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61-490: Free French Flight N° 2 was stationed at Haifa and initially consisted of one Potez 63.11 (a second and third arriving on 14 October and 3 November 1940 respectively) and two MS 406 (a third appearing on 14 February 1941). A Miles Magister was used as a hack and was superseded by a Loire 130 on 12 March 1941. The unit diary refers to the arrival of a Potez 29 and a Bloch MB.81 (with a Salmson 9 powerplant) from Heliopolis on 28 September 1940 but neither aircraft appears in

122-552: A MS 406. Due to the deteriorating serviceability of the aircraft, flying hours decreased and the unit diary itself only covers September 1940. In addition to these units, there were some units formed in the UK : Independent of the hierarchy of the RAF , there were aviation detachments in Chad , Cameroon and Equatorial Africa . Potez 63.11 The Potez 630 and its derivatives were

183-754: A family of twin-engined, multirole aircraft developed for the French Air Force in the late 1930s. The design was a contemporary of the British Bristol Blenheim (which was larger and designed purely as a bomber) and the German Messerschmitt Bf 110 (which was designed purely as a fighter). The Potez 630 was in use by several operators during the Second World War . Following the Battle of France , both

244-510: A final contribution following the cessation of hostilities in their use as trainer aircraft at the Centre d'Essais en Vol for the revived French Air Force. Unlike many contemporary French aircraft, production of the Potez aircraft was reasonably prompt and the first deliveries were effected before the end of 1938. The 63 had been designed with mass production in mind and as a result, one Potez 630

305-466: A maximum range of 1,300 km when flown at an economical cruising speed of 300 km/h. In March 1937, the second prototype, designated Potez 630–02, performed its maiden flight from Méaulte. The Potez 631-01 was damaged after a landing with its landing gear not being locked into the down position; after repairs, it was handed over to CEMA for official trials in November 1937. On 23 December 1936,

366-656: A number of them were destroyed by Thai Hawk 75N strafing during an air raid at Siem Reap. Once active combat had begun, the Potez 631 had quickly proved to be an ineffectual interceptor; it was slower than some German bomber aircraft and 130 km/h slower than the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E fighter. Perhaps the most successful unit operating the Potez 631 was the Flottille F1C of the French Naval Air Arm; between 10 and 21 May 1940, aircraft of

427-627: A number of three seat Potez 63s to act as command aircraft, from which formations of single-seat fighters would be directed and co-ordinated by radio. In July 1938, the first fifteen Potez 630 aircraft participated in the Villacoublay Air Show. In May 1938, the Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) placed an order for 125 Potez 633 light bombers; additional orders had also being placed by Romania and Greece for 20 and 24 Potez 633s respectively. France cancelled its order for Potez 633s in

488-416: A single machine gun to the rear for self-defence. The sought aircraft was also required to accommodate two/three seats along with a twin-engine configuration; however, some of the performance limitations imposed upon the aircraft, such as the maximum weight, served to restrict the range of suitable engines to power the type. The original Potez 630 was developed to meet this specification; two variants of

549-813: A single mission. The Potez 63.11 continued in service with the air force of Vichy France and with the forces of the Free French ; this led to the two opposing sides both operating the type in the North African theatre. The Free French Air Force initially possessed as few as three Potez 630 aircraft, but further models were captured from the Vichy French Air Force . The Germans initially allowed several Potez 630-equipped units to continue under Vichy French control; these were typically stationed in Southern France and North Africa. In

610-517: A strafing mission against German troops near Arras . This was the type's only operational mission over France as two days later the aircraft was withdrawn from front-line service. A small number of Potez 633 originally destined for China were commandeered by the French colonial administration in Indochina and saw limited action in the brief French-Thai War in early 1941. Parked in the open ground,

671-406: A vertical bomb bay located between the two crew members. The 630 was a relatively simple and sound design, requiring an average of 7,500 man-hours to assemble each aircraft. All members of the family (with the possible exception of the Potez 63.11) shared pleasant flying characteristics and were designed to allow for easy maintenance. As a day fighter aircraft, the performance of the Potez 631 C3

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732-402: A wide range of roles. The long glasshouse housed a crew of three, comprising a pilot, an observer or commander who was carried based upon mission requirements, and a rear gunner who manned a single flexible light machine gun. The Potez 637 featured a glazed gondola located beneath the fuselage for an observer to be carried in the prone position . Some variants, such as the Potez 631 and 633, had

793-577: The Centre d'Essais de Matériels Aériens (CEMA, the Air Equipment Test Center) at Vélizy-Villacoublay Air Base for testing. The tests showed that the Bre 690-01 performed well, in some aspects surpassing the Potez 630. The encouraging test results led to the order of a hundred Bréguet 691 AB2 ( Assaut Bombardement Biplace , Two-seater Attack Bomber) on 14 June 1938. Bréguet replaced

854-444: The French Air Force accepted their first production 630 aircraft. Early on, production of the Potez 630 was hit by considerable delays, caused by a shortage of engines, propellers, and cannons; the first batch of Potez 630s were armed with four machine guns instead of the two 20 mm Hispano-Suiza cannons. On 2 August 1938, the first Potez 631 was officially accepted. On 15 March 1938, a major re-equipment and expansion program of

915-585: The Hanriot H 220 , Loire-Nieuport LN-20 , Romano R.110 and the Potez 630 . The Bréguet 630 was a twin-engined monoplane with twin tailplanes and Hispano-Suiza 14AB 02/03 (port and starboard) 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engines , both rotating inwards to limit torque problems if one engine failed. The aircraft was armed with two forward-firing Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon and a 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine-gun firing rearwards for aft defence. The Potez 630 won

976-930: The Morane-Saulnier M.S.225 and Dewoitine D.510 , could be accommodated for by the increasing numbers of Potez 631s. Just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, the French Air Force had 85 Potez 630s, 206 Potez 631s, 22 Potez 633s, 63 Potez 633s, and 5 Potez 63.11 aircraft. The Potez 633 aircraft that were exported to Greece and Romania saw greater service than their French counterparts despite their limited numbers. Greece had nine Potez 633s in service when Italy invaded Greece in October 1940. These were used for bombing attacks against Italian supply lines until shortage of spares forced their withdrawal. In June 1941, Romania joined Germany in

1037-471: The Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du Nord (SNCAN) was officially formed, grouping together five French aircraft factories; further amalgamations into SNCAN soon took place, including Potez in early 1937. Shortly following its establishment, SNCAN received a provisional order letter for ten experimental aircraft; four of these were derived from the Potez 630, three from the Potez 631 (one being

1098-599: The Vichy French Air Force and Free French Air Forces used the type; a number of captured aircraft were operated by several air wings of the Axis powers . After the end of the conflict in 1945, a handful of aircraft were used for training purposes for some time. On 31 October 1934, the French Ministry of Air issued a specification for a heavy fighter . The specification demanded the aircraft be capable of performing three principal roles: fighter direction, in which it

1159-519: The invasion of the Soviet Union . Two squadrons were equipped with the Potez 633 which were used to support the Romanian army as it advanced towards Odessa . In 1942, they were replaced by Junkers Ju 88 bombers, allowing the survivors to be transferred to the advanced training role. On 28 August 1939, the French Air Force initiated the mobilisation of its units, including those equipped with

1220-417: The 556 kW (745 hp)14 AB 12/13 radials, the first fifty aircraft having Ratier and later aircraft Hamilton-Standard three-bladed, variable-pitch propellers. The order for a hundred aircraft was doubled. Bréguet quickly established an assembly line and the first production aircraft Bréguet (Bre) 691-01 flew less than a year after being ordered; the type was in service before the end of 1939. As with

1281-647: The Armistice, the Vichy authorities were allowed to maintain a small air force in mainland France and its assault bomber pilots flew rare training flights in the Bre.693 and Bre.695. After Case Anton , the German occupation of all of France in late 1942, some of the survivors in the Italian occupation zone were transferred to Italy but were not used. The Germans ordered the completion of several unfinished aircraft after

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1342-513: The Bréguet's first operational sorties, against German motorized columns in the Liège – Tongeren – Maastricht area. German anti-aircraft fire shot down eight of the eighteen Bre.693s. The disastrous results of this first engagement forced the French commanders to reconsider their tactics. Until 15 May, GBA crews performed shallow dive attacks from higher altitude, which resulted in reduced losses but

1403-503: The C3 competition but Bréguet began construction of the prototype Bréguet 690 in 1935, without an order from the Armée de l'Air , which was not placed until 26 March 1937. Completion of the Bréguet 690-01 was slowed by a ten-month delay in the delivery of its engines from Hispano-Suiza. The Bre 690-01 was finished in early 1938 and flew on 23 March, revealing no serious design flaws and was sent to

1464-586: The French Air Force, known as Plan V , was approved. While there had been intentions to order a more capable twin-engine aircraft, these were not ready for production, thus the Potez 631 and 633 were retained for this production program, which first involved 207 twin-engined day-and-night fighters along with 449 daytime light bombers. On 25 March 1938, the order for the Potez 633 was increased to 125 bombers, which were also requested to be three-seaters. The Potez 633 orders were subsequently cancelled, ordering additional Potez 631 aircraft in their place; further orders of

1525-544: The Germans captured several complete or near-complete aircraft at the factories. A small experimental unit had been investigating ground-attack tactics since 1937, initially in outdated biplanes such as the Potez 25 , then in ANF Les Mureaux 115 monoplanes. Eventually, the Armée de l'Air concluded that low-altitude level bombing was more suitable than dive-bombing for engaging enemy vehicles and artillery on

1586-492: The Gnome-Rhône 14M engines had yet to be achieved and thus was not able to reach the desired production rate of the Potez 630, an additional order was placed for 80 aircraft powered by the alternative Hispano-Suiza engine. The first 48 aircraft to be produced were equipped with Hispano-Suiza 14AB02/03 engines, these were succeeded on later models by the improved Hispano-Suiza 14AB10/11. In December 1937, regular contracts took

1647-443: The Potez 630 had begun to supplant the obsolete Bloch MB.200 bomber in the fighter direction role; however, the Potez 630's engines proved so troublesome in service that most units were rapidly re-equipped with the Potez 631 prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. By 1 April 1939, a total of 77 Potez 630 and 88 Potez 631 aircraft had been accepted by the French Air Force. The retirement of other obsolete French aircraft, such as

1708-422: The Potez 630 series. Due to requests from French Naval Aviation some Potez 631 aircraft were soon diverted to replace their Dewoitine D.371 fighters. In February 1940, a new war plan, Plan V bis , was adopted; under this plan, nearly all Potez 630 and a number of Potez 631 aircraft were retired from front line service, with some of the 630s converted to become dual-control training aircraft. That same month, it

1769-487: 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 limit Bréguet 691 production run to 78 aircraft, instead of 100. Orders were placed for another version, the Bre 693 powered by Gnome-Rhône 14M radials. Apart from the different engines, which were of slightly smaller diameter,

1830-420: The Potez 631 were placed to allow for the speedy withdrawal of the troublesome Potez 630. Between January and June 1940, an average production rate of 100 aircraft per month was maintained. The Potez 630 was a twin engine, monoplane, fully metallic three-seater with efficient aerodynamic lines and twin tailfins. The basic design allowed for the type to replace various obsolete aircraft in the French Air Force in

1891-481: The addition of extra machine gun armament, aircraft having received either six, eight, or ten machine guns, the Potez 63.11 suffered the heaviest losses of any French type. One factor contributing to the high losses was the near-complete lack of spares, rendering 70 percent of all P.63.11 aircraft unserviceable even prior to the German invasion; many aircraft were destroyed on the ground by enemy bombing and strafing attacks, and entire units were wiped out without conducting

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1952-515: The aircraft were originally submitted for consideration, one (the 630) powered by Hispano-Suiza 14AB radial engines and the other (the 631) with the Gnome-Rhône 14N . Other companies also produced submissions in response, including Breguet Aviation , Hanriot , Chantiers aéronavals Étienne Romano , and Loire-Nieuport . Each of the competing manufacturers were requested to produce a single prototype for evaluation at their own expense; work on

2013-490: The aircraft's various sections and components was shared out across various SNCAN facilities; the fuselage and tailplanes were produced in Caudebec-en-Caux , Normandy , the wings were made at Le Havre , Normandy, and final assembly was initially performed at Méaulte; the assembly work was later transferred to Les Mureaux . In February 1938, the first production Potez 630 conducted its maiden flight; on 23 February,

2074-549: The attacks had clearly been inaccurate, as the Bréguet lacked a bombsight . On subsequent missions, the GBAs reintroduced low-level attacks in smaller formations. As the position of the French and Allied armies grew steadily more desperate, the assault groups were engaged daily, still enduring losses to anti-aircraft fire but also increasingly to German fighters. In late June, the Armée de l'Air tried to evacuate its modern aircraft to North Africa, from where many hoped to continue

2135-638: The battlefield. The chosen tactic consisted in a hedge hopping approach at maximum speed, followed by a strafing run or the delivery of time-delayed bombs directly over the target. French commanders widely considered this tactic safe for the attackers, as anti-aircraft weapons then in service would be inefficient. The French Army was not using anti-aircraft autocannon at the time (the 25 mm Hotchkiss and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon were issued only later), relying instead on rifle-calibre machine guns and slow-firing 75 mm (3.0 in) guns. In late 1939, two squadrons transferred from level bomber units were gathered in

2196-471: The existing 631-01 prototype), two Potez 633 light bombers and one Potez 637 aerial reconnaissance aircraft. This was promptly confirmed by a contract, under which one Potez 633 was replaced by a single Potez 637 low level ground attack aircraft. In June 1937, an order for an initial production batch of 10 two-seat and 30 three-seat Potez 631 day fighters was received, the first five of which were to be delivered by February 1938. As large-scale manufacturing of

2257-630: The fight. The short-ranged Bréguets were not deemed able to cross the Mediterranean. Unlike other modern French types, the Bréguet 690 family saw its combat career end with the Armistice . By this time, 104 aircraft had been lost and 14 were written off in November 1940 (most of these had also been destroyed or damaged beyond repair during the campaign). Out of 205 Bréguets delivered to the Armée de l'Air , 58 per cent were lost. The five GBAs suffered crew casualties of around 50 per cent. After

2318-453: The first combat-worthy Bre. 693s delivered and there were now five squadrons to equip, GBA I/51 , GBA II/51 , GBA I/54 , GBA II/54 , and GBA II/35 (GBA, Groupe de bombardement d'assaut , attack bomber squadron), with a theoretical complement of 13 aircraft each. Because of late deliveries, crews were still working up their new machines and developing tactics when the Battle of France began. On 12 May, GBA I/54 and GBA II/54 performed

2379-488: The first prototype, designated as the Potez 630-01 , commenced in April 1935. In addition to the Potez 630, the same specification had ultimately resulted in the successful Breguet 690 series of attack aircraft. On 25 April 1936, the Potez 630–01, equipped with a pair of 580 hp Hispano-Suiza 14, conducted its maiden flight from Méaulte , Picardy . Initially, the prototype was equipped with an experimental feature in

2440-486: The form of a braced horizontal stabilizer that incorporated no dihedral. On 6 May 1936, the prototype suffered some damage due to a hard landing following the mid-air loss of a propeller blade. On 3 August 1936, after receiving repairs, the Potez 630-01 was transferred to Villacoublay Air Base , Île-de-France ; it was soon refitted with an alternative tail arrangement similar to later production aircraft and long-stroke landing gear . On 20 November 1936, flight testing of

2501-735: The latter theatre they frequently engaged in combat with Allied forces. By 1 November 1941, the Vichy Air Force had 22 Potez 630s, 82 Potez 631s, six Potex 637s, and 236 Potez 63.11 aircraft. Large numbers of Axis-aligned Potez 630s stationed in North Africa were destroyed by American bombers during Operation Torch ; Allied 630s were also used during the operation to conduct ammunition supply missions and to respond to Luftwaffe aircraft. On 27 November 1942, German military units occupied Vichy Air Force bases and seized their aircraft: around 134 Potez 630s of several variants were taken. Of

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2562-539: The navigator's position with a bomb-bay and bomb-racks, the port 20 mm cannon was changed for two 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine-guns, the forward-firing guns capable of being depressed by 15° for ground strafing . The undercarriage was altered, the oil cooler intakes were moved from the wings to the engine nacelles and fuel capacity was increased from 705 to 985 L (155 to 217 imp gal; 186 to 260 US gal). The first hundred Bre 691 aircraft had 520 kW (700 hp) Hispano-Suiza 14AB10/11 radials and from then

2623-710: The outer wings, though it was theoretically possible to fit six. Dissatisfied with its strategic reconnaissance aircraft such as the troublesome Bloch MB.131 , the Armée de l'air required the development of a derivative of the Potez 631 for this role. Data from War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Eight: Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft The Potez 63 Series General characteristics Performance Armament Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Note: Official RLM designations had

2684-400: The place of the provisional letters; a further order for 50 Potez 633 light bombers was also received, bringing the total orders for the type to 180, including the ten prototypes that had been ordered. During the late 1930s, the Potez 630 received considerable foreign interest; in addition to France, many countries were in the process of re-equipping their air forces. One such foreign venture

2745-511: The prefix "8-", but this was usually dropped and replaced with the manufacturer's prefix. Breguet 690 The Bréguet 690 and its derivatives were a series of light twin-engine ground-attack aircraft that were used by the French Air Force in World War II . The aircraft was intended to be easy to maintain, forgiving to fly, and capable of 480 km/h (300 mph) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft). The type's sturdy construction

2806-424: The prototype resumed; it was shortly thereafter delivered to the Centre d'Essais de Matériels Aériens (CEMA) for official tests. The original engines of the Potez 630-01 were progressively replaced with improved models of Hispano-Suiza engine, gradually increasing power to reach 700 hp on takeoff. At its maximum takeoff weight of 3,850 kg, the prototype was capable of a maximum speed of 460 km/h and

2867-568: The rear of each engine nacelle. Belgium ordered 32 licence-built copies but none was completed before the Belgian collapse. French engine makers had even greater difficulties than airframe manufacturers in keeping up with demand from 1938 and in 1939 the French government decided that all combat aircraft had to be adapted for British and US engines. Fewer than 250 Bréguet 690 series aircraft were completed. The Armée de l'air received only 211 aircraft, 78 Bre.691s, 124 Bre.693s and nine Bre.695s;

2928-449: The seized aircraft, 53 were refurbished and dispatched to Romania for use as trainers and target tugs ; spare engines were also reused to power a number of Luftwaffe Henschel Hs 129 Bs. Production of the type was resumed under German control; significant numbers of aircraft appear to have been pressed into service by the Germans, mostly in liaison and training roles. The last three Potez 631s in service were recaptured examples; these made

2989-512: The small airfield near Vinon-sur-Verdon , where they began their operational training. As Bréguet 691s were not available, the crews flew the Potez 633 light bomber. When they were delivered, the Bréguets were popular with their crews, although the unreliable engines in the Bre 691 affected aircraft serviceability and undercarriage failures proved especially troublesome. Only in March 1940 were

3050-556: The subsequent daily unit statistics forms (RAF Form 765a). A memo dated 4 April 1941 from the RAF's Free French liaison officer to General Spears advises 'in practically every case the aircraft were unserviceable chiefly owing to lack of spares'. The port of Haifa was bombed on 6 September 1940 by the Regia Aeronautica . The four bombers were intercepted by Flying Officer Peronne in a Potez 63.11 and Warrant Officer Ballatore in

3111-645: The summer of 1938, but further orders for the 633 were placed by Romania (for 20 more aircraft, which had been part built under the French order), and from China, for nine. Deliveries to Romania started late in 1938, with the Greeks receiving their first aircraft in the spring of 1939. In August 1939, with the risk of war increasing the French government requisitioned 32 Potez 633s from the Greek and Romanian orders that were still in France awaiting delivery. By September 1938,

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3172-636: The time, proved vulnerable to Messerschmitt Bf 109s . Their similarity to the Messerschmitt Bf 110 , both being equipped with twin engines, twin fins and a long greenhouse canopy, is believed to have resulted in several aircraft being lost to " friendly fire ". From May 1938, production Potez 630 fighters started to be delivered; the first improved Potez 631 aircraft were received in August that year. Potez 630 and 631s, in two-seater configuration, were soon used to replace obsolete ANF Les Mureaux 113 used as night fighters, while single-seat fighter groups received

3233-503: The two types were virtually identical. Orders for the Bre 691 were switched to the new type and more than 120 of the latter had been completed by the time of the débâcle of the Allied defeat in June 1940. 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, another two machine-guns in

3294-700: The unit shot down 12 enemy aircraft in exchange for 8 of their own losses prior to its withdrawal from active combat. At one point, the Potez 637 was the only modern aircraft equipping the Groupes de Reconnaissance (GOA), which had long been equipped with obsolete aircraft. From November 1939 onwards, the first units to convert to the Potez P.63.11 were each assigned three aircraft. By mid-January 1940, there were 43 Potez 63.11s in service with 12 GOAs. By June 1940, more than 700 reconnaissance Potez 63.11 had been delivered. These aircraft encountered various fates in service: more than 220 were destroyed or abandoned. Despite

3355-514: Was cheaper and faster to manufacture than one Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 . As production tempo increased, a number of derivatives and experimental models were also developed. A typical feature of the 630 and 631 was the frontal armament, which originally consisted in two 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannons in gondolas under the fuselage, though sometimes one of the cannons was replaced by a MAC 1934 light machine gun (LMG). Later in their career, 631s received four additional LMGs in gondolas under

3416-515: Was decided to rearm the majority of Potez 631s, replacing their original armament of one cannon and one machine gun with two cannons and four underwing machine guns for the purpose of conducting ground attack missions; however, progress on this was relatively slow. The French Air Force found a use for the Potez 633 aircraft as conversion trainers for units that had received the Breguet 691 attack aircraft. On 20 May 1940, three Potez 633s took part in

3477-652: Was frequently demonstrated and the armament was effective. French rearmament began two years later than that in Britain and none of these aircraft were available in sufficient numbers to make a difference in 1940. The Bréguet 690 had begun life in 1934 as the Bre 630, the Bréguet Aviation entry for the Service Technique Aéronautiques (STAé, Aeronautical Technical Service) Chasse, triplace specification of October 1934 along with

3538-517: Was placed with SNCAN for the type; the Republic of China ordered four Potez 631 and five Potez 633, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia ordered two Potez 630 and one Potez 631, the Kingdom of Romania ordered 20 Potez 633, the Kingdom of Greece ordered 24 Potez 633, and Switzerland ordered one Potez 630 and one Potez 633. In May 1937, series production of the Potez 630 commenced. Manufacturing work on

3599-420: Was relatively disappointing, due to a low maximum speed and inadequate rate of climb compared with contemporary fighter aircraft. As a night fighter, lack of detection equipment drastically limited their effectiveness. Later models had a heavy armament (12 machine guns for the Potez 63.11). The Potez 63 family, as with the contemporary Fairey Battle and Bristol Blenheim bombers and like many French aircraft of

3660-464: Was required to lead formations of single-engine fighters with sufficient maneuverability; day attack, in which the type was also to escort friendly close air support and bomber aircraft; and nightfighter operations. Specified performance details included a maximum speed of 450 km/h at 4,000 meters, a 300 km/h cruising speed, and an endurance of at least four hours. Armament requirements included two fixed forward-firing 20 mm cannons and

3721-491: Was the acquisition of a licence to manufacture by the Czechoslovakian aircraft firm Avia to produce a variant of the aircraft, designated as the Potez 636 ; none were completed prior to Czechoslovakia's annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938. In 1938, a further 50 additional Potez 631s were ordered, of which 20 were to be diverted to Finland , although they never reached that country. A number of firm foreign orders

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