Least Purty Aircraft of WW2

evangilder · Sep 15, 2005

The French actually had some remarkable aviation engineers. There were a large number of French aircraft companies before they were invaded. Bloch, DeWoitine, Breguet, Latecoere, Moraine-Saulnier and Nieuport to name a few.

Smokey · Sep 16, 2005

Avions Marcel Bloch M.B.157, which reached 443 mph

http://www.geocities.com/lastdingo/aviation/list.htm

This was a french high-speed fighter prototype which was near completion at the time of the armistice.Developed out of the
2nd class M.B.152 fighter family, it reached fthe fantastic speed of 710km/h under german control in 1942.
It could have flown already in 1940! It´s best part was its advanced radial engine which was good at high altitude.
It had outstanding flying characteristics. 6 months design time. Destroyed by a bombing raid.
Data: turbosupercharged 1590PS (1700PS at 8000m !!!) Gnome-Rhône-14R-4, 710 (!!!)km/h in 7850m, 1095km, 2390-3250kg,
10.7m wingspan, 9.7m length, 19.4m2 wing area, two 20mm HS404 machine cannons, 2 7.5mm Darne MG

Here was an aircraft with the same speed as a P51, P38, late model Spitfires, FW 190 D9s, yet it was almost ready in 1940!

Rather like the Heinkel He 100 which had the speed of these fighters in 1939, but lost out to the Me 109.

Avions Marcel Bloch M.B.162, 343 mph, 1940, cannon armament

This was a french strategic bomber which had its maiden flight on july, 1st 1940. Developed out of the M.B.161 commercial plane
(in service after 1945), its 1:1 mock-up was already shown to the public in 1938. The prototype was captured, tested in 1942 and
then used by the Luftwaffe for secret missions. [Post-war M.B.161 had problems with the undercarriage.]
Data: four 1100PS Gnome-Rhône-14N-48/49 radials, 550 (!!!) km/h at 5500m, 2400km range with 1600kg bombload,
11865-19000kg, 28.1m wingspan, 21.9m length, 109m2 wing area, 7.5mm Darne MG in bow, 20mm HS405 machine cannon
in dorsal position, 20mm HS405 (or the fixed version HS404?) machine cannon and 7.5mm Darne MG in ventral position,
at least 1600kg bombs, crew of five

Also helicopter technology was very advanced in France before WW2:

Breguet-Dorand "Gyroplane Laboratoire" flew on June 26, 1935

Breguet-Dorand "Gyroplane Laboratoire" flew on June 26, 1935. A coaxial design weighing 4.500 pounds, it had twin rotors turning in opposite directions on the same mast. After further development, the aircraft established world's speed, altitude and endurance records. The pilot, barely visible here, sat within the fuselage frame behind the rotor transmission and mast. With Maurice Claisse as test pilot, the helicopter was flown up to the outbreak of World War II.

http://www.fsdome.com/aviation-encyclopedia/helis/country/france/helis/15.htm

Basically it seems that too much money was spent on the maginot line, and so money for aircraft research and production was limited. There were some amazing aircraft, yet they appeared too late, in some cases just a few months too late

P38 Pilot · Sep 16, 2005

Wow, I didn't know the French had it in them! And will someone please not tell me to "Judge a book by its cover..." I have heard tha SO MANY times!

evangilder · Sep 16, 2005

Nobody did, I pointed out some of the manufacturers and Smokey provided some great info on a few of their developments.

Parmigiano · Sep 16, 2005

After WWIIAvions Marcel Bloch became Avions Marcel Dassault, the ones of the 'Mirage' series

Also France had a golden time in aviation around WWI, when they were the almost unique providers of fighter engines with the 'rotative' Gnome, Le Rhone, (later they merged) and Clerget. Almost all fighters who had not an 'inline' used the French engines or their locally license-built versions.

Had France resisted some year in WWII, they probably could develop some really good plane.

... but they were smarter than that: they just give up quickly when times were hard, had others do the job for them and then they came back claiming victory and having good part of industry not heavily damaged and ready to restart! And little money spent on the war! (..just a joke, don't want to be killed by some French!)

Gnomey · Sep 16, 2005

Nice info Smokey!

DerAdlerIstGelandet · Sep 16, 2005

Nice info there. I never new anything about the French Rotarywing designs. I knew all about there fighters and bombers but never the helicopters.

P38 Pilot · Sep 16, 2005

Yeah. The only ones i ever heard about were those Japanese ones that were submarine-destroyers.

JCS · Sep 16, 2005

P38 Pilot said:
French bombers??? Didnt know those exist back during WWII....

Be glad you never heard about them, they are some of the ugliest aircraft I've ever seen in my life. Especially the early high-wing ones, they look like a refrigerator box with wings and a greenhouse for a cockpit.

Dac · Sep 16, 2005

The Luftwaffe was lucky that the crazy politics in France in the 1930s slowed down the introduction of newer aircraft. They would have been in for a tough time against some of the French aircraft that were starting to show up.

P38 Pilot · Sep 16, 2005

Note to self...French politics craziness still exists today.

the lancaster kicks ass · Sep 17, 2005

JCS said:
P38 Pilot said:

French bombers??? Didnt know those exist back during WWII....

Click to expand...

Be glad you never heard about them, they are some of the ugliest aircraft I've ever seen in my life. Especially the early high-wing ones, they look like a refrigerator box with wings and a greenhouse for a cockpit.

if you don't mind i happen to think french bombers were very attractive..........

DerAdlerIstGelandet · Sep 17, 2005

P38 Pilot said:
Yeah. The only ones i ever heard about were those Japanese ones that were submarine-destroyers.

What the hell are you talking about? Japanese what? Japanese Helicopters?

If you are talking about Helicopters, there were actually many nations that had helicopters. The Germans had a ton of very successfull "true" Helicopter designs and the US had quite a bit under the design work of Egor Sikorsky. As a matter of fact Sikorsky revolutionized the helicopter.

plan_D · Sep 17, 2005

The Sikorsky RB-4 "Hoverfly" was the first helicopter to fly operational sorties in a combat environment.

DerAdlerIstGelandet · Sep 17, 2005

Yes it was. Great helicopter for its time also.

plan_D · Sep 17, 2005

R-4B, sorry.

Source: http://www.warbirdphotos.net

DerAdlerIstGelandet · Sep 17, 2005

Well here is my vote for the ugliest plane:

Caproni Stipa

plan_D · Sep 17, 2005

P38 Pilot · Sep 17, 2005

What the hell is that suppose to be??? A PLANE???

DerAdlerIstGelandet · Sep 17, 2005

It looks like a turd with wings.

Least Purty Aircraft of WW2

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