Poland 1918-1921 Breguet Br.14 A2

Breguet Br.14 A2 of the Polish-Soviet War

Slowly but surely I have been busy fleshing out the my collection of profiles for Poland, Belgium, Greece and Turkey. Some of the work has been slowed by the need for new master files. I hope to remedy this in the near future. I have been preparing the raw line drawings for the process of breaking them down into parts which get refined, shaded and stacked up for reassembly. Once the master files are done I can have fun.

As I promised before here is the first installment on Polish Air Force. There is much more to come. I will be posting them by aircraft type to attempt a coherent narrative.

The Birth of Polish Air Power

Military aviation in Poland started shortly after the country regained its independence in November 1918. Initially, the Polish Air Force consisted of mostly German and Austrian aircraft. The aircraft used included captured German Albatros D.III and D.VI, Fokker D.VII and D.VIII, and the Austrian Lloyd C.V and Oeffag D.III, as well as other aircraft types. These planes were first used by the Polish Air Force in the Polish-Ukrainian War in late 1918, during combat operations centered around the city of Lwów (now Lviv).

When the Polish-Soviet War broke out in February 1920, the Polish Air Force used a variety of aircraft from Britain, France and Italy. The most common aircraft in service at this time were the British made Bristol F2B and Italian Ansaldo Balilla fighters. German aircraft were still in use during the Polish-Soviet War The 21. Eskadra Niszczycielska (21st Destroyer Squadron) included a Gotha G.IV on April 30, 1920.

Breguet Br.14 A2, 39 Eskadra Breguetow sn 7460, Krakow Aerodrome mid 1919

This is one of the original Breguet Br.14 A2s assigned to BR39 Escadrille which was sent to Poland after WWI. It is finished in the French standard five-color camouflage scheme. The top wing bore both French and Polish markings, French on the left upper wing, Polish on the right. The rudder has the Polish insignia painted over the original three color French markings.

Breguet Br.14 A2, 16 Eskadra Wywiadowcza, sn 7244, May 1920

This is another French Breguet Br.14 A2 from Escadrille BR39 which became 16 Eskadras when turned over to the Polish Air Force. The basic paint scheme is the same as above, except the rudder has been over-painted and bears the Polish insignia. The marking mid-ship is a young woman scattering flowers. This unit eventually became the fictional Lithuanian squadron sent to fight in the 'Zeligowski's revolt'.

Breguet Br.14 A2 in Polish Service Overview

During the closing days of the Great War France redeployed three French escadrilles to Poland to aid in their struggle for independence and to bolster their defenses against what was seen as a growing threat of Soviet expansion. Escadrille BR39, BR59 and BR66 were redesignated as Polish squadrons. Eventually the French government handed over the surviving aircraft of these escadrilles to the Polish Air Force. Escadrille BR39 became 16EW, Escadrille BR59 became 12EW and Escadrille BR66 became 4EW. The original three Polish squadrons were disbanded by late 1920. Poland ordered an additional 70 Breguet Br.14s and between 1920-21 assigned them to the newly formed 1, 3, 8, 10, 12 and 16 Eskadras. By 1924 the Br14 was showing its age and was replaced by newer designs entering service.

The Br14s assigned to Poland were finished in the standard five-color camouflage scheme and French markings. The French roundels were gradually over-painted with the Polish red and white checkerboard insignias During the transition the aircraft bore a mix of French and Polish markings. Late issue Br14s were painted in a dark green on all of the upper surfaces

Poland sent the 16 Eskadras to aid Lithuania in the 'Zeligowski's revolt' which was fought between 1920 to 1921. 16 EW was sent as a fictional Lithuanian squadron. To help with the masquerade their markings were changed of a red square with white border on left wing and white square with red border on right. The rudder of these aircraft were painted in red and white stripes.

References

1. Aircraft Colours and Markings of the First World War Era: Breguet Br14 http://www.cbrnp.com/RNP/CDv2/Poland/HTML/Aircraft-Breguet_14.htm

Breguet Br.14A2 1919-1922

Breguet Br.14A2 of the Second Greco-Turkish War

It is good to get back to work on my projects after thee last month. As I said earlier I have been working on some of the later examples of World War One aircraft. Today offering is a few of the aircraft which fought in the Second Greco-Turkish War. There will be more of these aircraft to come.

When the Treaty of Versailles was signed on November 11 of 1918, it was called the war to end all wars. With hindsight we can see just how out of touch they were. All the treaty did was set the stage for even more warfare, both in the long and short term future. The combination of shifting fortunes of nations a rise in nationalism in the Baltic, and availability of weapons left over from WWI was a recipe for a new string of smaller but no less fierce wars.

When Turkey was reeling from their ill-fated participation in WWI, Greece saw an opportunity for expansion. Even though Turkey had been on the losing side of the Great War, their army still had more troops and armament than the Greeks. The Turks crushed the Greek forces and the Treaty of Laussane formalized the cessation of hostilities in 1923. In the end this military misadventure proved to be a mistake which would topple the Greek monarchy and bring about military rule. The Second Greco-Turkish War would bring about the current state of affairs in the Middle east.

Turkey

Breguet Br.14A2 Turkish Air Force - 1921

This Turkish Bre.14.A2 has a fairly standard French camouflage pattern. The aircraft bears the new red square and star and crescent rudder markings.

Greece

Breguet Br.14A2 - 1921

The basic fuselage scheme is similar to the Turkish example shown above. Notable is the black wavy line over-painted on the Greek insignia on the fuselage. The rudder is painted in the standard Greek identification pattern.

Breguet Br.14A2 - 1921

The paint scheme is more muted on this example and the serial numbers on the rudder have been over-painted. Like the previous aircraft the forward section is bare metal.

France - 1918 Breguet Br.14

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.

Breguet Br.14A2

Breguet-Renault Br.14A2 Escadrille Br 234 sn 4644, 1918

This Breguet Br.14A2 from the Autumn of 1918 was powered by a Renault engine. The blue is not typical. The insignia for the 234^th Escadrille is a stylized Gallic angel on a blue field.

Breguet Br.14A2 Escadrille 509 Sg. Jean - 1917

The paint scheme is fairly standard. The unit markings area white dragon and quartered blue and white circle. The wing struts are light gray.

Breguet Br.14B2

Breguet Br.14B2 Escadrille 11 - 1917

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.

Breguet Br.14B2 Million, Escadrille 504, sn 909 - 1917

Most examples I have seen of Breguet 14's in the 504^th Escadrille bear the red and white banding and the red cross. The lower red stripe is unusual.

U.S.A - 1918 The 9th Aero Squadron

Breguet 14 Aplenty

Once again I have got on an obsessive roll. After a lot of research I have found plenty of material for working up profiles of the Breguet 14a.2 and 14b.2. I decided to continue by posting examples which served in another aero squadron during 1918.

The 9^th Aero Squadron U.S.A.S. & The Breguet 14 A2

Breguet 14 A2, 1^st Flight, 9th Aero Sqn, Pilot Unknown, sn 4948 - 1918

During the closing days of WWI the 9th Aero Sqn spent a good deal of time conducting night reconnaissance. To reduce visibility of the aircraft when performing night missions, aircraft of the First and Second flights were painted in black.

In the postwar era the aircraft of the First Flight were decorated with a tooth filled mouth and eye reminiscent of an Orca. The unit insignia of searchlight beams which formed an “IX” were also added after the Armistice. This example carried an unusual pattern on its tail fin, the colors are conjectural.

Breguet Br. 14 A2, 2nd Flight, 9^th Aero Sqn, Pilot and Serial Number Unknown - 1918

The Second Flight marked their aircraft with a swastika on the fin. This aircraft carried the name “JIMMY” below the pilot's cockpit.

Breguet Br14.A2 2/Lt Bruce Struthers, 3rd Flight, 9^th Aero Sqn, sn 4937 Early 1918

Breguet Br14.A2 2/Lt Bruce Struthers, 3rd Flight, 9^th Aero Sqn, sn 4937 Late 1918

The Third Flight retained the original French five-color camouflage scheme, with red and white checks on the tail fin and tailplane. The profiles above depict the aircraft at two stages in its career. When the flight originally chose the red checkerboard theme, the checks were painted directly on the camouflaged tail fin. This aircraft is unique in that the aft fuselage also carried checks. Eventually the areas exposing the camouflage were filled in with white as seen in the second profile. One point of interest is the complete lack of all armament on this plane even the Scarff mount in the rear cockpit has been removed.

History of the 9^th Bombardment Squadron

The 9^th Bombardment Squadron began as the 9th Aero Squadron at Camp Kelly, Texas on 14 June 1917. World War I had begun in April of that year and the unit was targeted for overseas combat duty. Their first European stop was Winchester, England in December 1917. Following the holidays, the unit moved on to Grantham, England to train for combat flying the Sopwith Scout. After eight months of intensive training, the unit moved to the front in August 1918. While in Colombyles-Belles, France, the 9th was assigned to the 1^st Army Observation Group. Also, after arrival in France, the unit began flying a new aircraft; the French Brequet 14. That aircraft would be used extensively to perform the unit's mission - night reconnaissance. By specializing in night reconnaissance, the 9^th gained the unique distinction of being the first in the American Air Service to do so. However, their missions were not without danger. In one case, two of the 9^th aircraft were engaged by seven enemy Fokkers. The 9^th's aircraft not only shot down two German aircraft, but completed their photographic mission.

As the war progressed the unit participated in many night missions and battles. Most famous of those battles were the Battle of Lorraine, Battle of St. Michiel, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. For those, the unit earned their first battle streamers. After the war had drawn to a close, the unit was moved to Trier, Germany to serve as part of the occupation force under the Third Army on 5 December 1918.

References

• 9^th Bomb Squadron. (2011, September 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:19, November 9, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=9th_Bomb_Squadron&oldid=449900423
• Bréguet 14 Over the Front Retrieved 16:25, November 9, 2011, from http://www.overthefront.com/WWI-Airplanes-Breguet-14.php
• 9^th Bombardment Squadron Retrieved 16:36, November 9, 2011, from http://www.7bwb-36assn.org/9bombsquad.html
• 9^th Bombardment Squadron Retrieved 17:02, November 9, 2011, from http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/agency/9bs.htm
• American WWI Air Force OOB Retrieved 17:10, November 9, 2011, from http://www.usaww1.com/American_wwi_air_force_OOB.php4
• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
• World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 890 Sheets 78-79.

US - 1918 96th Aero Squadron

America's 1^st Bombardment Squadron & the Breguet Br.14

As part of the ongoing work on the U.S.A.S during the First World War I began fleshing out details for the 1st Bombardment Group. This means a need for new master files for both the AIRCO DH-4 and the Breguet Br.14. Since the 96^th Aero Squadron was the first squadron of the group deployed I began by making a new master file for the Breguet Br.14 to replace the one lost during the great crash. Once I have finished some French, Belgian, and Greek profiles I will get busy with a new DH-4 master. Here is a short excerpt from some upcoming pages on wwiaviation.com.

Breguet Br.14B2 96^th Aero Squadron sn 10 - 1918

This Breguet Br.14 is painted in a standard French scheme, including the rudder which has the original identification information. The four pane windows were intended to improve visibility for the observer. As with most aircraft in the 96^th, the numbers are red with white borders. The wings are camouflage pattern on the top surfaces and varnished fabric on the lower. The wings have a standard positioning scheme for the roundels, Two on the top surface of the upper and two on the lower surface of the lower bottom wing. As with all the examples shown today none of them have wheel covers.

Breguet Br.14B2 96^th Aero Squadron Major Harry Brown, sn 12 4012 - 1918

This is Major Brown's plane from the unfortunate incident which resulted in the capture of 6 aircraft and crew near Coblenz, Germany. The plane has command stripes on the fuselage and the rudder has been repainted. The red numbers have no border. There was no squadron insignia on the fuselage.

Breguet Br.14A2 96^th Aero Squadron sn 15-4880 - 1918

This example has slightly different paint scheme, and no windows on the fuselage. It does have the word “PHOTO” painted near the pilot's position. 20 kg french bombs are mounted on hard points under the lower wing. The rudder carries the standard markings.

Breguet Br.14A2 96^th Aero Squadron sn 24-4891 - 1918

This example has all the standard features you would expect for a typical Breguet Br.14 serving with the 96^th Aero Squadron during 1918. The tail plane is painted in the standard french camouflage pattern.

A Short History of the 96^th Aero Squadron

The 96th Aero Squadron was America's first bomber group and was formed at Kelly Field, Texas. Originally consisting of 80 men, largely college graduates or college dropouts, volunteers all, and something of an elite group, since their aeronautical qualifications were the highest in the U.S. Army Air Service. Just before embarking upon its first aerial warfare, the squadron decided upon its insignia, a black triangle outlined by a white strip enclosing the profile of a red devil thumbing his nose at the ground with his right hand. In his left, he held a white bomb. This distinctive emblem was designed by the squadron's talented graphic artist, Harry O. Lawson.

The 96th's first attack was a six Breguet raid against the railway yards at Dommary-Baroncourt - a village located in between Thionville, Metz and Verdun - on June 12. The six planes dropped a ton of bombs across the rail yards, hitting the railway lines and a warehouse. This ton per raid average would be maintained during the month of August when formations of 10 Breguets, on average, dropped a total of 21.1 tons of bombs during 14 flying days and a total of 20 missions.

On July 10 a flight of six Breguet 14B.2 bombers from the 96^th Day Bombardment Squadron bombers got lost. The weather had turned to rain about an hour after the flight took off, bringing the clouds down to 100 meters (330 feet) reducing the visibility to near zero. The planes were running short on fuel and faced with the dilemma whether they would land under power or to attempt gliding to a landing. The flight landed near Coblenz, Germany, and fell into German hands without firing a shot. The Germans sent back a humorous message which was dropped at one of the allied airdromes. It said, “We thank you for the fine airplanes and equipment which you have sent us, but what shall we do with the Major Harry K. Brown?” In all fairness, the mistake was both understandable and unfortunate.

There was only one other Breguet operational for the rest of July which the 96th duly used for bombing practice. 11 more Breguets arrived on August 1^st which allowed operations to continue as they had before. The squadron flew for 14 days during August – probably the number of days the weather allowed bombing operations. And during that time they dropped 21.1 tons of bombs during 20 bombing raids. The German airfield and the railway station at Conflans were favorite targets in spite of its heavy anti-aircraft defenses. Following rivers made for good navigation and easier orientation. The village was located at the junction of the Moselle and Madon rivers which made it relatively easy to find. The 96th hit Conflans with a total of 15,000 kilograms of bombs over the course of the war – meaning that 96th's efforts against just this 2.5 square mile village of 2,500 people accounted for one quarter of all bombs dropped by all four Day Bombardment squadrons against all targets during the entire war. During one raid on August 20th against Conflans, the 96th destroyed 40 German aircraft while they were still in railway boxcars and also killed fifty workmen and soldiers.

In spite of the set backs experienced by the 96^th it had been the most successful of the bomber squadrons of World War One and it was the only US bomber squadron operating in combat for four months before other bomber squadrons started to go into action. It was the 96^th that wrote the book on American bomber tactics and operational procedures.

References

1. 1st Bombardment Group during World War I Retrieved 12:19, November 2, 2011, from http://www.usaww1.com/1st_Bombardment_Group.php4
2. 96th Bomb Squadron. (2011, September 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:19, November 5, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=96th_Bomb_Squadron&oldid=452846154
3. Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, AL: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
4. Joseph, Frank: Last Of The Red Devils. Galde Press, Inc., 2003.