Heller 091 Bloch 152

              '' Bloch 152 '' 

Frans jachtvliegtuig uit WOII.
Een uitvoering mogelijk;

• Franse luchtmacht, mei-juni 1940

oude Heller bouwdoos uit de jaren 70

At the start of the German invasion on 10 May 1940, the French Air Force had 363 Bloch MB-152s. However, 195 of these were the earlier model with the 14N25 engine. Of the remaining 165 only 80 carried all of the modifications required by the Air Force. Seven units were equipped with the MB 152, although three of them still had some MB 151s on strength. On 10 May 93 Bloch 152s were operational, with another 53 in reserve. Another 200 MB-152s joined operational units during the fighting. At the end of the fighting there were 140 MB-152s and -151s still operational. Only once it was too late did French aircraft production really begin to pick up.

The MB-152 was a disappointment in combat. Although it was a steady gun platform and could take a great deal of damage and still return to base it had several serious problems. It was too slow, and climbed too slowly. It had too short a range to be effective, especially as France had no radar system. The unheated guns were prone to freeze at altitude. The MB-152 scored 146 confirmed kills, putting it well behind the 230 claimed by the Hawk H-75, which was present in rather smaller numbers.

The MB-152 remained in service with the Vichy Air Force. It did not have the range to escape to North Africa. Six fighter squadrons retained the MB-152 after the armistice, each with 24 aircraft, more aircraft than had been operational in May 1940. In April 1941 it was agreed to standardise on the Dewoitine D.520. The changeover was almost complete when the Germans invaded the unoccupied zone at the end of 1942.