Fate of French Beaufighter's ?

[Alex Smart]

What became of the Beaufighter's that were used by the French in the post WW2 ?
Were any sold off to foreign countries or became registered as civil a/c with French civil markings ?
Thanks
Alex

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

Richard Franks doesn't tell us much:

Bristol Beaufighter - Foreign Operators (Appendix VIII) - France.

The French Air Force acquired four Mk VIs in May 1946. These machines were ex-RAF serial numbers V8569, V8608, X8027 and X8204. Little is known of their post-war use by the french Air Force or to which squadrons or establishments they were allocated.

Squadron Allocations - Not known.

Serial Number Allocation - It is not known if these machines retained their ex-RAF serials (V8569, V8608, X8027 and X8204) whilst in French service.

See:
The Bristol Beaufighter A Comprehensive Guide for the Modeller (Modeller's Datafile No.6).
Franks,Richard A.
Bedford:SAM Publications,2002.
p.168

Col

[Fanair]

hello,
according the the book of Jean-Jacques Petit "les avions britanniques aux couleurs française", 17 Beaufighter were délivred post war in 1945/47 to Armée de l'Air only for ground instructional purpose àt the base-école de Rochefort: V8569, 86o8, X8027, 8204, MM 844,848, 853, 919, 948, ND 142, 146, 148, 164, 175, 202, 275, KV967.

Alain

[Graham Boak]

I suspect that their Hercules engines were more valuable than the airframes.