# French Bombers and Transport Aircraft



## gekho (May 1, 2010)

The Armée de l'Air (literally, "army of the air") is the name of the French Air Force in its native language. It has borne this name only from August 1933 when it was still under the jurisdiction of the army. Today, several other countries, all of which were French colonies in the past, also use the term "Armée de l'Air" for their own air forces, including Cameroon (Armée de l'Air du Cameroun), Gabon (Armée de l'Air Gabonaise), Madagascar (Armée de l'Air Malgache) and Senegal (Armée de l'Air du Sénégal). The air forces of most other French-speaking countries use the term Force Aérienne before the adjective of their country to describe them, such as the Force Aérienne Belge for the Belgian air force. A notable exception is Canada, whose armed forces were unified in 1968 and so they use the joint English/French title, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)/Forces Armées Canadiennes (FAC). The air element of the CAF is known officially as the Canadian Forces Air Command. This article deals exclusively with the history of the French air force from its earliest beginnings (but not French naval aviation, the Aéronautique Navale).


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## gekho (May 1, 2010)

The Amiot 143M was a late 1930s French medium bomber designed to meet 1928 specifications for a bomber capable of day/night bombing, long-range reconnaissance and bomber escort. Félix Amiot's 1925 design was selected in 1928 for production over rivals Bleriot 137, Breguet 410 and SPCA 30. The prototype designated Amiot 140 flew in 1931, but actual production of the aging design did not begin until 1935 and continued for lack of a replacement until March 1937. Despite being of an ungainly two-tiered structure, slow and lacking maneuverability, and of obsolescent architecture, the Amiot 143M was a sturdy plane which was popular with its pilots. Notable were the very thick wings, with engines accessible in flight. The Amiot 143M production model mounted a turret in the nose and dorsal turrets, both of which housed one or two 7.5 mm (.295 in) MAC 1934 machine guns. In addition, a single 7.5 mm (.295 in) MAC 1934 was mounted in fore and aft positions in the ventral bombing gondola.


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## gekho (May 1, 2010)

The Amiot 143M entered service in July 1935. The design was already ten years old and was quite out of date. Nevertheless, 87 Amiot 143M were in the front line. 50 equipped four metropolitan groupes: GBs I/34 and II/34 in the north, GBs I/38 and II/38 in the East, and 17 equipped one African groupe as of 10 May 1940. During the Phoney War, Amiot 143M groupes carried out reconnaissance and leaflet raids over Germany. Upon the start of the Battle of France, the Amiot 143M was used in night attacks on German lines of communications. The most significant action involving the Amiot 143M was a daring daylight raid on German bridgeheads near Sedan took place on 14 May 1940. A force of 13 planes from GBs I/34, II/34, and II/38 led by Commandant de Laubier encountered German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters en route. 15 bombers were destroyed.

By the time of the Armistice, the Amiot 143M had dropped a total of 474 tonnes (523 tons) of bombs. 53 Amiot 143Ms were in the Unoccupied Zone and 25 were in French North Africa. They were reorganized into GBs I/38 and II/38 and were used until July 1941 when they were replaced by LeO 451 bombers. Some planes of the II/38 served as a transports for the French in Syria. This groupe later went over to the Allied side after their landings in Africa. The last Amiot 143M was retired from service in February 1944.

A few Amiot 143M are reported to have been commandeered by the Germans and used as transports. Only 11 planes were left in the Unoccupied Zone when it was occupied by the Germans in 1943, and only three were flightworthy. Had the war gone on a little longer for France, it is likely that all of the Amiot 143M would have ended up in a training role, having been replaced by more modern bombers such as the Breguet 693. The obsolete plane was never intended to have such an important role come war time, but slow French production made its use necessary - often being pulled from training squadrons to shore up bomber groupes.


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## gekho (May 1, 2010)

The MB.200 was a French bomber aircraft of the 1930s designed and built by Societé des Avions Marcel Bloch. A twin-engined high-winged monoplane with a fixed undercarriage, over 200 MB.200s were built for the French Air Force, and the type was also licence built by Czechoslovakia, but it soon became obsolete, and was largely phased out by the start of the Second World War. The Bloch MB.200 was designed in response to a 1932 requirement for a new day/night bomber to equip the French Air Force. It was a high-winged all-metal cantilever monoplane, with a slab-sided fuselage, powered by two Gnome-Rhône 14K radial engines. It had a fixed tailwheel undercarriage and featured an enclosed cockpit for the pilots. Defensive machine guns were in nose and dorsal gun turrets and a under fuselage gondola.

The first of three prototypes flew on 26 June 1933. As one of the winning designs for the competition, (the other was the larger Farman F.221), an initial order for 30 MB.200s was placed on 1 January 1934, entering service late in that year. Further orders followed, and the MB.200 equipped 12 French squadrons by the end of 1935. Production in France totalled over 208 aircraft (4 by Bloch, 19 by Breguet, 19 by Loire, 45 by Hanriot, 10 by SNCASO and 111 by Potez.


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## gekho (May 1, 2010)

Czechoslovakia chose the MB.200 as part of a modernisation program for its air force of the mid 1930s. Although at the rate of aircraft development at that time, the MB.200 would quickly become obsolete, the Czechoslovakians needed a quick solution involving the license production of a proven design, as their own aircraft industry did not have sufficient development experience with such a large aircraft, or with all-metal airframes and stressed-skin construction, placing an initial order for 74 aircraft. After some delays, both Aero and Avia began license-production in 1937, with a total of about 124 built. Czechoslovakian MB.200s were basically similar to their French counterparts, with differences in defensive armament and other equipment.

The gradual German conquest of Czechoslovakia meant that MB.200s eventually passed under their control, including aircraft that were still coming off the production line. As well as serving in the German Luftwaffe, some bombers were distributed to Bulgaria.


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## gekho (May 1, 2010)

The MB.210 derived from the MB.200 and differs in particular by its more deeply-set, cantilever wing and the retractable undercarriage from their predecessor. Developed as a private venture, the prototype MB.210 accomplished its first flight on 23 November 1934, powered by two 596 kW (800 hp) Gnome-Rhône 14Kdrs/grs air-cooled radial engines and having a fixed undercarriage. This was followed by a second prototype, the MB.211 Verdun, powered by 641 kW (860 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Y V-12 liquid-cooled inlines and fitted with a retractable undercarriage, this flying on 29 August 1935. Initial flight testing of this version was somewhat disappointing, so no further examples were built. Further progress with the MB.210, however, convinced the Armée de l'Air to order series production, the first example of which flew on 12 December 1936.

The satisfaction did not last very long, however, since it was underpowered and the engines of production aircraft were inclined to overheating. The type was grounded until its engines could be replaced by the more powerful and reliable Gnome-Rhône 14N, these engines first being tested in summer 1937 and had to be replaced. Altogether, 257 units were manufactured amongst companies as diverse as Les Mureaux over Potez-CAMS, Breguet, Hanriot, and Renault.


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## gekho (May 1, 2010)

In September 1939, the Bloch MB.210 equipped 12 bomber units of the Armée de l'Air. At the time of Nazi Germany's attack on France in spring 1940, these squadrons were in the middle of a restructuring aimed at removing outdated aircraft from the front line. Up to the armistice on 25 June of the same year, the MB.210 was used still for nighttime bomb employments and shifted then to North Africa.


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## gekho (May 1, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (May 1, 2010)

The Caudron C.440 Goéland ("seagull") was a six-seat twin-engine utility aircraft developed in France in the mid 1930s. It was a conventionally-configured low-wing cantilever monoplane with tailwheel undercarriage. The main undercarriage units retracted into the engine nacelles. Construction was wooden throughout, with wooden skinning everywhere but the forward and upper fuselage sections, which were skinned in metal. As usually configured, the cabin seated six passengers with baggage compartments fore and aft, and a toilet after. Apart from private buyers, the C.440 was also bought by the Armée de l'Air, Aéronavale and Air France, and some were exported for service with Aeroput. Production of the C.440 and its subtypes continued until the outbreak of World War II, at which time many C.440s were impressed into military service. Following the fall of France, some were operated by the German Luftwaffe and Lufthansa. Another user was the Slovenské vzdušné zbrane - it ordered 12 aircraft as the C.445M in 1942.

Production was restarted following the war for both military and civil use as a transport and as a twin-engined trainer. In the post war reorganisation of the French aircraft industry, Caudron became part of SNCA du Nord, and the aircraft became the Nord Goeland; 325 of these were built. Post-war commercial operators included Air France, SABENA, Aigle Azur, and Compagnie Air Transport (CAT).


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## gekho (May 1, 2010)

Developed by Marcel Riffard to meet the need for a fast, economical and comfortable transport to carry a limited number of passengers, the Caudron C.440 Goeland (Seagull) twin-engined low-wing cantilever monoplane made its appearance during 1934. Test flown by Raymond Delmotte, it proved its pedigree by combining economy with aerodynamic excellence. One of the most successful aircraft of its time, it was produced in greater numbers than any other transport in its category. The two-spar wing was of spruce and plywood with a plywood skin, and inboard of the inset ailerons the whole trailing edge of the wing was occupied by flaps which also extended beneath the fuselage. The fuselage was largely of wood and had plywood skinning except for the nose section and upper decking which had stressed sheet metal covering. The cantilever tail unit was also a wooden structure, its fixed surfaces plywood-covered and control surfaces fabric-covered. Streamlined nacelles for the 164kW Bengali 6 engines extended below and to the rear of the wings; and the main landing gear units, each incorporating an oleo-sprung fork, retracted rearwards to lie wholly enclosed within the engine nacelles. The prototype had fairings attached to the front of each main leg to cover the wheel wells when the landing gear was retracted, but the next two C.440s had two wheel well doors attached to the underside of each nacelle, a feature of all future Goelands. A non-retracting steerable tailwheel was fitted.

In its basic passenger configuration the Goeland had comfortable cabin accommodation for six passengers. The pilot and co-pilot, who doubled as wireless operator, were seated side-by-side and had dual controls. Baggage holds were located fore and aft, and a toilet was situated at the rear of the cabin.

The Goeland remained in production in several versions up to World War II, the principal model being the C.445, also adopted by the Armee de I'Air as the C.445M and used for a variety of tasks, including military communications duties and crew training. Some C.445Ms were used by the Aeronavale. Civil users of the Goeland included Air France, Air Bleu and Regie Air Afrique. Air Bleu used one C.444 and several C.445s on night mail routes from Paris to the Spanish border, and Regie Air Afrique operated the type on its North African routes. Other Goelands flew passenger services in French West Africa and Madagascar. The type was sold abroad to Aeroput of Yugoslavia, and to Bulgaria and Spain. Two C.445Ms were supplied to the Belgian Aeronautique Militaire in 1940.

Production continued during World War II, and after the German occupation of France 44 C.445s and 10 C.445Ms were requisitioned, some flying on Lufthansa routes and others being operated by the Luftwaffe. Considerable numbers of the C.445M and C.449 were built for the Germans at Renault's Billancourt and Caudron's Issy-les-Mou-lineaux factories. Production at Billancourt, however, was reduced to a trickle after a heavy RAF raid in 1943. The Germans used the Goeland as a pilot, radio and navigational trainer, for communications, and a small number had glazed noses for bomb-aimer training. In addition to the C.447 specialised ambulance version, a few other Goelands were used for casualty transport.

Other Goelands served the French Vichy regime, while a number were scattered throughout France's overseas empire, most of them in North Africa. Several C.445s operated in the UK after June 1940.

In 1945 the Caudron plant was taken over by the French government as the Ateliers Aeronautiques d'lssy-les-Mouli-neaux. Here production of the C.445M and C.449 continued under the designation AA.1. Post-war Goelands continued in service with Air France. At the beginning of 1946 the company had 23 C.445s and 19 C.449s at its disposal; these flew domestic night mail services for a time, but were employed for many years as crew trainers. Other civil operators included SABENA and two French companies, Aigle Azur and CAT (Compagnie Air Transport). Goelands continued to fly for a number of years on a wide range of duties with the Armee de I'Air.

Production of all versions of the Goeland totalled 1,702. A number of early aircraft were converted subsequently to later versions. The production listing below totals 1,446; it has not been possible to verify the sub-type designations of the remaining 256 Goelands.


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## gekho (May 1, 2010)

This two-engine aircraft was built by the French Potez company to fulfill a 1932 specification for a new reconnaissance bomber. Built as a private venture, this aircraft, designated the Potez 54, flew for the first time on 14 November 1933. Designed by Louis Coroller, it was intended as a four-seat aircraft capable of performing duties such as bomber, transport and long-range reconnaissance. The Potez 54 was a high-wing monoplane, of mixed wood and metal covering over a steel tube frame. The prototype had twin fins and rudders, and was powered by two 515 kW (690 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs V-12 engines in streamlined nacelles, which were connected to the fuselage by stub wings. The main landing gear units retracted into the nacelles, and auxiliary bomb racks were mounted beneath the stub wings. There were manually-operated turrets at the nose and dorsal positions, as well as a semi-retractable dustbin-style ventral turret. During development, the original tailplane was replaced by a single fin and rudder, and in this form, the type was re-designated the Potez 540 and delivered to the Armee de I'Air on 25 November 1934. A total of 192 Potez 540s were built.

Their first combat was in the Spanish Civil War, where they were employed by the Spanish Republicans. In the late 1930s, these aircraft were becoming obsolete so they were withdrawn from reconnaissance and bombing duties and were relegated to French transport units. They were also employed as paratrooper training and transport aircraft. By September 1939 and the beginning of World War II, they had been largely transferred to the French colonies in North Africa, where they continued to function in transport and paratrooper service. Their role in even these secondary assignments was problematic given their poor defensive armament and vulnerability to modern enemy fighters. Following the French capitulation to Germany in June 1940, those Potez 540s still flying served the Vichy French Air Force mainly in the French overseas colonies. Most of these machines were retired or destroyed by late 1943.


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## vikingBerserker (May 1, 2010)

Oustanding! I love the pic of the Am 143


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## Milos Sijacki (May 1, 2010)

wow....thx for all the info about these bombers and also thx for the photos. Nice read  but I must say this, those are some weird looking, and sorry for this, ugly looking planes.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

The Bloch MB.220 was a French twin-engine passenger transport airplane built by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch during the 1930s. The M.B.220 was an all-metal low-wing cantilever monoplane. It was powered by two Gnome-Rhône radial engines and had a retractable landing gear. Normal crew was four, with room for 16 passengers, with eight seats each side of a central aisle. The prototype first flew in December 1935, and was followed by 16 production aircraft. At least five examples survived the war and were modified as the M.B.221 with Wright Cyclone R-1820-97 engines.By the middle of 1938, the type was being utilised by Air France on European routes. The first service of the type (between Paris and London) was flown on 27 March 1938 with a scheduled time of 1 hour 15 minutes. During World War II, most MB.220s were taken over as military transports, including service with German, Free French and Vichy French air forces. Air France continued to fly the aircraft (as MB.221s) after the war on short-range European routes. It sold four aircraft in 1949 but within a year all had been withdrawn from service.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

The Bloch MB.130 and its derivatives were a series of French monoplane reconnaissance-bombers developed during the 1930s. They saw some limited action at the beginning of World War II but were obsolete by that time and suffered badly against the Luftwaffe. After the fall of France, a few were pressed into Luftwaffe service. 

The MB.130 was developed in response to the August 1933 French Aviation Ministry request for a reconnaissance and tactical bomber. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, low-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear, and armed with three flexible machine guns, one each in the nose, dorsal turret, and ventral gondola. It first flew on 29 June 1934, and despite very ordinary performance, soon entered production, 40 machines being ordered in October 1935. An improved version, the MB.131 was first flown on 16 August 1936, but still needed more work to overcome its deficiencies. The radically revised second prototype which flew on 5 May 1937 eventually formed the basis for series production, with aircraft being manufactured by SNCASO, the nationalised company that had absorbed Bloch and Blériot. Total production (including prototypes) was 143.

Entering service in June 1938, the MB.131 went on to equip seven reconnaissance Groupes, six in metropolitan France and one in North Africa. Upon the outbreak of the war, the metropolitan Groupes suffered heavy losses in attempts at daylight reconnaissance of Germany's western borders. They were subsequently restricted to flying night missions, though they still suffered heavy losses even then. By May 1940, all metropolitan units had been converted to Potez 63.11 aircraft, with only the African groupe retaining them for front-line duty. After the Battle of France, the planes left in Vichy possession were relegated to target towing duty. 21 planes were reported captured by the Luftwaffe in inoperable condition, but photographic evidence suggests at least a few flew for the Nazis.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

One hundred and thirty-nine production Bloch 131 were built for the Armee de l’Air in the RB4 category as four-crew machines intended for bombing and reconnaissance. The first six aircraft were delivered by June 1938, the rest by September 1939. Entering service in June 1938, the MB.131 went on to equip seven reconnaissance Groupes, six in metropolitan France and one in North Africa. The aircraft were deployed to the following units: GR I/14, GR II/14, GR I/21, GR II/22, GR I/35, GR I/36, GR II/36, GR I/55, GR II/55 and GR I/61. On the eve of the war, 109 aircraft were in service in these units.

Unfortunately they were used on long-range daytime reconnaissance missions without escort and were no match for the Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt Me 109s. They were subsequently restricted to flying night missions, though they still suffered heavy losses even then. Starting in October 1939, they were pulled back from the front line and used only for training missions, target towing and firing school exercises, with the exception of a few aircraft in GR I/36 and II/36. As of 10 May 1940, 35 MB 131s were still in ancillary service with the reconnaissance groups, while 64 were in training units. Between 3 September 1939 and 24 June 1940, 8 aircraft were lost, 4 shot down and 4 destroyed in accidents, killing a total of 10 crew. By May 1940, all metropolitan units had been converted to Potez 63.11 aircraft, with only the African groupe retaining them for first-line duty.

At the Armistice, there were 53 aircraft in the free zone and, in November 1942, the Germans captured 21, which were scrapped. After the Battle of France, the planes left in Vichy possession were relegated to target towing duty. 21 planes were reported captured by the Luftwaffe in inoperable condition, but photographic evidence suggests at least a few flew for the Nazis.


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## FalkeEins (May 2, 2010)

..another neat thread Gehko..well done

over at Lela Presse we are currently working on a nice new hardback book devoted to the Bloch 200/210. French text but all captions in English

http://www.avions-bateaux.com/en/catalogue-livre-catalogue_1119.html


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## gekho (May 6, 2010)

The Amiot 350 series originated in the same 1934 requirement as a rival to the Lioré et Olivier LeO 451. Derived from the Amiot 341 mail plane, the Amiot 340 prototype was involved in a propaganda misinformation flight to Berlin in August of 1938 to convince the Germans that the French employed modern bombers. Though 130 machines were ordered by the French government that year, production delays and ordered modifications ensured that September 1939 saw no delivered aircraft. Eventually, the ordered number of this very modern aircraft reached 830, though ultimately only 80 machines were received by the Air Ministry. The main variant was the twin-tailed 351; however, due to various delays, the single-tailed 354 was accepted into service as an interim type. The Amiot 351 was planned to mount one 7.5 mm (.295 in) MAC 1934 machine gun in nose and ventral positions and one 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon in the dorsal position. Due to various technical issues with the armament installation, many aircraft went to operational units with only a single light machine gun in the dorsal position.

In May 1940, the Amiot 351/354 was in the process of equipping just two bomber groupes: GB 1/21 and GB II/21 based at Avignon. Though 200 were in the final stages of construction, only 35 were ready for flight. This situation was exacerbated by the fact that the Amiot 351/354 was constructed in three separate factories, two of which were later bombed by the Germans. On 16 May 1940, the several Amiot 351/354 carried out armed reconnaissance missions over Maastricht in the Netherlands - the first combat mission conducted by planes of this type. By June, the Amiot 351/354 was also delivered for GB I/34 and GB II/34, neither ever flying them in combat. At that time, all Amiot 351/354s were based on the northern front. Three had been lost in combat, 10 in training accidents. All aircraft were ordered to evacuate to Africa on 17 June, 37 surviving the trip. As their numbers were too few to effectively engage the Italians, they planes were sent back to Metropolitan France and their groupes disbanded in August 1940.

Five Amiot 351/354s continued to be used as a mail plane after the Battle of France. Four Amiot 351/354 were commandeered by the Luftwaffe as transports, two found service in the 1./KG200 special service geschwader. Engines taken from these aircraft were later used on Messerschmitt Me 323 cargo transports.


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## gekho (May 6, 2010)

Dewoitine D-338

The Dewoitine D.338 was a 1930s French 22-passenger airliner built by Dewoitine. The D.338 was a development of the D.333 with retractable undercarriage. First flown in 1936 it had a slightly increased wingspan, and the fuselage was lengthened by 3.18 m (10 ft 5¼ in). For short routes, the aircraft could carry 22 passengers, aircraft used in the Far East were fitted with 12 luxury seats, including six that could be converted into sleeping berths. The D.338 had a reputation for reliability and was used during World War II in the French overseas possessions. Nine aircraft that survived the war were operated on the Paris-Nice service for several months.

Latecoere 28 

The Latécoère 28 was a successful French long-haul mail plane and passenger airliner of the 1930s. It was the main symbol of Air France's predecessor, Aéropostale in its efforts to establish intercontinental air mail services and support French colonialism and French cultural influence between the wars. Its pilots included famous poets and French men of letters such as Antoine de Saint Exupéry and Jean Mermoz as well as the usual veterans from World War I. The Latécoère 28 was a development of the Latécoère 26. It was braced high-wing single-engined monoplane initially powered by Renault 12Jbr engine. The Latécoère 28 had a fixed tailwheel undercarriage and enclosed cockpit for two crew. The cabin was fitted for eight-passengers.


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## gekho (May 6, 2010)

When France was finally free, many Ju-52 were captured and used against their own owners. Many others were destroyed after the war, but 585 were manufactured after 1945. In France, the machine had been manufactured during the war by the Junkers-controlled Amiot company, and production continued afterwards as the Amiot AAC 1 Toucan


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## gekho (May 7, 2010)

The first production LeO 451 was built in 1938. The decision to abandon Hispano-Suiza engines and a shortage of propellers resulted in production delays. The latter also caused most aircraft to be fitted with slower Ratier propellers which reduced the top speed from 500 to 480 km/h. As the result, although 749 LeO 451 had been ordered, only 22 were delivered by the start of World War II. Of these, only 10 were formally accepted by the Air Force. They were issued to a frontline unit tasked with experimenting the new type in the field, and flew a few reconnaissance flights over Germany, which resulted in the type's first combat loss.

At the start of the Battle of France on 10 May 1940, only 54 of the 222 LeO 451 that had been delivered were considered ready for combat, the remainder being used for training, spares, undergoing modifications and repairs or having been lost. The first combat sortie of the campaign was flown by 10 aircraft from GB I/12 and GB II/12 on 11 May. Flying at low altitude, the bombers suffered from heavy ground fire with one aircraft shot down and 8 heavily damaged. Within the next 8 days many of them were shot down, like the one piloted by sergent-chef Hervé Bougault near Floyon during a bombing mission over German troops. By the Armistice of 25 June 1940, LeO 451 of the Groupement 6 had flown approximately 400 combat missions, dropping 320 tons of bombs at the expense of 31 aircraft shot down by enemy fire, 40 written off due to damage, and 5 lost in accidents. A total of 452 aircraft had then been built, 373 accepted into service (including 13 for the Aéronautique navale), and around 130 lost in action in Europe.

Following the Armistice, LeO 451s continued to fly, now under the Vichy government. The aircraft were fitted with larger rudders and, later, two additional 7.5 mm machine guns in the rear turret. These extra weapons were added because of the limited capacity of the cannon magazines, and the fact that changing them in flight was extremely difficult. Aircraft production had totally stopped with the German occupation, but a 1941 agreement authorized Vichy authorities to have a limited number of military aircraft built. As a result, 109 additional LeOs were manufactured in 1942. The most notable of these was LeO 451-359 which was fitted with an experimental degaussing coil for remotely detonating naval mines (some British Vickers Wellingtons and German Junkers Ju 52s also carried a similar device). Two bomber units equipped with LeO 451s, GB I/12 and GB I/31 were based in Syria when Allied forces invaded on 8 June 1941, at the start of the Syria-Lebanon Campaign. These were supplemented by GB I/25, which was dispatched from Tunisia. During this campaign, the LeO 451s flew a total of 855 sorties, losing 29 LeO 451s in the process.

After Operation Torch which began on 8 November 1942, surviving French LeO 451 in North Africa were used primarily for freight duties, although they flew a few bombing missions against Axis forces during the Tunisia Campaign. They were ultimately replaced in active service by Handley-Page Halifax and B-26 Marauder bombers. Aircraft captured by Germans in occupied France were also used as transports after being specifically modified for this role. A small number was reportedly used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica. Following the war, the 67 surviving aircraft were mostly used as trainers and transports. The LeO 451 was finally retired in September 1957, making it the last pre-war French design to leave active duty.


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## Thorlifter (May 7, 2010)

Another nice thread. Man oh man French planes were hideous.


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## gekho (May 7, 2010)

The Farman F.220 and its derivatives were thick-sectioned, high-winged, monoplanes from Farman Aviation Works. Based on the configuration proven by the F.211, design started in August 1935 and the first flight of the prototype was on May 26, 1932. The definitive F.222 variant was the biggest bomber to serve in France between the world wars. One variant was designed as an airliner.

After testing the sole F.220 prototype, Farman made a number of changes to the design, including a new tail fin, fully enclosing the nose and ventral gunners' positions, and changing from V-engines to radials. The first example of this version, dubbed the F.221 flew in May 1933, and was followed by ten production examples delivered to the Armee de l'Air from June 1936. These machines featured hand-operated turrets for the three gunners' stations. Meanwhile, the prototype F.220 was sold to Air France, where christened Le Centaur, it flew as a mail plane on the South Atlantic route. This led to a batch of four similar aircraft being built for the airline. The F.222 variant began to enter service with Armee de l'Air in the spring of 1937. Unlike its predecessor, this plane featured a retractable undercarriage. Twenty-four aircraft were produced with redesigned front fuselages and dihedral added to the outer wing. During World War II these planes were used in leaflet raids over Germany and then night bombing raids during May and June 1940. These resulted in three losses.

The Farman F.222 was involved in a notable operation carried out by French fighter pilot James Denis. On June 20, 1940, realising that the Battle of France was lost, Denis borrowed a Farman F.222 from an airbase near Saint-Jean-d'Angély. He flew to Britain with twenty of his friends, and joined the Free French Air Force, in which service he subsequently became an ace, shooting down nine German aircraft. The F.223 (redesignated NC.223 when Farman was absorbed into SNCAC) incorporated significant changes, including a twin tail and a considerably refined fuselage. The first prototype was ordered as a long range mail plane and in October 1937 established a record by flying 621 miles with a 22,046 lb payload. The Ministere d l'Air ordered a production run of 8 of the NC223.3 variation which was commenced in 1939. A variant NC 223.4 Jules Verne was the first Allied bomber to raid Berlin, on the night of 7 June 1940.

The first NC 223.3 bombers were delivered on May 1940 and participated in night bombing attacks on Germany before being transferred to North Africa in June 1940. The bombers were subsequently relegated to transport roles, seeing service with both the Vichy regime and the Free French. The F.224 was a dedicated civil variant able to seat 40 passengers. Six machines were produced for Air France, but were ultimately rejected by the airline. The aircraft went on to serve in the Armée de l'Air instead.


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## T Bolt (May 7, 2010)

Excellent pictures!!


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## Gnomey (May 7, 2010)

Certainly many of the inter-war French bombers were hideous but good pictures all the same.


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## Catch22 (May 7, 2010)

Great pictures an info, but yeah, my eyes!


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## Wayne Little (May 8, 2010)

Cool pics ....but ugly mothers...


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## gekho (May 8, 2010)

Now I should post the pictures of the american bombers provided to France by the United States after the liberation, but I have decided to continue the history of these french bombers in a new thread, so if you want more information check out 

*ARMEE DE´L AIR: COLONIAL CONFLICTS*

(Post-war section)


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## c1951 (Jul 2, 2010)

gekho said:


> The Amiot 350 series originated in the same 1934 requirement as a rival to the Lioré et Olivier LeO 451. Derived from the Amiot 341 mail plane, the Amiot 340 prototype was involved in a propaganda misinformation flight to Berlin in August of 1938 to convince the Germans that the French employed modern bombers. Though 130 machines were ordered by the French government that year, production delays and ordered modifications ensured that September 1939 saw no delivered aircraft. Eventually, the ordered number of this very modern aircraft reached 830, though ultimately only 80 machines were received by the Air Ministry. The main variant was the twin-tailed 351; however, due to various delays, the single-tailed 354 was accepted into service as an interim type. The Amiot 351 was planned to mount one 7.5 mm (.295 in) MAC 1934 machine gun in nose and ventral positions and one 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon in the dorsal position. Due to various technical issues with the armament installation, many aircraft went to operational units with only a single light machine gun in the dorsal position.
> 
> In May 1940, the Amiot 351/354 was in the process of equipping just two bomber groupes: GB 1/21 and GB II/21 based at Avignon. Though 200 were in the final stages of construction, only 35 were ready for flight. This situation was exacerbated by the fact that the Amiot 351/354 was constructed in three separate factories, two of which were later bombed by the Germans. On 16 May 1940, the several Amiot 351/354 carried out armed reconnaissance missions over Maastricht in the Netherlands - the first combat mission conducted by planes of this type. By June, the Amiot 351/354 was also delivered for GB I/34 and GB II/34, neither ever flying them in combat. At that time, all Amiot 351/354s were based on the northern front. Three had been lost in combat, 10 in training accidents. All aircraft were ordered to evacuate to Africa on 17 June, 37 surviving the trip. As their numbers were too few to effectively engage the Italians, they planes were sent back to Metropolitan France and their groupes disbanded in August 1940.
> 
> Five Amiot 351/354s continued to be used as a mail plane after the Battle of France. Four Amiot 351/354 were commandeered by the Luftwaffe as transports, two found service in the 1./KG200 special service geschwader. Engines taken from these aircraft were later used on Messerschmitt Me 323 cargo transports.



The bottom photograph is unique. It shows the version of the Amiot with the Rolls Royce Merlin. The Merlins were to be built by Ford in France but with the Armistice the Germans captured the lot including the drawings. Seemingly the aircrafts performance with Merlins was astonishing. But like everything at the time it was too little too late. We had to wait another four years to give the Nazi's a good thumping


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## gekho (Dec 19, 2010)

The Latécoère 570 was the French company's response to the specification of a four seat bomber (B4) in the programme A-21 of November 1934. This called for an aircraft that could deliver, for example, a 1000 kg (2,200 lb) bomb load over a range of 1,500 km (940 mi), have a maximum speed of 400 km/h (250 mph) at about 4,000 m (1,200 ft) and to be able to reach this altitude in 15 minutes. The latest devices were specified, such as variable pitch propellers, retractable undercarriage and retractable dorsal and ventral gun turrets. Nine manufacturers responded but only Latécoère and three others produced prototypes. These were the Amiot 341, the Lioré et Olivier LeO 45 and the Romano 120.

The Latécoère 570 was an aerodynamically clean, all metal low cantilever wing monoplane with two radial engines and a twin tail. The wings were broad at the root and had straight edges, but narrowed continuously outwards to small chord elliptical tips, mostly through the strong forward sweep of the trailing edge. This latter carried ailerons with flaps inboard. The two 1,125 hp (840 kW) [Hispano-Suiza 14Aa engines were conventionally mounted on the forward wing spar with long-chord cowlings, driving variable pitch propellers of opposite handedness. The engine fairings extended further rearwards below the wing than above to house the retracted undercarriage legs with their single wheels. The tailplane and elevator narrowed only slightly, ending with vertical surfaces that extended only upwards, unlike the typical endplate fins of the period which also reached below the tailplane. Both rudders and elevators had trim tabs.


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## gekho (Dec 19, 2010)

The fuselage was a monocoque structure of roughly elliptical cross section with a flattened bottom.There was extensive glazing in the nose for the navigator/bomb aimer with the radio operator behind. The pilot's enclosed cockpit was slightly behind the leading edge of the wing and a long way behind the nose, restricting his view at take-off. Immediately behind him on the port side of the fuselage at mid-chord was a vertical bomb stack, filling the whole height of the fuselage. There was an access corridor down the starboard side, but another bomb could be mounted below its floor. There were also internal bomb mountings in the wing roots at this position. Behind this bomb bay and near the wing trailing edge was the upper (dorsal) SAM AB5 retractable turret with an Hispano 20 mm cannon; slightly further aft and at the trailing edge was a matching but inverted AB6 retractable ventral turret, similarly armed. The upper turret was manned by the fourth crew member and the lower one by the radio operator. A single jack extended and retracted these turrets together; the upper one was glazed to enable its gunner to keep watch even when it was retracted.

The Latécoère 570 prototype took a long time to get into the air compared with its competitors. Construction began at Latécoère's Toulouse works from about April 1937, but during that year the Toulouse-Montaudran region was seriously disrupted by industrial action and it was decided to complete the aircraft at the Bayonne factory. It finally flew in until August 1939, piloted by Yves Lascombe. The 570 went for trials at CEMA d'Orleans-Bricy early in 1940, though by then the Amiot 351 and Lioré et Olivier LeO 45 were already in service. It was found to have good flying characteristics, though its performance vis-à-vis the other B4 machines was somewhat disappointing. The 14Aa engines were by this time performing reliably, despite an unhappy beginning in the other B4 prototypes. By June 1940 the sole 570 was in German hands at Bricy, but not judged worth flying.


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## Gnomey (Dec 19, 2010)

Nice shots!


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## gekho (Mar 31, 2011)

Designed originally as the Bloch MB.161 a development of the earlier 12-passenger Bloch MB.160 the prototype first flew on 15 December 1939. It had a slow development and the test flying was not completed until January 1942. The French Vichy government ordered the aircraft into production in December 1941. With the German invasion of southern France in 1942 the production of 20 aircraft for Air France and Lufthansa was slowed down. After the liberation of France the provisional government authorised production to be resumed with the first series production aircraft, now designated the SE.161, first flying on 25 August 1945. Some of the delay is attributed to the workforces reluctant to complete the aircraft ordered by Germany in 1942.

The Languedoc was an all-metal four-engined lowing cantilever monoplane airliner with a twin-fin and rudder assembly. It had a crew of 5 and a standard cabin accommodation for 33 passengers, although this could be reduced to 24 and later increased to 44-seats in 1951. It had a retractable tailwheel landing gear and was powered by four 1150hp (858kW) Gnome-Rhône 14N 44/45 or 54/55 radial engines in wing-leading edge nacelles. A total of 100 aircraft were built for Air France and for the French Air Force and Navy. The only export customer was the Polish airline LOT which bought five.

The SE.161 was named the Languedoc before it entered service with Air France on the Paris to Algiers route from 28 May 1946. By October they were withdrawn from service, not only with landing gear and engine problems but considered unable to operate in winter conditions. They re-entered service in 1947 re-engined with Pratt Whitney R-1830 engines, de-icing equipment and cabin heating, the designation changing to SE.161.P7. The aircraft were soon familiar on Air France's European network and continued to operated scheduled services to London Heathrow and elsewhere until summer 1952, when they were replaced by Douglas DC-4s.

Despite the costly experience of introducing the aircraft to service they were never as reliable as the Douglas DC-4 or Vickers Viscount and Air France arranged to sell off the aircraft to the French military. Ten aircraft were converted with a large ventral gondola, observation windows and a ventral search radar for Search and Rescue operations which served for five years. SE.161 Languedoc No. 92 of GT II/61 French Air Force in 1955The Air Force also had newly built aircraft from the end of the production line. Designated SE.161R, they had Gnome-Rhône 14R engines with distinctive four-bladed propellers. They were used as transport aircraft from 1951 to 1955.

The largest military operator was the French Navy, which operated 25 different aircraft over the years. The first aircraft were delivered in 1949 and used as long-range transports; later aircraft would be used as flying classrooms for navigator and rear-crew training. The flying classrooms were modified with both a nose-mounted radar and a ventral dustbin radar. The aircraft was withdrawn from Naval service in 1959. A small number of aircraft were used as flying testbeds including use as live airborne television relay for Charles de Gaulles Algerian visit in 1958. Four aircraft were used as motherships for René Leduc's experimental ram-jet aircraft. The last Languedoc was withdrawn from service in 1964, unable to compete with American and British built airliners.


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## gekho (Apr 5, 2011)

Loire submit after his twin-engine seaplane prototype Loire-Nieuport 10, and was ruled by the French Navy, the fuselage was reused to create the prototype of the Heavy Bomber CAO 700, a four-engined whose first flight was June 24, 1940. The CAO-700 was the response to the request of the ministry B5 a long-range heavy bomber, which was to operate during the day. Other features specify a speed of not less than 450 km / h, 7000 km range, bomb load of 3000 kg of weapons and defensive weapons needed to face modern fighters, who are competing MB.162 Bloch, Amiot 380, Breguet and CAO.700 Br.482 SNCA.

CAO 700 was the normal metal construction with retractable landing gear and four Gnome-Rhône radial engine 14N-49 in the wings. The front of the fuselage, which housed the bomber was a large glass surface and provides the best overview. Then there is the cockpit and navigator, and their dorsal vessel, a gunner with a 20 mm cannon HS-40 and the other with a defense ventral 7.5 mm machine gun wing received a high degree of mechanization with slats and Fowler flaps. The aircraft was sent to the hangar waiting to define its future, destined to Saint-Nazaire, where it will ultimately be destroyed by Allied bombing in 1943.


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## gekho (Apr 5, 2011)

In December 1936 the French Air Ministry issued a specification for a four-seat, twin engined medium bomber, with Breguet's initial design, the Breguet 480 (or Bre. 480) to be powered with the specified 1,225 hp (914 kW) Gnome et Rhône 14L radial engines, which was meant to carry 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of bombs over a 2,500 km (1,600 mi) radius. Gnome et Rhône abandoned the 14L however, so, after considering a version powered by two Hispano-Suiza 12Y V12 engines, Breguet reworked the design as the Breguet 482, with four 1,350 hp (1007 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Z engines, with an order for two prototypes placed by the French Air Ministry on 12 May 1938.nThe Breguet 482 was a mid-winged monoplane of all-metal construction, with a clean, low-drag, oval section monocoque fuselage, twin tails and a retractable tailwheel undercarriage. The planned defensive armament was a 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon in a power operated dorsal position, with a 7.5mm machine gun in the nose and a further two machine guns in ventral mountings. Up to 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) of bombs could be carried.

Construction of the two prototypes was well progressed when Germany invaded France on 10 May 1940, and in late May it was decided to evacuate the near complete prototypes from Villacoublay near Paris, with the first prototype being sent to Bône in Algeria and the second to the Breguet factory at Anglet, near Bayonne in the far south-west of France. The first prototype was destroyed during a German air-raid following the Allied invasion of French North Africa, but the first prototype remained untouched, despite the fact that Anglet had been occupied by the Germans since 1940.

When the Germans withdrew, Breguet resumed work on the Br 482, proposing to complete it with more powerful Hispano-Suiza 12Z engines and a heavier armament. The French Armée de l'Air had no requirement for a bomber, however, and it was decided to use the aircraft, with the planned modifications, but with armament removed, as a research aircraft. In this form it was finally flown for the first time in November 1947, being used for various experimental purposes, including testing of the 12Z engines.


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## Gnomey (Apr 5, 2011)

Interesting stuff!


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## Wayne Little (Apr 9, 2011)

Some of these are really weird looking birds...


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## vikingBerserker (Apr 10, 2011)

Outstanding posts gekho!!!


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## gekho (Apr 10, 2011)

Thanks!!


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## hawkeye2an (Aug 8, 2011)

I have been trying for years to find information on the Monocoupe 90AF designated as L-7s by the U.S. and given to France.

I found this information on another old forum that is apparently no longer running:

_"Hello, 
Five Monocupe AF90 (or Piper L-7) were used by the Free French Unit from 1943 at Ivato AB (Madagascar, near Antananarivo). 
Their serial numbers were 38.911,38.915, 38.921,38.926 and 38.933. On a photography, we find the serial number preceded by letters NC what could correspond to an American civil registration. 
Both information which I possess are:
1 - A fund raising would have been made in near Frenchs living in the USA. Planes would thus have been bought with this money and sent towards Madagascar to help Free French.

2 - These serial numbers (or US civil registration) were maybe associated with following RAF number: AF834, AF838, AF844, AF849 and AF856.


It would be possible that this two informations may be connected.

Would anybody have the kindness to say to me if the RAF number above corresponds with L-7 aircraft?

Regards
Franck


This picture is coming from "Le Fana de l'aviation" french magazine."_

Any help?

Andy


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## Bretoal (Nov 3, 2012)

c1951 said:


> The bottom photograph is unique. It shows the version of the Amiot with the Rolls Royce Merlin. The Merlins were to be built by Ford in France but with the Armistice the Germans captured the lot including the drawings. Seemingly the aircrafts performance with Merlins was astonishing. But like everything at the time it was too little too late. We had to wait another four years to give the Nazi's a good thumping



Sorry, C1951, but bottom pic shows the unique Amiot 370 with Hispano V-12 engines (see exhaust pipes !)


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