Curtiss Hawk 75A/Mohawk. Part Six. The Curtiss 75 Hawk in China.

 

The Curtiss Model 75H was a simplified export variant of the Curtiss Model 75 fighter built with fixed landing gear, powered by a Wright GR-1820 radial engine rated at 875 hp. It was used as a demonstrator for various countries, among them, China.
The first Model 75H was completed in June 1937 and was soon shipped to China. On 25th August 1937 it was shown in Nanjing where, Madame Soong Mei-Ling, General Secretary of the Aviation Commission for the Kuomintang Government acquired the demonstrator for $35,000 of the time and gifted it to Colonel Claire Chennault, back then, advisor to the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF). The Model 75H was interesting for the ROCAF as it was powered by the same engine that the Curtiss Hawk III biplane, the backbone of ROCAF fighter force, so it was familiar to both pilots and ground crew.
After having acquired the aircraft Chennault instructed American technicians to install weapons on the 75H, including one .5-caliber and one .3-inch machine gun in the nose, and one .3-inch fixed machine gun on each wing. He also invited his colleagues Billy McDonald and John Williamson as well as Col. Mao Bangchu and Major Huang Panyang from China to train on the aircraft. 
Apparently, during the Battle of Shanghai Chennault himself flew the 75H on many reconnaissance flights, witnessing various stages of that battle. After the fall of Shanghai, the 75H was passed on to the leader of ROCAF's 17th Squadron, Huang Panyang who also employed the type for recon duties. Later it was passed on to 25th Squadron on 7th May 1938, where its leader Tang Busheng flew it too. During this time, the 75H was flown to Nanjing, under heavy Japanese anti-air fire and, when approaching to its homebase, it suffered a spin when landing, causing several damage beyond repair.

In September 1937, two weeks after the demonstration flight of the 75H, the Chinese Government ordered from Curtiss thirty Model 68 Hawk III biplanes and thirty Model 75M, which was the mass-production variant of the 75H having also a fixed landing gear. Those sixty aircraft arrived disassembled in Guangzhou during the early summer of 1938 and on 9th July 1938 the 25th Squadron received its first 75M in Hengyuang, province of Hunan, under the guidance of Chief Advisor Chennault.
The whole squadron was not fully equipped with the 75M until 5th August 1938. 
It was then discovered that those aircraft were shipped directly from the United States without test flights and they were 20 mph (32 km/h) slower than expected. They were also prone to suffer many mechanical failures. Curtiss urgently dispatched an investigation team to China to handle the situation, which reached to the conclusion that the fighters were in perfect conditions and it was ground personnel's fault for not following maintenance procedures, specially on the mechanical maintenance section, as they did not have good understanding of the functions of the aircraft's components and lacked technical skills.
On 18th August 1938 a force consisting on 27 Japanese fighters attacked Hengyuang and Sqd. Ldr. Tang Busheng faced the enemy with a force consisting on three 75M and seven Polikarpov I-152. During the ensuing fight one 75M was shot down with another one damaged. Sqn. Ldr. Tang was killed in action and the other two 75M were forced to land.
On 24th August the 25th Squadron was rebased to Liuzhou, in the province of Guangxi. Later, on 18th September twenty-four Japanese bombers escorted by a force of twenty-two fighters bombed Liuzhou, destroying one 75M, causing the 25th Squadron to be rebased again, this time to Zhijiang in Hunan. 
From Zhijiang both 25th and 16th Squadrons (this last one was recently equipped with the 75M) performed joint training under Chennault supervision. Later on 7th and 8th November thirty-six Japanese aircraft attacked Hengyand Zhijiang with both squadrons dispatching a total of eight 75Ms to engage them. During this battle two Japanese aircraft were shot down and another one was damaged, with one 75M being destroyed on the ground. 
On 11th January 1939, Sqn. Ldr. Liu Yijun, deputy leader Zhang Mufei , Sqn. Ldr. Zhang Xuecheng, Mu Yuwen and Zhang Yaonan flew five 75M to Chongqing, province of Sichuan, where the 75M were handed over to the 18th Squadron, however, on the return trip the transport where those pilots were travelling back crashed killing all the officers. As a result, both 25th and 16th squadrons were short on personnel and equipment and had to be disbanded. 
After the fall of Wuhan in October 1938, Hengyang was in range of Japanese bombers so it suffered frequent aerial attacks. That's why 16th Squadron, which was recently equipped with the 75M, and under command of Cpt. Yang Hongding, was transferred to Zhijiang. After completing joint training, it was transferred to Yibin, Sichuan during early 1939 to provide aerial defence in Chongqing, the wartime capital of the Republic of China back then. In June 1938 every aircraft and some personnel of 16th squadron was merged into 18th Squadron with the 16th being officially disbanded in August. The 18th squadron was officially established in November 1938, with Cpt. Yang Yibai in command. In January 1939 the unit was transferred to Kunming, province of Yunnan for advanced training and provide aerial defence of the city. In April they took part in the interception of enemy aircraft by a mixed formation led by Hu Zhuangru, the officer academy's fighter squadron leader. In May they were transferred back to Yibin to serve in the night-fighter role in Chongqing. In December 1939 they took part in the Guinan campaign and from January to May 1940 they served as aerial defence alerts in the Kunming area to protect the important Yunnan-Indochina railway. In June 1940 they returned to Chongqing to, once again, protect the capital and serve in aerial defence operations between Chengdu and Chongqing until the end of 1940. 
Shortly after the squadron was disbanded too. The remaining aircraft were transferred to the 11th Squadron, dedicated to the training role in January 1941. 
It was during this year that the remaining units of the ROCAF went to India to receive aircraft provided by the United States. The 75Ms were handed over to the 3rd Squadron, which remained in Chengdu. By 1942 a small number of 75Ms were still in service. Among them at least two were provided by the American personnel who were present in China at the time when the B-25 Mitchell bombers belonging to the famous Doolittle Raid made an emergency landing.

There was another variant that served in China, the Hawk 75Q. This variant featured a retractable undercarriage and was armed with one .5-inch and one .3-inch machine gun in the nose, plus two 23mm Danish-made Madsen cannons in the wings, similar to both the XP-36F and the Hawk 75A-5. It was shipped together with a Curtiss CW-21 light fighter to CAMCO's (China Aircraft Manufacturing Company) facilities in Leiyun, province of Yunnan to be assembled. 
After flight tests it was flown to Chengdu to take part in mock aerial dogfights against the Soviet-made Polikarpov I-153 and I-16 of the ROCAF, proving the 75Q to be superior to both. 
After those testing additional components of the 75A-5 were delivered to Leiyun but they were soon evacuated to Bangalore, India, due to Japanese bombing and their advancing army. 
There, they were handed to Hindustan Aircraft, where they were completed. 
For more information about their fate, check out our previous post about Asian users of the Curtiss Hawk 75.

Sources:
1st https://cwlam2000.epizy.com/caf35.htm (translated and adapted)
2nd  AJ-Press - Monografie Lotnicze 61 - Curtiss P-36 Hawk Part 1 (translated)
3rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_P-36_Hawk

Tupolev SB in service with China

 

On 7th July 1937 Japan invaded China sparkling the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Chinese Air Force (CAF) had, at that time just 284 aircraft and was commanded by General Moa Pang-chu who had learned to fly in the USSR. 

On 21st August both China and the USSR signed a non aggression pact, by virtue of which a secret clause was included to send military aid to China. This clause stressed on rebuilding the virtually destroyed Chinese Air Force. The Chinese negotiated a major loan with the USSR to provide China with war materials in exchange for cheap raw resources over the next five years.

During the course of October 1937,  four hundred fifty Soviet pilots and technicians were gathered at Alma Ata (Kazakh SSSR - nowadays Kazakhstan) from where they departed with a first batch of 185 aircraft (115 fighters, 62 bombers and 8 advanced trainers). These aircraft were transported by rail from Alma Ata to Lanzhou (province of Gansu) , where the Chinese railroad ended, following the trace of the old Silk Road. 

Chinese SB 2M-100-As (with old style cowlings) were all built at the GAZ factory No. 125 Imeni Stalina located at Irkutsk, in Siberia. Soviet pilots collected the first batch of bombers from the factory and ferried them from Irkutsk to Suzhou (in Gansu too) via Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Due to a sandstorm, the aircraft had to be grounded for a short time, before resuming the flight from Suzhou to Lanzhou. Many Soviet advisors began to train Chinese crews assigned to the 2nd Group of the CAF, on the SB 2M-100A. The first combat mission was led by Cpt. I.N. Kozlov on 2nd December 1937, when nine SBs attacked Japanese shipping in the East China Sea off the coast of Shanghai. 

A second batch of 31 SB 2M-100A was led by Cpt. Fiodor P. Polynin. These machines were ferried from Irkutsk to Hankou with stopovers at Ürümqi (Xinjiang), Hami (Xinjiang) and Lanzhou. The bombers were manned by Soviet crews until the Chinese were able to master the aircraft. A total of 150 sorties were flown by Soviet volunteers against Japanese airfields, riverine traffic and communications centers during the months of January and February 1938. One such mission took place on 25th January 1938 when 13 SB 2M-100A attacked the Japanese airfield at Nanjing (Jiangsu). 

On 23rd February Cpt. Polynin led a force composed of 28 SB 2M-100As to attack the airfield of Hsinchu, at north-western Formosa (Taiwan). The bombers were armed with ten bombs each and flew most of the distance from Lanzhou to Formosa across it straight at 5.500 m (18.045 ft) of altitude, causing headaches to crew members due to the lack of oxygen. In spite of this problem, the SBs approached Hsinchu from the north achieving total surprise when they dropped their bombs. Japanese anti-air fire proved ineffective and no Japanese fighters were put in the air to intercept the bombers. The SBs arrived back at Lanzhou without any incident after a seven-hour mission. Madame Chiang kai-shek, wife of the Chinese leader, rewarded the Soviet airmen with a banquet and decorations.

All those previously mentioned missions were flown without fighter escort, as the SB 2M-100A was the fastest bomber present on both sides of the Second Sino-Japanese War. These bombers suffered relatively low losses during combat and the biggest threat to them were Japanese raids on SB airfields.

A third Soviet bomber group (the exact number of flown aircraft is unknown) led by Georgy I. Tkhor left GAZ 125 at Irkutsk in late April 1938 and ferried to Lanzhou, this time via Ulan Bator and Dalanzadgad (Mongolia). This group took also part in many missions against the Japanese between the months of June and October 1938.

In late 1939 several SB 2M-103 were also supplied to the CAF. It was at this time when Soviet volunteer airmen began to leave China, as the Soviets became disillusioned and frustrated in spite of the fact that Soviet aid help to strength Chinese resistance against the Japanese. The Soviet aircraft were often misused and crashed when manned by Chinese crews as they lacked experience and therefore didn't follow (or didn't understand) Soviet instructions. The Chinese put the SBs in reserve, instead of flying them into combat.

On 27th December 1939 three SB M-103 of the last Soviet volunteer unit at Hengyang (province of Hunan) flew southwest to support Chinese ground troops at the Battle of Kunlun Pass. They were escorted by the last Gloster Gladiator fighters of 28th Squadron. After the Soviet withdrawal the remaining SB 2M-103s were assigned to the 1st and 2nd Groups of the CAF.

In 1940 a single Tupolev SB constituted the only offensive aircraft the Collaborationist Chinese Army Air Force (CCAAF - AKA Peacebuilding National Army) had. It was joined in September by another SB, piloted by Cpt. Zhang Diqin and manned by Lts. Tang Houlian and Liang Wenhua who defected to Nanjing, and were given substantial reward by the Japanese.

Chinese-manned SBs suffered heavy losses against experimented Japanese pilots. The USSR supplied 100 SB 2M-03 (including some SB 2M-105 -which was one of the last production variant-) in early 1941. These replaced some of the aircraft lost the previous years to accidents and combat. China became the largest foreign user of the SB with a total of 392 aircraft delivered straight from Soviet production lines. On 13th April 1941 Stalin and Japanese foreign minister Yosuke Matsuoka signed a neutrality pact. This resulted in a swift halt in the deliverance of Soviet war material to China, but the SBs were allowed to remain in CAF service. A formation of three SB 2M-103s made three attacks on Japanese troops crossing Dongting Lake (Hunan) and raided Yichang (province of Hubei) in September 1941. 

Chinese SB 2M-103 served well into 1943 and, in some missions, they were escorted by the Curtiss P-40 of the American Volunteer Group, the famous Flying Tigers.

Apparently some few SB survived World War 2 and took part, albeit in limited number and usage, in the last stage of the Chinese Civil War (1945-1949). 

Sources:

Sources:

1st Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 194 - Tupolev SB in Action

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

3rd https://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/sb/tapani/chinese/chinese.htm

Mitsubishi 2MR8

 

The Mitsubishi 2MR8 was a Japanese short-range reconnaissance aircraft of the 1930s designed and built by Mitsubishi for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF).

Its origins date back to 1930 when the IJAAF issued a requirement for a short-ranged reconnaissance aircraft which would act as a supplement for the long-range Kawasaki Type 88. Mitsubishi developed two designs, a biplane based on their 2MR and B2M reconnaissance aircraft and torpedo bomber designs respectively. The other one was the 2MR8, a high-wing parasol monoplane.

A total of four prototypes were made, the first of which was powered by a Mitsubishi A2 radial engine which yielded 320 hp of power and flew for the first time on 28th March 1931. Successive prototypes were powered by more powerful versions of such engine and, eventually, production version featured a Mitsubishi Type 92 engine which yielded 475 hp and drove a two-bladed propeller. The fourth prototype was modified to have a reduced wing area and a shorter fuselage and it was accepted by the IJAAF and ordered into production as the Mitsubishi Army Type 92 Reconnaissance Aircraft.

The production variant had wide-track divided landing gear and carrier a crew of two, a pilot and an observer in two open cockpits. It was armed with two forward-firing synchronized 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Type 89 machine guns plus and additional one or two mounted on a ring at the observer's cockpit. A total of 230 machines were manufactured at Mitsubishi's plant in Nagoya from April 1930, when the type was ordered into production until March 1934 when production ceased in favor of the Nakajima Ki-4 and the Kawasaki Ki-3, which showed better performance rates. 

In order to meet the requirements of the Japanese Ministry of Railways for a survey aircraft, Mitsubishi developed also a civilian version of the Type 92, which was known as the Hato Survey Aircraft. A single aircraft was ordered in 1935, together with a Fokker Super Universal made by Nakajima and powered by a Mitsubishi A5 engine. The Hato differed from the military version in having a glazed canopy over the rear cockpit, which was also enlarged to accomodate a crew of two, an open forward pilot's cockpit and spat-type main wheel fairings. It was delivered in March 1936 and received the civilian registration of J-AARA. 

The Type 92 entered service with the Kwangtung Army Air Corps in their reconnaissance chutais (squadrons) which were also part of the hiko rentais (air regiments of mixed composition). The usage of the Type 92 was very limited as only three hiko rentais (1st, 3rd and 7th) were equipped with the 2MR8. These were also part of the "Kanto" hiko shidan (air corps) and saw active usage during the hostilities in Manchuria in 1932, though during the latest stages, which were just some few skirmishes. They weren't keep on active service with the Kwangtung Army for much longer as they were being replaced. However, by 1937 at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War, some of them were still active and in Agust-September that year, some of them were listed to have been operated in the ground support role in North-Eastern China. Anyway, by late 1937, they were completely withdrawn from the frontlines. Some disarmed machines were handed over to various organizations, such as "Aikoku-Go" a paramilitary flight school for women.

The Guangxi Clique, a warlord regime that existed in Southern China, bought also some machines in 1934 and 1935, during the brief period of peace between the two countries. They were used against the Kuomintang when these invaded and, when the Guangxi-Kuomintang War was over, some were captured by the Republic of China Air Force and were used during the earlier stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.

All things consider, the Type 92 didn't shine as an excellent machine. However, it was the first aircraft powered by a completely Japanese engine which was not a licensed copy of a foreign engine.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_2MR8

2. https://www.valka.cz/Micubisi-2MR8-t34884

3. http://www.airwar.ru/enc/other1/2mr8.html (translated)

Further reading (in Chinese - use the translator)

1. http://cwlam2000.epizy.com/caf23.htm

Martin Type 139 - Various Foreign Users

 

The Martin Type 139 was an all-metal monoplane bomber that was used by the United States Army Air Corps and by many other countries:

• China: The National Revolutionary Army, (Kuomingtan's Armed Forces) ordered six 139s which Martin called them 'Type 139WC' (the letter 'C' standing for 'China'). This version was powered by two Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines which could deliver up to 850 hp of power each. 
  They arrived in China in February 1937 and were used in August against the Japanese in the Battle of Shanghai, where the Chinese Nationalist Air Force (CNAF) launched a major strike with a formation of various types of aircraft. One of such attacks took place on 14th October 1937 when three 139WC, two Heinkel He.111A, five Douglas O-2MCs, five Northrop Gammas and three Curtiss Hawk IIIs, based in Nanjing, bombed Japanese positions.
  Later, on 19th May 1938, the Type 139WC has the honour of being the first aircraft to conduct a raid into Japanese mainland. On that day, two 139WC belonging to the 2nd Bomber Group, 14th Squadron, commanded by Cpt. Hsu Huan-Sheng and Lt. Teng Yen-bo successfully flew a nighttime raid over Japan. However, instead of dropping bombs, they dropped propaganda leaflets over the cities of Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Kurume, Saga and some others, while making reconnaissance duties over ports, airports, warships and factories. 
  Most of the 139WC were destroyed during the course of the war.
• Japan: After the fall of the Dutch East Indies, three Type 139WH (the export version made for the Dutch colony) and Type 166 were captured intact by the Nippons and shipped to Haneda, Tokyo to be evaluated by the Testing Division of the Army Aircraft Authority. Their ultimate fate is unknown, but they were most likely destroyed during an air raid.
• Philippines: Apparently, some few B-10B (regular production variant) were leased to the Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC) by the 4th Composite Group. They were most likely, destroyed during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. As we couldn't find graphical evidence of a B-10B serving with the PAAC, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Thailand: Six Type 139WS (the 'S' standing for 'Siam') were sold to Thailand in April 1937. They saw action against the French in the Franco-Thai War in late 1940 and January 1941 and later they were used to support Japanese troops in their advance towards Burma in early 1942. They were complemented by an amount of ex-Dutch airplanes given by the Japanese later that same year. They were kept in active service until 1949.
• Turkey: When fascist Italy sought to expand their empire in the Mediterranean, the Turkish Government, decided to equip their air force with a long-range bomber. Therefore Cpt. Enver Akoglu was sent in a mission to the United States to purchase 20 Type 139WT ('T' standing for 'Turkey'). This variant was powered with uprated engines which could, theoretically, deliver up to 1.000 hp of power instead of the regular 750 hp. They arrived to Turkey in September 1937 and were assigned to 55 and 56th Tayyare Bölügü (Flying detachment, a squadron-sized unit) based at the city of Çorlu, in the Marmara region. Those were part of the higher 9th Tayyare Taburu unit. During 1941 and 1942 they were employed extensively in reconnaissance patrols over the Black Sea. When the type was showing its obsolescence, they were reassigned to other secondary and transport units. They were in active until 1946 with four of them crashing in 1945.

Sources:

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_B-10

2. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_bombers/b10.html

3. http://www.tayyareci.com/digerucaklar/turkiye/1923ve50/martin139wt.asp

Junkers Ju.52/3m Various African, Asian & Oceanian Users

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m was probably the most used German cargo plane in the whole World War 2. Given its versatility, manoeuvrability and handling easiness it attracted many contractors and was widely exported, all around the globe to, among many others, the following countries:

• Australia: The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) operated a captured Ju.52/3mg7e which was left abandoned by the retreating Germans in North Africa. It was assigned to the No.450 Squadron RAAF, was repainted in Commonwealth desert colours received the nickname of "Libyan Clipper". It was used as a cargo to transport mail, food, supplies and other types of goods from Cairo and back to the frontlines, performing two or three flights per week. It was also used by Lord Casey, Governor General of Australia to visit the men of the No.450 Squadron in 1943. The fate of the aircraft is not known.
• Belgian Congo: After the fall of Belgium in spring 1940, SABENA (Belgian national airline) continued its African operations in the Belgian Congo, as they had some Ju.52/3m stationed there from before the War. Their operations continued normally inside the Belgian colony and, in many cases they were used as cargo flights in the region for the Allies. SABENA kept their Ju.52/3m in that region until 1946 when they were replaced by the Douglas DC-3.
• Republic of China: Eurasia Aviation Corporation was China's national airline which, although its headquarters were located in Shanghai, its main operation hub was located in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1925 and ten years later, in 1935 they acquired three Ju.52/3m which were the main aircraft of the airline. When the Japanese occupied large portions of China in the mid-1930s, the airline had to cope with many difficulties. One of them was Chiang Kai Shek's personnal airplane. On 7th December 1941 all three of them were parked at Kai Tek airfield, in Hong Kong and were destroyed by Japanese Tachikawa Ki-36 attack bombers.
• Iraq: When the Luftwaffe created the Fliegerführer Irak in May 1941 to assist the regime of Rashid Ali in their war against the British, thirteen Ju.52/3m were assigned to perform transport tasks, however, all but three of them had to return to Greece to prepare the Invasion of Crete. 
  By May 15th there were three Ju.52/3m and two days later, just two. The whole Fliegerführer Irak left the country on 29th May.
• Territory of New Guinea: Between 1955 and 1959, Gibbes Sepik Airways, an airline that operated in New Guinea, bought three Ju.52/3m from Sweden. These aircraft were re-engined with the Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp engine and drove three-bladed propellers. This airline was purchased by Mandated airlines in 1959 and kept the Ju.52/3m in service covering some interal aerial routes until April 1960 when they were written off.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Junkers_Ju_52_operators

2. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C957275

3. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/junkers52.htm

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabena

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasia_Aviation_Corporation

6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fliegerführer_Irak

7. https://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/junkers%20ju52/junkersju52.html

Morane-Saulnier Ms.406, foreign users, part one

 

The Morane-Saulnier Ms.406 was a French fighter aircraft designed, developed and manufactured by Morane-Saulnier from 1938 onwards. As it was France's most numerous produced fighter of the time, with more than 1.000 machines having been made, it was exported to various countries, among them, the following ones:

• Republic of China: The Republic of China Air Force ordered 12 aircraft in 1938 and they were shipped in 1940 to Haiphong, in the northern part of Indochina to be delivered there to the southern part of China. With the fall of France in June 1940 most of them were diverted to the EC.2 Escadrille, which fought in the Franco-Thai War. It's believed, however that one or two Ms.406 may have been eventually been smuggled into Chinese territory. We've drawn an speculative Ms.406 in Chinese markings and registration.
• United Kingdom: The Free French Flight (the most direct precursor of the Free French Air Force) was composed of three flights, with the No.2 being the one equipped with fighters. Hierarchically it was dependant of the No.33 Squadron RAF and, when it was formed in July 1940 in the Middle East, it was equipped with Ms.406. They were replaced by Spitfires though.
• Germany: After the defeat of France in June 1940 Germany captured many French fighters. There were at least 120 airworthy Ms.406 and Ms.410 (though their exact number is unknown). One Ms.406 was exhibited, with French markings at an aviation museum in Berlin (whose fate is unknown but it was most likely destroyed during an air raid in Berlin) and others were transferred to SNACAO factory in Bourges to be repaired, being tuned-up and being painted in typical Luftwaffe's camouflage colours. They were used mainly for advanced training together with older versions of the Bf.109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw.56. In 1941 twenty-five Ms.406 were sold to Finland.
  After the German occupation of Vichy France in November 1942, the Luftwaffe captured 46 more Ms.406 and put them into service after having being sent to Ossun-Tarbes (close to the city of Lourdes) to be refitted to German standards with a FuG,7 R/T radio set. Later planes were repainted again and sent to serve with operational training units like JG.101, JG.103 and JG.105. 
  In those units they were used together with the Dewoitine D.520, Bf.109B and Es and Fw.190As. Given the intensive and fast training, many young and inexperienced pilots caused many accidents, so, eventually, only 33 Ms.406 were still in service, which were sold to Bulgaria and Croatia. 
• Italy: The Italian Regia Aeronautica, managed to have 57 Ms.406 in total when France fell. They were requisitioned by Italian personnel and sent to Lonate-Pozzolo (northen Italy) to be tested and studied. They remained inactive until the Italian armistice in September 1943.
• Lithuania: A total of 13 Ms.406 were ordered by Lithuania. They were to be shipped in 1940, and some of them were already painted in Lithuanian markings just after having come out of the factory. However, when Germany attacked in May 1940, they were all put into service with the French Air Force and none was delivered to the Baltic Country.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406

2. https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=112&t=98874

3. http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/ms-406.html

4. https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235044440-hobby-boss-morane-saulnier-ms406-c-lithuanian-air-force/

5. La Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali Straniere in Italia 5 - Aerei Francesi nella Regia Aeronautica

6. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Morane-Saulnier Ms.225/226/226bis/227

The Morane-Saulnier Ms.225 family was a French fighter aircraft of the early-to-mid 1930s. It was a parasol monoplane with a fixed landing gear and powered by a single Gnome-Rhône 9Krsd nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine which yielded 493hp of power and drove a two-bladed propeller. It was armed with two fixed forward-firing 0.303in (7,7mm) Vickers Mk.I mounted on the fuselage.
Just by having a circular fuselage, it was already more robust than its inmediate predecessor, Morane-Saulnier Ms.224.
Initially it was conceived as an interim, before more advanced aircraft types were available. The Ms.225 flew for the first in model form at the Paris Air Show in 1932 and, after the prototype flew successfully, series production started at once.
It was classified in the C.1 (single-seat fighter) category by the Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) and only a total of 75 exemplars were manufactured by Aeroplane Morane-Saulnier, in Puteaux, France. The first ones rolled out of the factory in November 1933 with 53 of them being delivered to the Armée de l'Air and the Aéronavale (French Navy's Naval Arm) received 16 of them in February 1934. Three of them were sold to China in an attempt to export the type. They were delivered to a Chinese warlord and, when defeated, the three fighters were also destroyed to prevent them to be captured.
The Morane-Saulnier Ms.225 were assigned to the 7e Escadre de Chasse (7th Fighter Wing) based in Dijon and to two escadrilles (squadrons) of the 42e Escadre (42nd Wing) based in Reims. In the Aéronavale they served in the Escadrille 3C1 which was based in Marignane. This formation would be transfered to the Air Force in early 1936, forming the Groupe de Chasse II/8.
The Armée de l'Air's acrobatic squadron used modified Ms.225s with larger vertical stabilizers and the last unit to be equipped with the Ms.225 was the Flying school of Salon-de-Provence.
When the World War 2 started, only 20 Ms.225 were still in flying condition and most of them were scrapped in mid-1940.
The Morane-Saulnier Ms.226 and Ms.226bis were two regular Ms.225 fitted with an arrestor gear so it could perform carrier operations (namely, the Béarn) and powered by a Gnome-Rhône 9Kdr engine, which was an improved version of the regular 9Krsd. The Ms.226bis was a variant of the Ms.226 equipped with foldable wings, so they could be fitted into the Béarn. Two prototypes were made with fixed wings and arrestor hook and a third one with arrestor hook and foldable wings was made. However, as the Ms.226 was heavier and slower than the Ms.225 the Aéronavale considered it as obsolete and they weren't ordered into production.
The Morane-Saulnier Ms.227 was a variant powered by a different engine. It was equipped with a single Hispano-Suiza 12Xcrs inline engine which yielded 690hp of power and drove a four-bladed propeller. This new engine allowed the installation of a 20mm cannon to be fired between the cylinder banks. Just one of them was produced and it was used as test bench for the engine and for testing the cannon-engine configuration which would later be used in the Morane-Saulnier Ms.406.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.225
2. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/12977
3. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_morane_saulnier_MS225.html
4. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_morane_saulnier_MS226.html
5. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_morane_saulnier_MS227.html
6. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mitsubishi A5M, part five

The Mitsubishi A5M4 was the final development of the regular A5M which included many new and improved features like redesigned wings, external additional detachable fuel tank, a new engine and overall improvements.
It was manufactured from 1939 until 1942 (though the last ones, as it was already obsolete, were completed in the trainer variant) and almost 600 exemplars were made. Most of them were built at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, in Nagoya, Japan, but production was undertaken also by the 21st Naval Aviation Workshop (161 exemplars), in Omura and Watanabe Iron Works (just 39 exemplars), in Fukuoka, all of them located in Japan.
It was powered by the Nakajima Kotobuki 41 (AKA 41 KAI) nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine which delivered a power of 700hp for take-off and 774hp at 9840ft high (3000m). It was equipped with an interal fuel tanks with 330L (72.6 UK gallons) of fuel and could carry an additional 160L (35.2 UK gallons) in an external fuel tank.
It was armed with two 7,7mm (0.303in) Type 89 machine guns placed in the upper fuselage decking with 500 rounds each and Type 89s were replaced by the 7,7mm Type 97 machine guns in later models. It could carry two small bombs of 30kg each (66lb) and had an endurance of 4 hours.
The A5M4-K was a two-seater trainer variant that was produced by the 21st Naval Aviation Workshop, in Omura, from 1942 until 1944. One-hundred and three exemplars were manufactured and it wasn't armed.
Japan wasn't the only user of the A5M as some fighters were captured by the Chinese Nationalist during either the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War 2 or the closing stages of the Chinese Civil War. Most of them were repainted in Chinese colours and were used as advanced trainers as it was obvious that the type was already obsolete for the World War 2.
The Soviets also captured some of them during the Battle of Khalkin-Gol (AKA Nomohan Incident) in the spring of 1939 and they were evaluated by the Soviet Air Force.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_A5M
2. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/8547
3. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/28834
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Boeing P-26, Chinese and Central-American users

The Boeing P-26 Peashooter, was the first American all-metal to serve in the United States Army Air Corps. It was designed by Boeing in the early 1930s and flew for the first time in 1932. It was exported to many nations:

• Republic of China: The Republic of China ordered eleven Boeing Model 281 which was the demonstrator of the P-26C. The first Model 281, which arrived to China in September 1934, was destroyed in an accident when its pilot was making a demonstration flight. The rest arrived gradually at the Chinese port of Canton during the next 15 months, with the last one arriving in January 1936 and forming, therefore, the 17th Fighter Squadron, as part of the 3rd Wing. Those aircraft scored some victories against Japanese fighters and bombers and some Chinese pilots adquired the ace status flying the type, like Cpt. John Wong. The aircraft had to be retired from active service due to the lack of spare parts.
• Guatemala: During late 1942, when there were just 9 active Peashooters in the USAAC, at the Panama Canal Zone, the Guatemalan Government showed interest for the type. However, as the United States Congress had issued a veto on combat weapons exportations to Latin-American countries, except for Mexico and Brasil, the US Government smuggled them under the fake name of PT-26 to disguish them as Fairchild PT-26 trainer airplane, being seven of them delivered in early 1943. They were employed in the Guatemalan coup d'état of 1954 and, by the end of 1956 there were only two of them left. Both of them were sold to be restored by the Plames of Fame Air Museum, in Chino, California and the National Air and Space Museum.
• Panamá: Apparently at least one aircraft was sold to the Panaman government during the years of the World War II. However as we couldn't find any graphical information, the drawing should be considered as speculative.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_P-26_Peashooter

2. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_P-26_Peashooter (translated)

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Breda Ba.27

The Breda Ba.27 was an Italian fighter of the 1930s that was used by the Chinese Nationalist Air Force during the second Sino-Japanese War.
It was a low-wing braced monoplane with a fixed undercarriage. The original design had a steel tube fuselage construction that was skinned with light corrugated alloy metal with wooden wings and tailplane. Two prototypes were made and tested by the Regia Aeronautica in 1933 but it received strongly negative reviews which leaded to a redesign of the aircraft. The fuselage was shaped more rounded and the open cockpit was moved higher and forward in order to improve stability and the corrugated skin was replaced with smooth sheet metal.
One prototype of this revised version was also tested by the Regia Aeronautica, but the review was just a little more positive than the previous version.
In spite of the lack of interest of the Regia Aeronautica, the aircraft was sold to the Republic of China where it was used by the Chinese Nationalist Air Force against the Empire of Japan in the second Sino-Japanese war. Out of eighteen aircraft ordered, only eleven of them were actually delivered in 1935 where they served until 1938 in the 3rd Fighter Squadron.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.27
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.27 (translated)
3. Salamander Books - The Complete book of Fighters

Armstrong Whitworth A.W.16

The Armstrong Whitworth AW.16 was a British biplane fighter designed and produced by Armstrong Whitworth.

It was designed and developed by Armstrong Whitworth to meet the requeriments of the F9/26 specification but, as the prototype was flown for the first time in 1930, it was already too late to for consideration against that specification, and was instead, presented for the N21/26 one, which requested a naval fighter for the Fleet Air Arm.

It was a single bay biplane of unequal span braced with N-type struts which resembled somehow to the previous Starling one. Undercarriage was fixed, undivided and spatted. It was powered by a 525hp Armstrong Siddeley Panther radial engine enclosed within a townend ring, however, problems with that engine delayed the production of the aircraft and the Hawker Nimrod was chosen for the N21/26 evaluation. It was armed with the usual pair of British Vickers 0.303 machine guns located in the frontern part of the fuselage. In any way, when it was evaluated, it showed inferior performance to the Nimrod and it was difficult to handle in a carrier deck.

As Armstrong Whitworth still tried to sell the airplane, they produced a second prototype, powered by a more reliable version of the Panther Engine, the Panther IIA and submitted the fighter for the F7/30 specification, which was eventually won by the Gloster Gladiator. Needless to say that, for that specification, the A.W.16 was too obsolete and was quickly discarded for consideration.
It's also known that the original prototype was retrofitted in 1933 with an Armstrong Siddeley Hyena engine but it was quickly discarded as that engine offered serious cooling problems.

In spite of the unsuccessful attempts, an order from the Chinese warlord Guangxi clique was placed for 17 airplanes and were delivered to them via Hong Kong.
They served with that warlord until 1937 when that clique was absorbed into the Republic of China led by Chiang Kai-Shek. From then on, they passed on to the Republic of China air Force. Their fate from then on, is unknown.

Update: We update the post to show the Armstrong Whitworth A.W.28, which was a regular A.W.16 powered by the experimental and troublesome Armstrong Siddeley Hyena. It was tested on 24th October 1933 and the results showed that the engine was too heavy, it was underpowered and it was hard to cool-off, even if various types of hoods were tried on the A.W.28.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_Whitworth_A.W.16
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
3. http://cwlam2000.0catch.com/caf23.htm (translated)
4. http://p-d-m.livejournal.com/242051.html (translated)

Albatros L.84

Today we finish with the last Albatros fighter aircraft that was completed before the company was taken over by Focke-Wulf.

The Albatros L.84 was a German two-seater biplane fighter that flew for the first time in 1931.

It was powered by a water-cooled 660hp BMW VIu 12 cylinder engine and the fuselage was covered in fabric made by welded steel tubes. The wings were made out of wood and were skinned in plywood. It was armed with a total of three 7,92 machine-guns, two forward firing ones and a third one placed in a ring at the observers ' position. Only one airplane was completed by Albatros Flugzeugwerke before being amalgamated into Focke-Wulf and it was destroyed during a flight test, in fact of the five airplanes manufactured, four were made by Focke-Wulf.
A second airplane was modified in order to instal a modified cooling-system.

Initially, the Reichswehr ordered 12 airplanes but the order was cancelled after only three of them were completed. Of those three, one was powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel IIIS, the L.84E and another one, the L.84F featured a more advanced version of the BMWVIu engine with a fuel-injection system.
At least one of them was sold to the Chinese Kuomintang government, but, as we couldn't find graphical evidence of this, that drawing should be considered specultative.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albatros_L_84
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters.