Table 1 presents some information about the major types of aircraft which served with the French Air Force during World War II.

Table 1: French Aircraft
Model	Type	Year Introduced	Maximum Speed	Number Built	Number of Squadrons
Bloch MBA 52	F	1938	323	593	8
Curtiss-Hawk 75A	F	1939	303	300	5
Devvoitine D.520	F	1940	329	740	5
Morane-Saultier MS.406	F	1939	302	1081	57
Potez Po.631	F	1938	273	208	5
Amiot Am.143	R/B	1935	193	138	9
Bloch MB.174/1175	R/LB	1940	329	75	-
Breguet Bre.690	LB	1939	300	225	-
Farman Far.222	HB	1937	199	-	-
Potez Po.633	LB	1938	273	350	-
Potez Po. 63. 11	R	1938	273	748	-
SNCASE LeO.451	MB	1939	307	472	24
F = fighter; B = bomber; R = reconnaissance; L = light; M - medium; H heavy; all speeds in miles per hour

The French were very short of dive bombers, with only about 54 available in May of 1940. The heavy bombing force was based upon the Farman Far.222 and related models, although three bombing groups were equipped with the Amiot 143. All of these planes were slow, obsolete, and aesthetic nightmares. Several effective light and medium bombers were available, such as the Bloch 174/175 series and the LeO 451. Very few Bloch 175 (the 174 was the reconnaissance variant) light bombers were completed before the capitulation on June 22, 1940, but the Liore et Olivier LeO.451 was in service with eight bombing groups.

Several types of aircraft were operated by the 26 French fighter groups which were ready for action when the blitzkrieg began. 19 of the groups flew the Morane-Saulnier 406, which was too slow and too poorly armed to compete effectively with the German Messerschmitts. The Dewoitine D.520 was a much better airplane; the five squadrons operating these fighters scored a 147:85 kill ratio in air-to-air combat with their opponents.

The Bloch MB.152 (representative of the series MB.150 through MB.1157; the latter was superb machine with a top speed of 441 miles per hour, but was never put into production) was a mediocre airplane, but the Germans respected it enough to impress some 173 survivors of the fighting into the Axis air forces. The Potez 63 series encompassed twin-engine fighters (Po.631, which equipped squadrons of both the Armee de l'Air and the Aeronavale, the French Naval Air Force), light attack bombers (Po.633, which also saw service with Greece and Romania), and reconnaissance aircraft (Po.637 and Po.63.11, of which the latter was eventually used by the Luftwaffe, Free French, Vichy French, and other air forces). In addition to these French models, five squadrons operated the Curtiss-Hawk 75A, which was the export version of the American P-36 Mohawk.

More French Air Force in World War II

Introduction
Preparation for War
The Machines
The First Week
The Beginning of the End
To The Armistice, 1941-1945