Dewoitine D.520

The Dewoitine D.520 was the hunter French most powerful of the Second world war.

Design

Conceived as from 1936 by Emile Dewoitine, to answer an invitation to tender of the French Air force seeking a hunter succeeding the Dewoitine D.510, and able to reach 520 km/h (… from where its name!), the project will be carried out in the long term by the Nationale new business of Aeronautical Engineering of the South (exit of the nationalization of the workshops Dewoitine). Three prototypes were construits : the first, which stole the first time the October 2nd 1938, equipped with Hispano-Suiza 12Y21 of 890 horses, will not manage to exceed 480 km/h. Remotorisé by a 12Y29 and equipped with a propeller with variable step, following an accident, it will reach then, controlled by Léopold Galy, the speed of 825 km/h in piqué.

The two others followed during 1939, equipped, them, of their armament, and in March, 200 specimens were ordered, followed from 600, reduced thereafter to 510 additional in June. In September, with the opening of the hostilities, the total of the orders placed to 1280, and in April 1940, to 2250.

D.520 of series, whose first specimen was produced in November 1939 is been driven by an engine Hispano-Suiza 12Y45 of 935 horses and is armed with 4 machine-guns MAC34 Mod39 in the wings, supplied with 675 blows, and of a gun of 20 mm Hs404 with 60 blows drawing through the axis from propeller.

It started to equip the air force as from January 1940, but was truly operational only as from at the end of May 1940. With the armistice, 437 specimens will have been produced and 351 delivered.

In April 1941 the production began again to equip the air force with the Régime of Vichy which ordered 550 specimens of them.

In 1944, D.520 taken again with the occupying armies equipped the 1st Group with Hunting FFI, under the command of Marcel Doret, to carry out missions on the area of Bordeaux and the pocket of Royan .

775 specimens on the whole were produced.

Engagements

Although a little slower than the Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was manoeuvrable and was one of the only apparatuses able to resist to him the beginnings of the war. However, built in too small number and arrived too late in the various groups of hunting which it equipped, it is not enough to reverse the course of the history…

The first unit to be equipped about it is the Groupe of hunting I/3 which accepted specimens not armed in January and 34 machines of series, in April and mai ; with the release of the German offensive, it is the only unit to be provided with 79 operational planes about it. They obtained their first victories, the May 13rd, by cutting down three Henschel Hs 126 and a Heinkel He 111, without any loss. Thereafter, GC II/2, GC III/3, GC III/6 and GC II/7 also accepted some, as well as GC II/6 and GC III/7, but which, them, formed too late, could not take part in the combat. The fighter squadron n°1, from the Naval Aviation, accepted some from them.

Dewoitine D.520 is however credited with 147 victories (108 confirmed and 39 probable) in aerial combat against the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica, for 54 shot down planes.

Some apparatuses were engaged by the French State to be opposed to the unloading combined in North Africa and to the occupation of the Lebanon and of Madagascar.

Certain apparatuses captured by the German army during the invasion of the nonoccupied zone into 1942 were used like plane of drive by Luftwaffe and other powers of the Axe. They were also sold in great number with the Bulgare force, approximately 150 apparatuses which fought against the US apparatuses.

With the release, it takes again service within the group of hunting FFI of Marcel Doret, (and with the Irregular force Pommiès) which becomes the November 30th 1944, group G.C. 11/18 " Saintonge" , and which fights at the time of the operations above the pocket Royan.

At the end of the war, the remaining apparatuses were used for the pilot training French, and this until in 1953.

Alternatives

D-520DC version with dual control out of tandem.
D-520T Hispano-Suiza 12Z-89 of 1200 cv. (prototype)
D-520Z Hispano-Suiza of 1600 cv. (prototype)
Dewoitine 521 engine Roll Royce Merlin of 1030 cv. (prototype)
Dewoitine 523 engine Hispano-Suiza 12Z-51 of 1000 cv. (prototype)
Dewoitine 524 engine Hispano-Suiza 12Z-89ter. (prototype)
HD-780, Seaplane with floats been driven by an engine Hispano-Suiza 12Y-51
Dewoitine 550 & 551 (prototypes)

Other characteristics

See too

List of the military aircrafts

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