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Old 25th October 2019, 11:20
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FalkeEins FalkeEins is offline
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Location: Hauts-de-France
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Re: French fighter scores, mainly 1939-1940

indeed....

Yves, in the English-speaking world at least, and this is a point Lionel Persyn makes well in his huge Curtiss H-75 tome (Lela Presse), the H-75, Ms 406, Bloch and, yes, the D.520, ( "..c'est la barbe , ces avions inexpérimentés.."), are inextricably associated with defeat as opposed to the Hurricane, the machine of victory....(..and a long and successful career after France in many theaters).

You over-estimated the Bloch 'score' a little as well..(it appears you've edited your 'several hundreds..'.)..59 Bloch pilots were KIA for +/- 155 German machines shot down (Drix gives the Blochs 188 vics including 50+ Bf 109s). The average squadron pilot apparently regarded the Bloch favourably enough as outlined by André Deniau (GC II / 6):

"..Nous savions que le Bloch 152 était surclassé par le Bf 109 (…) :..we knew that the Me 109 outclassed the Bloch -with its overall superior performance, higher top speed, superior rate of climb and maneuverability the enemy enjoyed a considerable advantage. Our adversary could take the initiative, joining or breaking off combat at will. However in the Bloch the pilot enjoyed good visibility, the airframe was strong and sturdy and the armament relatively powerful.."
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