WORLD WAR 2 IN REVIEW

The World War 2 In Review blog features numerous articles and photos on World War 2 history topics, including military aircraft and warplanes, vehicles and AFVs, warships and naval vessels of World War 2; battles and operations in every theater of World War II; accounts by combatants and non-combatants during World War II; coverage of uniforms, insignia, weapons, and equipment used in WWII; strategy and tactics of World War 2; and much more on every aspect of the history of World War II.

Bloch MB.700: French Fighter

In the last few years before the war, the French Air Ministry began to consider using non-strategic materials such as tropical wood varieties for warplane construction to avoid running short of steel or light alloys in the event of a conflict.

On 12 January 1937, the Ministry’s STAé Aeronautical Department issued technical program A23, calling for light C1 single-seat fighters of wooden construction using less-powerful engines than the 900/1,000hp units in the basic program.

To meet this requirement, André Herbemont, who had designed all the SPAD fighters since 1918, produced the MB 700. It was designed and built in the former Blériot Aéronautique factories in Suresnes, which had been incorporated into SNCASO when the French aviation industry was nationalized in 1936.

The MB 700 featured an all-wood, stressed-skin structure; the fuselage was covered with formed plywood in the forward section, canvas in the rear. The engine was a Gnome-Rhône 14 M6 delivering 700hp at takeoff.

MB 700-01 was transported by road to the Buc airfield, where it was reassembled and prepared. The new fighter made its first flight on 19 April 1940, with Daniel Rastel at the controls. It lasted 16 minutes and reached an altitude of 1,800 meters. The second flight was not completed until 13 May 1940, again with Daniel Rastel. During this 50 minute flight, the aircraft reached 4,000 meters. The prototype had not been fitted with weapons. It reached a speed of 550km/h, which was a remarkable performance considering the available power.

The prototype had only completed about 10 flying hours when the Buc airfield was occupied by German forces, who burned the plane.

Construction of a second prototype was started but never finished. It featured a number of modifications in relation to the 01: larger propeller, modified radiator, etc. A naval version, baptized MB 720, was also studied, but never got off the drawing board.

Role: light single-seat fighter-interceptor

Crew: One

Length: 4.93m

Height: 1.67m

Wing span: 6m

Wing area: 12.4m²

Gross weight: with four machine guns: 1,750kg; with 2 cannons and 2 machine guns: 1,850kg

Powerplant: One air-cooled rotary Gnome & Rhône 74 M 6, 14 cylinders, 700hp

Maximum speed: 550km/h at 4,000m

Cruising speed: 237.5 kt (273.5 mph; 440 km/h) at optimum altitude

Service ceiling: 28,545 ft (8700 m)

Endurance: 2 hours

Armament (planned): two Hispano Suiza HS 404 guns and two wing-mounted MAC 1934 M 39 machine guns or four wing-mounted 7.5mm M 39 machine guns.

Bloch MB.700-01 SNCASO.

MB.700 C.1.

MB.700.

Full-scale model of Bloch MB.700.

The first prototype of the Bloch MB.700 light fighter under construction next to the mock-up. In the background is the fuselage of a twin-engine Bloch MB.500 and two Bloch MB.800s.

André Herbémont.

MB.700.

MB.700-02.

Bloch MB.81: French Flying Ambulance

Bloch MB.81 ambulance.

The MB.81 was a French military aircraft built by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch as a flying ambulance since it was designed to carry one passenger, in or out of a stretcher. Developed in response to a government-sponsored competition in support of the new doctrine of "aerial first aid", it was employed exclusively in the overseas colonies, specifically Morocco and Syria. Unlike the MB.80 prototype, the MB.81 had a closed cockpit and a somewhat larger cargo space. This was the company's first design to reach production.

The aircraft was designed to be able to seek patients or casualties by scouting, even at high altitudes, during military operations in mountainous countries, like then-French Morocco over the Atlas Mountains.

The main design feature made it possible to transport a casualty lying prone, in a compartment placed between the pilot and the engine. The wings could also be adapted to hold casualties, remaining constantly under the sight of the pilot and connected to him by an Aviaphone communication system.

The MB.80 made its first flight at the beginning of summer 1932 in Villacoublay, piloted by Zacharie Heu. An all-metal monoplane with low wings, it was equipped with a French Lorraine 5Pc of 89 kW (120 hp) which allowed it to reach a speed of 190 km/h (120 mph) at an altitude of 6,400 m (21,000 ft) It was able to take off in 70 m (230 ft) and to land in 95 m (312 ft). In a 1932 test, the MB.80 carried out 209 landings in thirty-six hours without any problems.

The aircraft was built without any assistance from the government, but an initial order of 20 was placed by the Ground French Forces (the French Armée de l'Air was founded in 1933), and it was one of the aircraft that relaunched Marcel Bloch in the aeronautical construction industry.

The production model, called the MB.81, was fitted with a French Salmson 9Nd of 128.68 kW (175 hp). It took part in military operations in Morocco and in Syria at the beginning of the 1930s.

The MB.81 entered service in 1935, and was used extensively throughout North Africa and the Middle East. A few were used in 1939-1940, before the French surrender, and in July 1941 in the battle for Syria between the Vichy French and the British/Free French.

Role: Air ambulance

Manufacturer: Bloch

Designer: Marcel Bloch

First flight: Mid-1932

Introduction: 1935

Status: retired

Primary user: Armée de l'Air

Number built: 21

Crew: 1

Capacity: 1 seated or stretchered

Length: 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)

Wingspan: 12.59 m (41 ft 4 in)

Height: 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)

Empty weight: 580 kg (1,279 lb)

Powerplant: 1 × Salmson 9Nd 9-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engine, 128.68 kW (172.56 hp)

Maximum speed: 188 km/h (117 mph, 102 kn)

Range: 654 km (406 mi, 353 nmi)

Service ceiling: 6,400 m (21,000 ft)

Variants

MB.80: prototype (1 built)

MB.81: production version (20 built)

Operators

France: Armee de l'Air; Vichy France

References

Comas, Mathieu (September 1999). "La débacle des ambulanciers... ou l'histoire inconnu d'une section d'avions ambulanciers en mai-juin 1940" [Debacle of the Ambulances: Or the Unknown History of an Aerial Ambulance Section in May–June 1940]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et Son Histoire (in French) (78): 18–21.

Cortet, Pierre (September 2001). "Rétros du Mois" [Retros of the Month]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (102): 7.

Bloch MB.80 ambulance.

The all-metal medical evacuation aircraft Bloch MB.80 at the Paris Air Show, 1 December 1932.

Bloch MB.80 ambulance.

Bloch MB.81 ambulance.

Bloch MB.81.

Bloch MB.81 ambulance.

Bellanca 28-90 Flash: American Military Aircraft

The Bellanca 28-90 Flash was an American military aircraft derived from an earlier air racer developed in the 1930s for export to Spain to take part in the Spanish Civil War. Although it never reached Spain, the order was diverted to China where the aircraft briefly saw service. Later, a new batch destined for Spain ended up in Mexico. In 1946, the surviving 19 airframes were acquired by the Charles E. Babb Company and shipped to Glendale, California. A final sale of the Bellancas still in packing crates was made to the U.S. Navy where the aircraft were distributed to U.S. Navy Technical Centers as training aids.

Bellanca 28-90, circa 1937-1940.

Bellanca 28-90 “Flash”, Mexican air force.

Bellanca 28-90-B “Flash”, Chinese air force, 1938. Throughout February 1938 seven Bellanca "Flash," which were bought by China's air force only shortly before, were destroyed on the ground in Japanese air raids.