Tag: Aircraft
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Dewoitine D.520 in Free French Service
Dewoitine D.520 in Free French Service A very small number of D.520s were briefly operated by Free French Forces for training purposes. Along with 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… Read more
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Dewoitine D.520 in Vichy French Service
Dewoitine D.520 in Vichy French Service In April 1941, the German Armistice Commission allowed Vichy authorities to resume domestic aircraft production, provided that France later manufactured 2,000 German-designed aircraft for delivery to Germany. Under this arrangement, 550 Dewoitine D.520 fighters were ordered to replace all other single-seat types, though they were prohibited from basing such… Read more
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Dewoitine D.520 in Italian Service
Dewoitine D.520 in Italian Service Roughly 60 Dewoitine D.520 fighters entered service with the Regia Aeronautica (RA). Italian pilots generally respected the type for its handling qualities and its Hispano-Suiza HS.404 20 mm cannon, which was competitive by 1940–41 standards. The first three airframes were allocated to 2° Stormo at Turin-Caselle for point-defence of the… Read more