The Dewoitine D.520 was a fighter aircraft used by the French Air Force during World War II. It was also employed by the Luftwaffe after the French lost the Battle of France to Germany in June 1940. Although it lacked a powerful engine, it performed very well at all altitudes as it was maneuverable and had great handling qualities. It was one of the few modern fighters available to the French when Germany invaded France on May 10, 1940.
The Dewoitine D.520 was designed in 1936 by Robert Castello, who was the chief designer of Emile Dewoitine. It was the answer to a French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) requirement. The prototype made its maiden flight on October 2,1938, and entered service in 1939. It would become the most capable fighter of French design used in the early days of the war. The French pilots fought courageously and the D.520 acquitted itself well against the German fighters. The Luftwaffe seized 411 aircraft, while the rest were operated by Vichy France air force.
Technical Characteristics
The Dewoitine D.520 was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane, with all-metal fuselage. It had dihedral cantilever low wing, with a long main single spar reinforced by a secondary one. The landing gear retracted inwardly into the belly of fuselage. The cockpit was set up a long way aft of the engine cowling, making landing not an easy task. The forward fuselage contained the fuel tank. The 20-mm cannon magazine was located between the tank and the engine.
Specifications
Type: fighter
Length: 8.60 m (28 ft)
Wing Span: 10.20 m (34 ft)
Wing Area: 15.97 m2 (172 sq. ft.)
Height: 2.57 m (8 ft)
Powerplant: one 935-HP, Hispano-Suiza 12Y 45, inline pistone engine, with supercharger.
Maximum Speed: 535 km/h (332 mph)
Range: 890 km (553 miles)
Service Ceiling: 10,500 m (39,440 ft)
Armament: on 20mm Hispano Suiza cannon; four 7.5mm MAC 34 M39 machine guns mounted in wings.
Crew: one
Below, a Free France pilot, Hardouin, flying his D.520 over Morocco in 1942.
A restored aircraft taking off from a French civilian airstrip in 1990.
Below, a RAF pilot flying a D.520 in 1945 after the war. It had fallen in German hands in 1940 and it was restored and tested by the British RAF.
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