Bréguet XIV

History

First flying on November 21st 1916, and going on to have an enormous production run that extended past the end of the First World War, 14 Bréguet XIV entered service with the Hellenic Army Air Service in November 1917, equipping the 532nd and 533rd squadrons - operating on the Macedonian front at the time. The aircraft delivered were of A.2 and B.2 variant, both of which were two-seaters, but the B.2 was the dedicated bomber variant.

None of the aircraft were lost during the Great War, the first loss being on the 22nd December 1918 when A. Moraitinis took off in a Bréguet, on a ferry flight from Thessaloniki bound to Phaleron. The aircraft never arrived at the destination, and what exactly had happened was unknown - Moraitinis was declared dead a week later. 

The Bréguets would be thrust into combat once again at the outbreak of the Greco-Turkish war in May 1919 - the aircraft used in Reconnaissance and Bomber roles. Throughout the war three Bréguets were lost - one captured at its airfield by Turkish troops in September 1921, and another lost in a landing accident that left one of its two crew members dead in 1922. In August of 1922, a third Bréguet was forced to land due to enemy fire, and was subsequently captured and put into service with the Turkish Air Force. 

By the end of the war, eleven of the aircraft remained. In October 1931, the seven remaining airworthy aircraft were put back into service as trainers.

In the Asia Minor campaign the aircraft bore the standard markings of the theatre, an olive and earth tone camouflage scheme with an unpainted metal engine nacelle and upper fuselage. Roundels are present on both upper and lower wings as well as the fuselage, with the rudder being painted as a fin flash. The 'Asia-Minor' theatre marking - a black wavy line across the fuselage - is present, and partially obscures the fuselage roundel.

Design

The Bréguet XIV was constructed from a basic rectangular shape, which allowed a boxy frontal radiator with a large surface area. The aircrafts construction was noteworthy as it made extensive use of Duraluminium, a fairly new material at the time, which allowed the aircraft to be lighter and stronger than its wooden counterparts. The aircrafts tail was made up of internal welded steel tubes, whilst the wing spars similarly employed Duraluminium. 

Originally wary of the use of these new materials, French officials were quickly impressed by the aircraft, which boasted excellent speed as well as manoeuvrability.