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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 2359.PDF
SEPTEMBER 30TH, 1943 FLIGHT 359 The French Aircraft Industry The Qermans Take Over : Reorgan* isation: Luftwaffe Contracts: French Aircraft Types for Qermany : Review of Types Produced Since the War By V. L. GRUBERG EARLY this year all aircraft works in France wereordered by the Germans to close down. At first theGermans apparently contemplated taking over the industry and moving the entire equipment to Germany, lock, stock and barrel. Whether this move was really intended, or whether it was mainly designed as a threat to intimidate the industry \ into a closer co-operation, is impossible to say- But facing such a situation the French aircraft industry, perhaps too .-'demoralised by Vichy collaboration to contemplate such other ways of defiance as self-destruption, preferred to accept a compromise alternative: the organising committee (Comite d'Organisation de VAeronautique) placed the entire industry at Germany's disposal in preference to migration to the Third Reich. On this condition the aircraft plants reopened their doors in February of this year and have since been working almost exclusively on German orders. German Reorganisation It will be recalled that after the armistice the French aircraft industry in the occupied zone was engaged on the execution of German contracts, while that in Vichy France continued to some extent to develop original designs, such • as the Potez-SCAN 161, Late-631 and S.E.200 six-engined flying boats, and a number of other types previously described in this journal. Since the Germans have occupied the- whole of France and have taken over the industry, they have embarked on a programme of reorganisation, enforcing in many cases a Gleichschaltung with German aircraft firms. The main feature of these measures is the concentration of the indus- try, a policy against which" the French aircraft firms have shown so much animosity in the past, but which is now vigorously applied according to the German pattern. Act- ing on the instructions of the occupational authorities, the i»v chairman of the Comite d'Organisation de VAeronautique, M. Roos, is now carrying out the programme. This in- volves the amalgamation of works and centralisation of control within the existing large units of the industry. Measures have also been taken to standardise the designa- tions of such French types as remain in production. Development work of individual firms is practically at a standstill and is also to be centralised and -probably The Potez 661, built by the S.C.E.M.M., is a pre-war type with four Renault enginesof 220 h.p. each It was used before the war by the French Air Afrique company, and was feund a very economical type to operate. A more modern version, thePotez 662, has Gnome-Rhones of 660 h.p. each, which give increased performance but reduced range. Potez 661. Wing span, 66ft. loin. ; wing area, 689 sq. ft. placed in the hands of a chosen few large concerns. Inci- dentally, rumours were current that the State Arsenal at Lyons-Villeurbaune is to be liquidated and the equipment taken to Germany. As previously in the so-called oocupied zone so now in Southern France, the industry is manufacturing com- ponents of different Dornier, Henschel and Junkers types, as well as of B.M.W. engines. But it is evident that the Germans are pursuing a line of dual policy, allowing some firms to continue with the production of aircraft and engines of French design, side by side with orders for German types. Needless to say, this is being done only in cases where aircraft or engine types are considered by the Germans as suitable for their needs. Although information concerning the types selected "for survival" is not complete, Ger- many's spoils of French aircraft can be fairly comprehen- sively mustered. Thus in the four-engined class two Potez types have gone to enrich the Nazis: the Potez-661 and 662. The former is of typically French design, built by the S.C.E.M.M. of Saint-Etienne (Societe de Construction et d'Exploitation de Materiel et de Moteurs) and was already employed before the war by the Air Afrique. It is powered with Renault-6 in-line engines of 220 h.p. each, has a cruising speed of 186 m.p.h., a maximum speed of 202 m.p.h , a range of 932 miles, and a ceiling of 13,864ft. The aircraft has a span of 66ft. loin., a length of 55ft. 3m., and a wing area of 689.2 sq. ft. Empty weight is 8,787 lb., disposable load 3,571 lb., and gross weight 13,950 lb. Transport Types In the more "recent version, the Potez-662, the power output has been stepped-up by replacing the Renaults with Gnome-Rhone 14 Mars M-15 engines of a rated power of 660 h.p. at 13,000ft. The resulting performance has increased to 285 m.p.h., maximum speed at 13,000ft., but the range is only 621 miles. The absolute ceiling is 29,520ft. According to recent reports the S.C.E.M.M. have been ordered by the Germans to take up production of com- ponents of Gnome-Rhone 14 Mars and 14N engines, as well as B.M.W.132 and B.M.W.801 types. Shortly before the total occupation of France, three giant flying boats, the Potez-SCAN 161, the Sud-Est2oo and the Latecoere63i, were completed and flight-tested. In a previous dis- cussion of these types in Flight (Janu- ary 7th, 1943) the suggestion was put forward that it is Germany which sooner or later is likely to become the beneficiary of this effort. It now appears that, despite French efforts to transfer them to '' safety '' to Ampion on Lake Geneva, or to the Annecy Lake in the Savoy, these air- craft are being requisitioned for the Lit ft Hansa, or the transport organisa- tion of . the Luftwaffe. A second Latecoere-631 is being constructed at
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