Presentation :
This recently-opened museum does more than just give an overview of the 75 years of Airbase 112’s existence by providing a picture of the first world air shows which, a century ago, were to make the Reims area the birthplace of civil and military aeronautics. Its eight exhibition areas spotlight a wealth of collections, made up in particular of craft on static show, plane parts, clothing and uniforms, badges & insignia, models, paintings and reproductions of posters, not to mention a large number of old photographs on display.
The visit begins by outlining what the Reims airbase is today, then illustrates the career of Commandant Marin la Meslée (1912-1945), the most decorated ace of the French Campaign. The other halls invite visitors to learn about the first town-to-town flight carried out by Henri Farman in 1908, the week-long Champagne air show in 1909 and Reims’ military competition of 1911, the first of its kind. Then follows the First World War and afterwards, in the middle of the ’20s, the birth of Airbase 112 which was to quickly expand to the extent of being France’s leading airbase at the outbreak of the Second World War. The tour is rounded off by a focus on World War II - a period from which it was to emerge seriously damaged - and by the base’s rebirth from 1950, when the emphasis was on its variety of air squadrons and jets.