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Additional Information from Internet Encyclopedia
The Dewoitine D.520 was a French
fighter aircraft that entered service in early 1940, shortly after the beginning
of the Second World War.
The D.520 was designed in
response to a 1936 requirement from the French Air Force for a fast, modern
fighter with a good climbing speed and an armament centred on a 20 mm cannon.
At the time the most powerful V 12 liquid-cooled engine available in France was
the Hispano-Suiza 12Y, which was less powerful, but lighter than contemporary
engines such as the Rolls-Royce Merlin and Daimler-Benz DB 601. Other fighters
were designed to meet the specifications but none of them entered service, or
entered service in small numbers, too late to play a significant role during
the Battle of France.
Unlike the Morane-Saulnier
M.S.406, which was at that time the most numerous fighter in the French Air
Force, the Dewoitine D.520 came close to being a match for the latest German
types, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109. It was slower than the Bf 109E but
superior in manoeuvrability.[1] Because of production delays, only a small
number were available for combat against the Luftwaffe. The D.520 proved to be
relatively capable as a dogfighter against the Luftwaffe's inventory, but
lacked sufficient numbers to make a difference.
Following the armistice, the
D.520 continued to be used, being operated by both the Free French Air Force
and the Vichy French Air Force. The type was also returned to production during
1942, although it was manufactured at a lower rate than it had been during
1940. Additional examples were operated by the Luftwaffe, Regia Aeronautica,
and the Bulgarian Air Force. The D.520 saw combat service in North Africa,
Bulgaria, and the Eastern Front, as well as use in France and Germany for
training and defence purposes. During the type's later life, it was used as a
trainer aircraft. On 3 September 1953, the last D.520s were finally withdrawn
from service.
On 13 July 1934, the French Air
Force launched a new technical programme, under which the development of
improved fighter aircraft to improve upon the Dewoitine D.510, which was yet to
enter service at that point but was already considered to be obsolete in the
face of rapid advances being made in several European nations.[2] While French
aircraft company Dewoitine initially responded with an improved design based on
the D.510, designated as the D.513, this quickly proved to be inferior to the
in-development Morane-Saulnier M.S.405, a domestic competitor.
In response to a specification
for a new fighter promulgated by the French Air Ministry on 15 June 1936, Émile
Dewoitine, owner and founder of Dewoitine, formed a new private design office
and ordered the firm's chief engineer, Robert Castello, to immediately study
the development of a new fighter. The envisioned aircraft would be as
affordable as possible, be powered by the new 900 hp Hispano-Suiza 12Y21
liquid-cooled engine, and be capable of attaining 500 km/h (310 mph). However,
the corresponding design was promptly rejected by the Air Ministry.[2] The
design had been rejected by the French Air Ministry, which, after being
impressed by the British Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire, had decided
to respond by uprating the specifications to include a maximum speed
requirement of 500 km/h.
Accordingly, work on what would
become the D.520 commenced in September 1936; according to aviation author
Raymond Danel, the D.520 designation was a deliberate reference to the required
speed of the aircraft.[3] During January 1937, this revised design proposal was
submitted to the Service Technique Aeronautique (STA); while the STAe found the
design to be likely to conform with the specified requirements, no order for
prototypes to be built was immediately forthcoming.[4] By this point, official
attention was orientated towards the MS.405, which had already been selected
for the re-equipment effort.
On 12 January 1937, the A.23
technical programme was launched by the Air Ministry.[5] The specifications
called for a maximum speed of 520 km/h (320 mph) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft), the
ability to climb to 8,000 m (26,000 ft) in less than fifteen minutes, with
takeoff and landing runs not exceeding 400 m (1,300 ft).[4] The armament was to
be two 7.5 mm (0.295 in) machine guns and one 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.9 cannon,
or two HS.9 cannon.
Other aircraft designed to the
same specification included the Morane-Saulnier M.S.450, the Loire-Nieuport 60
(later C.A.O 200), and the Caudron-Renault C.770, none of which either left the
drawing board or entered service. Two other concurrent French designs, the
Bloch MB.152.01 and Bloch MB.155.C1 series and the Arsenal VG-33 entered
service in small numbers with the French Air Force during the Battle of France,
but too late to play a significant role.
In addition to the lack of a
prototype order, Dewoitine was absorbed into the larger Société nationale des
constructions aéronautiques du Midi (SNCAM) state-owned manufacturing
consortium. As a result of this organisational restricting, along with
continued alterations within the French Air Force's established manufacturing
programmes, work on the design of the D.520 was suspended throughout much of
1937, and it was not until January 1938 that a small number of draughtsmen
started work on the first detailed drawings for the prototype.
However, Émile Dewoitine, now
the deputy managing director of SNCAM, was keen to proceed with the project and
decided to proceed to the detail design drawing phase with the aim of producing
a pair of prototypes and a single structural test frame, confident that
official interest would be found for the type.[5] On 3 April 1938, this private
initiative was rewarded with the issuing of Air Ministry contract No. 513/8,
which regularised the programme; by this point, the first prototype had almost
been completed.
On 2 October 1938, the first
prototype aircraft, D.520-01, powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Y-21 engine that
temporarily drove a fixed-pitch, two-bladed wooden propeller, performed its
maiden flight.[5] Completion of the prototype had been delayed somewhat by the
need to incorporate modifications requested by the STAe following their
examination of a wooden mock-up of the type. During early flight tests, the
first prototype managed to reach only 480 km/h (300 mph), and suffered from
dangerously high engine temperatures.
A large portion of
responsibility for the encountered temperature issue was judged to have been a
product of greater than expected drag resulting from the underwing radiators,
which exhausted across the upper wing surface and were relatively inefficient;
this arrangement was replaced with a single radiator unit housed under the
fuselage in a streamlined fairing.[9] Other aerodynamic improvements were made
around this time, such as the minor enlargement of the fin and rudder, for
greater lateral stability.
After sustaining minor damage in
a landing accident on 27 November 1938, caused by the failure to deploy the undercarriage,
further modifications were made to the prototype.[5] These included changing
the engine to a newer -29 model and incorporating exhaust ejectors which
provided added thrust, along with a three-blade variable-pitch propeller. These
changes were enough to allow the aircraft to reach its design speed, achieving
530 km/h (330 mph). The maximum diving speed was 825 km/h (513 mph), as reached
on 6 February 1939.
During 1939, the first prototype
was followed be two further examples: the D.520-02 and the 03, these were first
flown on 9 January 1939 and 5 May 1939, respectively.[11] The major differences
between the first prototype and the second and third were the adoption of a new
sliding canopy, the fitting of a re-designed and larger tail unit, and longer
Oleo-manufactured undercarriage legs; they also omitted the Handley Page slats
fitted to the outer wings on 01.
These prototypes were also
provisioned with armaments, being armed with a single 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.9
cannon in an engine mount in which the barrel was mounted in a sleeve between
the cylinder banks and fired through the propeller spinner.[nb 1] and a pair of
MAC 1934 7.5 mm (0.295 in) machine guns, each initially with 300 rounds per
gun, housed in small pods under the wing.[5] The third prototype also
introduced a small tailwheel instead of the original skid. The second prototype
was later fitted with a Hispano-Suiza 12Y-31 engine and achieved a maximum
speed of 550 km/h (340 mph) and reached 8,000 m (26,000 ft) in 12 minutes 53
seconds.
In response to Belgian interest
in the D.520, who were at one stage preparing to negotiate for a licence to
produce the type, several evaluation flights of the third prototype were flown
by Belgian test pilot Captain Arendt.[13] During late September 1939, CEMA took
charge of the third prototype to conduct armament trials. Overall, flight tests
had proceeded successfully, and resulted in the issuing of a contract in March
1939 for 200 production machines to be powered by the newer -31 engine (later
replaced by the -45). A contract for an additional 600 aircraft was issued in
June, albeit reduced to 510 in July 1939.
In April 1939, the rate of
production of fighter aircraft throughout France was far beneath official
expectations.[13] With the outbreak of war, a new contract brought the total of
D.520s on order to 1,280, with the production rate to be 200 aircraft per month
from May 1940. During January 1940, the Aéronautique Navale placed its own
order for 120 aircraft.[13] Another French Air Force order in April 1940
brought the total to 2,250 and increased production quotas to 350 a month.[15]
In addition to domestic orders, Poland was interested in acquiring around 160
D.520s in order.
On 2 November 1939, the
first-production D.520 conducted its first flight.[13] On this and the other
aircraft, the rear fuselage was extended by 51 cm (20 in), the engine cowling
panels were redesigned, the curved, one-piece windscreen was replaced by one
containing an optically flat panel and armour plate was fitted behind the
pilot's seat.[15] Most production examples were powered by the 935 CV (922 hp)
Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45 with the new Szydlowski-Planiol supercharger, although
later production versions used the 960 CV (950 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Y-49.[16]
The production standard armament was a 20 mm HS.404 cannon firing through the
propeller hub and four belt-fed MAC 1934 M39 7.5 mm (0.295 in) machine guns in
the wings.
As the first batch of D.520s
rolled off the production line, they failed acceptance tests due to
insufficient top speed and troublesome cooling.[18] Redesigned compressor
intakes, a modified cooling circuit and propulsive exhaust pipes proved to be
effective remedies of these shortcomings, but as early examples had to be
retrofitted with these improvements, the type was not declared combat ready
until April 1940, at which point the D.520's operational standards had been
defined.[19] In order to speed up the redesign process, a total of four
production aircraft were handed back to SNCAM to serve as special test machines.
The manufacturing process was
deliberately optimized, each aircraft consumed a reduced 7,000 man-hours each
to produce, roughly half the time compared to the previous D.510 and MS.406,
and far less than many other fighters of the time, such as the MC.200/202
(21,000 hours), but around 50% greater than a Bf 109E (4,500 hours). The French
Air Ministry planned for over 300 aircraft a month to be built and managed to
reach this goal, especially in June 1940, but it was too late to affect the
tide of battle. The armistice greatly curtailed production of D.520, which
would have otherwise been a fighter aircraft produced in far greater numbers
and with improved models.
Additional plans had included
another manufacturing line at Asnières-sur-Seine, Paris, for a lightened
version of the aircraft, known as the D.521. An initial batch of 18
pre-production D.521s had been produced at Bagnères-de-Bigorre, Occitanie and
had been prepared for their maiden flight when the armistice came into
effect.[2] During 1940, negotiations with American manufacturer Ford had been
underway with the aim of establishing the licensed production of an
Americanised version of the type, designated as the D.522. This model was
anticipated to have been powered by an Allison V-1710-C15 engine, capable of
generating 1,040 hp, instead.
In April 1941, during the
aftermath of the armistice with Germany, a new programme was launched in which
the production of 1,074 new aircraft were to be manufactured in the unoccupied
zone of Vichy France.[21] Of these, 550 were to be D.520s, which were confirmed
as ordered under contract No. 157/41 on 8 August 1941. The intention was for
the type to replace all other single-engine fighters that remained in service
with the Vichy French Air Force and to eventually equip additional units that
were to be reformed from September 1942 onwards.[21] An initial batch of 22
D.520s were delivered during August 1941. In total, a further 180 machines were
constructed, bringing the production total to 905.
The Dewoitine D.520 was a French
fighter aircraft, intended to be a capable contemporary of types such as the
Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Supermarine Spitfire. An all-metal structure was used,
except for fabric-covered ailerons and tail surfaces. The wing, even if
single-spar, was a solid and rigid unit with a secondary spar and many
reinforced parts. The inwardly retracting undercarriage had a broad 2.83 m (9.3
ft) track, and was fitted with wide, low-pressure tyres.
The D.520 was designed to be
maintained easily with many inspection panels, a rare feature for its time.
Recharging the D.520 ammunition was swift and easy; the machine gun magazines
required five minutes each and three minutes for the 20 mm cannon. To fill the
machine gun ammunition boxes took 15 minutes, while five minutes were needed to
empty the 20 mm box (the cartridges were not expelled). The D.520's cockpit was
set well back in the fuselage, aft of the trailing edge of the wings. This gave
the pilot good downward visibility, but the long nose in front of him was a
drawback when taxiing on the ground.
A self-sealing fuel tank with a
capacity of 396 litres (87 imperial gallons) was mounted between the engine and
cockpit, along with two wing tanks which, combined, carried another 240 L (53
imp gal), for a total of 636 L (140 imp gal);[25] this was considerably more
than the contemporary Bf 109E, Spitfire I and early Italian fighters, each with
about 400 L (88 imp gal) fuel capacity. The ferry range was from 1,300 km (810
mi) to 1,500 km (930 mi) at 450 km/h (280 mph) which, from June 1940, allowed
D.520s to escape to North Africa when France fell.
The Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45 engine
was an underpowered, older design, with 850 CV (840 hp) at takeoff at 2,400
rpm, or 935 CV (922 hp) emergency power at 2,520 rpm and at a height of 1,900 m
(6,200 ft).[26] The Hispano engine had some advantages over some later engines;
for example, its weight was only 515 kg (1,135 lb), compared to the 620 kg
(1,370 lb) of the Rolls-Royce Merlin III. Development of the engine had not
been straightforward, and had delayed overall production of the aircraft.[16]
According to an aviation author, it was alleged by American aviator Charles
Lindbergh that secret negotiations were conducted between Dewoitine and
Daimler-Benz during 1939 to obtain the DB.601 engine for the D.520, but that
these did not come to fruition due to the war.
Fuel was fed via six Solex S.V.
56 carburettors mounted on an inlet manifold which directed compressed air from
the supercharger to the engine cylinders; the 12Y-45 and -49s fitted to
production D.520s used either 92 or 100 octane fuel.[27] The -45 drove an
electrically operated Ratier Type 1606M three-bladed, 3-metre-diameter (9.8
ft), variable-pitch propeller, while D.520s from No. 351 were fitted with the
12Y-49 960 CV (950 hp) engine driving a Chauvière type 3918 pneumatically
operated propeller, also 3 m in diameter.
By 1940 a version of the 520D
was flying with a Rolls Royce Merlin X engine. Ernest Hives stated that
agreement had been reached with the French Government for the manufacture of
the Merlin in France. ("The Merlin in perspective" - A Harvey-Bailey
-Rolls Royce Heritage Trust, p130)
The D.520 had a fire-suppression
system with a fire extinguisher activated from the cockpit. The engine was
started by a simple but effective system, operating with compressed air. A Viet
250 air compressor charged several air bottles (one with a 12-litre capacity,
as well as another eight litre tank, three smaller one litre units were matched
to the weapons). The 12-litre air bottle was used for the brakes and later, for
the Chauvière propeller's constant speed adjustment. The small air bottles
provided up to 12 seconds at 9,000 m (30,000 ft) or 20 seconds at low level,
before the Viet air compressor recharged them. The pilot had a complete set of
cockpit instruments, and a ten-litre oxygen bottle located in the fuselage just
behind his seat, with either a Munerelle or Gourdou oxygen regulator system
mounted on the right instrument panel.[29] Equipment included a Radio Industrie
Type Rl 537 radio-receiver set, an OPL RX 39 reflector sight (less effective
than the Revi system), a height-adjustable seat, and a sliding canopy with
large, clear panels.[30] Except over the long nose, the pilot's view was good,
since he was seated quite high over the forward fuselage; however, no
rear-facing mirrors were fitted.
Production-standard armament
consisted of a 20 mm HS.404, which had an ammunition capacity of 60 rounds,
firing through the propeller hub, and four belt-fed MAC 1934 M39 7.5 mm (0.295
in) machine guns in the wings, with 675 rounds per gun.[17] The MAC 1934
machine guns had a high rate of fire of 1,200 rounds per minute (rpm), while
the effective HS.404 fired at 600 rpm and was accurate up to 500 m (1,600 ft);
the ammunition capacity meant that the machine guns could be fired for a total
of 30 seconds, while the cannon had ten seconds' worth of ammunition.
In combat, the MS.406 had only a
pair of 7.5 mm machine guns and was, therefore, at a disadvantage when the
HS.404 had used up its ammunition, while a D.520 could continue to fight
effectively because it had four fast-firing machine guns (over 80 rounds/sec),
with 20-plus seconds of ammunition still available. The D.520 had provisions
for two BE33 "illuminating bombs", useful for nocturnal interception
missions, but these were seldom used because French fighters rarely flew
nighttime missions.
Although employing a modern
design philosophy for its time, the D.520 was considered more difficult to fly
than the older MS.406.[20][32] Captain Eric Brown, commanding officer of the
Royal Aircraft Establishment's Captured Enemy Aircraft Flight, tested the D.520
at RAE Farnborough, saying that "It was a nasty little brute. Looked
beautiful but didn't fly beautifully. Once you get it on the ground, I was told
not to leave the controls until it was in the hangar and the engine stopped.
You could be taxiing toward the hangar and sit back when suddenly it would go
in a right angle."
The handling changed according
to the amount of fuel carried; using the fuselage tank alone, fuel consumption
had no appreciable effect on handling because the tank was at the centre of
gravity, but with full wing tanks, directional control was compromised,
especially in a dive. The flight controls were well harmonized and the aircraft
was easy to control at high speed. The maximum dive speed tested was 830 km/h
(520 mph) with no buffeting and excellent stability both in the dive (depending
on fuel load) and as a gun platform.
The Groupe de Chasse I/3 was the
first unit to get the D.520, receiving its first aircraft in January 1940.
These initial examples were unarmed and used for pilot training.[18] In April
and May 1940, operational units received 34 'war-capable' production D.520s;
the type quickly proved to be highly popular with pilots and ground crew.
During comparative trials on 21 April 1940 at CEMA at Orleans-Bricy against a
captured Bf 109E-3, the German aircraft had a 32 km/h (20 mph) speed advantage
owing to its more powerful engine.[2] However, the D.520 had superior
maneuverability, matching its turning circle, although displaying nasty
characteristics when departing and spinning out of the turn repeatedly during
the tests. The Bf 109, owing to its slats, could easily sustain the turn on the
edge of a stall.
By 10 May 1940, when the Phoney
War came to an end as Germany launched the invasion of France and the Low
Countries, a total of 246 D.520s had been manufactured, but the French Air
Force had accepted only 79 of these, as most others had been sent back to the factory
to be retrofitted to the new standard.[18] As a result, only GC I/3 was fully
equipped, possessing a force of 36 aircraft. These met the Luftwaffe on 13 May,
shooting down three Henschel Hs 126s and one Heinkel He 111 without suffering
any losses.[18] The next day, two D.520s were lost while a total of ten
Luftwaffe aircraft (4 Messerschmitt Bf 110s, 2 Bf 109Es, 2 Dornier Do 17s, and
2 He 111s) were confirmed to be destroyed.
Four more Groupes de Chasse and
three naval Escadrilles rearmed with the type before France's surrender.[34] GC
II/3, GC III/3, GC III/6 and GC II/7 later completed conversion on the D.520. A
naval unit, the 1er Flotille de Chasse, was also equipped with the Dewoitine.
However, only GC I/3, II/7, II/6 and the naval AC 1 saw any action in the
Battle of France.[22] GC III/7 converted to the D.520 too late to be involved
in any action. In addition, several aircraft were flown by non-operational
units, such as the special patrol of the École de l'air military school, as
well as a handful flown by Polish and civilian pilots in defence of airstrips
and production facilities in the vicinity of Toulouse.
In air combat, mostly against
the Italians, the Dewoitine 520s claimed 114 air victories, plus 39
probables.[36] Eighty five D.520s were lost.[22] By the armistice at the end of
June 1940, 437 D.520s had been constructed, 351 of these having been
delivered.[35] After the armistice, 165 D.520s were evacuated to North
Africa.[22] GC I/3, II/3, III/3, III/6 and II/7 flew their aircraft to Algeria
to avoid capture.[35] Three more, from GC III/7, escaped to Britain and were
delivered to the Free French. A total of 153 D.520s remained in unoccupied
mainland France.
One of the most successful D.520
pilots was Pierre Le Gloan, who shot 18 aircraft down (four Germans, seven
Italian and seven British), scoring all of his kills with the D.520, and ranked
as the fourth-highest French ace of the war.
In April 1941, the German
armistice commission authorized Vichy authorities to resume production of a
batch of 1,000 military aircraft for their own use, under the condition that
2,000 German-designed aircraft would later be manufactured in France and
delivered to Germany. As part of this agreement, 550 examples of the D.520 were
ordered to replace all other single-seat fighters in service.However, no D.520
units were to be stationed on the French mainland, thus individual aircraft
were instead stored or dispatched to units overseas, such as in North Africa.
The plan was to have the
Dewoitine eventually equip a total of 17 Groupes with 442 aircraft, three
escadrilles of the Aéronautique navale with 37 aircraft each, plus three
training units with 13 aircraft. The agreement stated that aircraft of this new
batch were to be similar to the ones already in service.[37] From serial number
543 on, however, D.520s used the 12Y-49 engine that had a slightly higher rated
performance than the 12Y-45, although the German Armistice Commission
explicitly prohibited replacing the original power plants with the more
powerful 12Y51 or 12Z engines.
In 1941, D.520s of GC III/6,
II/3 and naval escadrille 1AC fought the Allies during the SyriaLebanon
campaign. The Vichy French Air Force was already relatively strong, but several
units were sent to reinforce it. D.520s were the only French single-seat
fighters capable of making the trip to Syria. The GC III/6 was sent first. The
ferry trip was very difficult for a 1940 interceptor and the pilots pushed
their planes as far as their fuel tanks would allow them to. They flew from
France to Syria with intermediate stops at Rome, Brindisi or Catania. Another
route was available through Germany and Greece (Athens), but it was seldom
used. The trip always included a stopover in Rhodes (which had an Italian base
at the time), before the final flight to Syria. This meant several thousand
kilometers were flown over mountains and sea. The most demanding part was
Catania-Rhodes, which entailed no less than 1,200 km flown over water.[39] Even
the trip from Rhodes to Syria was 800 km. LeO 451s and Martin 167F bombers had
few problems, but D.520s were forced to fly a strenuous and dangerous mission,
without any help or external assistance. Of the 168 French aircraft (of all
types) sent to Syria, 155 accomplished their mission and arrived successfully.
The Vichy Air force was numerically strong, but with very few ground crew and spare
parts, which meant that the operational flying time for the D.520s was very
limited. D.520s of GC III/6 first saw action against British aircraft on 8 June
1941, when they shot down three Fairey Fulmars, losing one D.520 (its pilot was
taken prisoner).[40] Over the following days several escort missions were flown
to protect Martin, LeO and Bloch 200 (3/39 Esc) bombers from British Royal Navy
fighters. Two Hurricanes were shot down (with another D.520 lost) on 9 June.
During the Syria campaign, a
total of 266 missions were conducted by the Vichy French Air Force: 99 of them
were carried out by D.520s, nine by MS.406s, 46 by Martin 167s and 31 by LeO
451s. The D.520s were therefore the most active of the French aircraft in the
campaign, where they claimed 31 kills over British and Australian units while
losing 11 of their own in air combat and a further 24 to anti-aircraft fire,
accidents and attacks on their airfields.[citation needed] On 10 July, five
D.520s attacked Bristol Blenheim bombers from No. 45 Squadron RAF that were
being escorted by seven Curtiss Tomahawks from No. 3 Squadron RAAF (3 Sqn).[41]
The French pilots claimed three Blenheims, but at least four of the D.520s were
destroyed by the Australian escorts, including two by flying officer Peter
Turnbull.[41][42] The following day, a Dewoitine pilot shot a P-40 down from 3
Sqn, the only Tomahawk lost during the campaign.[41] This Dewoitine was in turn
shot down by F/O Bobby Gibbes. The initial advantage that the Vichy French Air
Force enjoyed did not last long, and they lost most of their aircraft during
the campaign. The majority of them were destroyed on the ground where the flat
terrain, absence of infrastructure and absence of modern anti-aircraft (AA)
artillery made them vulnerable to air attacks. On 26 June, a strafing run by
Tomahawks of 3 Sqn, on Homs airfield, destroyed five D.520s of Fighter Squadron
II/3 (Groupe de Chasse II/3) and damaged six more.
By the end of the campaign,
Vichy forces had lost 179 aircraft from the approximately 289 committed to the
Levant. The remaining aircraft with the range to do so, evacuated to Rhodes.
The known French losses of fighter aircraft were 26 in air combat and 45 in
strafing and bombing actions. The Allies lost 41 planes, 27 of those shot down
by French fighters. During Operation Torch (the invasion of North Africa), GC
III/3 (previously known as GC I/3), was engaged in combat with the Allies over
Oran. Flotille 1F saw action against the United States Navy Grumman F4F Wildcat
squadron VF-41 (from the carrier USS Ranger), over Casablanca. One D.520 was
among fourteen US victory claims; the only Allied losses were due to ground and
friendly fire.[43] Other Dewoitine-equipped units in North Africa such as GC
II/7 or GC II/3 did not take part in the fighting. Overall, the known D.520 air
strength in North Africa was 173 D.520s (143 combat ready) of GC II/3, III/3,
III/6, II/7 and II/5; another 30 were in Senegal with GC II/6. The Navy had Esc
1AC and 2AC. Many D.520s were destroyed on the ground by Allied bombing. The
French Air Force lost 56 aircraft, among them 13 D.520s. The Navy lost 19
D.520s. Among the 44 kills that the French scored overall, there were five
losses from fighters and flak out of a squadron of eight Fairey Albacores from
HMS Furious, some of which were shot down by D.520s of GC III/3.
A very small number of D.520s
were briefly operated by Free French Forces for training purposes. Along with
the three examples that had flown to Britain in June 1940, two other Dewoitines
were recovered from retreating Vichy forces in Rayak, Lebanon. These D.520s
were flown by pilots of the Normandie-Niemen unit before it was sent to the
USSR, where they flew the Yakovlev Yak-1 that had many similarities with the
French aircraft.
In December 1942, as French
forces formerly under Vichy sided with the Allies, there were 153 D.520s left
in French hands in North Africa.[35] They flew a few patrols during the Tunisia
campaign, but were considered obsolete, and their radio sets were incompatible
with Allied equipment. From early 1943 on, they were relegated to training
duties at the fighter school in Meknes, and progressively replaced by
Supermarine Spitfires and Bell P-39 Airacobras in combat units.
During the liberation of France,
a few D.520s abandoned by the Germans, were used by ad hoc units in ground
attacks against the isolated German pockets of resistance on the Western
coast.[45] Around 55 such aircraft were recovered from the Luftwaffe by the
rapid advance of the Allies. Commanded by former test pilot Marcel Doret, one
such unit attacked German forces at Royan and Pointe de Grave, performing
strafing runs upon enemy artillery positions, as well as providing air cover
for Allied bombers.[45] After 1 December 1944, the date on which the French Air
Force was officially reformed, Doret's unit became G.C.II/18; it continued to
operate D.520s for several months before being reequipped with Spitfires on 1
March 1945.
About 60 D.520s were acquired by
the Regia Aeronautica (the Italian Air Force or RA).[46][45] Italian pilots
appreciated the aircraft's capabilities and Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon, at
least by 19401941 standards. The first three D.520s were assigned to 2° Stormo
based at the Torino-Caselle airfield, where they were used for the defence of
Torino's industrial area.[47] Other D.520s were captured in Montélimar, Orange,
Istres and Aix-en-Provence.
At the beginning of 1943, the
Italian ace Luigi Gorrini ferried D.520s taken as prizes of war to Italy to be
used for defence. "I have collected several dozen Dewoitines from various
French airfields and the Toulouse factory", he recalled later.[49]
"At the time, when we were still flying the Macchi C.200, it was a good,
if not very good, machine. Compared to the Macchi 200, it was superior only in
one point: its armament of the Hispano-Suiza HS 404 20 mm cannon."[49]
Italian pilots liked the 20 mm gun, the modern cockpit, the excellent radio set
and the easy recovery from a spin but they also complained about the weak
undercarriage and the small [cannon] ammunition drum capability; the ammunition
was not available in quantities (the HS.404 was not compatible with Breda and
Scotti 20 mm guns, so everything depended on France's depots). At the end of
February the 359a Squadriglia (22° Gruppo), led by Major Vittorio Minguzzi,
received eight Dewoitine D.520. At that time, American B-24s frequently bombed
Naples, so an effective interceptor was badly needed, and D.520s were all that
were available in early 1943. The 359a Squadriglia pilots used Dewoitines with
some success.
On 1 March 1943, Maggiore
Minguzzi claimed a B-24 while flying a D.520. This claim was initially only
claimed as a probable but was later upgraded to a confirmed. This was probably
the first Italian claim using this aircraft. On 21 May 1943, the Regia
Aeronautica and the Luftwaffe agreed to exchange 39 Lioré et Olivier LeO 451s,
captured by the Italians at the SNCASE factory in Ambérieu-en-Bugey (Lyon),
with a stock of 30 D.520s. Subsequently, in the spring and summer of 1943, the
Dewoitines were used by 161° Gruppo Autonomo, based in southern Italy with 163a
Squadriglia in Grottaglie, 162a Squadriglia in Crotone and 164a Squadriglia in
Reggio Calabria.[48] On 31 July 1943, the Regia Aeronautica still had 47
Dewoitines in service.[50] After the armistice of 8 September 1943, three
D.520s, previously in service with 24° Gruppo, were used by the Aeronautica
Nazionale Repubblicana of the Italian Social Republic for training.
German forces invading Vichy's
so-called "free zone" in November 1942, captured 246 D.520s;
additionally, a batch of 62 was completed under German occupation.[51][52] The
captured Dewoitines were to be delivered to the Axis Balkan Front, although
some were used by the Luftwaffe for training purposes while 60 were transferred
to Italy and 96,[53] or 120, to the Bulgarian Air Force[54] for use in
combat.[46][55] However, D.520s reached Bulgaria only in August 1943, as the
fighter pilots of that country were still training on the type at Nancy with JG
107.
The following month, the first
48 Dewoitines were taken over in a ceremony on Karlovo airfield. Two months
later, on 24 November, the D.520s were used in combat, when 17 out of the 60
B-24 Liberators of the 15th USAAF arrived over the capital, Sofia, to bomb it.
Twenty four Dewoitines took off from Vrazhdebna base (along with 16 Bf 109G-2s
from Bojourishte) and attacked the bombers and their 35 escorting P-38
Lightnings. The Bulgarian pilots claimed four American aircraft for the loss of
one fighter, three more had to force land. American bombers attacked Sofia
again, on 10 December 1943. That day, 31 B-24s escorted by P-38s, were
intercepted by six Dewoitines of the II/6th Fighter Regiment from Vrazhdebna
and 16 D.520s of the I/6th Fighter Regiment from Karlovo (along with 17 Bf
109G-2s).[56] The Americans claimed 11 D.520s for the loss of only one P-38.
The later examination of records showed that only one Dewoitine was lost during
that air battle.
The Bulgarian Air Force D.520s
were again up in force, to face the massive Allied air raid of 30 March 1944.
To intercept the 450 bombers (B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-24s and Handley Page
Halifaxes) escorted by 150 P-38s, the Bulgarians scrambled 28 Dewoitines from
I./6th at Karlovo, six D.520s from II/6th at Vrazhdebna (together with 39 Bf
109G-6s and even Avia 135s). At least ten Allied aircraft (eight bombers and
two P-38s) were shot down, while the Bulgarian Air Force lost five fighters and
three pilots. Two more Bulgarian aircraft had to force land.[58] During the
last Allied raid on Sofia, on 17 April, the II./6th fighter scrambled seven
Dewoitines (plus 16 Bf 109s), against 350 B-17s and B-24s escorted by 100 P-51
Mustangs. Bulgarian pilots, who up to that time had encountered only P-38s,
mistook the P-51s for their own Bf 109s and before they realized their mistake,
seven Bf 109G-6s had been shot down. That day the Bulgarian Air Force suffered
the heaviest losses since the beginning of the war: nine fighters shot down and
three that had to crash land. Six pilots lost their lives.[58] By 28 September
1944, twenty days after Bulgaria joined the Allies, Dewoitines still equipped
an Orlyak (Group) of the 6th Fighter regiment: I Group had a total of 17
D.520s, five under repair and 12 operational, for its three Jato (Squadrons).
Numerous sources have mentioned
use of the D.520 by the Romanian Air Force, but no evidence has ever been
provided. One source claims the so-called Romanian Dewoitines were, in fact, in
transit to Bulgaria and only flew over Romania in order to get to their final
destination.[60] This seems the most reliable explanation, viewed against the
numbers of Dewoitines actually available. Romania did however use the French
Bloch MB.150.
After the war, the D.520s that
remained in France were used as trainers; on 1 June 1945, the school base No.
704 was formed at Tours for the purpose of training pilot instructors
operating, amongst other types, 17 D.520s.[45] At the encouragement of No.
704's commanding office, one D.520 was field-modified into a two-seater
configuration in late 1945, which was subsequently designated as the D.520
DC.[61] In March 1946, after further experiments, the French Air Force ordered
a further batch of 20 D.520s to be likewise converted; however, only 13 of
these D.520 DC conversions were completed.
The last unit to fly the D.520
was the EPAA (Équipes de présentation de l'armée de l'air), No. 58.[62] In
their final years, the remaining examples were often unserviceable due to
general wear and tear. The last flight of an operational D.520 was made on 3
September 1953 with EPAA (Équipes de présentation de l'armée de l'air).[62]
Initially, this unit had flown Yak-3s, formerly of the Normandie-Niemen fighter
squadron; these were later replaced with seven D.520s, three of them being
two-seaters.