Hello everybody,
Quote:
Alex :
I see that our data is not that far out.
My quote from Air Enthusiast 34 years old info re the C-75A-4's-
only six had been officially taken on strength
and your more up to date remark -
More than 4 A-4s were pressed into service.
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CJE is right Alex as your data about H-75s' are mostly outdated and beside, I never read anything accurate in many US/English publications up till now on this subject. Almost everything is incorrect from the French orders to the deliveries of this airplane :
- The first French Air Commission contract was #1035/8 from Sept.9, 1938 was signed for 100 airframes, propellers, spare parts and tools ammounting for $4,820,691.51 ; it was fully delivered and paid (in advance) ; this contract was redesignated later by the joint Anglo-French Air Commission as contract F-697.
Those airplanes were designated H-75A-1 by Curtiss-Wright Corp. Buffalo N.Y. and they received French Army S/ns 1-100 in Buffalo with Factory C/ns 12798/12897.
- The second contract was #6 (F-160) from Mar.5, 1939 was signed for 100 airframes, propellers and spare parts ammounting $4,007,586.88 ; it was fully delivered and paid. Those airplanes were designated H-75A-2 by Curtiss and received S/ns 101-200 with Factory C/ns 12932/13031. (What is your source Buz ?!)
- The third contract was #37 (F-273) from Oct.5, 1939 was signed for 630 airframes, propellers and spare parts ammounting for $23,464,560, on which $16,601,297.60 was paid in advance.
On this total of 630, only 530 airframes were ordered as H-75s' and a hundred as H-81s'. After further negociations with Curtiss and US Authorities, the French Air Commission was allowed to reduce the H-75s' number by 130 and obtained the same amount of H-81s' instead. The final deal was then reached with the manufacturer by picking the Curtiss-Wright R-1820 G205A engine for 265 of the remaining H-75s' and by adding another 20 H-75s' with a new contract #53 (F-158), Nov.15, 1939 which included 20 airframes, 20 R-1820 and 12 sets of spare wing panels ; the bill amounted for $1,024,560 more, on which $521,400 was paid in advance.
Now we can summarize the schedule for contracts #37 (F-273) & #53 (F-158) as :
- 135 H-75A-3, French Army S/ns 201-335 with Factory C/ns 13671/13805 ;
- 285 H-75A-4, with French H-751 designation because of the new engine, French Army S/ns 1-285 and factory C/ns 13806/14090 ;
- 230 H-81s', factory C/ns 14091/14220 and 14446/14545 ;
So what about the deliveries ?
- 135 H-75A-3 were delivered to and reached France.
- 81 H-751 were delivered to France and 204 diverted to Britain.
- the total order of H-81 was diverted to Britain.
Now, I guess it was more than correct when CJE wrote this : "More than 4 A-4s were pressed into service."
Regards,
Olivier Bacca.