French AF fighter types during the Battle of France

[Juha]

Hello Yves
Thanks for the informative reply to Ruy's question. I have forgot that there was also the 5th H75 Groupe (GC III/2). Not much to comment, I maybe don't have as high regard on D.520 than You, but there is one point I'd like to comment. Finns didn't see MS 406/410 "much more sluggish" than Curtiss Hawk H75A. Finns saw both as very manoeuvrable fighters even if H75 had exceptionally good ailerons. One problem with MS was that it didn't have positive undercarriage up locks and because of that sometimes undercarriage dropped out few cms in thight turns increasing drag which "hurts" because the a/c was already rather badly underpowered. But maybe You only want to indicate with you expression that MS 406 was even more underpowered than H75 and so poorer in vertical plane and in acceleration? If so, I agree. One point more on MS 406, Finns found it difficult to maintain, maybe partly because here up north enviroment was/is harsher during most of the year. Here in Helsinki it's -12 C and lightly snowing, so maybe time to go skiing.

Juha

PS Finns changed 1 or both H75's cowling mg(s) to heavy mg(s) as soon as they got enough heavy mgs. Mainly to pierce the pilot armour of Soviet a/c.