Aircraft Number 189: French Bombers of World War II in Action (Repost)
Alain Pelletier - French Bombers of World War II in Action
Squadron/Signal Publications | 2003 | ISBN: 0897474589 | English | 52 pages | PDF | 57.2 MB
Aircraft Number 189
Squadron/Signal Publications | 2003 | ISBN: 0897474589 | English | 52 pages | PDF | 57.2 MB
Aircraft Number 189
Author Alain Pelletier examines eight French bombers: the Amiot 143M and 354, Farman F.222, LeO 451, Breguet 693 along with the Bloch 131, 175 and 210; tracing their development and combat history. The 143M and F.222 aircraft were lumbering behemoths totally unsuited for modern war. The Bloch 131 and 210, with their Cyrano de Bergerac-sized noses, were poor performers; early 210s being nicknamed the 'Flying Coffin.' The best of the breed were the LeO451, the pregnant tadpole-shaped Breguet 693, Bloch 175 and the Amiot 354, a streamlined beauty. Yet, as Pelletier points out, the modern designs came too little, too late thanks to poor planning, production problems, etc. When war came, no matter what aircraft they flew, Armee de l'Air bomber units bravely flew off to battle, often suffering crippling losses. (Imagine going to war in an Amiot 143M!)
The story of those warbirds is illustrated with over 100 black and white photographs and aircraft three-views along with four pages of Don Greer/Darren Glenn color profiles.