Two Pairs of Breguet 14's
First off I want to thank all the veterans who have served us well in times of war defending freedom we should never take for granted. As long as we tell their stories they shall never be forgotten.
My posting schedule has been a bit erratic recently. Between working on new masters and profiles, working up the pages for the U.S.A.S. Pursuit, Observer, and Bombardment Groups, and the squadrons serving in them, I have been frazzled.
Today's post is a mixed bag of Breguet 14's in French service. The difference between the two versions of this aircraft are easy to spot.
This Breguet Br.14A2 from the Autumn of 1918 was powered by a Renault engine. The blue is not typical. The insignia for the 234th Escadrille is a stylized Gallic angel on a blue field.
The paint scheme is fairly standard. The unit markings area white dragon and quartered blue and white circle. The wing struts are light gray.
Another example of a standard French camouflage scheme. The unit insignia is a red origami bird with eyes added to the head. The wing struts are natural wood.
Most examples I have seen of Breguet 14's in the 504th Escadrille bear the red and white banding and the red cross. The lower red stripe is unusual.
2 comments:
While I know (I think) that the A2 is Recon and the B2 is a bomber version. How do you tell it by looking at he aircraft.
Thank you
Jon
To be fair it may not be as easy to spot in drawings. There does seem to be a bit of confusion among many when it comes to making the correct assessment. The side windows were more common on the B2 than on the A2.
Early versions of the B2mounted a Michelin bomb rack which could carry 32 11.5 kg of bombs. The A2 version could carry four bombs, a camera, and a wireless set. The principle difference between the A2 and the B2 versions were in the wings The B2 had a lower wing with a different span and bunge-sprung flaps.
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