The concept of the rotary engine (the whole engine running around a fix crankshaft) is a french innovation. 
Although rotaries where made in UK, Italia and Germany, the french ones where seen as the best ones; to the extent that french engines (removed from crashed planes) where fitted to German aircrafts. 
The last Fokker Dr. I of Manfred von Richtofen had a french engine! And Clerget engines where (and still are) the most sought after french engine of WWI
 
 
      
      
     
      
       Engine Clerget 9B on Sopwith Camel (canadianflight.org)
 
      
      
     
      
       Aircraft powered with a Clerget 9B :