leo 451 prototype in its last configuration?

[aurelien wolff]

Hello, I'm asking for pics of the prototype in its last configuration to see how different it was from the serial production plane and if he ever carried the HS 404 gun. I got a pic of it destroyed on the ground in what seem to be a 3 tone camouflage but it's not the whole plane. Was its fuselage lenghtned or not?
Thanks for the pics!

 

[Wurger]

Where did you find the info that the fuselage of the LeO 451 prototype was lenghted?

 

[aurelien wolff]

it's a question, I don't think it was but I want to be sure.

 

[Wurger]

The lenght of the base fuselage was still the same. The difference was the ending of the fuselage that was, let's say, of the blunt type for the LeO-45 prototype but slightly longer and more pointy with the nav light for the serial LeO-451. Therefore there is the difference of 36cm in the total lenght of the fuselage. None of the LeO-45 references says whether the LeO-451-1 had the fusealage ending of the late shape. The pic of the LeO-45-1 in 1937 shows the blunt type ending there. Because the LeO-451-1 was the LeO-45-1 with the G-R engines and the Mercier's cowlings attached, the ending still might be of the blunt type as well . Anyway the first serial LeO-541 and all known planes of the earlier batch present the later variant of the ending.

Regarding the HS 404 gun ... as memo serves the French factories didn't supply complete planes to the Armee de l'air. Just they delivered the planes only but all the military stuff was attached by the military equipment unit(s) before sending to the squadrons. Therefore most of the factory prototypes were unarmed often.

 

[aurelien wolff]

so no weapon, I knew about the weapon stuff from caraktère encyclopedia on french WW2 fighter by CJE, they did it to avoid sabotage but it complicated things for the unit more than anything else.

 

[Wurger]

IMHO it didn't complicte thing as it's believed. There was a similar way for delivering planes here in Poland. And it worked good. In the way the Army could decide what stuff should be attached. Also the equipment depened of the financial posibilities of the Army, its equipment inventory, etc ...

 

[aurelien wolff]

not sure if both army should be compared and there were still issues from this kind of way of adding the weapon. I think we should go back on the leo 451 prototype final configuration pic.

 

[Wurger]

I'm afraid a such image may not exist. If it would be it would have been published in the books for the bomber.