Best French Bombers

[merlin]

As we have had a poll on French Fighters, thought I would try one with bombers. You may notice, I have left out the slab-sided ugly ones, concentrating more on those that in other circumstances could have had a better operational career.
Anyway, I await your comments.

Amiot 350 Series

Bloch 174

Breguet 690 Series

Potez 63 Series

Sud-Est Leo 45

[Graeme]

Originally Posted by merlin

I have left out the slab-sided ugly ones

C'mon Merlin, you gotta love those "slab-sided" flying cathedrals! In particular the Farmans, especially the Farman NC.223.4. It performed a remarkable bombing mission to Berlin on 7/8 June 1940. Thirteen hours in the air? And no bombsight!...

The French Bomb Berlin - Blinkynet

"I got ready to release the bombs and realized that someone had failed to install our bombsight, so I pressed my nose to the glass of the cockpit."

The Farman NC.223.4 Jules Verne...

[B-17engineer]

I like the different look of that one. I have a Huge book on WWII aircrafts profiles and they have this one.

[kool kitty89]

By "Sud-Est Leo 45" did you mean the Lioré et Olivier LeO 451? Lioré et Olivier LeO 451 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I like the looks of the F/NC.223, but the previous (and much more numerous) F.222 was pretty ugly.






Also, for a general refrence on bomber aircraft wikipedia has a good list: List of bomber aircraft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[B-17engineer]

Was it a good bomber or did it not even have time to prove itself?

[merlin]

Originally Posted by kool kitty89

By "Sud-Est Leo 45" did you mean the Lioré et Olivier LeO 451? Lioré et Olivier LeO 451 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Five weeks after the LeO 45-01's first flight, the Liore-et-Olivier company was nationalised as part of the Societe Nationale de Constructions Aeronautiques du Sud-est (SNCASE).

[Flyboy2]

I'm going to say that the Amiot 350 series sure was a little more pleasent to look at than most French bombers even if they didn't do all that much fighting

[kool kitty89]

Ok, but the LeO 45 was the design project, the 45-01 was the prototype, but the production bomber was the 451.


Anyway I think the LeO 451 is probably the most capable of the French bombers. (fast, good range, and payload) Fairly good looking too, though in terms of looks it probably goes to the Amiot 350 series.

[Flyboy2]

though in terms of looks it probably goes to the Amiot 350 series.

Glad you agree
Alot of these French bombers had the ability to be good but the lack of suitable engines killed them (specifically thinking of the Potez 63). Do you think with more time they would have gotten better?

[kool kitty89]

Hell yeah, the French had several engines that were near, or entering production that were equal to or better than the best contemporaries. Like the Gnome Rhone 14R and the Hispano Suiza 12Z. (1,500 hp at 21,000 ft)



And on looks the LeO 451 was pretty good, not quite like the Amiot 354, but nice nonetheless. (especially compared to interwar French bombers)

[Célérité]

My favorite is the Bloch 162. It is not in the poll. This plane has Hispano-Suiza 12 AA (4*1120ch). His performance was comparable with the first B17. However, war has come too early, it was not yet ready. (first flight: 12 january 1939)

[Graeme]

A painting by Michael P. Roffe depicting Leo 451 bombers and Fairey Battles attacking pontoon bridges over the river Meuse at Sedan, 14 May 1940...



The Amiot 350 family. The 370 is a rather 'cool' looking machine with a Heinkel like greenhouse nose...




And my 'favourite' French 'What If' bomber, the CAO 700. Designed maximum speed around 330mph, not bad for 1940...