Breguet 270 unit help
 

Gentlemen,

first of all - I have only rudimentary knowledge about the unit or tactical marking system in the Armée d l'Air, so I am aware that this question might be stupid in some way or another: I have some photos of a derelict Breguet 270 A2 No 47, the wing undersides reveal a code A??3 (digits/letters two and three are unreadable). There are no emblems or any other markings visible.

Is it possible to say to which unit this plane had belonged to or even where it was found by the German forces (it's the same airfield at which the well known liason Breguet 270 No 7 was discovered)?

Kind regards,
Christian

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Code system started in 1925. The letter (A) is for the register of registration, ( in 1939 the letter was U), the three digits: aircraft's i.d. Letter and one digit painted on right wing underside, two other dîgits on left wing underside.
You will have to research N° 47 among the twelve GAO s using Br 270.
Sorry can't give more

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Thanks a lot Thierry for your reply, I did learn some new things:) But one question: When you say the code on the wing undersides represents an aircraft's identity, is this a tactical I.D. like the fuselage codes on the British or German aircraft (squadron codes or Verbandskennzeichen) or part of another registration system I don't know yet?

BTW: Maybe these photos help to identify the location (They were taken at the same spot. Other images show both planes together)

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Unfortunately the 3 digits were attributed according to the contracts between constructors and airforce without chronological or even logical way, So can't help to find the unit.
GAO 1/508, 2/508, 509, 516, 518, 543, 545, 546 and 547 ( by chance reduced to nine !) used Br 270
Good luck

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Ok thanks!

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Locations of GAO's airfields could maybe been helpfull:
1/508:Romilly/Seine
2/508:Mars-la-Tour
509:Delme
516:Aix en Provence
518:Challerange
543:Montbéliard
545:Denain
546:Sézanne-St Rémy
547:Tournes-Belval

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Just out of interest in the second photo the rear of the fuselage looks different to photos I have in my library such as in French Aircraft from 1939-42 Volume 1 by Histoire & Collections.

I know it has the glass house in place but the rear section (where the long tail boom fits in to the main fuselage) it appears that the fuselarge is vertical rather than than humped / rounded as it is in the aircraft in the first photo. Apparently the tail on this type was revised after first flights several times.

Also with an enclosed cockpit and no gun showing was this plane used for Comms and could this help reveal the unit

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Hi Larry,

the first plane is of the standard variant, the other is one of only a few Br.270 liaison planes, apparently rebuilt (AFAIK) from older examples.

Regards,
Christian

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Well ok, that's a lucky coincidence: http://cgi.ebay.de/FOTO-FLUGZEUG-Fra...-/320704857426

Backside of the photo says "near Troyes"...

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Hello

Breguet 270 n° 47 was an ex-aircraft from GAO 1/508. Equiped with Potez 63.11, this group send several of its old Breguet to Auxerre on 14 may 1940. These Breguet 270 were probably stored with aircrafts from others GAO.

According to a reader from french magazine Avions :

ex Breguet 270 from GAO 1/508

Send to Auxerre : n° 24, 29, 47, 66, 85 & 99 on 14/05/1940
Send to Chartres: N° 36, 59, 63 & 126 on 15 & 16/05/1940 & n° 37 on 04/06/1940.

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Thanks a lot Stéphane, great info! But with the locations Auxerre and Troyes conflicting, I am not so sure any more that this is in fact plane No 47. Attached is a close-up of the tail. What do you guys think about the second digit?

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Hi Christian,
You have "near Troyes" on your photo. Romilly/Seine, airfield of GAO 1/508 is only 35 km NW/ Troyes and Auxerre 65 km SW/ Troyes. There are maybe photos in " AVIONS N°115 October 2002 - Br 270 la drôle de guerre et la campagne de mai-juin 1940 " AVIONS-BATEAUX.com

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Just took a look in this issue and yes, indeed there are three photos of this plane. Thanks for the pointer! Caption says it's No 43 of GAO I/508. It's not visible in the printed photos, though, so some little doubts remain...

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Without little doubt, no research...
Regards, Thierry

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Sorry for my belated post.
The codes you can read under the wings are "Matricules Militaires", better known in the US as "buzz-numbers". All they can tell you is the serial number of the aircraft but not the unit it belonged to.

Here's part of a colour photograph of n°99 probably at the same location as n°47, since they both belonged to GAO 1/508, but I cannot tell where this shot was taken because an airplane is made for flying and many French aircraft were captured on airfields where they were not supposed to be on.

Chris

Re: Breguet 270 unit help
 

Nice color shot, it's the first one I see of a Br.270. Thanks Chris!