# Armee de´l Air after the WWII: Colonial Conflicts



## gekho (May 7, 2010)

The French colonial empire began to fall apart during the Second World War, when various parts of their empire were occupied by foreign powers (Japan in Indochina, Britain in Syria, Lebanon, and Madagascar, the US and Britain in Morocco and Algeria, and Germany and Italy in Tunisia). However, control was gradually reestablished by Charles de Gaulle. The French Union, included in the 1946 Constitution, replaced the former colonial Empire. However, France was immediately confronted with the beginnings of the decolonization movement. Paul Ramadier's (SFIO) cabinet repressed the Malagasy Uprising in 1947. In Asia, Ho Chi Minh's Vietminh declared Vietnam's independence, starting the Franco-Vietnamese War. In Cameroun, the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon's insurrection, started in 1955 and headed by Ruben Um Nyobé, was violently repressed.

When this ended with French defeat and withdrawal from Vietnam in 1954, the French almost immediately became involved in a new, and even harsher conflict in their oldest major colony, Algeria. Ferhat Abbas and Messali Hadj's movements had marked the period between the two wars, but both sides radicalized after the Second World War. In 1945, the Sétif massacre was carried out by the French army. The Algerian War started in 1954. Algeria was particularly problematic for the French, due to the large number of European settlers (or pieds-noirs) who had settled there in the 125 years of French rule. Charles de Gaulle's accession to power in 1958 in the middle of the crisis ultimately led to independence for Algeria with the 1962 Evian Accords. The Suez Canal incident in '56 also displayed the limitations of French power, as its attempt to retake the canal along with the British was stymied when the United States did not back the plan.

The French Union was replaced in the new 1958 Constitution by the French Community. Only Guinea refused by referendum to take part to the new colonial organization. However, the French Community dissolved itself in the midsts of the Algerian War; almost all of the other African colonies were granted independence in 1960, following local referendums. Some few colonies chose instead to remain part of France, under the statuses of overseas départements (territories). Critics of neocolonialism claimed that the Françafrique had replaced formal direct rule. They argued that while de Gaulle was granting independence on one hand, he was creating new ties through Jacques Foccart's help, his counsellor for African matters. Foccart supported in particular the Nigerian Civil War during the late 1960s.


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## gekho (May 7, 2010)

When France was free by the Allies, 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. These aircrafts were widely used in not only in France, but also in Algeria, Vietnam and Thailand, being employed as a parachuters platform, transport aircraft and bombers. They were finally replaced by the american C-47 Dakota.


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## gekho (May 7, 2010)

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## gekho (May 9, 2010)

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## gekho (May 9, 2010)

The British transferred 246 Squadron's Spitfire Mk. VIIIs to Indochina in 1946, when the squadron left Tan Son Nhut to return to England, and these were supplemented by Spitfire LF.IXc and Mosquito FB.VI fighter-bombers hurriedly ferried in from Europe. These airplanes performed poorly in the colonial close-support role. The Spitfire had too short a range and too small a warload. Both types proved too fragile for long service in the tropics. The Spitfire's narrow-track undercarriages proved ill-suited to the short, uneven, PSP (Pierced Steel-Plank) runways common in Indochina. Ground-loops and undercarriage failure were common. The Mosquito had a robust undercarriage and a large disposable load, but, as the British and the Australians had already discovered during the war, its wooden structure suffered severely from heat, damp, and insects. Availability was generally low.


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## gekho (May 9, 2010)

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## gekho (May 9, 2010)

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## tomo pauk (May 9, 2010)

Thanks for the info pics.
Any good info about Ju-88/188 usage by L'Armee de l'Air?


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## gekho (May 9, 2010)

The post-war French Air Force initially operated a miscellany of second-hand Allied and German types, often with paint schemes partially carried over from their pervious owners. The Junkers Ju-88 was also produced by the French under the name AAB.1, with 67 planes produced. The Ju 188 was used by the French naval air arm (the Aéronavale) in the immediate post war era. 

Sorry, I dont have more information about the Ju-88/188 in french service


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## Gnomey (May 9, 2010)

Good stuff!


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## FalkeEins (May 10, 2010)

tomo pauk said:


> Thanks for the info pics.
> Any good info about Ju-88/188 usage by L'Armee de l'Air?



I'm just putting together some info for my blog which I'll put up some time soon.. postwar French Ju 88 and 188s were principally used for flight trials and testing of new equipment, torpedoes, guided missiles etc. The French used a lot of German airframes, engines, spares etc post-war as they had no foreign currency to buy anything from their war-time Allies -a Jumo 213 cost nothing compared to a British Griffon. Not forgetting of course that the French Vichy wartime government had sought to preserve French manufacturing by offering to build, repair and maintain a lot of German types in France. Along with other types (Ju 52 and Fw 190 of course) Ju 88 and BMW 801 production was re-started in France at the end of the war and the French Navy took delivery of A-17 torpedo bombers and A-14 cable -cutters as early as May 1945. The first torpedo launching trials were flown from the airfield at Luc, which is about 20 miles from St. Tropez on the Med coast..


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

The French Air Force ordered 64 aircraft postwar from the SNCA aircraft company. The Fw 190 A-5/A-6 model that was chosen carried the designation NC 900. The aircraft were used operationally for a short period and withdrawn due to problems with the BMW 801 engine.

Thanks for the info FalkeEins


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

In 1948 and '49, the rapid collapse of the Kuomintang regime in China and the apparently cordial relations between the Viet Minh and Mao's Communist party caused the US to relent and allow France to deploy some of its American equipment in Southeast Asia. Fifty Bell P-63C Kingcobras were hurriedly despatched from Europe. They proved well suited to the climate and the prevailing type of operations. Their range was better than the Spitfires, and were highly resistant to the ever increasing volume of groundfire that French pilots faced over Viet Minh-dominated areas. The lifting of the ban on US warplanes also let the French Aéronavale take a more active role in the conflict. The light carrier Arromanches took up station in the gulf of Tonkin and used its SB2C Helldivers, F6F-5 Hellcats, and, eventually, F4U-7 Corsairs to good effect during the remainder of the campaign. Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers and Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateers operated from shore bases. The Long time on station and heavy bombloads made the Privateers particularly useful. They were often pressed into service as flareships during night assaults on French positions.


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

The French trainers (particularly the SIPAs, French-made Arado 396s powered by French-made Argus As 410 engines) were, however, too light and too fragile to make efficent warplanes in the long term. As the war dragged on and as the sophistication of the enemy increased, the French had to look for more powerful substitutes. Happily, one of the hastily adapted trainers had proved well-suited to its new tasks. Surplus, American and British T-6 Texans, SNJs, and Harvards turned out to be rugged, easily maintained, and efficient attack aircraft when equipped with a pair of pods housing twin, 7.5-mm machine guns and racks for fragmentation bombs, rockets, and napalm canisters. The Tomcats, as they bevcame known, stood up well in the face of ground fire, had a good endurance, and were still available in quantity. Four escadrilles were formed on the T-6 in 1955. By 1958, the total had risen to more than 30. (The French were perhaps the first to use the T6 in this way, since operations preceded the USAF FT-6 program by some years. Many of the French airplanes were subsequently passed on to third-world clients, including Katanga).


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

With the end of the Korean War in early 1954, the United States greatly stepped up its involvement in French Indochina. But, to maintain the "plausible deniability" that rendered so many poorly thought-out Southeast-Asian schemes palatable to American administrations, the intervention was placed in the hands of the CIA and its proprietary airline, Air America. To meet France's need for airlift capacity and long-range, high-endurance strike aircraft, B-26s were flown from Korea to Taiwan and the Philippines for overhaul. They were "sanitized" (rendered anonymous and hopefully untraceable), then transferred to the CIA for use in Indochina. USAF volunteers were "sheep-dipped"—stripped of the most obvious signs of their ongoing service connections—and transferred to Air America as C-119 pilots and loadmasters. 200 active-duty USAF B-26 mechanics were quietly seconded to the Armée de l'Air to maintain the CIA's bomber force, on the condition that they serve only in secure areas, where they could not be captured or spotted by reporters.


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

Given the relative success of the B-26 Invader in Indochina, the French were anxious to obtain the aircraft for use in Algeria (the Indochina aircraft were CIA-owned and, at the conclusion of hostilities, were returned to secret Agency depots on Taiwan and at Clark Field in the Philippines). In 1956, France requested B-26s under MDAP, the US Mutual Defense Aid Program. The aircraft were ostensibly stopgap equipment for France's European bomber squadrons, pending availability of the Vautour twin-jet bomber. They were overhauled by Fleetways in California and Fairey in the UK, then ferried to France. The aircraft equipped two groups, GB.1/91 Gascogne and GB.2/91 Guyenne, both based at Oran. A photoreconaissance squadron, ERP.1/32 Armagnac, received RB-26Cs.


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

While, in Indochina, B-26s were flown both in bare metal and black, with USAF serials, and with French cockades in the four positions used by the USAF, French B-26s in Algeria were without exception black and marked in French fashion (French serials and six-position national insignia). The top half of the fuselage was usually painted gloss white in order to reduce the heat inside the fuselage. While both 6- and 8-gun B-26Bs were common, most B-26s lacked the the six, built-in wing guns of the late-model aircraft. Consequently, both B-26Bs and B-26Cs carried two or four of the early type twin gun pods under the wings. Turrets were now generally unarmed and were often removed altogether. Most (but not all) received the late-model blown canopy during refurbishment.


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

The Heinkel He 274 was a four-engine bomber designed during World War II as a high altitude variant of the Heinkel He 177 for the German Luftwaffe. Normally a major new version would be numbered by adding 100 to the original model number, but the He 277 was yet another different version of the He 177, which was itself being developed as early as September 1943 into the He 177B four engined bomber, four prototypes of which were converted from He 177A airframes with all-new wings, over the 1943-44 winter season at Heinkel's southern factories near Vienna. The main differences between the He 274 and the He 177 was the abandoning of the twin coupled engine arrangement in favor of four independent turbocharged units, an extended fuselage with a modified wingspan, a twin tail empennage tail surface unit, and a more conventional set of twin-wheel main gear units, abandoning the cumbersome four-strut main gear system of the He 177A.

Originally designated He 177H on October 11, 1941, the He 274 was a high-altitude development of the He 177 A-3. The He 274 dispensed with coupled engines in order to provide room for the installation of DVL exhaust driven TK 11B turbo-superchargers. The He 274 featured a pressurized compartment for a crew of four, this employing double walls of heavy-gauge alloy, hollow sandwich-type glazing and inflatable rubber seals, a pressure equivalent to that at 2,500 m (8,200 ft) being maintained at high altitude. Defensive armament was restricted to a single forward-firing 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun and remotely-controlled dorsal and ventral gun turrets each containing a pair of 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131s and directed from a slightly offset plexiglass dome in the roof of the flight deck or the rear of the ventral Bola gondola. First envisioned as being fully in the He 177's eventual line of development as the He 177H ("H" likely an abbreviation for "Höhe", meaning high-altitude in German), the growing incompatibility of parts led to the redesignation to He 274. By 1941, Heinkel was engrossed by other urgent projects that left the company seriously short of detail design capacity. The He 274 project was therefore reassigned to SAUF at Suresnes, France.

Construction of the two prototypes, the He 274 V1 and V2 did not commence until 1943. They were to have been built in France by SAUF at Suresnes, France, but the prototypes were never completed in time. The He 274 V1 was being readied for flight testing at Suresnes in July 1944 when the approach of Allied forces necessitated the evacuation of Heinkel personnel working on the project. Minor difficulties had delayed the flight testing and transfer of the aircraft to Germany, and orders were therefore given to destroy the virtually completed prototype. Only minor damage was actually done to the airframe of the He 274 V1, and repairs were begun after the Allied occupation. The He 274 V1 was repaired by Ateliers Aéronautiques de Suresnes and used by the Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) for several years as a high-altitude research plane. It was renamed the AAS 01A. The He 274 V2 was eventually completed as the AAS 01B, complete with the TK 11 turbochargers, and eventually flew exactly two years (on December 27, 1947) after the AAS 01A. By this time, the AAS organization had been absorbed into the French SNCASO aviation conglomerate. Both of the AAS 01 completed and airworthy versions of the He 274 were eventually broken up in late 1953, after serving as "mother ships" for aerial launching of a number of early French advanced jet and rocket test aircraft.


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## syscom3 (May 10, 2010)

You have some great stuff there gekho. Thanks for posting!


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

By 1957, newly independent Tunisia had become a major source of supply for the FLN. The French responded with the Morice Line, an elaborate system of sensors, electrified border fences, mine fields, and forts stretching the length of Algeria's eastern border. When an incursion was discovered, either by sensors or reconnaissance aircraft, B-26s and Aéronavale Privateers, Lancasters, and, later, Lockheed P2V Neptunes would attack the intruders continuously until helicopter-borne paras could arrive on the scene. The border fortifications worked reasonably well, but French authorities were aware that they could be easily breached by light aircraft. When air-defense radars at the Bône naval base seemed to show multiple tracks at low altitudes and low air speeds over the line, two radar-equipped MD-315 light transports were hastily despatched for night fighting duty. Predictably, they proved too slow and too short on endurance. The French then decided that they needed a special colonial night fighter. A small number of Invaders were thus converted and given the designation B-26N. The aircraft had British AI Mk.X radar (from French Meteor NF.11s), and an armament of two underwing gun pods, each housing two .50-cal machine guns, and two MATRA 122 pods for SNEB air-to-air rockets. By 1961, the B-26N fighters had intercepted 38 light aircraft and helicopters, downing nine.


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## Gnomey (May 10, 2010)

Good shots!


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## gekho (May 11, 2010)

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## gekho (May 11, 2010)

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## gekho (May 11, 2010)

....and the last ones.


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## Gnomey (May 11, 2010)

Good shots!


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## gekho (May 12, 2010)

The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. The first US medium bomber used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe. The aircraft distinguished itself as "the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front" according to a United States Army Air Forces dispatch from 1946, and later variants maintained the lowest loss record of any U.S. combat aircraft during World War II. Its late-war loss record stands in sharp contrast to its unofficial nickname "The Widowmaker"—earned due to early models' high rate of accidents during takeoff. A total of 5,288 were produced between February 1941 and March 1945; 522 of these were flown by the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force. By the time the United States Air Force was created as an independent service separate from the Army in 1947, all Martin B-26s had been retired from US service. The Douglas A-26 Invader then assumed the B-26 designation.

Following Operation Torch, a number of French bomber squadrons were re-equipped with the B-26, being used to support operations in Italy and the Allied invasion of southern France. Replaced in squadron service by 1947, two lingered on as testbeds for the SNECMA Atar jet engine, one of these remaining in use until 1958


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## gekho (May 13, 2010)

The XF4U-7 prototype did its test flight on 2 July 1952 with a total of 94 F4U-7s built for the French Navy's Aéronavale (79 in 1952, 15 in 1953), with the last of the batch, the final Corsair built, rolled out on 31 January 1953. The F4U-7s were actually purchased by the U.S. Navy and passed on to the Aéronavale through the U.S. Military Assistance Program (MAP). The French Navy used its F4U-7s during the second half of the First Indochina War in the 1950s (12.F, 14.F, 15.F Flotillas), where they were supplemented by at least 25 ex-USMC AU-1s passed on to the French in 1954, after the end of the Korean War. French F4U-7 Corsairs (with some loaned AU-1s) of the 12.F, 14.F, 15.F and 17.F Flotillas conducted missions during the Algerian War between 1955 and 1961. The 14.F and 15.F Flotillas also took part in the Anglo-French-Israeli seizure of the Suez Canal in October 1956, codenamed Operation Musketeer. The Corsairs were painted with yellow and black recognition stripes for this operation.

In early 1959, the Aéronavale experimented with the Vietnam War-era SS.11 wire-guided anti-tank missile on F4U-7 Corsairs. The 12.F pilots trained for this experimental program were required to "fly" the missile at approximatively two kilometers from the target on low attitude with a joystick using the right hand while keeping track of a flare on its tail, and piloting the aircraft using the left hand; an exercise that could be very tricky in a single-seat aircraft under combat conditions. Despite reportedly effective results during the tests, this armament was not used with Corsairs during the ongoing Algerian War. The Aéronavale used 163 Corsairs (94 F4U-7s and 69 AU-1s), the last of them used by the Cuers-based 14.F Flotilla were out of service by September 1964,[84] with some surviving for museum display or as civilian warbirds.


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## gekho (May 13, 2010)

The French navy used 54 Avro Lancasters (32 B I and 22 B VII) between 1951 and 1964. They were bought not long after the Washington treaty, signed on April 4th, 1949, which set the pace for military cooperation between the European countries against the communist bloc. They would be used to help the Coastal Command to patrol the Atlantic and the Mediterannean shipping lanes. For their new mission, the planes had to be modified, and the mid-upper turret was removed, windows were added to the rear fuselage as well as a second pilot wheel (two pilots being required for long range patrol), additional fuel tanks and specialized equipment for anti-submarine warfare and maritime reconnaissance. The first aircraft, serialled WU ( for Western Union) 01, was delivered in December 1951, and the last, WU 48, on February 1954. They were to serve for about ten years in several navy "flotilles", and the last to be withdrawn from service was WU 15, on July 1st, 1964.

Five other Lancasters were purchased by the Secrétariat Général à l'Aviation Civile et Commerciale (bureau of civil and commercial aviation) to be used for air sea rescue duty, manned by french navy crews. They were serialled FCL ( French Civil Lancaster) 101 to 105, and were delivered between November 1953 and April 1954. Of those 59 planes, only 4 have survived. They were the last operational french Lancasters in use and were based at Nouméa, in New-Caledonia, 1000 miles east of Australia. Three of these planes were donated , the first being WU 16 (NX622), flown to Australia on November 29th, 1962. Then on April 26, 1964, Wu 13 (NX665) was donated to New Zealand and finally WU 15 (NX611) was donated to the Royal Australian Air Force Museum on July 1st, 1964, before being flown to England, arriving at Bigging Hill on may 13th, 1965.


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## gekho (May 23, 2010)

The Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer was a World War II and Korean War era patrol bomber of the United States Navy derived from the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. The Navy had been using unmodified B-24s as the PB4Y-1 Liberator, and the type was considered very successful. A fully navalized design was desired, and Consolidated developed a dedicated long-range patrol bomber in 1943, designated PB4Y-2 Privateer. In 1951 the family was redesignated P4Y-2 Privateer.

22 Privateers were provided to Aeronautique Navale for service with the French colonial forces in Vietnam. They were used as bombers until after Dien Bien Phu, with four lost in combat. Six were returned to U.S. service, the remaining twelve were flown to North Africa where they fought in Algeria and later during the Suez Incident. In 1961, the survivors were scrapped in favor of new Lockheed P2V Neptunes, a fate shared by most other Privateers.


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## gekho (May 23, 2010)

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## gekho (May 23, 2010)

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## wheelsup_cavu (May 23, 2010)

Neat pictures Gekho.


Wheels


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## gekho (May 25, 2010)

Soon after the receipt of Britain's first order for production aircraft, a French purchasing mission ordered 30 aircraft in early 1940. Allocated the Consolidated identification Model 28-5MF, none of these were delivered before the Battle of France. In 1943 the Aéronautique Navale received 43 examples of this hidro, that will use until 1971. By the end of 1945, four PBY-5A of the 8 Flotilla based in Agadir (Morocco) were sent to Tan Son Nhut, Saigón, being used as surveillance and reconnaissance aircrafts. When the war broke out on december 1946, they were used as transports, moving the french troops to Tonkin´s Gulf. Once the situation was stabilized, they came back to their old duties.

During the LEA operation, the Catalinas flew reconnaissance and close support missions for the army. However the Catalina is not an appropriated aircraft for these missions, and after the loss of two units, the surviving hidros are destinated to the coast of Vietnam to be used as patrol planes. Finally the lack of spare parts would cause the withdrawn from service of all the Catalinas in 1951.


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## gekho (May 25, 2010)

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day. After the WWII, the C-47 remained in first-line service with too many air forces to list into the 1950s, and was a prominent contributor to the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and 1949. The French used them during the first Indochina War, and also used one as flying command post during the Anglo-French-Israeli Suez intervention in 1956.


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## gekho (May 25, 2010)

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## gekho (May 25, 2010)

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## T Bolt (May 25, 2010)

Great pictures!! Keep them comming!!


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## Gnomey (May 25, 2010)

Good ones!


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## wheelsup_cavu (May 25, 2010)

Good stuff. 8) 


Wheels


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## gekho (May 27, 2010)

After the war, the United States refused to allow its European allies to use US-supplied equipment against their erstwhile colonial subjects, so the bulk of France's air force—P-47Ds based in Europe—could not be sent to Indochina. When nationalist Viet Minh insurgents resisted the reimposition of French rule in their homeland, Armée de l'Air units were at first forced to use abandoned Japanese aircraft, including Nakajima Ki.43 Hayabusa fighters and Aichi E13A-1 seaplanes. These were supplemented by the German wartime types tht were built in France during the occupation. The Amiot AAC.1 Toucan (Junkers Ju-52) was used for transport and paratrooping duties, and the Morane-Saulnier Criquet (Fieseler Fi-156 Storch) performed communications, observation, forward air control, and convoy escort missions.


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## gekho (May 27, 2010)

In 1948 and '49, the rapid collapse of the Kuomintang regime in China and the apparently cordial relations between the Viet Minh and Mao's Communist party caused the US to relent and allow France to deploy some of its American equipment in Southeast Asia. Fifty Bell P-63C Kingcobras were hurriedly despatched from Europe. They proved well suited to the climate and the prevailing type of operations. Their range was better than the Spitfires, and were highly resistant to the ever increasing volume of groundfire that French pilots faced over Viet Minh-dominated areas. The lifting of the ban on US warplanes also let the French Aéronavale take a more active role in the conflict. The light carrier Arromanches took up station in the gulf of Tonkin and used its SB2C Helldivers, F6F-5 Hellcats, and, eventually, F4U-7 Corsairs to good effect during the remainder of the campaign. Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers and Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateers operated from shore bases. The Long time on station and heavy bombloads made the Privateers particularly useful. They were often pressed into service as flareships during night assaults on French positions.


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## gekho (May 27, 2010)

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## gekho (May 27, 2010)

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## T Bolt (May 27, 2010)

Great pictures of the kingcobra!


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## Gnomey (May 27, 2010)

More good shots!


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## syscom3 (May 27, 2010)

Yes, great pics. I didnt know the French were using so much WW2 stuff.


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## gekho (May 28, 2010)

The Korean War was thus a lucky break for France. While the immediate needs of the US services at first precluded delivery of aircraft the French especially wanted—notably B-26 Invaders, F-51 Mustangs, and additional Corsairs—Russian and Chinese involvement seemed to confirm France's interpretation of third-world nationalism. A global communist conspiracy seemed more plausible in Washington when Chinese soldiers were crowding round the Pusan perimeter. In 1950, after considering and rejecting a large-scale supply of B-25s and F-47s—replacement parts could no longer be had in the quantities required for operatinal use—US authorities decided to supply France with a single squadron of B-26 Invaders—25 aircraft—as an interim measure. 

The Aéronavale received additional Hellcats in lieu of Corsairs (though the specially built F4U-7 and some surplus AU-1s were supplied later), while the Armée de l'Air got the Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat, a type relegated to Navy Reserve and National Guard units in the US. A further five RB-26C reconnaissance airplanes and 16 B-26C bombers arrived in 1952. Armed with napalm, 500-lb demolition bombs, M1A1 fragmentation clusters, 5-in HVAR rockets, and .50-cal machineguns (up to fourteen on the B-26s, most of which had the late-war, 6-gun wings and both turrets) or 20-mm cannon (many F8Fs and F6Fs and all the Corsairs) the new strike aircraft were reasonably effective. But they were still too few, and the single-engined types lacked the range and endurance that were increasingly necessary now that Viet Minh were now concentrated in Laos and along the Chinese border (the mainstay of the fighter-bomber force, the F8F, had, after all, been designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor of Kamikazes).

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## gekho (May 28, 2010)

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## gekho (May 28, 2010)

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## gekho (May 29, 2010)

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## gekho (May 29, 2010)

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## gekho (May 30, 2010)

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## gekho (May 30, 2010)

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## Gnomey (May 30, 2010)

Nice shots! 8)


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## gekho (May 31, 2010)

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## gekho (May 31, 2010)

The XF4U-7 prototype did its test flight on 2 July 1952 with a total of 94 F4U-7s built for the French Navy's Aéronavale (79 in 1952, 15 in 1953), with the last of the batch, the final Corsair built, rolled out on 31 January 1953. The F4U-7s were actually purchased by the U.S. Navy and passed on to the Aéronavale through the U.S. Military Assistance Program (MAP). The French Navy used its F4U-7s during the second half of the First Indochina War in the 1950s (12.F, 14.F, 15.F Flotillas),[84] where they were supplemented by at least 25 ex-USMC AU-1s passed on to the French in 1954, after the end of the Korean War. French F4U-7 Corsairs (with some loaned AU-1s) of the 12.F, 14.F, 15.F and 17.F Flotillas conducted missions during the Algerian War between 1955 and 1961. The 14.F and 15.F Flotillas also took part in the Anglo-French-Israeli seizure of the Suez Canal in October 1956, codenamed Operation Musketeer. The Corsairs were painted with yellow and black recognition stripes for this operation.

In early 1959, the Aéronavale experimented with the Vietnam War-era SS.11 wire-guided anti-tank missile on F4U-7 Corsairs.The 12.F pilots trained for this experimental program were required to "fly" the missile at approximatively two kilometers from the target on low attitude with a joystick using the right hand while keeping track of a flare on its tail, and piloting the aircraft using the left hand; an exercise that could be very tricky in a single-seat aircraft under combat conditions. Despite reportedly effective results during the tests, this armament was not used with Corsairs during the ongoing Algerian War. The Aéronavale used 163 Corsairs (94 F4U-7s and 69 AU-1s), the last of them used by the Cuers-based 14.F Flotilla were out of service by September 1964, with some surviving for museum display or as civilian warbirds.


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## gekho (May 31, 2010)

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## gekho (May 31, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 1, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 1, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 2, 2010)

In 1944 the French Naval Aviation (Aeronautique Navale) received 32 SBD-5s for 2 squadrons (flotilles) 3FB and 4FB. The aircraft retained standard USN colors with added French markings. In April 1945 each SBD-5 averaged 3 missions a day in the European theater. In 1946 4FB became 4F and was assigned to the former Royal Navy aircraft carrier Colossus now named Arromanches. In late 1947 during one operation in the Indo-China War 4F flew 200 missions and dropped 65 tons of bombs. 1950 saw the TBM replace the SBD-5s. The French Dauntlesses would be the last of the type to see combat, operating during the Indochina War off the carrier ARROMANCHES. The French Navy removed the Dauntless from combat status in 1949, but the SBD was still operated in the training role until 1953.


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## gekho (Jun 2, 2010)

More pics


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## Capt. Vick (Jun 2, 2010)

Ah, you slipped in a Helldiver in the second picture there...forshadowing?


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## gekho (Jun 3, 2010)

In 1938 the Curtiss SB2C was ordered by the US Government as a replacement for the SBD Dauntless but with numerous delays didn’t reach the first squadrons until 1942. Even then the aircraft was plagued by poor workmanship and substandard material resulting in aerodynamic and structural problems. As each new variant was delivered these defects were corrected and with the last variant, the SB2C-5, Curtiss had a very good aircraft. Besides the US and France four other countries bought the Helldiver SB2C-5, Greece Portugal Thailand and Italy with Italy being the last to retire their aircraft in 1959. The SB2C Helldiver was commonly referred to as “The Beast” because of its size and rather poor handling characteristics. Even with new variants and upgrades the Helldiver never received the credit and respect it deserved. It flew faster and further than the Avenger, except for range it beat the SBD in every category. Its cruising speed was only 2 mph slower than the famous Hellcat.

Between 1949 and 1954 France bought 110 SB2C-5 aircraft. Some of these planes were allotted to Esc 3F stationed onboard the carrier Arromanches. The Helldiver and pilots soon became well thought of by the French troops on the ground during the famous battle at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Sometimes only feet above the ground the pilots flew countless sorties strafing and bombing the Viet-Minh with a total disregard to the heavy flak. These would be the last combat missions for the Helldiver but probably the most effective missions in the aircraft’s history.


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## gekho (Jun 3, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jun 3, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jun 3, 2010)

More pics


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## syscom3 (Jun 3, 2010)

Thanks for the pics gekho. I didnt know the French used so many types.


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## T Bolt (Jun 3, 2010)

Wonderful Pictures


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## gekho (Jun 3, 2010)

syscom3 said:


> Thanks for the pics gekho. I didnt know the French used so many types.



Just wait and see....


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## Matt308 (Jun 3, 2010)

Great pics!


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## gekho (Jun 4, 2010)

In 1946 Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent country. Weak from WWII France was unable to reassert its authority over the former colony. One of the carriers stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin was the base for 1F squadron of F6F-5 Hellcats. “F” (Flottille), combat squadron - carrier and land-based - armed aircraft. 1F and sister squadrons were used to strike supply routes, bridges, railroads and close air support for troops. 1F Hellcats continued to fly sorties until July 21, 1954 when an agreement was signed in Geneva and France withdrew from Indochina.


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## gekho (Jun 4, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jun 5, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jun 5, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jun 5, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jun 6, 2010)

The Grumman G-21 Goose amphibious aircraft was designed as an eight-seat "commuter" plane for businessmen in the Long Island area. The Goose was Grumman’s first monoplane to fly, its first twin-engined aircraft and its first aircraft to enter commercial airline service. During World War II, the Goose became an effective transport for the US military (including the Coast Guard), as well as serving with many other air forces. During hostilities, the Goose took on an increasing number of combat and training roles. In postwar use, the adaptable little transport continued in use.

In 1952 up to a dozen passed to the French Navy for combat operations in Vietnam, followed by up to a dozen more in 1954. Some of these became the first gunships to operate against the Viet Minh. After defeat by Ho Chi Minh these two Goose squadrons redeployed to New Caledonia in the Pacific and to Algeria where they flew armed anti smuggling patrols from Algiers (Maison Blanche). Later they flew a diplomatic and naval communication schedule between France, French Morocco and French Senegal (Saint Mandrier - Casablanca - Dakar) until 1961.


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## gekho (Jun 6, 2010)

The Grumman G-21 Goose amphibious aircraft was designed as an eight-seat "commuter" plane for businessmen in the Long Island area. The Goose was Grumman’s first monoplane to fly, its first twin-engined aircraft and its first aircraft to enter commercial airline service. During World War II, the Goose became an effective transport for the US military (including the Coast Guard), as well as serving with many other air forces. During hostilities, the Goose took on an increasing number of combat and training roles. In postwar use, the adaptable little transport continued in use.

In 1952 up to a dozen passed to the French Navy for combat operations in Vietnam, followed by up to a dozen more in 1954. Some of these became the first gunships to operate against the Viet Minh. After defeat by Ho Chi Minh these two Goose squadrons redeployed to New Caledonia in the Pacific and to Algeria where they flew armed anti smuggling patrols from Algiers (Maison Blanche). Later they flew a diplomatic and naval communication schedule between France, French Morocco and French Senegal (Saint Mandrier - Casablanca - Dakar) until 1961.


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## gekho (Jun 6, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jun 6, 2010)

The Supermarine Sea Otter was a British flying boat designed and built by Supermarine. It was a longer-range development of the Walrus and was the last biplane flying boat to be designed by Supermarine. It was also the last biplane to enter service with the RAF. The colonial service of France purchased six Sea Otters for use in Indo-China.


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## gekho (Jun 6, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jun 6, 2010)

More pics


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## syscom3 (Jun 6, 2010)

Keep them coming!

This is a cool thread you've started!


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## Gnomey (Jun 6, 2010)

Good shots, keep them coming.


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## gekho (Jun 7, 2010)

Soon after the close of the Second World War, French forces in Indochina found themselves with out air support. Pending the arrival of aircraft transferred from France, and ex-British Spitfires, attempts were made to press into a service a number of war-weary Japanese aircraft. Although there were numerous Japanese airstrips located throughout Indochina, only a handful of serviceable front-line modern aircraft were located. For the most part, these aircraft performed second-line duties with the French, as transports and liason aircraft. The notable exceptions were the Nakajima Ki.43 Oscars, which formed the backbone of two fighter squadrons until their replacment with Spitfires. It appears many of the aircraft were in relatively poor condition, and in the unfamiliar hands of French pilots the attrition rate was high, with at least two aircraft being lost during their only flights! Though most aircraft lasted only until 1946, it is likely that a few soldiered on in French hands until 1949.

Pictures: Aichi E13A Jake


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## gekho (Jun 7, 2010)

1 2 3.- Aichi E13A Jake
4 5.- Nakajima A6M2 Rufe


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## gekho (Jun 7, 2010)

1.- Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero
2.- Mitsubishi G4M Betty
3.- Mitsubishi J2M Jack
4.- Nakajima Ki-43 III Oscar
5.- Nakajima L2D Tabby


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## Matt308 (Jun 7, 2010)

Never realized there was an F6F version with four .50cals and 2 inboard 20mm with extended barrels!! Great pics.


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## Gnomey (Jun 7, 2010)

More interesting shots, thanks for sharing.


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## gekho (Jun 8, 2010)

The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of state and military staff. Dozens of variants of the C-54 were employed in a wide variety of non-combat roles such as air-sea rescue, scientific and military research and missile tracking and recovery. During the Berlin Airlift it hauled coal and food supplies to West Berlin. After the Korean War it continued to be used for military and civilian uses by more than thirty countries. The French Air Force received one C-54E donated in 1945 and transferred to the Navy in 1960. It was destroyed in 1982.


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## gekho (Jun 8, 2010)

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Named "fork-tailed devil" by the Luftwaffe and "two planes, one pilot" by the Japanese, this unique aircraft was used in a number of different roles including dive bombing, level bombing, ground strafing, photo reconnaissance missions, and extensively as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its wings.

The French Air Force operated F-5 recon variants; the French would continue to operate the type up to 1952. Unfortunately, since F-5s operated alone, when their missions went wrong, they generally disappeared without a trace. The noted aviation pioneer and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery vanished in an F-5 while on a reconnaissance mission over Lyon, France, on 31 July 1944. recently, a French scuba diver found the wreckage of a Lightning in the Mediterranean off the coast of Marseille in 2000, and it was confirmed in April 2004 as Saint-Exupery's.


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## gekho (Jun 8, 2010)

Beechcraft Model 18
North American B-25 Mitchell: 21 delivered. Scrapped in 1947. 
Northrop P-61 Blackwidow


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## gekho (Jun 8, 2010)

Well, this thread is over; I hope you have enjoyed all the pictures and the information. For the following days I have prepared a new thread about the Luftwaffe´s early aircrafts, with great quality pictures that will surprise you all. After that, I am thinking about making a remake of the Spanish Civil War threads, basicly because I have received new pics and I would like to put all them together. Other projects for the future are these:

Luftwaffe frustated projects
Vigna di Valle Museum (Italy)
Neutral Air Forces during WWII
Regia Aeronautica early aircrafts
American Bombers
Consolidated B-24 "Lady Be Good"

Cheers


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## michaelmaltby (Jun 8, 2010)

Thank you, *gekho.* It was very instructive to see how the French used US WW2 aircraft in SE Asia - it kind of forecast the path that American airpower would develop in later years.

MM


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## Matt308 (Jun 8, 2010)

Very nice, Gekho. Look forward to your future threads.


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## Gnomey (Jun 8, 2010)

Nice shots, looking forward to anymore you may have.


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## gekho (Jan 19, 2011)

More pics


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## Capt. Vick (Jan 19, 2011)

The French flew P-61 Black Widows?


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## gekho (Jan 19, 2011)

Capt. Vick said:


> The French flew P-61 Black Widows?



I have my doubts; I found that pic in a french site, but perhaps was an american P-61 based in France.


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## ivanotter (Jan 20, 2011)

Thanks. Never knew the French used so much different kit, especially all the Japanese stuff. All of it looks (sorry to say) a bit worn and badly maintained, though.

There is a PhD sitting and waiting there, I think.


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## gekho (Dec 11, 2011)

Twin-engined eight-passenger transport aircraft (Si.204A) and military instrument trainer (Si.204D), production of which began in 1942 at the SNCAC factory at Bourges for French and Luftwaffe service. Post-war SNCAC put the aircraft back into production as the NC.701 (Si.204D) and NC.702 (Si.204A) powered by Renault 12S engines (440kW SNECMA S-12-SO2-3Hs, French-built Argus As.411s). About 300 or so were built. The NC.702 version accommodated a crew of two and eight passengers (four on each side of a central aisle), with a toilet and luggage compartment aft. As a freighter, the interior equipment was removed and the cabin divided into four compartments. Among the many operators of the Martinet were Air France and CSA of Czechoslovakia.


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 11, 2011)

Very cool!


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## jipi (Dec 12, 2011)

Great post Gekho !

I knew french air force used lots of different airplanes, and built german-type planes in France (Not too difficult, as the french factories had been seized by the nazis for their own purpose), but I never imagined seeing a FW 190 with french "cocardes". (markings)


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## gekho (Dec 12, 2011)

jipi said:


> Great post Gekho !
> 
> I knew french air force used lots of different airplanes, and built german-type planes in France (Not too difficult, as the french factories had been seized by the nazis for their own purpose), but I never imagined seeing a FW 190 with french "cocardes". (markings)



Really!!?? them that picture is more rare than I imagine....


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## jipi (Dec 13, 2011)

Yes, the NC900 is certainly the fighter which had the shortest carreer in the armée de l'air, as the first have been delivered in february 1946, and all were replaced by spitfires in november.

This plane has been used by the Normandie-Niemen group, which fought in Russia during WW2. Its pilots were very reluctant to fly the plane they fought against.

Nouvelle page 1


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## gekho (Dec 13, 2011)

jipi said:


> Yes, the NC900 is certainly the fighter which had the shortest carreer in the armée de l'air, as the first have been delivered in february 1946, and all were replaced by spitfires in november.
> 
> This plane has been used by the Normandie-Niemen group, which fought in Russia during WW2. Its pilots were very reluctant to fly the plane they fought against.
> 
> Nouvelle page 1



Merci beaucoup pour la page. Comme vous avez vu, beaucoup de photos de mes articles que j'ai trouvé ici. Je pense que c'est la meilleure page de l'aviation've français jamais vu.


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## nuuumannn (Dec 18, 2011)

gekho said:


> Nakajima A6M2 Rufe
> 1.- Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero
> 2.- Mitsubishi G4M Betty
> 3.- Mitsubishi J2M Jack



Terrific pictures, Gekho. These aircraft listed that flew with the Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit South East Asia were wearing British markings, not French and were intended for evaluation by the RAF in the UK at the end of WW2, although none of those pictured actually made it to Britain. The ATAIU SEA was a joint British and American unit. The pictures of the Rufe were taken at RAF Seletar in Singapore. Oddly enough the aircraft in flight were flown by Japanese pilots when these images were taken.

Here is another showing the Zero BI-12 with BI-05, of which the centre section survives in the UK.






Do you have more of Japanese aircraft that operated with the French? Oscars, for example?


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## gekho (Jan 14, 2012)

In 1942 the manufacture of the Messerschmitt Bf 108 was transferred to SNCAN (usually known as Nord) at Les Mureaux in occupied France. Before the liberation 170 Bf 108s were built and Nord continued to build the aircraft using scavenged Bf 108 airframe parts as the Nord 1000, until stocks of German Argus engines were exhausted. The type was then re-engined with a 233hp (174kW) Renault 6Q 11 six-cylinder inline engine and was designated the Nord 1001 Pingouin I. A further update followed with a Renault 6Q 10-powered variant which was designated the Nord 1002 Pingouin II. Total production was 286 with the majority used as communications and liaison aircraft with the French armed forces. The design was further developed with the tricycle landing gear Nord Noralpha.

The Pingouin was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a braced trimmable horizontal tail surface combined with elevators, and single fin and rudder. It had a tailwheel landing gear with outward retracting main gear. The engine was nose-mounted and it had an enclosed cabin that seated four in two rows of two. Like the Bf 108, the wings had automatic leading edge slats and could be folded when the aircraft was on the ground, allowing the complete aircraft to be transported by rail.

Source: Nord Pingouin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## gekho (Jan 23, 2012)

After the Allied invasion of French North Africa, the main part of France’s air force, which the Vichy government had withdrawn to the colonies after the 1940 defeat – and had fought against the British or Americans on several occasions – went back on the Allied side. Of course, several problems arose at once. First, re-uniting the former Vichy Air Force and the Free French Air Force – both sides looking at the other one with disdain and resentment - proved to be a true political can of worms, as was having the proud Armée de l’Air serving under US tactical command… The other problem was easier to solve : the Armée de l’Air’s material was desperately obsolete (most of its aircraft being war-weary machines that had seen the battles of 1940 – the Free French being equipped with old British material), and the personnel had no experience with modern Allied aircraft, procedures or tactics. First, second-hand or second-rate equipment was provided for training in North Africa, until the New French Air Force, having proven its skills and dedication to the Allied cause, was considered fit to carry the fight to Italy and France… this time with large numbers of much better aircraft (I’m not speaking of the war-weary P-39 Airacobras which were replaced with P-63s only after war’s end), the spearhead of the Armée de l’Air’s fighter-bomber force being 6 “groupes de chasse” of P-47 Thunderbolts, the air-superiority role being held by seven groups of Spitfire IXs.

Originally operating from Italy, then from Sardinia and Corsica until the Provence landings, mainly flying missions against German and R.S.I troops in northern Italy and the French Alps, the P-47 units then followed the Allied armies from airfield to airfield up the Rhône valley to Dauphiné, Bourgogne, Franche-Comté, Alsace and Lorraine, crossing the Rhine in April 45 and ending the war in southern Germany, some Thunderbolts being used against the German-held harbors of the Atlantic coast until the very last day. Their combat records show heavy losses and only few aerial victories… the reason for this is that the French Thunderbolts were used mainly for ground attack – rarely meeting a Luftwaffe that had become elusive, and playing a daily, deadly low-level attrition game against the Flak, mauling German trains and convoys, and more than once saving the day for the ground troops that had to face fierce resistance and brutal counter-attacks. A muddy, dangerous, unglamourous yet vital job performed under sometimes terrible weather conditions that won them the respect of their allies. After war’s end, the remaining 131 “lend-lease” P-47s were given to France and stayed for 16 more years in service, flying their last combat missions in 1957 during the Algeria war (none of them seeing active service in Indochina). The last machines were written off in 1960, long after the Armée de l’Air had entered the “jet age”.


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## gekho (Jan 23, 2012)

French use of the Thunderbolt continued on for several years after the end of the war in Europe. GC II/3 and GC II/5 were redesignated GC I/4 and GC II/4 in July of 1947. They remained as part of the occupation forces in Germany until late 1949. Also in July of 1947 GC I/4 and GC I/5 were redesignated as GC I/3 and GC II/3. The personnel of the 3eme Escadre were sent to Indo-China in support of the supression of the Viet Minh insurrection, but their planes remained in Europe and they flew other aircraft. When the personnel returned to France late in 1948, they again operated P-47s until 1950, when the P-47s were replaced in service by De Havilland Vampire jets. 

Many of these French Thunderbolts were then transferred to Algeria, where they were used against the nationalist forces during the Algerian civil war. GC I/10, GC II/10, and GC III/10 were established from reserve training units in 1951. The first two were redesignated Escadron d'Entrainement a la Chasse (EEC) II/17 and Groupe d'Entrainement a la Chasse (GEC) II/17 in 1954. EEC I/7 was formed in the same year. In 1956, these operational training units were formed into the 20-eme Escradre for combat operations in Algeria. GC I/20 Ayres-Nementcha operated P-47s into mid 1950 but GC II/20 Ouarsenis operated P-47s as late as 1960. They were finally phased out of service during 1960, at about the same time that the French pulled out of Algeria. 

Source: Thunderbolt with Free French


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## vikingBerserker (Jan 23, 2012)

That is just a massive aircraft!


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## gekho (Feb 8, 2012)

The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was soon rendered obsolete in that role. However, it was rescued from obscurity by its suitability as a multi-engine air crew trainer, becoming the mainstay of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. By the end of production in 1952, the Anson spanned nine variants and a total of 8,138 were built in Britain by Avro. From 1941, a further 2,882 were built by Canadian Federal Aircraft Ltd.


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## gekho (Feb 8, 2012)

The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a bomber by the larger four-engine "heavies" such as the Avro Lancaster. The Wellington continued to serve throughout the war in other duties, particularly as an anti-submarine aircraft. It was the only British bomber to be produced for the entire duration of the war.

Postwar conversions of the Wellington Bomber into training aircraft by Boulton Paul in Wolverhampton. For navigation training the front turret was removed and replaced by a fairing and the interior re-equipped. Some were sold to France, serving with the Aeronavale; first with the Flottille 2.F (earlier No. 344 Squadron RAF) that operated Wellingtons between 1945 and 1952, and the 55S Escadrille, that operated Wellingtons between 1948 and 1952.


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## gekho (Feb 11, 2012)

When France was free by the Allies, 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. These aircrafts were widely used in not only in France, but also in Algeria, Vietnam and Thailand, being employed as a parachuters platform, transport aircraft and bombers. They were finally replaced by the american C-47 Dakota.


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## gekho (Feb 11, 2012)

The success of the Hudson in RAF service led Lockheed to propose a military version of the larger Lockheed 18 Lodestar and resulting British interest led to development of the Lockheed 37. During 1940 a total of 675 of these aircraft was contracted for the RAF, which named the type the Ventura, and the company lost little time initiating production in the Vega factory. By comparison with the Hudson, the Ventura had far more effective armament, a heavier bomb load and more powerful engines, and appeared to have considerable potential. First used operationally by the RAF on 3 November 1942, the type was soon found to be unsuited to daylight operations and was transferred to Coastal Command. Nevertheless, the Ventura was procured in large numbers under Lend-Lease, and was built for the US Army Air Force and US Navy, this last service designating it the PV-1 Ventura. Venturas served with all the Commonwealth nations, the Free French and with the Brazilian air force. A long-range version, the PV-2, had been ordered by the US Navy in June 1943 and, differing in several respects from the Ventura, was named the Harpoon; Ventura and Harpoon production totalled 3,028 in September 1945. 

The French Aeronautique Navale (Aeronavale) obtained a few PV-2s which saw some limited service with Escadrille de Servitude 12S before being transferred to Portugal as more modern equipment became available.


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## Gixxerman (Feb 23, 2012)

Great info gekho.
I remember as a younglad my dad taking me to Southend air museum, I seem to recall they had an Avro Anson there - my dad used to remember them very fondly as a one of the training aircraft the RAF used in his time.

Edit to add - 

Ooops, perhaps not, having checked it appear Southend didn't have an Anson, it was at Hendon.
I do remember the Spanish Heinkel the Beverly at Southend, sadly now long gone.


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## Gnomey (Feb 23, 2012)

Cool stuff!


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## nuuumannn (Mar 1, 2012)

Great images.



> Ooops, perhaps not, having checked it appear Southend didn't have an Anson. I do remember the Spanish Heinkel the Beverly at Southend, sadly now long gone.



Southend did have an Anson, it's now at Duxford, along with the Beverley's cockpit section. The Spanish Heinkel flew in the movie Battle of Britain and is now in the USA in bits.


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## Gixxerman (Mar 1, 2012)

Thanks nuuumannn, I coul have sworn it was Southend......I wasn't sure if my memory was failing me!


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## Steve Bond (Dec 14, 2013)

Hello,

I am new to this excellent forum and have been looking at the Wellington photographs with my forthcoming book in view (being published next year). Gekho's post is very interesting, most especially because picture number 4 of a "Stickleback" Wimpy actually shows a Royal Hellenic Air Force aircraft. This is amazing as in several years of searching, this is the first photo of a Greek Wellington I have ever seen! Can I please have permission it use it in the book?

Regards

Dr Steve Bond


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## Wurger (Dec 14, 2013)

Here is another one found via the net.... Wellington Mk.XIII... source: Hellenic Airplanes Re-Color: Vickers Wellington Mk.XIII


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## Steve Bond (Dec 14, 2013)

Fabulous shot,many thanks.


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## Airframes (Dec 14, 2013)

Welcome to the forum Steve, and your forthcoming book sounds interesting.
Two quick questions;
1) Have you had an opportunity to photograph the RAFM Wellington, under restoration currently, at Cosford? If not, and you'd like some very recent photos for your book, send me a PM.
2) Are you by any chance the Steve Bond who was/is a member of LAC, when the Club was still at Barton?

Cheers,

Terry.


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