• Amiot 143
• Amiot 354
• Bloch MB-162
• Bloch MB-200
• Bloch MB-210
• Breguet Bre-693
• Liore-et-Olivier LeO-451
• Potez 633

The Amiot 350 series originated in the same 1934 requirement as its rival the Lioré et Olivier LeO 451. Derived from the Amiot 341 mail-carrier, the Amiot 340 prototype was involved in a propaganda misinformation flight to Berlin in August of 1938 to convince the Germans that the French employed modern bombers. Though 130 machines were ordered by the French government that year, production delays and ordered modifications ensured that September 1939 saw no delivered aircraft. Eventually, the ordered number of this very modern aircraft reached 830, though ultimately only eighty machines were received by the Air Ministry. The main variant was the twin-tailed 351, however, due to various delays the single-tailed 354 was accepted into service as an interim type.

The Amiot 351 was planned to mount 1 x 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine gun in nose and ventral positions and 1x 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon in the dorsal position. Due to various technical issues with the armament installation, many aircraft went to operational units with only a single light machine gun in the dorsal position.

In May 1940, the Amiot 351/354 was in the process of equipping just two bomber groupes: GB 1/21 and GB II/21 based at Avignon. Though 200 were in the final stages of construction, only 35 were ready for flight. This situation was exacerbated by the fact that the Amiot 351/354 was constructed in three separate factories, two of which were later bombed by the Germans. On May 16, 1940, the several Amiot 351/354 carried out armed reconnaissance missions over Maastricht in the Netherlands - the first combat mission conducted by planes of this type.

By June, the Amiot 351/354 was also delivered for GB I/34 and GB II/34, neither ever flying them in combat. At that time, all Amiot 351/354 were based on the northern front. Three had been lost in combat, 10 in training accidents. All aircraft were ordered to evacuate to Africa on June 17, 37 surviving the trip. As their numbers were too few to effectively engage the Italians, they planes were sent back to Metropolitan France and their groupes disbanded in August 1940.

Five Amiot 351/354 continued to be used as a mail carriers after the Battle of France. Four Amiot 351/354 were commandeered by the Luftwaffe as transports, two found service in the 1./KG200 special service geschwader.

Engines taken for use with the Messerschmitt Me 323.

• Crew: Four (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier)
• Length: 14.5 m (37 ft 7 in)
• Wingspan: 22.75 m (74 ft 11 in)
• Height: 4.06 m (13 ft 5 in)
• Wing area: 67 m² (721 ft²)
• Empty weight: 4,270 kg (9,390 lb)
• Loaded weight: 11,285 kg (24,827 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Gnome-Rhône 14N48/49 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 780 kW (1,044 hp) each

• Maximum speed: 480 km/h (260 knots, 300 mph)
• Range: 3,500 km (1,890 nm, 2,100 mi)
• Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)

• 3 × 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns or 2 × 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns and 1 × 20 mm cannon
• 800-1,250 kg (1,760-2,750 lb) of bombs

The MB.210 derived from the MB.200 and differs in particular by its more deeply set, cantilever wing and the retractable undercarriage from their predecessor.

Developed as a private venture, the prototype MB.210 accomplished its first flight on 23 November 1934, powered by two 800 hp Gnome-Rhône 14Kdrs/grs radial engines and having a fixed undercarriage.^[1] This was followed by a second prototype, the MB.211 Verdun, powered by 860 hp Hispano-Suiza 12Y V-12 liquid cooled engines and fitted with a retractable undercarriage, this flying on 29 August 1935.^[2] Initial flight testing of this version was somewhat disappointing, so no further examples were built. Further progress with the MB.210, however, convinced the French Air Force to order series production, the first example of which flew on 12 December 1936.^[3]

The satisfaction did not last very long, however, since it was underpowered and the engines of production aircraft were inclined to overheating. The type was grounded until its engines could be replaced by the more powerful and reliable Gnome-Rhône 14N, these engines first being tested in summer 1937. and had to be replaced.^[4] Altogether 257 units were manufactured amongst companies as diverse as Les Mureaux over Potez-CAMS, Breguet, Hanriot, and Renault.

In September 1939, the Bloch MB.210 equipped twelve bomber units of the French Air Force. At the time of Nazi Germany's attack on France in spring 1940, these squadrons were in the middle of a restructuring aimed at removing outdated aircraft from the front line. Up to the armistice on 25 June of the same year the MB.210 was used still for nocturnal bomb employments and shifted then to North Africa.

General characteristics

• Crew: Five
• Length: 18.83 m (61 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 22.82 m (74 ft 10 in)
• Height: 6.70 m (21 ft 11¾ in)
• Wing area: 62.5 m² (673 ft²)
• Empty weight: 6,413 kg (14,109 lb)
• Loaded weight: 9,720 kg (21,385 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 10,221 kg (22,487 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Gnome-Rhône 14N-10/11 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 709 kW (950 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 322 km/h (174 knots, 200 mph) at 3,500 m (11,480 ft)
• Cruise speed: 240 km/h (130 knots, 149 mph) (econ cruise)
• Range: 1,700 km (918 NM, 1,056 mi)
• Service ceiling 9,900 m (32,480 ft)
• Wing loading: 156 kg/m² (31.8 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 0.15 kW/kg (0.089 hp/lb)
• Climb to 4,000 m (13,120 ft): 12 min

Armament

• Guns: 3x 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns (one in nose, dorsal and vental turrets)
• Bombs: 1,600 kg (3,520 lb) of bombs

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The Breguet Bre-690 and its derivatives were a series of light twin-engined ground-attack aircraft that were used by the French Air Force in World War II.

The aircraft was well designed, easy to maintain, pleasant to fly and could fly at 480 km/h at 4,000 metres (13,000 feet). The type's sturdy construction was frequently demonstrated and the armament was effective. Like the Bloch 175 light bomber and the LeO 451 and Amiot 351 medium bombers, the Breguet 693 showed that French designers were as good as any in the world. Unfortunately, French rearmament began two full years later than that in Britain and all of these fine aircraft were simply not available in sufficient numbers to make a difference in 1940.

The 690 had begun life in 1934 as Breguet's response to the same, quite far sighted strategic fighter aircraft specification that resulted in the eventual winner, the Potez 630. Both were attractive twin-engined monoplanes with twin tailplanes, powered by Hispano-Suiza 14AB radial engines of modern design and, for the time, good performance. Breguet considered the weight limits of the specification, that required a twin-engined, three-man aircraft to be lighter than 3,000 kg (later 3,500 kg) to be overly restrictive and ignored them. Instead, the design was advertised as particularly versatile, with reconnaissance, ground attack and level bombing derivatives proposed that required no structural changes. Unsurprisingly, Breguet lost out in the competition to Potez, but confident in the 690's potential, nevertheless began building a prototype on its own funds.

After considerable debate and delay the French Air Staff decided to acquire modern ground attack aircraft. Engineless for nearly a year, the 690-01 prototype displayed such promise that 100 two-seat attack bomber versions known as the Breguet 691 AB2 were ordered in mid 1938, an order soon doubled. For the ground attack role, the 691's equipment included a 20 mm cannon and a pair of light machine guns firing forward, as well as an internal bomb rack that could be used in a shallow dive attack and was typically loaded with eight 50 kg-class (110 lb) bombs. Rear defense was provided by one flexible light machine gun, while a fixed, rearwards firing weapon of the same type was fitted under the fuselage to discourage low-flying attacking fighters or ground fire from behind. A set of armour plates protected the crew, and fuel tanks had rudimentary self-sealing capability, but in spite of this the Breguet 690's protection proved insufficient in combat.

Breguet established an assembly line with remarkable speed: the first production aircraft flew less than a year after being ordered and was in service before the end of 1939.

As with the Potez 630, the Bre 691 was beset with engine difficulties. Hispano-Suiza had decided to concentrate on its V12 liquid-cooled engines and the 14AB engine was unreliable. The French authorities decided to order a new version, the Bre 693 powered by Gnome-Rhône 14M radials. Apart from the changed engines, which were of slightly smaller diameter, the two types were virtually identical. Orders for the Bre 691 were switched to the new type and more than 200 of the latter had been completed by the time of France's defeat.

Late production versions of the Bre 693 introduced propulsive exhaust pipes that improved top speed by a small margin as well as, according to some sources, a pair of additional light machine guns in the tail of each engine nacelle. Belgium ordered 32 licence-built copies but none were completed before the Belgian collapse. In the haste to get the Bre 693 into production the opportunity was lost to specify a low-level version of the Gnome-Rhône 14M, but in time no doubt this would have been remedied.^[

General characteristics

• Crew: two, pilot and rear gunner
• Length: 9.67 m (31 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 15.37 m (50 ft 5 in)
• Height: 3.19 m (10 ft 6 in)
• Wing area: 29.2 m² (314 ft²)
• Empty weight: 3,675 kg (8,101 lb)
• Useful load: 5,420 kg (11,949 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 5,500 kg (12,125 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Gnome-Rhône 14M-6/7, 522 kW (700 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 490 km/h (304 mph)
• Range: 1,350 km (839 miles)
• Service ceiling 8,500 m (27,885 ft)
• Rate of climb: 555 m/min (1,822 ft/min)

Armament

• Guns:
   
  • 1x fixed forward-firing 20 mm Hispano-Suiza cannon
  • 2x fixed forward-firing 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns
  • 1x flexible, rearward-firing 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine gun in rear cockpit
  • 1x fixed, rearward-firing 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine gun in ventral position
• Bombs: 460 kg (1,014 lb) of bombs

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Lioré-et-Olivier LeO 451 was a French medium bomber used during World War II.

The LeO 451 was conceived as a second-generation strategic bomber for the new French Air Force. In contrast to its predecessors which relied on machine guns for protection, the emphasis was placed on high-speed high-altitude cruise. The expectation was that high speed would force enemy fighters into tail-chase attacks and to that effect the aircraft was designed with a rear-firing cannon with an unobstructed rear arc of fire thanks to the twin rudders.

The Service Technique Aéronautique released the initial requirements on 1934-11-17, specifying a 5-seat bomber with a top speed of 400 km/h (215 knots, 250 mph) at 4000 m (13,125 m), and a payload of 1500 kg (3,300 lb) carried for 900 km (485 nm, 560 mi). In September 1936, the requirements were revised to account for development of 1,000 hp (746 kW)-class engines, with cruise speed raised to 470 km/h (255 knots, 290 mph) and crew reduced to four. The Air Force's Plan II called for 984 of the resulting B4-class bombers. Numerous manufacturers submitted a proposal, including Latécoère, Amiot with its Amiot 351, and Lioré et Olivier, which was to be soon nationalized as part of the SNCASE.

The first production LeO 451 was built in 1938. The decision to abandon Hispano-Suiza engines and a shortage of propellers resulted in production delays. The latter also caused most aircraft to be fitted with slower Ratier propellers which reduced the top speed from 500 to 480 km/h. As the result, although 749 LeO 451 had been ordered, only 22 were delivered by the start of World War II. Of these, only 10 were formally accepted by the Air Force. They were issued to a frontline unit tasked with experimenting the new type in the field, and flew a few reconnaissance flights over Germany, which resulted in the type's first combat loss.

At the start of the Battle of France on 1940-05-10, only 54 of the 222 LeO 451 were considered ready for combat, the remainder being used for training, spares, or undergoing modifications and repairs. The first combat sortie of the campaign was flown by 10 aircraft from GB I/12 and GB II/12 on 1940-05-11. Flying at low altitude, the bombers suffered from heavy ground fire with one aircraft shot down and 8 heavily damaged. Within the next 8 days many of them were shot down, like the one driven by sergent-chef Hervé Bougault near Floyon during a bombing mission over German troops. By the 1940-06-25 Armistice, LeO 451 of the Groupement 6 flew approximately 400 combat missions, dropping 320 tons of bombs at the expense of 31 aircraft shot down by enemy fire, 40 written off due to damage, and 5 lost in accidents. A total of 452 aircraft had then been built, 373 accepted into service (including 13 for the Aéronautique navale), and around 130 lost in action in Europe.

Following the Armistice, LeO 451s continued to fly, now under the Vichy government, that used them during the Syria-Lebanon Campaign. The aircraft were fitted with larger rudders and, later, two additional 7.5 mm machine guns in the rear turret. These extra weapons were added because of the limited capacity of the cannon magazines, and the fact that changing them in flight was extremely difficult. Aircraft production had totally stopped with the German occupation, but a 1941 agreement authorized Vichy authorities to have a limited number of military aircraft built. As a result, 109 additional LeOs were manufactured in 1942. The most notable of these was LeO 451-359 which was fitted with an experimental degaussing coil for remotely detonating naval mines (some British Vickers Wellingtons and German Junkers Ju 52s also carried a similar device).

After Operation Torch which began on 1942-11-08, surviving French LeO 451 in North Africa were used primarily for freight duties, although they flew a few bombing missions against Axis forces during the Tunisia Campaign. They were ultimately replaced in active service by Handley-Page Halifax and B-26 Marauder bombers. Aircraft captured by Germans in occupied France were also used as transports after being specifically modified for this role. A small number was reportedly used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica.

Following the war, the 67 surviving aircraft were mostly used as trainers and transports. The LeO 451 was finally retired in September 1957, making it the last pre-war French design to leave active duty.

General characteristics

• Crew: 4
• Length: 17.17 m (56 ft 4 in)
• Wingspan: 22.52 m (73 ft 11 in)
• Height: 5.24 m (17 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 66 m² (710 ft²)
• Empty weight: 7,530 kg (16,600 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 11,398 kg (25,130 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Gnome-Rhône 14N 48/49 or 38/39 14-cylinder air-cooled two-row radial engine, 790 kW (1,060 hp) each
• *Fuel capacity: 3,235 l (855 US gal)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 480 km/h (260 knots, 300 mph) at 4,000 m (13,125 ft)
• Cruise speed: 420 km/h (225 knots, 260 mph)
• Range: 2900 km (1,565 nm, 1,800 mi)
• Service ceiling 9000 m (29,530 ft)

Armament

• Guns:
   
  • 1x 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon in dorsal turret, 120 rounds
  • 1x 7.5 mm (0.295 in) MAC 1934 fixed forward-firing machine gun, 300 rounds
  • 1x 7.5 mm MAC 1934 in "dustbin" retractable ventral turret, 500 rounds
• Bombs: Up to 1500 kg (3,305 lb) of bombs in fuselage and wing root bomb bays

1933-1940

1942-1945