Breguet 14. French Users. Part six.

 

The Breguet 14H was a floatplane variant of the Br.14 powered by a single Renault 12Fe engine yielding 320 hp of power. It was equipped with a large central float beneath the central fuselage plus two smaller floats under the lower wings. Two machines were made and served with the Aéronautique d'Indochine. As the profile is based in an old photo, the colours should be considered as speculative.

The Breguet 14T and 14Tbis were civilian variants of the Br.14. The 14T was a conversion of the basic Br.14 modified to carry two passengers in a cabin in front of the pilot's cockpit. Entrance door was on the starboard side. A development of this variant was the Br.18T which was an enlarged version of the 14T equipped with a 450 hp Renault 11Ja engine. In its enlarged cabin there was room for four passengers.

The Br.14Tbis was a hybrid variant of both the Br.14T and the Br.18T. It had a cabin for three passengers and was, by far the most widely used transport variant. 

After the war, both Br.14As and Br.14Bs were kept in France until the mid-1920s, being key part of the French occupation force in the Rhineland and would be also employed later in the Rif War. A total of 40 escadrilles were disbanded in 1919, with a major reorganization being made in 1920. 

The Br.14A, B and T variants and sub-variants saw widespread usage in the post-war French colonial campaigns. After the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire, France was granted the mandate of Syrian and Lebanon, where the French forces deployed there were tasked with fighting the various rebellious desert tribes. For this task two escadrilles were assigned, Escadrille 52 (ex BR 117) based at Rayak (Lebanon) and Escadrille 53 (ex BR 120) all of them under the command of General Lamothe. In this campaign the Br.14s were used in the reconnaissance, light bombing (carrying usually 12 ten kg (22 lbs) bombs) and ambulance roles. 

When the Great Syrian Revolt of 1925 took place all the escadrilles present in Syria, among them the two equipped with Br.14s, were employed against the rebels. They flew a total of 6.000 patrol sorties, 4.000 bombing runs. The Br.14s played a decisive part in the relief of the city of Jabal Djebel Druse where 7.000 French soldiers were besieged. From 26th July to 24th September 1925 the Aéronautique Militaire flew over 200 sorties dropping 12 tons of food and 54 sacks of mail over the besieged city in what is considered to be one of the first airlifts in history. 

Sources:

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

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

Bréguet 14, part three. Asian Users.

 

The Breguet 14 was a French bomber and reconnaissance biplane of the World War I era, which was built in very large numbers during and after the conflict. With more than 8.000 machines built, it was exported all around the world. 

The type was widely used in the Asian continent being employed by the following countries or factions:

• China: The Nationalist Chinese Air Force of the Central KMT government, lead by Chiang-Kai-Shek, was established in 1925 with, among other types, approximately 50 Breguet 14A.2s. They were used during the many offensives the KMT held from 1926 onwards to bring local warlords down. 
• Beiyang Government: One Manchurian warlord, Chang Hsueh-liang had 16 Br.14A.2 as part of his private air force. Both these, plus the KMT's ones, were most likely destroyed in 1931-1932 when the Japanese invaded.
• Japan: One Breguet 14B.2 was acquired by the Japanese with evaluation purposes from the French Military Mission that visited Japan in 1919. It was employed by the Imperial Japanese Army's Mikatagahara Bombing team for research on new bombing techniques. This B.2 became also the first aircraft to fly over the Mount Fuji. 
  In 1922 Nakajima completed the Nakajima B-6 "Kei-Gin Go" (light silver) as it was made out of duralumin and was modelled after the Breguet 14. The Kei-Gin Go was revealed at the Peace Memorial Exposition in Tokyo and was highly praised. However, the army never requested the type, so it was used only for long-distance flights. 
  The B-6 was powered by a water-cooled Rolls Royce Eagle VIII engine driving a four-bladed propeller and yielding 356 hp of power.
  Apparently one Breguet 14T transport was also acquired by the Imperial Japanese Army.
• Persia: In 1924 the Air Officer of the Imperial Iranian Army bought various French airplanes, among them three Breguet 14A.2. It's unknown how long they served, but they were most likely replaced in the late 1920s/early 1930s.
• Siam/Thailand: As Siam was part of the Allied Occupation Force of the Rhineland, some Siamese pilots flew the Breguet 14 during the war, in French squadrons. Those pilots returned to Bangkok in August 1919, taking some Br.14A.2 and B.2 with them. The Siamese Br.14s were based at Don Muang and were assigned to the 2nd (General Purpose) Group of the 1st and 2nd Wings of the Siamese Army Aviation Division first and the Royal Siamese Air Division later. The 1st Wing was employed for reconnaissance and topographic works, and the 2nd was used for passenger and air transport over north-eastern Thailand. 
  Some few Br.14s were produced locally with Renault engines in 1924, however, as the prices of those engines raised, the Royal Siamese Army considered the production of a new bomber, which was eventually built as the Boripatra bomber, based indirectly on the Br.14B.2.
  The production of the Br.14 was resumed when the prices of the Renault engines were reasonable again and they were kept in active until 1933, when the American Vought V.100 was produced locally. 
  The 2nd Wing, equipped with Br.14T transports, flew scheduled air-mail flights on the north-eastern regions of the country, leaving the city of Ubon every Tuesday and returning every Thursday. Although being a mail service, some individuals in need of medical care were also carried, as well as medicines. The Royal Siamese Family was so impressed by these flights, that they assisted in raising the funds to purchase a Br.14S ambulance airplane which remained in active service until 1936 (though some sources claim it was until 1937 or even 1938) and by the year 1940 they were still being used as target tugs, making them the last operational users of the Br.14 anywhere in the world.
• Turkey: During the Greco-Turkish War (AKA Asia Minor Campaign, AKA Turkish War of Independence) two Br.14A.2s were captured from the Greeks in September 1921 and August 1922 and employed by the Turkish National Movement.
  After the war, Turkey bought sixteen Breguet 14A.2 plus other 16 Breguet 14B.2s in 1923. The machines were shipped disassembled, so they had to be reassembled at Gaziemir in December 1924.
  The B.2 bombers were assigned to two bombing companies, and served until 1933 when they were replaced by Breguet 19s (though some sources claim it was in 1926), while the A.2s were assigned to other two recon companies and served until 1935 when they replaced by French-built Potez 25s and Czechoslovak Letov S-16Ts.

Sources:

1st Flying Machines Press - French Aircraft of the First World War

2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bréguet_14

3rd https://www.iiaf.net/history/iiaf.html

4th https://www.ne.jp/asahi/airplane/museum/nakajima/nakajima-1e.html

5th http://www.tayyareci.com/digerucaklar/turkiye/kurtulus/breguet14a2.asp

6th http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/aa-eastasia/thailand/thai-manu-history1.htm

Bréguet 14, part one. South and Central American users.

 

The Bréguet 14 was a French bomber and reconnaissance biplane of the World War I. It was manufactured in large numbers during and after the conflict. It was used by the French Aéronautique Militaire (French Aeronautical Corps) but it was also exported to many countries all around the globe, among them, the following ones:

• Argentina: The Aeroposta Argentina (Argentine Air Mail) employed three Breguet 14 built by Latécoère for aerial mail duties. They arrived at Buenos Aires in late 1925 and served mainly in the Buenos Aires-Asunción  and Buenos Aires-Montevideo aerial routes. They were reported to be still in active in December 1934 when they were written off.
• Brazil: Brazil bought 16 Breguet 14 A.2 and B.2 in 1919. Four Breguet 14 B.2 served with 1a Esquadrilha de Bombardeio (1st Bombing Squadron), based at Santa María, Rio Grande do Sul, and six Breguet 14 A.2 served with the 3a Esquadrilha de Observaçao (3rd Observation Squadron), based at Alegrete, Rio Grande do Sul. Apart from those machines, six more Breguet were locally assembled. 
  They served until 1928 when those squadrons were disbanded and their aircraft sent to the Escuela de Aviaçao (Aviation School) at Campo dos Alfonsos, in Rio de Janeiro. 
  Another unit, Esquadrilha de Aperfeiçoamento (Operational Conversion Squadron) was based at Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paulo, with six Breguet 14 A.2 in strength. This unit saw combat action during the Paulista Revolt of July 1924. During that month that squadron flew 11 bombing and reconnaissance sorties losing one aircraft to an accident. The Breguet remained there from August to September 1924 , this time as part of the Destacamento de Aviaçao (Air Detachment), of the Brazilian Army. 
  In 1927 every Brazilian Breguet 14 were withdrawn.
• El Salvador: One Breguet 14 B.2 was acquired from France in the mid-1920s. This machine was used for good will flights to both Honduras and Nicaragua in 1926. Unfortunately, it crashed in March 1927 while delivering smallpox vaccine to Managua.
• Guatemala: Three Breguet 14 were shipped to Guatemala by a French air mission in 1918. Anyway the main instructor with the mission died and the crates where the aircraft were, they were sent back to France unassembled. However, we drawn a what-if looking Breguet 14 in Guatemalan colours.
• Paraguay: One Breguet 14A.2 was employed by the Governmental Forces during the Paraguayan Civil War of 1922-1923. It was destroyed during a forced landing at the Ñu-Guasu airfield in the city of Luque, close to the capital, Asunción.  
• Uruguay: The Uruguayan Escuela Militar de Aeronáutica (Military Aeronautical School, forerunner of the Uruguayan Military Aviation) bought six Breguet 14A.2 in 1921. Three Breguet 14T Sanitaire (AKA Breguet 14TS. It was the aerial ambulance version) were acquired in 1927 and one additional 14TS was acquired in June 1928. The 14.A.2 served with the Escuela Militar de Aeronáutica until 1928 when they were replaced by the Potez 25. 
  The 14TS were regrouped in their own unit, named 'Aviación Sanitaria' (Sanitary Aviation), the first of that kind in South America. They served until 1931 when they were replaced by the Farman F.190

Sources:

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

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

3. http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/user/every/paraguay-af-all-time-aircraft-used-listing.htm

4. https://www.histarmar.com.ar/AVIACION/EloyMartin/LOS-COMIENZOS-DE-LA-AVIACION-POLICIAL.pdf (translated)

5. https://www.fau.mil.uy/es/noticias/69-los-aviones-ambulancia-al-servicio-del-estado.html (translated)

6. Helion - 08 Aerial Operations in the Revolutions of 1922 and 1947 in Paraguay The First Dogfights in South America