The Breguet XIV (in contemporary practice) or Breguet 14 is a French biplanebomber and reconnaissance aircraft of World War I. It was built in very large numbers and production continued for many years after the end of the war.
The Breguet 14 was among the first mass-produced aircraft to use large amounts of aluminium, rather than wood or steel, in its structure. This allowed the airframe to be both lighter and stronger, making the aircraft fast and agile, and it was able to outrun some contemporary fighters.
Development
Background
The Breguet 14 was designed by aviation pioneer and aeronautical engineerLouis Breguet.[2] Breguet had already built a reputation for producing capable aircraft and for having innovative ideas, including the use of metal in aircraft construction. The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 led to Breguet-built aircraft being ordered by the military air services of several Triple Entente nations.[3] He temporarily abandoned the preferred tractor configuration for a pusher design to satisfy the French general staff, who sought a clear forward view for the observer.[3]
Renault powered Breguet XIV A.2 with prominent camera fairing on fuselage side for photo reconnaissance
In spite of the French official preference for pushers, Breguet remained a proponent of tractor aircraft.[4] In June 1916, he began a new design for a military two-seater, the Breguet AV. The French Army's Section Technique de l' Aéronautique (STAé) recommended that Breguet use the Hispano-Suiza 8A V-8 engine of 130kW (180hp).[5] Breguet determined that the Hispano-Suiza lacked sufficient power, and instead chose the Renault V-12 engine previously used in the Breguet Type V.[5]
Two variants of the Breguet AV (Type XIII and Type XIV to the French authorities) were built. Both had a boxy shape that was complemented by a rectangular frontal radiator and the unusual negative or back stagger of its wings.[5] It possessed a sturdy undercarriage, and had ailerons on the upper wing only. The lower wing had flaps along the entire trailing edges, that were forced into their raised position by the air, as the aircraft accelerated to its normal speed, being restricted from moving freely by a set of 12 adjustable rubberbungee cords.[6]
The airframe's structure was constructed primarily of duralumin, an aluminium alloy which had been invented in Germany by Alfred Wilm only a decade previously. Many sections, such as the duralumin longerons and spacers, were attached using weldedsteel-tube fittings and braced using piano wire. The wing spars were rectangular duralumin tubes with either oak or ash shims at the attachment points, wrapped in a sheet steel sheath.[5] The wooden box ribs had fretted plywood webs and ash flanges. The tail unit was built up from welded steel tube, while the elevators featured large horn balances.[5] French officials were initially wary of the Type XIV's innovative materials due to a lack of experience with them.[7]
Into flight
French Breguet XIV B.2 showing off the substantial flaps on the lower wingsAmerican Breguet showing off its full load of bombsFiat powered Breguet XIV A.2
Louis Breguet took the prototype into the air for the first time on 21 November 1916.[7] In November 1916, the S.T.Aé. had issued requirements for four new aircraft types, and Breguet submitted the XIV for two of those - reconnaissance and bomber.[7]
The prototype was passed to the S.T.Aé on 11 January 1917 for trials and was accepted to fill both roles. The report issued on 7 February 1917 from the trials stated that the prototype had attained a speed of 172km/h (107mph) at an altitude of 2,000m (6,600ft).[7] On 22 February 1917, Breguet asked the S.T.Aé about initiating production and informed them on 2 March that jigs were ready.[7] On 6 March 1917, the first official production order was received by Breguet, calling for 150 Breguet XIV A.2 reconnaissance aircraft and an additional order for 100 XIV B.2 bombers was received on 4 April.[7] The A.2 was equipped with several cameras, while some also had radios. The lower wing of the 14 B.2 was fitted with Michelin-built bomb racks for thirty-two 115mm (4.5in) bombs.[8] To avoid the bomb racks jamming the flaps, a forward extension of the wings was added, while transparent panels were added to the sides of the fuselage to aid in the use of the bomb sight.[8]
By mid-1917, the French authorities ordered a substantial increase in production.[9] Various other companies were contracted to manufacture the type.[7] On 25 April, French aviation company Darracq was requested to manufacture 330 aircraft. On 8 June, 50 were ordered from Farman and on 18 June, Paul Schmitt was issued a contract to produce 200 aircraft.[7] Some of the contractors were unable to commence quantity production of the Breguet 14 until 1918.[8] Following the war, some aircraft were constructed in French military workshops in Indo-China, although these are likely to have been reliant on imported parts.[10]
As an insurance against engine shortages, alternatives to the standard Renault powerplant were installed, both for experimental purposes and in production quantities.[11] Aside from some used in France, many of the Belgian and American Breguet 14s were powered by the Fiat A.12 engine.[12] An improved model of the standard engine, the Renault 12Ff, appeared in summer 1918 and was used on some late production aircraft.[11] Another engine adopted, lighter but less powerful than the Renault unit, was built by French automotive company Lorraine-Dietrich. A number of late production B.2 models were equipped with the American Liberty engine. To distinguish these aircraft, they were designated Breguet XIV B.2 L.[13]
Other minor variants of the Breguet 14 were flown in small numbers during the Great War; these included the XIV B.1 (Bombardement) long-range single-seat bomber, the XIV GR.2 (Grande Raid) long-range reconnaissance/bomber, the XIV H (Hydro) floatplane, the XIV S (Sanitaire) air ambulance and the XIV Et.2 (Ecole) trainer.[14] Later variants, such as the XIVbis A.2 and XIVbis B.2, had improved wings. A variant with enlarged wings was produced as the XVI Bn.2 (Bombardement de nuit) night bomber. Further derivatives of the aircraft included the XVII C.2 (Chasse) two-seat fighter, which was only built in small numbers due to the end of the war.[11] Production of the Breguet 14 continued long after the end of the war, only ending in 1926.[10]
Operational history
United States Army Air Service Breguet 14 in France, 1918
The Breguet 14 was used in large numbers from May 1917 onwards, and at its peak equipped at least 71 escadrilles, and was deployed on both the Western Front, where it participated in number major actions in which it typically acquitted itself well,[8] and in the east, on the Italian front.
For its actions during the Battle of the Lys, the Section Artillerie Lourde, equipped with the type, received a citation and was further lauded for its actions during the Allied counter-attack to the German spring offensive. On 9 July 1918, Capitaine Paul-Louise Weiller shot down two enemy aircraft during one sortie while flying the type.[8]
Following its introduction by the French, during 1918, the Breguet 14 was also ordered by the Belgian Army (40 aircraft) and the United States Army Air Service (over 600 aircraft).[15] Around half the Belgian and U.S. aircraft were fitted with Fiat A.12 engines due to shortages of the original Renault 12F. Prior to the Armistice of 11 November 1918 the Breguet 14 was typically assigned to serve in both reconnaissance and bombing roles. By the end of the conflict, the type was reportedly responsible for having dropped over 1,887,600kg (4,161,400lb) of bombs.[16]
A Breguet 14 played a role in one of the last acts of the war: during November 1918, one aircraft was used to transport a German military officer, Major von Geyer, from Tergnier and Spa. It was covered in large white flags of truce to avoid being attacked.[16]
The type continued to be widely used after the war, equipping the French occupation forces in Germany and being deployed to support French troops in the colonies.[10] A special version was developed for the harsh conditions encountered overseas, designated "14 TOE" (Théatres des Operations Extérieures). These saw service in putting down uprisings in Syria and Morocco, in Vietnam and in the French intervention in the Russian Civil War. The last trainer examples were not withdrawn from French military service until 1932.
Other air arms using the type included Brazil (30), China (70), Czechoslovakia (10), Denmark (4), Finland (38), Greece (approximately 42), Japan (2), the Siamese Air Force (42), Uruguay (9) and Spain (approximately 180). The Polish Air Force used 158 Breguet 14s, about 70 of them being used in combat in the Polish-Soviet war. In Japan, Breguet 14s were licence-built by Nakajima. The type was also heavily used in various internal wars in China during the 1920s and 1930s.[10]
Weeks after the signing of the Armistice, the Breguet 14 was used to conduct several long-distance flights to demonstrate its capabilities.[17] On 26 January 1919, a double crossing of the Mediterranean was flown using the type by Lt Roget and Captaine Coli. On 5 April, Roget flew from Lyon to Rome and then to Nice.[17] Roget and Coli later establish a new French long-distance record flying the Breguet 14, flying from Paris to Kenitra, Morocco, a distance of 1,900km (1,200mi) in 11 hours 15 minutes. Aviation pioneer Pierre-Georges Latécoère converted one example to conduct experimental in-flight refuelling operations.[18]
After the war, Breguet manufactured dedicated civil versions of the Breguet 14. The 14 T.2 Salon carried two passengers in a specially modified fuselage. An improved version, the 14 Tbis, was built as both a land-plane and seaplane.[19] The 14 Tbis also formed the basis of the improved 14 Tbis Sanitaire air ambulance version, and 100 mail planes custom-built for Latécoère's airline, Lignes Aeriennes Latécoère.[17] After changing its name to "CGEA", the airline used, among others, 106 Breguet 14s for flights over the Sahara desert. The 18 T was a single 14 T re-engined with a Renault 12Ja engine, equipped to carry four passengers.[17] When production finally ceased in 1928, the total for all versions built had exceeded 7,800 (according to other sources, 8,000 or even 8,370).
Variants
Breguet 14T bis Sanitaire photo from L'Aéronautique October 1921
(Given the STAé designation Breguet 13) Company designation of the first aircraft of the Breguet 13/14 family. Powered by a 263hp (196kW) Renault V-12 engine with short fuselage and all-flying rudder.
Breguet AV 2
(Given the STAé designation Breguet 14) Company designation of the second aircraft of the Breguet 13 / 14 family. Powered by a 263hp (196kW) Renault V-12 engine in a longer fuselage with fixed fin.
Breguet 13
AV 1 the first of the Breguet 14 family with a short fuselage and no fixed fin.
Breguet 14 A.2
Basic production variant to the two-seat Army co-operation specification (A.2), typically powered by a 300hp (220kW)Renault 12Fe V-12 engine.[21]
Breguet 14 AP.2
High-altitude, long-range reconnaissance variant, powered by a 400hp (300kW)Liberty L-12 engine. One converted from an A.2
Breguet 14 AE
A single aircraft, (F-AEEZ), converted for use in the colonies.
A single aircraft powered by a 450hp (340kW)Renault 12Ja V-12 engine for use as a postal aircraft in the United States.
Breguet 14 H
A floatplane version powered by a 320hp (240kW)Renault 12Fe, with a large central float and smaller floats under each wing. At least two were built, used in Indo-China.
Breguet 14 B.2
The two-seat bomber version.
Breguet 14 B.1
A single-seat bomber version: two were ordered for a planned raid on Berlin.
Breguet 14 floatplane
A twin float hydroplane version, tested at St Raphaël in 1924.
Breguet 14 S
(S – Sanitaire) Ambulance aircraft modified to carry two stretchers in the rear fuselage. (A later dedicated ambulance aircraft was also produced).
Royal Hellenic Air Force Beginning in November 1917, Breguet 14s equipped the 532 Bombing and reconnaissance squadron and from June 1918, the 533 Fighter squadron. The Breguet 14 served in the 1919-1924 Greco-Turkish war but was replaced by Breguet 19s in 1925.[25]
Polish Air Force - three French escadrilles were redesignated as Polish and transferred with their aircraft to Poland in 1919.[28] These were supplemented with an additional 70 aircraft which were eventually retired in 1924.[29]
Serbian Air Force - During WW1 three French escadrilles operated in Serbia with Serbian crews, and their aircraft eventually transferred to Serbia - who used them until 1923 [29]
3C30 - The last survivor of 22 (or 30) examples bought shortly after the end of WW1, this Breguet 14 A.2 arrived in 1921, and was operational from 1922 until retired in 1927.[33] It was on display following an extensive restoration at the Finnish Air Force Museum in Jyväskylä, Finland to its original Finnish markings.[32]
A replica Breguet 14 built in 1980 as F-AZBP, and which appeared in several movies has been on display at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum in Bangkok since 2012 in Siamese markings as B.TH1.[34]
A replica registered as F-AZBH is regularly flown on the French Airshow circuit, currently marked as an early aircraft, without camouflage, while it was previously marked as a Latécoère machine.
The Bloch MB.210 and MB.211 were the successors of the French Bloch MB.200 bomber developed by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch in the 1930s and differed primarily in being low wing monoplanes rather than high wing monoplanes.
The Bréguet 690 and its derivatives were a series of light twin-engine ground-attack aircraft that were used by the French Air Force in World War II. The aircraft was intended to be easy to maintain, forgiving to fly, and capable of 480 km/h (300 mph) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft). The type's sturdy construction was frequently demonstrated and the armament was effective. French rearmament began two years later than that in Britain and none of these aircraft were available in sufficient numbers to make a difference in 1940.
The Breguet 19 was a sesquiplane bomber and reconnaissance aircraft which was also used for long-distance flights and was designed by the French Breguet company and produced from 1924.
The Morane-Saulnier Type P was a French parasol wing two-seat reconnaissance aeroplane of the First World War. Morane-Saulnier built 595 for the French air force, and it was also used by the British until 1916-17.
The Short Admiralty Type 184, often called the Short 225 after the power rating of the engine first fitted, was a British two-seat reconnaissance, bombing and torpedo carrying folding-wing seaplane designed by Horace Short of Short Brothers. It was first flown in 1915 and remained in service until after the armistice in 1918. A Short 184 was the first aircraft to sink a ship using a torpedo, and another was the only British aircraft to take part in the Battle of Jutland.
The Nieuport 12 was a French sesquiplane reconnaissance, fighter aircraft and trainer used by France, Russia, Great Britain and the United States during World War I. Later production examples were built as trainers and served widely until the late 1920s.
The Caudron R.4 was a French World War I twin-engine biplane reconnaissance/artillery cooperation aircraft and the progenitor of a series of successful aircraft that filled a variety of roles with the French Aéronautique Militaire.
Aéroplanes Voisin was a French aircraft manufacturing company established in 1905 by Gabriel Voisin and his brother Charles, and was continued by Gabriel after Charles died in an automobile accident in 1912; the full official company name then became Société Anonyme des Aéroplanes G. Voisin. During World War I, it was a major producer of military aircraft, notably the Voisin III. After the war Gabriel Voisin abandoned the aviation industry, and set up a company to design and produce luxury automobiles, called Avions Voisin.
The Bréguet Bre.4, also known variously as the Type IV and BUM, was a French biplane bomber of World War I. A fighter version of it was also produced as the BUC and BLC; some of these saw service with the British Royal Navy, which called them 'the Bréguet de Chasse.
The Dorand AR.1 was a World War I French two-seat observation biplane aircraft used by the French Air Force, the American Expeditionary Force and, in small numbers, by Serbian Aviation.
The Caudron R.11, was a French three-seat twin-engine long range escort fighter biplane developed and produced by Caudron during the First World War.
The Farman F.40 was a French pusher biplane reconnaissance aircraft.
The FBA Type H was a French reconnaissance flying boat produced in large numbers in France and Italy during World War I by Franco-British Aviation.
The Bréguet 890 Mercure was a late 1940s French cargo and passenger transport aircraft designed by Bréguet Aviation. Three variants were produced including a military variant called the Mars but none entered production.
The Baribatra or Bomber Type 2 was a two-seater light bomber aircraft of the 1920s designed and built by the Royal Siamese Air Force's Aeronautical Workshops. A small number were built for the Thai Air Force, with the type being the first Thai-designed aircraft.
The Nieuport 15 was a French World War I bomber aircraft. Due to disappointing performance the type was rejected and never entered service.
The Voisin X was a French two-seat pusher biplane which was built in two versions, one fitted with a 37 mm (1.46 in) Hotchkiss cannon, and the other as a conventional night bomber. Problems with the Peugeot engine in the previous Voisin VIII led to the installation of a new Renault engine of greater power and reliability, but the new aircraft was otherwise nearly identical to the VIII. Despite its obsolescence, it would make up the bulk of front line night bomber escadrilles until the end of the war.
The Paul Schmitt P.S.7 was a French World War I two-seat biplane bomber that dispensed with the novel variable incidence wing used on prior designs.
The Renault 12Fe, or 300 CV, is a water-cooled V12 aero engine. The 12Fe was the most produced Renault aircraft engine and powered many French aircraft during World War I and the 1920s.
The Renault 12F is a family of liquid-cooled 22 L (1,300 cu in) 50 deg V12 aircraft engines that saw widespread use during World War I and the 1920s.
References
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↑ Type 14 A2. Model 1921(PDF). Notice technique de l'avion Breguet (Report). Ministere de la guerre. 24 April 1922.
↑ Eckland, K.O. "Aerofiles Y–Z". www.aerofiles.com. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
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