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The Dewoitine D.520 was a French fighter aircraft that entered service in early 1940, shortly after the opening of World War II. Unlike the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, which was at that time the Armée de l'Air's most numerous fighter, the Dewoitine D.520 came close to being a match for the latest German types, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Because of a delayed production cycle, only a small number were available to meet the Luftwaffe. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
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The Société Nationale des Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud-Est (SNCASE, or simply Sud-Est) was a French aircraft manufacturer. ...
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This is a list of aviation-related events from 1938: Events Imperial Airways inaugurates scheduled service from London to Montreal. ...
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1940: Events March March 16 - Britain suffers its first civilian air-raid casualties of the war after a raid by KG 26 on Scapa Flow March 25 - the US government grants permission to the countrys aircraft manufacturers to sell advanced...
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The familiar French military aviation roundel gave rise to similar roundels for air forces all over the world, including that of the United Kingdom (RAF), which reversed the colors on the French roundel. ...
The Deutsche Luftwaffe or (German: air force, literally Air Weapon, pronounced lufft-va-fa, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ...
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An A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-86 Sabre, P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang fly in formation during an air show at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. ...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
The M.S.406 was a French Armée de lAir fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. ...
Aircraft of the French Armée de lAir during the Battle of France in 1940. ...
German Airfield, France, 1941 propaganda photo of the Luftwaffe, Bf 109 fighters on the tarmac The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the early 1930s. ...
The Deutsche Luftwaffe or (German: air force, literally Air Weapon, pronounced lufft-va-fa, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ...
Design and development
Design of the Dewoitine 520 started in November 1936 at the private design firm led by Emile Dewoitine. Trying to address problems in earlier designs, he created a fighter using only the latest techniques and engines. The new design was to be able to reach 520 km/h and became known as the "520". Only months later the firm was conglomerated into one of a number of design-and-manufacturing pools, in this case SNCAM. Still known as the D.520, work on the design continued at the new company.
The prototype D.520 flew on 2 October 1938, powered by the new 890 hp (660 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Y-21 liquid-cooled engine. The plane managed to reach only 480 km/h in flight tests, much slower than expected. Most of the problem seemed to come from greater than expected drag from the underwing radiators, so these were merged into a single radiator under the fuselage. After minor damage in a landing accident, the engine was changed to a newer -29 and included exhaust ejectors for added thrust, along with an adjustable prop. These changes were enough to allow the aircraft to reach its design speed. The Hispano-Suiza 12Y was a French aircraft engine in the pre-WWII era. ...
The prototype was followed in 1939 with two airframes with a new sliding canopy and a larger tail unit. These were armed with a 20 mm cannon firing through the propeller spinner (a feature later found on many German and Russian designs) and two 7.5 mm machine guns in small pods under the wing. The third also included a small tail-wheel instead of the original skid. Flight tests went fairly well and a contract for 200 production machines to be powered by the newer -31 engine (later replaced by the -45) was issued in March of 1939. A contract for an additional 600 planes was issued in June reduced to 510 in July. A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...
With the outbreak of war, a new contract brought the total to 1280, with the production rate to be 200 machines per month from May 1940. The Aéronautique navale then ordered 120. Another Armée de l'air order in April 1940 brought the total to 2250 and increased quotas to 350 a month. The Aviation Navale (Naval Aviation) of the French Navy includes 162 airplanes (138 of them combat-capable) and 6,800 men, both civilians and military personel. ...
The first production D.520 flew in November, powered by the 830 hp (620 kW) 12Y-31 and armed with two 7.5 mm machine guns in housings underneath the wings. It had a curved, one-piece windshield and a sliding canopy. The rest of the production machines were delivered with the 930 hp (690 kW) 12Y-45 engine with a new supercharger and a Ratier 3-bladed propeller (a few had the -49 of 910 hp (680 kW)). They were armed with a Hispano-Suiza 404 20 mm cannon firing through the propeller hub and four MAC 1934 7.5 mm machine guns in the wings. The curved, one-piece windshield from the prototypes was replaced with one containing an optically flat panel. In 1934 the Manufacture dArmes de Chatellerault (MAC) began the development of the MAC 1934 machine gun to replace the Darne 7. ...
A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...
As the first batch of machines rolled off the production lines, they failed acceptance tests due to insufficient top speed and troublesome cooling. Redesigned compressor intakes, a modified cooling circuit and propulsive exhaust pipes proved to be effective remedies for these shortcomings, but as early examples had to be retrofitted with those improvements, the type was not declared combat-worthy until April.
Operational history
Battle of France The Groupe de Chasse I/3 was the first unit to get the D.520, receiving its first aircraft in January 1940. These were unarmed and used for pilot training. In April and May they received 34 production machines, which proved to be very popular with the pilots. In tests against a captured Bf 109E-3 (handicapped by an engine that didn't develop full power), the D.520 proved to be 20 km/h slower, but had better high speed manoeuvrability. The D.520 matched the turning circle of the Bf 109 but displayed nasty departure characteristics, spinning out of the turn repeatedly during the tests while the Bf 109, owing to its slats, could easily sustain the turn on the edge of the stall. Groupe de Chasse I/3 was a fighter squadron of the French Air Force during World War II. At the outbreak of World War II, GC I/3 was equipped with the Morane-Saulnier MS.406. ...
When Germany invaded France and the Low Countries on 10 May, 228 D.520s had been manufactured, but the Armée de l'Air had only accepted 75, as most others had been sent back to the factory to be retrofitted to the new standard. As a result, only GC I/3 was fully equipped with the D.520, with 36 planes. They met the Luftwaffe on 13 May, shooting down three Henschel Hs 126s and one Heinkel He 111 without loss. GC II/3, GC III/3, GC III/6 and GC II/7 later completed their conversion to the D.520 and all took part in the Battle of France. A naval unit, the 1st Flotille de Chasse, was also equipped with the D.520. GC II/6 and GC III/7 converted to the D.520 but too late to see action. This aircraft article has not been updated to WikiProject Aircrafts current standards. ...
The Heinkel He 111 was the primary Luftwaffe medium bomber during the early stages of World War II, and is perhaps the most famous symbol of the German side of the Battle of Britain. ...
Combatants France United Kingdom Canada Czechoslovakia Poland Belgium Netherlands Luxembourg Germany Italy Commanders Maurice Gamelin, Maxime Weygand (French) Lord Gort (British Expeditionary Force) Leopold III (Belgian) H.G. Winkelman (Dutch) Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Wilhelm von Leeb (Army Group C) H.R...
By the time of the armistice at the end of June, 437 D.520s had been built and 351 of these had been delivered. In that time they had 108 confirmed kills and 39 probables, losing 54 to enemy action. As French resistance collapsed in the middle of June, GC I/3, II/3, III/3, III/6 and II/7 flew their aircraft to Algeria. Three more, from GC III/7, escaped to Britain and 153 machines remained in France.
Under Vichy In April 1941, production was started again and in June, 550 were ordered to replace all other single-seat fighters. The plan was to have the D.520 eventually equip a total of 17 Groupes with 442 aircraft, three Aéronavale escadrilles with 37 aircraft each plus three training units with 13 aircraft. As per terms of the Armistice with Germany, all improvements were prohibited and planes of the new batch were similar with the ones manufactured one year earlier. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1941: Events Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic Ocean. ...
D.520s of GC III/6, II/3 and naval escadrille 1AC faced the allies during the Syria-Lebanon campaign in 1941, where they claimed 31 kills over British and Australian planes, while losing 11 of their own in air combat and 24 to AA fire, accidents, and attacks on their airfields. However, No. 3 Squadron RAAF — which had just converted to the new P-40 Tomahawk I — claimed five D.520s destroyed, for the loss of one P-40 in air combat.[1] Combatants Australia U.K. British India British Palestine Czechoslovakia Government-in-Exile Free France Vichy France Mandate of Syria Mandate of Lebanon Commanders Henry Maitland Wilson Henri Dentz Strength Approximately 35,000 troops Australian: 18,000 British: 9,000 Indian: 2,000 Free French: 5,000 Between 35,000 and...
American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ...
No. ...
The Curtiss P-40 was an American fighter aircraft which first flew in 1938 and played a vital role in the crucial middle stages of World War II. Developed from the pre-war radial-engined P-36 Hawk, the P-40 became known as the Tomahawk, the Kittyhawk, and finally...
During Operation Torch, GC III/3 (who was really GC I/3 renamed, as the previous unit with this designation had been disbanded) opposed the Allies over Oran, while Flottile 1F saw some action versus the US Navy over Casablanca. Many D.520s were destroyed on the ground. Combatants United States United Kingdom Free French Forces Vichy France Commanders Dwight Eisenhower Andrew Cunningham François Darlan Strength 73,500 60,000 Casualties 479+ dead 720 wounded 1,346+ dead 1,997 wounded Operation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast) was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in...
Late and postwar service In December 1942, as French forces formerly under Vichy had sided with the Allies, there were 153 D.520s left in French hands in North Africa. They flew a few patrols during the Battle of Tunisia, but were considered obsolete, and their radio sets were incompatible with Allied equipment. From early 1943 on, they were relegated to training duties at the fighter school in Meknes, and progressively replaced by Spitfires and P-39s in combat units. The Tunisia Campaign was a series of World War II battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the World War II, between forces of the German/Italian Axis, and allied forces consisting primarily of US, British and small numbers of Vichy French. ...
Medresa Bou Inania in Meknes Meknes (Arabic: مكناس) is a city in northern Morocco, located 130 kilometres from the capital Rabat and 60 kilometres from Fes. ...
The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter, which was used by the British Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries during the Second World War, and into the 1950s. ...
The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service at the start of World War II. Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the lack of an efficient turbo-supercharger, limiting it to low-altitude work, although...
During the liberation of France, a few examples abandoned by the Germans were used by ad hoc units in ground attacks against the isolated German pockets of resistance on the Western coast.
Postwar, those that remained in France were used as trainers, serving in this role until 1953. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1953: Events The first year in which the worlds airlines carried more than 50 million people (ICAO statement, 29 December) January January 26 - The first meeting of the Experimental Aircraft Association takes place at Milwaukee, Wisconsins Curtis-Wright Field. ...
Foreign users As the German forces invaded Vichy's so-called "free zone" in November 1942, they captured 246 D.520s; additionally, a new batch of 130 was built under German occupation. Some were used by the Luftwaffe for training purposes. The Germans also transferred 120 D.520s to Bulgaria and 60 to Italy.
Variants - D.520
- D.521
- Hispano-Suiza engine replaced by a Rolls-Royce Merlin, one example built, project cancelled.
- D.523
- Version powered by engine upgraded to the 1,100 hp-12Y51. Prototype was on trials in June 1940 but development was halted by the armistice.
- D.520 DC ("Double Commande" – dual control)
- Postwar two-seater conversion used by France.
Markings Apart from the first prototype and postwar examples, D.520s sported the usual French camouflage of dark blue-grey, khaki, and dark brown with light blue-grey undersurfaces. The camouflage pattern was not standardized. The national markings were the standard light blue-white-red roundels on the wingtips, as well as on the rear fuselage, and the rudder flag.
Specific markings were applied during the Vichy era, consisting of white outlined fuselage roundels with a white fuselage stripe, and from mid-1941 on, the infamous "slave's pajamas" with red and yellow stripes on the engine cowling and tail surfaces.
Operators -
Bulgaria
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 France -
 Germany -
 Italy -
 Romania Image File history File links Flag_of_Bulgaria_(1878-1944). ...
Bulgarian Air Force Roundel Bulgarian Air Force (Bulgarian: Военновъздушни Ñили, ВВС) is a branch of the Bulgarian Army, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. ...
Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...
The familiar French military aviation roundel gave rise to similar roundels for air forces all over the world, including that of the United Kingdom (RAF), which reversed the colors on the French roundel. ...
The Aviation Navale (Naval Aviation) of the French Navy includes 162 airplanes (138 of them combat-capable) and 6,800 men, both civilians and military personel. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ...
The Deutsche Luftwaffe or (German: air force, literally Air Weapon, pronounced lufft-va-fa, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946)_crowned. ...
Insignia applied with a decal on the tail of the Règia Aeronautica aircraft (reconstruction). ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Romania. ...
The Romanian Air Force (Romanian: ) has an air force headquarters, an operational command, four air bases and an air defense brigade. ...
Survivors The three remaining D.520s known to exist today are: - Dewoitine D.520 n°603
- On display at the Conservatoire de l'air et de l'espace d'Aquitaine in Bordeaux-Mérignac.
- Dewoitine D.520 n°655
- Under restoration at the Naval Museum in Rochefort.
- Dewoitine D.520 n°862
- Currently on display at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace. It has been repainted as n°277 used by GC III/6 in June 1940.
- Dewoitine D.520 n°408
- Aircraft was restored to flying condition in the 1970s. Painted as n°90 used by the GC I/3 in 1940, it performed at various airshows in Europe, but was destroyed in a fatal crash in 1986.
Bordeaux - Mérignac Airport (French: ) (IATA: BOD, ICAO: LFBD) is an airport serving the French city of Bordeaux. ...
Rochefort is a commune in western France, a seaport on the Atlantic Ocean. ...
The Musée de lAir et de lEspace, or The Museum of Air and Space, is a French museum, located on the grounds of the Le Bourget Airport near Paris. ...
Specifications (Dewoitine D.520C.1) General characteristics - Crew: 1
- Length: 8.6 m (28 ft 3 in)
- Wingspan: 10.2 m (33 ft 6 in)
- Height: 2.57 m (8 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 15.97 m² (172 ft²)
- Empty weight: 2,036 kg (4,489 lb)
- Loaded weight: 2,676 kg (5,900 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 2,780 kg (6,129 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45 liquid-cooled V12 engine, 690 kW (930 hp)
Performance Armament - Guns:
- 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon
- 4× 7.5 mm (0.295 in) MAC 1934 machine guns
The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ...
In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft is allowed to try to achieve flight. ...
The Hispano-Suiza 12Y was a French aircraft engine in the pre-WWII era. ...
Colombo Type 125 Testa Rossa engine in a 1961 Ferrari 250TR Spyder V-12 engine simplified cross-section V12 redirects here. ...
VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ...
The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft, or cross-country speed and environmental conditions in unpowered aircraft. ...
In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ...
This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ...
In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ...
Power-to-weight ratio is a measure commonly used when comparing various vehicles (or engines), including automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. ...
The Hispano-Suiza HS.404 20 mm autocannon was one of the most widely used aircraft weapons of the 20th century, used by British, American, French, and many other military services. ...
In 1934 the Manufacture dArmes de Chatellerault (MAC) began the development of the MAC 1934 machine gun to replace the Darne 7. ...
References - ^ Brown, Russell. Desert Warriors: Australian P-40 Pilots at War in the Middle East and North Africa, 1941-1943. Maryborough, Australia: Banner Books, 1983, p. 17. ISBN 1-875-59322-5.
- Danel, Raymond and Cuny, Jean. Docavia n°4: le Dewoitine D.520. Paris: Editions Larivière, 1966.
- Ehrengardt, Christian-Jacques. Les avions français au combat: le Dewoitine D.520. Paris: Aéro-Editions, 2004.
- Winchester, Jim. "Dewoitine D.520." Fighters: The World's Finest Combat Aircraft- 1914 to the Present Day. Bath, UK: Parragon Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-40543-843-6.
External links
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