Caudrons

[GregP]

Can anyone tell me why the French pursued the lightweight fighter to the point of obsession in the 1930's?

Did the Caudrons of various varieties ever DO anything, or did they simply sit around and ook like fugitives from the air races?

Just wondering.

The C-670 at least LOOKED like the De Havilland Comet and might have been developed into a French Mosquito, if the Germans had not succeeded in their invasion of France.

The C-710 / 714 / 760 / 770 all look like very small, underpowered, underarmed planes that would be of little to no military value in a fight. So, you Caudron fans (not that I'm NOT one ... but they seem useless) out there, please enlighten me!

[Corsarius]

OK, I'm not really big on the whole Caudron thing myself, but I think they were kind of a groovy concept in their own way.

They WERE developed from a line of '30s air racers. The wing section was so thin that the wing guns were podded and placed underneath.

I'd also like to know where you get the idea these things were under-gunned. Between 2 and 4 20mm cannon (even if it is the drum-fed version) is a substantial punch back in 1939. {edit} the c714 packed a whopping 2*20mm and 4*7.5mm guns... in 1938!{edit}

Having said that, I was chasing up some history on the things. I can't find much of anytime they were used in combat, and where they were they were hacked apart (a lack of armour tends to do that to a warplane). The Finns, who flew everything sucessfully from Bulldog IVs to Brewster Buffalos, found the ones they were given unfit for combat and returned them to France!

{edit} the Armee de l'Air considered the C714 unsuited for operational deployment, but the French government planned to donate 80 to Finland, of which only six reached the destination. Although assigned to LLv 30, the C714s saw no operational service in Finalnd. A number were assigned to two Polish fighter training squadrons at Lyon-Bron, these eventually flying the C714 operationally. A total of 63 C714s had been completed at the time of the Armistice, when production was terminated{edit}

[edit..AGAIN] I found this website which tells the story of the Polish C714s in action. Aparrently while a 'dangerous' aircraft to fly, it seems to have aquitted itself well against the Bf-109E aircraft. It makes for quite an interesting read!
http://lonestar.texas.net/~snolep/fighter/index06.htm [Edit]

[GregP]

Thanks Corsairius!