| Dewoitine 371 | |
|---|---|
 A Dewoitine D.371 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Dewoitine /SNCAM /SNCASE |
| Designer | |
| History | |
| First flight | October 1931 |
TheDewoitine 37 was the first of a family of 1930sFrench-builtmonoplanefighter aircraft.
The D.37 was a single-seat aircraft of conventional configuration. Itsfixed landing gear used a tailskid. The opencockpit was located slightly aft of theparasol wing. Theradial engine allowed for a comparatively widefuselage and cockpit.
Design of this machine was by SAF-Avions Dewoitine but owing to over work at that companies plant at the time, manufacture of the D.37/01 was transferred toLioré et Olivier. They were high-wingmonoplanes of all-metal construction with valve head blisters on their enginecowlings. The firstprototype flew in October 1931. Flight testing resulted in the need for multiple revisions in both engine andairframe, so it was February 1934 before the second prototype flew. Its performance prompted the French government to order for 28 for theArmée de l'Air andAéronavale. TheLithuanian government ordered 14 that remained in service with theLithuanian Air Force until 1936, when they were sold to the SpanishRepublican government for use in theSpanish Civil War.
In spite of its superior speed, this design failed to impress and was even refused when exported toLithuania in 1935. An important competitor of the Dewoitine D.37 family was the PolishPZL P.24, a similar type but with better speed and armament.
In 1936, at the beginning of theSpanish Civil War, 12 or 14 D.371s were sold, unofficially, to the Spanish Republic as part of a squadron of volunteers organized secretly byAndré Malraux, namedEspaña. They were, however, unarmed due to the political stance of the French government that declared its neutrality very early.
In August of the same year, after some negotiations with the French government, three fully armed D.371s arrived in Barcelona, piloted by the mercenary pilots M. Poulain, René Halotier and Henri Rozés. They saw action as escorts of a bombing raid against Talavera de la Reina,Toledo that destroyed the headquarters ofGeneral Juan Yagüé. These three D.371s had successfully defended theirbombers against the attacks of sixGermanHeinkel He 51biplane fighters - an older-design aircraft with inferior performance.
TheSquadron España operated with these aircraft until the arrival of the modernPolikarpov I-15 andI-16, at which time the three Dewoitine 371s were withdrawn from the front and continued astraining aircraft. However, they reappeared later in some squadrons and one is known to have flown with the 71 Fighter Group by theYugoslav (Slovenian) volunteer pilotJosip Križaj. All Dewoitines left were practically destroyed after having been bombed by theLegion Condor aircraft in the airfield ofBañolas.
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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