French fighters : a detail

By the way, it's MARCEL Bloch not Maurice.

After WW II he changed his name to Marcel Dassault because one of his relatives (a brother I think, or some in-law) had been active in the French résistance under the name of "Char d'assaut" or "Dassault". (I'm not quite sure about the details). Most post-war French fighters were made by Dassault including famous "Mirage III". (Not including the twin-engined SNCASO Vautour (Vulture) and the franco-british SEPECAT Jaguar (French part by Breguet).

Besides, Marcel Bloch produced some potentially excellent fighters 1939-40 but also twin-engined bombers and recce AC : Bloch 200, 210, 131, which were not satisfactory and suffered heavy losses 1939 but possibly because the engine makers were not able to produce any suited engines (their losses were heavy in percentage not in actual numbers because HQ realised their vulnerability and tried not to use them as far as possible).

The Bloch 174-175 twin-engined recce and light bomber AC was a superlative aircraft, as fast as a Dewoitine 520, and 50 (?) were produced before the armistice. They were very hard to catch for the 109s. According to Paul Martin only 4 were lost to Me 109s with all 12 aircrew killed except one who was wounded : a consequence of the height at which they were shot down? This AC type was a French equivalent of the "Mosquito" but several years earlier.