aircraft, French

Although the French had been early pioneers of military aviation and had developed important combat aircraft during World War I, few French designs played important roles in World War II. The most significant French bomber was the Liori et Olivier LeO 451. Introduced in 1937, this medium bomber, crewed by four, was driven by two 1,060-horsepower Gnome-Rhone 14N engines and could achieve a top speed of 298 miles per hour. Service ceiling was 29,530 feet, and range was 1,802 miles. The LeO 451 carried a bomb load of 3,086 pounds and was armed with a single 20-millimeter cannon and five 7.5-millimeter machine guns. Only 373 of these aircraft had been delivered to French forces before the armistice was signed 10 aircraft, French with Germany on June 25, 1940. However, more were delivered to the Nazi-controlled Vichy French Air Force. France produced two significant fighters early in the war. The Dewoitine D520 was introduced in 1940 and was capable of 329 miles per hour at 19,000 feet over a modest operating radius of 310 miles. The powerplant was a single Hispano-Suiza 910-horsepower engine. Wingspan was 33 feet 5 inches. In addition to a single 20-millimeter cannon, the D520 was armed with four machine guns. After Germany seized the unoccupied portion of France in November 1942, 246 Dewoitine D.520C1 fighters were captured, of which 182 were deemed airworthy. These were repainted and reequipped to serve as operational trainers for the Luftwaffe. During the Allied invasion of France in 1944, a few of these aircraft were recaptured and flown by Free French and Resistance pilots. Introduced in 1939, the Morane-Saulnier MS 406 was powered by a single Hispano-Suiza 860- horsepower engine and had a top speed of 302 miles per hour at 16,000 feet. Operational radius was only 250 miles, wingspan was 34 feet 9 inches, and armament consisted of a single 20-millimeter cannon and a pair of machine guns. In terms of numbers, the MS 406 was the most important French fighter of the war, but it was both underpowered and underarmed, vastly outclassed by such German fighters as the Messerschmidt Bf109. In 1940, before the fall of France, 400 of the aircraft were lost, having scored only 175 kills. The Luftwaffe captured the surviving MS 406s and used them as trainers. German allies, including Finland, Italy, and Croatia, purchased some of the captured aircraft from Germany and used them in combat. See also France, air force of. Further reading: Gunston, Bill, and Chris Westhorp. The Illustrated Directory of Fighting Aircraft of World War II. St. Paul, Minn.: MBI Publishing, 2000; Jane's Information Group. Jane's All the World's Aircraft of World War II: Collector's Edition. New York: HarperCollins, 1994; Ketley, Barry. French Aces of World War II. London: Osprey, 1999; Wilson, Stewart. Aircraft of World War II. Fishwyck, Australia: Australian Aviation, 1999.