Société Pour les Appareils Deperdussin formed February 1910 at Bétheny, Reims, by wealthy silk merchant Armand Deperdussin. Built numerous monoplanes and biplanes, most designed by Louis Béchereau and Andre Herbemont, but Deperdussin arrested for embezzlement 1913 and company in liquidation. Monoplanes with Béchereau monocoque fuselages set repeated series of world speed records, these early aircraft being known by principal's name rather than as SPADs. Assets taken over late 1913 by Louis Blériot, who renamed company Société Anonyme Pour l'Aviation et ses Dérivés, still SPAD. This company built over 2,500 aircraft by Armistice, including famous single-seat fighters SPAD VII/XII and XIII, over 15,000 of these being delivered by numerous subcontractors, chief SPAD plant during war being at Suresnes. In 1921 company again restructured by M. Blériot as Blériot-Aéronautique.