenly flipped and crashed into the ground. The German crew was killed, and the French aviators returned to base, hailed as heroes. Their actions marked the first recorded aerial combat in World War I, a moment that captivated both French and German observers, who paused their fighting to watch the historic event unfold.