List_of_aircraft_of_the_French_Air_Force_during_World_War_II

List of aircraft of the French Air Force during World War II

List of aircraft of the French Air Force during World War II

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Aircraft of the French Air Force and Naval Aviation during the Phoney War and the Battle of France, and aircraft of the Free French Air Force (FAFL).

The list is not complete and includes obsolete aircraft used for training as well as prototype and pre-production aircraft.

List is in alphabetical order by manufacturer or designer.

Aircraft of the Armée de l'Air, 1939–1940 and Armée de l'Air de l'Armistice, 1940–1942

The Amiot 143 was used as a medium bomber in the Battle of France

Amiot

ANF Les Mureaux

Arsenal

  • Arsenal VG-33 light wooden-built fighter for rapid production, only few built and used.[1]

Besson

Blériot-SPAD

Bloch

Breguet

Breguet 690 ground attack aircraft series, introduced into the Armée de l'Air (French Air force) in 1939. Only available in small numbers during the Battle of France.
  • Bre.270 observation
  • Bre.482 heavy bomber, single complete prototype destroyed in German air raid in 1942
  • Bre.521 "Bizerte" - flying boat
  • Bre.691 twin engine light ground attack bomber
  • Bre.693 Bre.691 with different engines
  • Bre.695 Bre.693 with larger engines

CAMS

  • CAMS 37 ship-borne flying boat
  • CAMS 55 maritime reconnaissance flying boat

Caproni (Italian)

Caudron 710 series aircraft or Caudron Cyclone. The C714 variant was used by Polish pilots during the Battle of France

Caudron

Curtiss (American)

de Havilland (British)

Dewoitine D.520 fighter used during the Battle of France. Used afterwards by the Vichy French Air Force

Dewoitine

Douglas

The Farman F.222 was the main production variant of the Farman F.220 aircraft series, which served as bombers during the Battle of France. It was the largest French bomber of the interwar period, and was thus classified as a heavy bomber.

Farman/SNCAC

Gourdou-Leseurre

Hanriot

Koolhoven (Netherlands)

  • FK.58 fighter, about 13 pressed into action in May 1940

Latécoère

Levasseur PL.10 carrier-borne reconnaissance aircraft. Later developed into the improved Levasseur PL.10 1 variant and Levasseur PL.107 carrier torpedo bomber variant

Levasseur

  • PL.10 torpedo bomber
  • PL.101 torpedo bomber
  • PL.14 torpedo bomber floatplane
  • PL.15 torpedo bomber floatplane
Lioré-et-Olivier LeO 451 medium bomber used in battle of France

Lioré et Olivier

Loire

Loire-Nieuport

Martin 167 bought from the US by France to fill a shortage of modern bombers. Used in the Battle of France

SFCA Maillet

  • Maillet 201 liaison

Martin (American)

Mauboussin

  • The Morane-Saulnier 230 was the primary elementary trainer of the French air force in the 1930s.
    Mauboussin M.123 trainer

Morane-Saulnier

  • MS.225 fighter
  • MS.230 trainer
  • The Morane-Saulnier MS.406 was the most numerous French fighter type during the Battle of France. One of only two French military designs of the period to exceed 1,000 aircraft produced, the other being the Potez 630
    MS.315 trainer
  • MS.406 fighter[18]

Nardi (Italian)

Nieuport-Delage

North American (American)

Potez 633, light bomber variant of the multi-role Potez 63 series. This series was the most produced French military aircraft series before World War II, with more than 1,300 built. Different variants of the Potez 63 series fulfilled different roles. For example, the Potez 630 and 631 were used as heavy fighters(which was the original purpose of the series) and the Potez 633 as a light bomber, whereas the Potez 637 and 63.11 were designed for reconnaissance.

Potez

Romano/SNCASE

Roussel

Salmson

SNCAO

SNCASE

Vought (American)

  • V.156 carrier-borne dive bomber

Wibault-Penhoët

Aircraft of the Free French Air Forces, 1940-1945

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to World War II French aircraft.

References

Citations

  1. [1]
    Ehrengardt 2018, pp. 9, 14
  2. [2]
    Ehrengardt 2018, pp. 15, 18–19
  3. [3]
    Ehrengardt 2018, pp. 22
  4. [4]
    Ehrengardt 2018, pp. 23–24
  5. [5]
    Ehrengardt 2018, pp. 32–33
  6. [6]
    Ehrengardt 2018, pp. 43––46
  7. [7]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 41
  8. [8]
    Ehrengardt 2018, pp. 50–51
  9. [9]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 12
  10. [10]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 116
  11. [11]
    Ehrengardt 2018, p. 59
  12. [12]
    Ehrengardt 2018, p. 66
  13. [13]
    Ehrengardt 2018, p. 85
  14. [14]
    Ehrengardt 2018, p. 92
  15. [15]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, pp. 35, 55
  16. [16]
    Ehrengardt 2018, pp. 106–107
  17. [17]
    Ehrengardt 2018, p. 117
  18. [18]
    Ehrengardt 2018, p. 123
  19. [19]
    Ehrengardt 2018, p. 143
  20. [20]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 127
  21. [21]
    Ehrengardt 2018, p. 144
  22. [22]
    Ehrengardt 2018, p. 149
  23. [23]
    Ehrengardt 2018, pp. 149–150
  24. [24]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 18
  25. [25]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, pp. 51–52
  26. [26]
    Ehrengardt 2018, pp. 164–165
  27. [27]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 25
  28. [28]
    Ehrengardt 2018, p. 53
  29. [29]
    Ehrengardt 2018, p. 167
  30. [30]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 180
  31. [31]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 176
  32. [32]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 165
  33. [33]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 167
  34. [34]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 164
  35. [35]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 213
  36. [36]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 187
  37. [37]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 183
  38. [38]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 162
  39. [39]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 201
  40. [40]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 202
  41. [41]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 166
  42. [42]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 207
  43. [43]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 175
  44. [44]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 189
  45. [45]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 170
  46. [46]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 172
  47. [47]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 185
  48. [48]
    Ehrengardt 2018a, p. 209

Bibliography

  • Ehrengardt, Christian-Jacques (2018). Encyclopédie des Avions de Chasse Français, 1939-1942. Aix-en-Provence: Caraktère. ISBN 978-2-916-403-151.
  • Ehrengardt, Christian-Jacques (2018a). Camouflages et Marques de l'Aviation Française, 1939-1945. Aix-en-Provence: Caraktère. ISBN 978-2-916-403-182.
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