Othon Friesz, Annamites at an airfield base, 1914

by Atelier Liesjes

Friesz was mobilized on August 3 and was assigned to the auxiliary in November 1914 for health reasons before being assigned to the 5th Bureau in August 1915. Friesz was assigned the task of preparing a summary of crimes committed by the Germans to distribute to the United States and other neutral countries. In 1916, Friesz was assigned to the Aeronautical Engineering Service, where he worked in topography. As part of the airship observation team, he received several study missions in June 1917, where he was tasked with establishing a documentary museum on military aviation. His work depicted the labor of workers and prisoners as they built temporary structures for airfield bases, along with Annamite and Tunisian mechanics.

Starting in 1887, France ruled the Union of Indochina, consisting of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The French referred to the inhabitants of the Union as "Annamites" (coming from the former colony of Annam, located in the center of present-day Vietnam).

Here residents walk across an airport with propeller-driven planes in the colors of the French flag.

Emile-Othon Friesz (Le Havre, Feb. 6, 1879 - Paris, Jan. 10, 1949) was a French painter who belonged to the group of Fauvists.