Breguet 14, part seven. European Users, part four.

 

The Bréguet 14 was a French biplane bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of the World War I that was widely used during and after that conflict. France was its main user, but the type also saw service abroad, in the following countries:

• Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic: Six Bre.14B.2 were captured by Bolshevik troops in 1919 in Yekaterinodar, Kuban region, during the Russian Civil War. Almost all of them were damaged, but its known that at least three were used operationally in Southern Front, at the Caucasus. After the war, the surviving machines were assigned to a reconnaissance regiment based in Moscow. 
  
  
• Spain: In July 1919 a first batch of Br.14A.2 arrived in Spain as part of a French military mission. A total of eight machines were purchased, all of them powered by the Renault 12F engine.
  The first two Br.14A.2s were assigned to the Tetuan Escuadrilla (Tétouan Flight), where both machines were employed in combat missions. In 1921 one Br.14A.2 powered by a Fiat A.12bis engine was bought. This new engine was preferred as it was cheaper than the Renault 12F. These new machines arrived in time to take part in the initial stages of the Moroccan campaign, where they operated from Seville. 
  Later, in 1921 there were two Grupos (Groups - Squadron-sized units) operating the Br.14 from African soil. The Grupo Nº1 (Group No.1), based at Tétouan and the Grupo Nº2 (Group No.2) based at Larache, south of Tétouan. Each Grupo had one Escuadrilla (Flight) equipped with a Fiat-powered Br.14. In 1923 a third Escuadrilla was added to Grupo Nº1 and was stationed at Larache.
  Later, in 1923 the Grupo de Sevilla (Seville Group) was formed with Fiat-engined Br.14s and was redesignated as 22º Grupo (22nd Group) in February 1927. This unit employed the Br.14s until 1931 when they were replaced by the locally-built Loring R-III.
  An independent Grupo Expedicionario (Expeditionary Group) composed entirely of Br.14s operated in the Melilla and Tétouan areas, but, in 1926 it was assigned back to Grupo Nº1. That same year, Grupo Nº2 returned to Larache and a detachment was created to be sent to the Ifni province. This detachment was later assigned to Grupo Nº3. In October 1926 an unknown number of Fiat-engined Br.14s was sent to Armilla airfield, in Granada, to be assigned to Grupo Nº1 in February 1927, where they remained until 1930 when they were replaced by Breguet 19s. 
  The Fiat engine, although cheaper was unsatisfactory and some machines were modified to fit the 360hp Rolls-Royce VIII engine. These conversions were carried out at the aircraft park in Seville. The two Escuadrillas of Grupo Nº3, based at Larache, were the first ones to receive such modified machines in 1927.  This unit employed those Br.14s just in time to take part in the last aerial operations of the Rif War. 
  Overall the Br.14s remained in service until 1931 when they were replaced by either the Loring R-III or the Breguet 19. From 1928 to 1931 the Escuadrilla Sahariana (Sahara Flight) was equipped with the Rolls-Royce-powered Br.14s. 
  A single Br.14 was also fitted with a 300hp Hispano-Suiza 8F engine. This modification also took place in Seville but, on 17th November 1929 the prototype crashed killing its pilot.
  A total of 140 Br.14s were employed by Spain, and none of them seem to have been built locally.
  
  
• Sweden: In 1923 Swedish Prince Carl bought a Breguet 14Tbis that was refitted in France to be used as an aerial ambulance. This machine, registered as S-ASAA, could be fitted with both floaters or wheels and was donated to the Swedish Red Cross, it was flown by Ferdinand Cornelius (famous Swedish pilot of the time) and it was based at the town of Boden, north of Sweden where it was employed to save lives of the many people living in difficult-to-reach areas in the Swedish Northern Wilderlands.
  
  
• Yugoslavia: When the Yugoslav Royal Army Aviation Department (YRAAD - forerunner of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force) was created in November 1918, twenty-four Br.14A.2 and Br.14B.2s were inherited from the French Escadrille BR.525, which was disbanded and its machines passed on to the Serbian Army, which was also the forerunner of the YRAAD. Twelve additional machines were also acquired when the French Armée de l'Orient left the region. These were followed by 25 more, bought directly from France, in the early 1920s. 
  This last batch included not just Br.14A.2/B.2s but also the Br.14E2 trainer and the Br.14S ambulance variants. In 1923 one aircraft was locally converted into the transport variant with an enclosed cabin and provision for two passengers.
  The Br.14s were powered by the Renault Fcx engine, yielding 300 hp of power. One aircraft was locally fitted with a Fiat A.12 engine and another one with a 260 hp Maybach MbIVa . They were progressively replaced from 1923 onwards, mainly by the Breguet 19. Some machines made it to the year 1932, when their engines were replaced by the Lorraine-Dietrich engine, rated at 400 hp, hoping to enlength their operational life. However, they could only last until the early-to-mid 1930s, when they were definitelly withdrawn from service.

Sources:

1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bréguet_14

2nd Flying Machines Press - French Aircraft of the First World War

3rd Windsock Datafile Special - Breguet 14

4th http://www.avrosys.nu/aircraft/Flygkomp/21Breguet.htm

5th http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/yugo/jkrv/types/breguet_14.htm