Tupolev SB & Avia B-71 in service with Poland and Slovakia.

 

The Tupolev SB was a high-speed, twin-engined three-seat Soviet monoplane bomber which flew for the first time in 1934. It was also built under license in Czechoslovakia under the denomination of Avia B-71. It was mainly used by the USSR, but there were some foreign users as well, among them, the following ones:

• Poland: During World War 2 some Polish pilots in the USSR were trained with the Tupolev USB (the dual-control trainer variant). These pilots belonged to the 9th Group stationed at Buguruslan, in Chkalov oblast (nowadays Orenburg oblast). Just after the war, five USB trainers were delivered to the Aviation Officers School at Deblin, in the Lublin Voivodeship, to serve as trainers. In 1947 they were re-engined with M-105 engines. This change required a redesign of the exhaust collector system, while different propellers with more ogival spinners were also installed. Three of the five USB served with the Wojska Lotnicze (Polish Air Force)  at the Aviation Officers School until August 1949. This marked the longest use of the Tupolev USB outside the USSR, than any other country.
  
  
• Slovakia: When Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in March 1939, the state was split into the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and the independent Slovak Republic. The Slovenské vzdusné zbrane ( SVZ - Slovak Air Force) had a total of 300 aircraft, among them three Avia B-71. 
  Just before the annexation, one B-71 had to perform a forced landing in the Slovakian part of Czechoslovakia, where it remained well after the split. Hungarian troops occupied the Carpatho-Ukraine region (Ruthenia) and looked to expand their borders in southern Slovakia. This soon led to various clashes which eventually escalated into the Slovak-Hungarian War of late March 1939 in the context of which, on 24th March ten Magyar Királyi Honvéd Legiero (MKHL - Royal Hungarian Air Force) Junkers Ju.86K-2 bombers attacked the airfield of Spisská Nová Ves, in the Kosicé region. This raid damaged one B-71 stationed there.
  The B-71 that force landed in Slovakia before the German occupation, was repaired during the spring of 1939 and received SVZ codes and the blue V3 registration. It was also fitted with German radio equipment, a direction finding loop antenna and an antenna mast mounted on the upper fuselage behind the cockpit. Two additional rack antennas were also fitted to the lower rear fuselage with the original retractable antenna being retained. Both balance weights were also removed from the lower right wing.
  On 18th April 1943 five Slovak airmen scaped to neutral Turkey in the blue V3 B-71. Sergeant Anton Vanko took off from Trencianske Biskupice airbase, close to the town of Trencin, in western Slovakia. Aboard the B-71 were Privates First Class J.Koman, J. Bzoch, L.Slezak and L.Pollak. The B-71 flew from Trencianske Biskupice to Kestanelik, in the Çanakkale province of Turkey, where they were interned for a brief period of time. The five Slovak airmen then travelled to England via North Africa, where they joined the various Czechoslovak Royal Air Force's (RAF) squadrons. Vanko became a Supermarine Spitfire pilot at the No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron at RAF Bradwell Bay, in Essex. Unfortunately he was killed in a take off accident on 8th December 1944.

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/b-71/czech%2Bslovak/czech%2Bslovak.htm

Morane-Saulnier Ms.230, foreign users, part two

 

The Morane-Saulnier Ms.230 was a French two-seat single-engine trainer aircraft from the late 1920s that served, in many variants, with various countries all around the globe until World War 2. We already covered some of them in our previous post, so here are the remaining ones:

• Greece: Eighteen Ms.230 were ordered by the Royal Hellenic Air Force (RHAF) in October 1930 and were delivered in 1931. They were the main elementary trainer of the RHAF until 1936 when they were replaced by the Avro Tutor. The Ms.230s were not, however, written off, as they were kept as advanced trainers until the beginning of World War 2.
• Portugal: This Iberian country had its own version of the Ms.230; the Morane-Saulnier Ms.233 was powered by a Gnome-Rhône 5Ba or, in the latest versions, the Gnome-Rhône 5Bc which delivered, both of them, 230 hp of power. Six of them were built in France and 16 in Portugal by OGMA (Oficinas Gerais de Material Aeronáutico - General Workshops of Aeronautical Material). The were the main trainer of the Portuguese Aeronautical Corps during the 1930s and some of them were exported to Spain.
• Romania: In 1931 the Royal Romanian Air Force (RRAF) bought twenty Ms.230. They were used as their main trainer. As we couldn't find any graphical evidence of the Ms.230 serving in Romanian colours, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Switzerland: In 1931 the Swiss Flugwaffe (Swiss Air Force) bought two Ms.229 for basic training. These machines were identical to the Ms.230 but were powered by an Hispano-Suiza 8a V8 engine. This engine turned to be problematic as the engine failed in mid air various times, luckily, without any loss. After some investigations on the causes, it was found that the engine wasn't suitable for acrobatics, so one of them, numbered 643, was re-engined in 1932 with an American Wright 9Qa radial engine, licensed made in Switzerland as Hispano-Suiza 9Qa. Flight performance was improved, but only one machine was brought to that standard. They were kept in active until 1939 when they were withdrawn from active service.
• Slovak Republic: During late 1940 or early 1941, a single captured Ms.230 was given to the newly established Slovak Flying Corps. This single Ms.230 was kept at Vajnory airfield, as glider tug. It was probably destroyed in March 1945. Apparently there was a second machine which was given without its engine and was used for spare parts.
• Republican Spain: The Fuerza Aérea Republicana Española (FARE - Spanish Republican Air Force) bought six Ms.233 from Portugal at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. They were employed as elementary trainers at La Rivera flying school. 
• Venezuela: In 1930 Venezuela acquired three Ms.230 for their Regimiento Militar de Aviación Nº1 (No.1 Military Aviation Regiment - de facto the Venezuelan Air Force during the 1930s and part of the 1940s). They were kept in active until late 1930s when they were replaced by more modern types.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_MS.230

2. https://www.haf.gr/en/history/historical-aircraft/morane-saulnier-ms230/

3. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_morane_saulnier_MS229.html

4. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_morane_saulnier_MS233.html

5. https://www.valka.cz/Morane-Saulnier-MS-230-t167614 (translated)

6. http://wings-aviation.ch/51-Profiles/M/M-Basis-en.htm (translated)

7. https://www.oocities.org/slovakaf/lietadla/ms-230/ms-230.en.htm

8. https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/forodemodelismo/morane-saulnier-ms-230-t4608.html (translated)

9. http://www.amigosdelmuseoarqueologicodelorca.com/alberca/pdf/alberca15/15_15.pdf (translated)

10. https://maquetas.mforos.com/353330/12935183-morane-saulnier-230-venezolano-esc-1-48-scratchbuilt/ (translated)

Caudron C.440 Goéland, Foreign Users Part Two

 

The Caudron C.440 Goéland (French word for "Seagull") was a French six-seat twin-engined utility aircraft of the 1930s that saw service with many foreign users:

• Poland: The Caudron C.445 was used by the Polish Air Force in France in 1940 as a bomber pilot and navigator trainer. They were employed in the flying schools of Lyon-Bron, Clermont-Ferrand, Istres, Corbas, Rennes and St. Cyr. From 13th May 1940 until the end of the Battle of France, the Franco-Polish Goélands were used as utility and transport airplanes to transport both men and materiel to and from frontlines. Later, during the French retreat, they were employed to evacuate Polish transport personnel. In fact, on 23rd June two Goélands evacuated a group of 16 Polish pilots from Perpignan to Oran, in Algeria. 
  At the end of the war, one C.445A-T that was built in France during the German occupation, was captured by the Poles at the city of Dziwnów, in a very bad condition though. In spite of initial interests by the Polish Air Force for the plane, it was transferred to civilian aviation, where PZL-Mielec rebuilt it and used it for transport duties and company business trips. Oddly enough, the production license and technical documentation for the PZL-Mielec Lim-1 (the Polish MiG-15 license-built in Poland) was transported in this airplane. It was used by PZL from 22nd August 1947 until 12th September 1955.
• Slovak Republic: Twelve C.445M (military variant of the regular C.445) were ordered by the Slovenské Vzdusné Zbrane (Slovak Air Force) in 1942 (although, according to other sources they were transferred by the Luftwaffe from captured machines). They were employed in the trainer and transport role, and their ultimate fate is unknown.
• Spain: After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the Republican Spanish Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas (Spanish Postal Airlines - LAPE) acquired three ex-French Goéland machines. They were employed in various aerial routes inside the Republican territory during the Spanish Civil War. All three of them were either destroyed or captured by the Nationalists. After the war, in May 1940 some fleeing machines crash-landed in Spain and their crew and machines were interned.
• Yugoslavia: The Yugoslavian National Airline Aeroput, bought two C.449 monoplanes in 1937 and 1938 as part of their modernization programme in order to cover more aerial routes. One of them was damaged beyond repair in 1939 and the other one was pressed into service with the Royal Yugoslav Air Force in 1941 when Germany invaded and was subsequently captured by them in April 1941.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caudron_C.440_Goéland

2. http://www.samolotypolskie.pl/samoloty/638/126/Caudron-C-445-Goeland (translated)

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroput

4. http://equinoxe.dk/SCWaircraft/did.html

5. http://incidentessgm.blogspot.com/2013/11/caudron-c-445.html (translated)

6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_YU-.html

7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_EC-.html

Junkers Ju.52/3m various European Users

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m is a German cargo aircraft which was widely used all around the globe. It was used, among many other ones, by the following countries:

• Slovak Republic: Two Ju.52/3mg7e were purchased from Germany in 1942 when the Slovak Air Force (SVZ) replaced their old inherited Czechoslovak-made material. They were destined to their flying school. Their fate is not known, but they were most probably destroyed on the ground during an aerial strike. 
• USSR: The Soviet Union employed the Ju.52/3m both before and after World War 2. Before the war, the type was evaluated by the NII-VVS (Soviet Air Force's Technical Research Unit) in 1937. 
  The Soviet State airline, Aeroflot, began operating captured Ju.52/3m on the Perm to Samara aerial route in the summer of 1944. These aircraft were also used to transport sulphur from mines in Central Asia to Soviet factories. Many of them were retrofitted with Soviet RPK-10 radio compasses and remained in active service until the late 1950s.
• Sweden: The Swedish national airline, AB Aerotransport, bought five Ju.52/3m, (according to some sources it was just 5 of them) in 1932. Though the airline's main aircraft was the famous Douglas DC-3, the Ju.52/3m was kept in service for routes from Sweden to Germany. They were extensively used, even during the war years, with neutrality markings. After the War, they served until 1948. 
  In order to prepare the country for a possible invasion during World War 2, the Swedish Air Force hired five Ju.52/3m from Aerotransport which gave them the designation of 'TP-5'. They were employed in many different roles, like cargo, personnel and VIP transport, but also as trainers and some of them were allocated to train the first Swedish paratroopers, though, eventually, they never served as such.
• Yugoslavia: During the very end of World War 2 and the immediate postwar, the Yugoslav Air Force operated some ex-German Ju.52/3m. They were complemented in 1946 with two French-made AAC.1 Toucan which were ordered in late 1945. In 1950 they acquired four more Toucans and two years later they were replaced by the Soviet Lisunov Li-2, the Soviet copy of the Douglas DC-4. The AAC.1s were passed on to JAT, the Yugoslav state airline, which operated the type until 1964. Nowadays one of them is preserved in Belgrade.

Sources:

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

2. https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABA (translated)

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_Aerotransport

4. http://www.vrtulnik.cz/ww2/slovac.htm (translated)

5. http://www.lietadla.com/historia/slov-heinkel.htm (translated)

6. https://wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2020/04/11/aac-1-toucan-frances-post-wwii-ju-52/

7. https://www.avrosys.nu/aircraft/Transport/255tp5/255Tp5.htm

8. Signal Squadron - Aircraft in Action 186 - Junkers Ju.52 in Action

Arado Ar.96, various users

 

The Arado Ar.96 was a German single-engined monoplane made entirely out of metal which was used by the Luftwaffe and many other users around the world, among them, the following ones:

• United Kingdom: At least one Ar.96B was used by the 435 Disarmament Service and Repair Unit of the Royal Air Force, located in Schleswig-Holstein, in the British Occupation Zone of Germany in 1945, as it was captured after the war. This aircraft was moved to the United Kingdom and, in 1946 it was at Woodley aerodrome, in Berkshire where it was flight tested. By 1947 it was scrapped with other captured Ar.96Bs.
• Slovak Republic: Shortly after the creation, in 1939 of the Slovenské vzdusne zbrane (Slovak Air Force or SVZ) four Ar.96A (the initial production version) served with the SVZ. Their fate is unknown but they were, most likely, destroyed during the war.
• Spain: There are some reports of two Ar.96A serving with the Nationalist Air Force during the Spanish Civil War. However, those reports seem to be false as the Ar.96A entered service in 1939, after the end of the War. However, we've drawn an hypothetical Ar.96A serving with Spain in 1940 just for the fun of it.
• Sweden: The Swedish company AB Norrlansdflyg acquired one Ar.96B after the war (aircraft which defected to Sweden at the end of the World War 2) and, in July 1946 it was in service with this company at Lulea registered as SE-AOA. It was used to train pilots of this Swedish airline.
• United States of America: The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) used at least one captured Ar.96B-7 after the war in Mannheim-Sandhofen, in the US Occupation Zone. Further details, however, are unknown.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arado_Ar_96

2. https://modellbygge.ifokus.se/discussion/1216512/lite-arado-ar-96-researchfragor-se-aoa (translated)

3. https://gustavsviksflygfalt.se/text/tengler_arne/Bilder_Norrlandsflyg.htm (translated)

4. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_arado_ar_96.html

5. https://www.valka.cz/Arado-Ar-96-t54856 (translated)

6. http://bioold.science.ku.dk/drnash/model/spain/didnt.html

7. http://silverhawkauthor.com/axis-warplane-survivors-german-aircraft-part-i-arado-ar-96-to-fockewulf-fw-58_320.html

Airspeed AS.6 Envoy, part two

The Airspeed AS.6 Envoy was a British light, twin-engined transport aircraft designed and built by Airspeed Ltd. in the 1930s. It was exported to many countries, among them:

• Finland: On 1st March 1942 the Finnish Air Force acquired one Airspeed AS.6E Envoy III from Germany which previously had belonged to Ceskoslovenske Statní Aerolinie (CSA - Czechoslovak's National Airline). It was given as a compensation for the De Havilland DH.89 'Lappi' (registered as OH-BLB) that the Luftwaffe shot down erroneously. The aircraft was used until 1943, when it was damaged beyond repair on 31st July 1943.
• South Africa: Seven exemplar were ordered for the joint use of the South African Airways and the South African Air Force. Three of them were delivered in a military form, and four of them were delivered in a civilian variant. They were used to cover the air route between Johannesburg-Bloemfontein-Port Elizabeth, which opened on 12th October 1936. Each of those aircraft could be transformed by a small work crew and in just a matter of hours, into the light bomber or reconnaissance version with a dorsal turret equipped with a Vickers K gun. Some transport versions were used in the East African Campaign as reconnaissance aircraft in 1940-1941.
• Slovakia: The Slovak Republic received the ex-Czechoslovak machine registered as 'OK-VIT' that had belonged to the Vitkovice Mine & Steel Company. It was delivered in the spring of 1940 and operated with the Slovenska Letecka Spolocnost (National Slovak Airline) operating from Bratislava. On 3rd May 1943, it suffered port engine failure and crashed on landing at Nozdrkovce airfiled, in Trencin, Slovakia. 

Sources:

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

2. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/airspeed_prewar.pdf

3. http://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/squadrons/12/60-squadron

4. http://britishaviation-ptp.com/airspeed_as6.html

5. http://www.axis-and-allies-paintworks.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?2462

Avia Bk-534, Czechoslovak Users

Now it's the time for the last post about the Avia B-534, this time covering the native and some foreign and exotic users of the Bk-534.

The Bk-534 was designed to have a 20mm Oerlikon FFS-20 cannon firing through the nose and just two 7.92mm machine guns firing through the sides of the nose.
Apparently there were some problems to adapt the new gun that weren't solved until the summer of 1938. In order to make more airplanes, Avia decided to replace the cannon with a third machine gun in the nose with an extra amount of ammunition.
As the time was running out due to the German occupation of the Sudetenland, two series of the Bk-534 were produced, with only three of the second batch serving in the Czechoslovak Air Force and the remaining 63 ones serving either with the Luftwaffe or the Slovak Air Force after March 1939 when the rest of the Czechoslovak state was occupied by Germany.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avia_B-534
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of FIghters

Avia B-534-IV - Slovak Users

Today it's the turn for the Slovak users of the Avia B-534-IV, excluding the early and the insurgent ones.

The Slovak Air Force (SVZ) was much more involved in the attack on the operation Barbarossa than in the invasion of Poland. Right on 7th July 1941 two SVZ squadrons, the 12th and 13th Letka were assigned to Ternopol, in Ukraine. They had the mission of escorting the German Ju.87 and Hs.126 of 3(H.)/Aufkl. Gr.32 and 4(H.)/Aufkl. Gr.32 of the Luftflotte 4.
Since then, they were employed several times, from ground attack duties, to escort ones.
On 28th July 1941 the Slovaks made their first claim when machines from 12th Letka damaged a Soviet Polikarpov I-153 forcing them to land in the Yuzefpol area. It's noteworthy that the Soviets had initally advantage thanks to their new MiG-3 airplanes that took part that day on the combat.
On 15th August the 13. Letka returned to Piest'any and redesigned later to Kiev sector, far from Odessa.
They remained in the frontlines on the Eastern Front until 1st June 1942 when the 11. Letka was assigned to anti-partisan duties in the hinterland. It lasted two months and two machines were lost due to anti-aircraft fire.
Their frontline career was heavily conditioned by the supply problems of the BiBoLi fuel type which was a mixture of alcohol-benzol-petrol that was used by the Czechoslovak pre-war air force. But the main problem overall was the obsolescence and the wear and tear caused by the war operations.
In February 1942 the first Slovak pilots arrived on Denmark in order to be trained in the usage of the Bf.109G that would become the standard airplane of the Slovak air force from then on.

Sources: 
1. http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/avia_slovakia.htm
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avia_B-534
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Avia B-534-IV - Slovak insurgent & Early Slovak users

Today it's the turn for the first part of the Slovak users of this airplane.

After the fall of the Czechoslovak Republic, the newly stablished Slovak Air Force seized the B-534 that were based in their territory and , when the war started back in September 1939, they were the only official ally of the Luftwaffe.
The Slovak Air Force committed three squadrons to fight against Poland. Two of them were fighter squadrons. However, the Slovak units limited themselves to occupy only some parts of northern Slovakia that had been under Polish control since 1918. Their participation was limited to the escort role of German Ju.87 during eight missions performed from Vinné air base close to the Slovak city of Michalovce.
It was during this campaign that the catár (Sergeant) Viliam Grun was shot down in Polish territory but wasn't taken prisoner as he scaped back to Slovakia.
Another pilot, the desiatnik (Corporal) Viliam Jaloviar was killed in a landing accident after returning from a sortie in Presov.
The only confirmed victory of the B-534 during the Polish Campaign came on 26th September when a two-airplane patrol attacked, and shot dow, a Polish RWD-8 that was fleeing to Hungary by the catár Grun. The Polish airplane force landed near Presov.

Some years later, during the autumn of 1944, the B-534 formed the backbone of the combined squadron of the Slovak Insurgent Air Force. Even if the Slovak National Uprising failed, the last operational air mission of the B-534-IV happened during that event when the Master Sergeant Frantisek Cyprich shot down a Hungarian Junkers Ju.52 which was on it's way to a base in Poland. That was the first aerial victory for the rebel air force and the penultimate biplane air-to-air victory. As the rebellion was being crushed, the B-534-IV were burned at Tri Duby when the base was burned on 25th October 1944 to prevent it's usage by the axis users.

Sources:
1. http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/avia_slovakia.htm
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avia_B-534
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Avia B-534-III

Following the sales success from the II series, the Czechoslovak Air Force ordered another batch of B-534 to be made.

In 1936 a second order was placed to Avia to manufacture more B-534. The first 25 of them belonged to the B-534-III denomination and were started in the second half of 1936. The III series featured some minor changes like aerodynamic refinements which saw the frontal carburator's air intake streamlined. Mudguard spats were also added, however as they tended to clog, they were usually removed.

This was the least produced variant before switching to the famous B-534-IV version, which was a success in sales. However, it was used by many countries like Bulgaria, which used it in very limited numbers, Germany or Slovakia.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avia_B-534
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Avia B-534-II Foreign Users

Today it's the turn for the non-native users of this Czechoslovak fighter.

The users covered in this post are:

• Germany: Just like other variants of this one, Germany used some airplanes with the bubble type canopy, most probably for evaluation and/or training purposes.
• Greece: a wealthy Greek bussinessman, G. Koutarellis, bought two B-534-II from Avia and donated them to the Greek Air Force in August 1936. They served with the 24. Mira (24th Squadron) and were destroyed in the Greco-Italian war of 1940-1941.
• Slovak Republic: The main user of this airplane. The B-534-II variant was employed by the Slovak Air Force during the invasion of Poland on September 1939 and later they were used as a second-line/home defence fighters as the most advanced ones were used at the front lines.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avia_B-534

2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

3. http://greek-war-equipment.blogspot.com.es/2011/12/1937-1941-avia-b534.html

Avia B-534-I Foreign Users

We're covering the foreign users of the first variant of the Avia B-534 airplane.

• Germany: After the annexation of the Czechoslovak state the Luftwaffe got some B-534-I. As the first version was obsolete, they were destined to training duties.
• Slovak Republic: When the Slovak Air Force was created, they operated some of them. As they were already obsolete by 1939, they were most probably relegated to second line defence duties.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avia_B-534

2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Avia B-34

Here we are again, this time with another Czechoslovak fighter airplane.

It was the first design of Frantisek Novotny for the Avia Company who later would design the famous Avia B-534.
It was an all-metal single bay biplane of conventional configuration with tailwheel undercarriage and the main wheels were fitted with large spats.
The first prototype made it's maiden flight on 2nd February 1932 and that leaded to some modifications specially on the tail and engine cowling. The revised version was ordered by the Czechoslovak Air Force. An experimental version of this airplane, fitted with an Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs piston engine was the official prototype of the Avia B-534-I.
It was powered by an Avia Vr.36 which was a licensed version of the Hispano-Suiza HS-12Nbr engine, which could deliver 740hp of power. It was armed with two fixed forward-firing 7.92mm vz.28 machine guns fitted in nacelles in the front-lateral part of the airplane.

Twelve B-34 entered service in September 1934 with the Czechoslovak Air Force and they served in the 37. Stíhací Letká (37. Fighter Squadron) where they served until 1937 when they were relegated to training duties. Even if it had bad reputation it was a robust airplane with only one crash during it's active career.
Eight were seized by Germany when the Czechoslovak State ceased to exist in March 1939 and at least three were lost in crashes and most probably others were retired from use. The remaining ones were handed over to the new Slovak Air Force which used at least one of them for training purposes at the Tri Duby airfield until at least August 1944 when they became part of the combined squadron of the Slovak Insurgent Air Force in September 1944. However there are no evidences that they were used in combat and they were destroyed by the Slovaks when the uprising failed.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avia_B-34
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Avia BH-33L & BH-33H

This is the last post before our holidays, so there won't be new post until early August.

The BH-33L was the third development of the BH-33 which was intended to be used as the standard Czechoslovak fighter and was to be known as the Ba.33.
The prototype flew for the first time in late 1929 and was introduced in 1930. It had basically the same fuselage as the BH-33E but it featured longer-span wings of greater area and was powered by one 580hp Skoda L engine. It was armed by two modified Vickers 0.303in machine guns called Mk.28 which were mounted between the cylinder banks.
It did indeed serve as the standard Czechoslovak fighter during the early 1930s.
After the end of the Czechoslovak republic in 1939, some airplanes were used by the Slovak Republic, which used then for a short period of time in training duties.

The BH-33H was a single prototype powered by a Pratt & Whitney Hornet engine, just like the Vought O2U. Most probably it was Avia's trial on introducing it to the American market.

1. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avia_BH-33