Was the French Air Force good in ww2?

Where the French were weak was in combat aircraft, though the deficiency in numbers was perhaps less significant than sometimes claimed. Yet many histories cite the poor performance of the French air force, the Armée de l’air, as a major reason for France’s defeat.

Where was the French Air Force in ww2?

The French Heavy Bomber Squadrons of RAF Bomber Command 346 “Guyenne” Squadron and 347 “Tunisie” Squadron were the only French Air Force heavy bomber squadrons of the allied air forces during World War Two. They were formed at RAF Elvington, York from June 1944 until October 1945.

How many fighter planes did France have in ww2?

The value of the French Air Force in 1939 was reduced by the number of obsolescent planes in its order of battle: 131 of the 634 fighters and nearly all of the 463 bombers.

What was the fastest airplane in France in World War II?

The Dornier Do 335 was one of the fastest propeller-driven aircraft ever flown. The Germans claimed that a pilot flew a Do 335 at a speed of 846 km/h (474 mph) in level flight at a time when the official world speed record was 755 km/h (469 mph).

What happened to the French air force in 1940?

The French Air Force failed in 1940, not so much because it was stuck in the past, but because it had been seduced by radical and unproven theories on the way air power would develop in the future. In the process, it forgot how it had used air power successfully in the First World War.

What was the best fighter of World War II?

The P-51D Mustang is considered by many to be the #1 fighter aircraft of WWII. With internal tanks, the plane had a range of 950 miles.

Was the Do 335 ever used?

The first combat encounter of the Do 335 was claimed by French ace Pierre Clostermann when he intercepted one in April 1945. Only one Do 335 survived the war; it was taken intact in the factory on 22 April 1945 and transported to the United States for testing and evaluating.

Did the Gloster Meteor ever fight the ME 262?

No, they never meet in combat. The ME 262 was only in mainland Europe, never was used attack anything well outside of Germany. The Meteor never fought over Germany during WW2.

Why did the French fleet not join the British?

In WWII, why didn’t the French navy join the British, and free France after the surrender? – Quora. Simply put, it would have been a violation of the armistice treaty between France and Germany, which Germany could have used as an excuse to resume hostilities.

How did the French fight the Second World War?

The French are often accused of trying to fight the Second World War with the weapons and ideas of the First World War. This is true for some aspects of policy, but as far as the air war is concerned, in 1940, France needed the sort of Air Force it had in 1918.

How many sorties did the French Air Force carry out in WW2?

On May 17 French air force bombers carried out six sorties and French navy dive bombers 20. On the 23rd the air force managed just two bombing sorties and the surviving navy dive bombers six, with Latécoère 298 floatplanes based at Cher­bourg carrying out a further 18 bombing missions south of Boulogne.

What was the primary trainer of the French Air Force during WW2?

Morane-Saulnier 230 primary elementary trainer of the French airforce around World War II. Morane – Saulnier MS 406 primary French fighter during Battle of France. One of only two French military designs to exceed 1,000 aircraft in production other being Potez 630

How many planes did the Luftwaffe lose in WW2?

From 10 May until 11 June, the British and French air forces lost around 1,850 aircraft in combat, of which some 950 were French. Luftwaffe losses were around 1,100. These figures suggest a clear victory for the Luftwaffe, but even they give no idea of the scale of the defeat suffered by the Allied air forces.