Arado Ar.68F - Wartime users

Good morning, today we are going to deal with the wartime users of the Ar.68F.

When the war started, the Ar.68 was already outdated by the much more effective monoplanes like the Bf.109 or, on the other side, the Hawker Hurricane, the Supermarine Spitfire or the French Morane-Saulnier Ms.406 among others.

That's why the Ar.68, in every variant, was relegated to the second line in order to fullfil the adavanced trainer role and, until January 1940, the night fighter role. In fact, in order to achieve better night stealth rates, some versions were equipped with flash suppressor tubes, just like some Italian contemporary night fighters like the Fiat Cr.42CN had.

When much better night fighters were available, like the Bf.110, the Ar.68 was fully retired from the combat line, in order to serve as an advanced trainer, not just in the day flying role, but also in the night fighter role. They served mainly in the Czech academies until, at least 1942.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arado_Ar_68
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
3. http://histaviation.com/ar_68.html