Bréguet 19

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Br.19
The Breguet Br.19A2 two-seat attack bomber
Role Light bomber/reconnaissance aircraft
Manufacturer Breguet Aviation
Designer Marcel Vuillerme
First flight March 1922
Status retired
Primary user
French Air Force
Produced 1924-
Number built ~ 2,700

The Breguet 19 (Breguet XIX, Br.19 or Bre.19) was a

bomber and reconnaissance aircraft which was also used for long-distance flights and was designed by the French Breguet
company and produced from 1924.

Development

Breguet XIX prototype. Photo from L'Aerophile December,1921

The Breguet 19 was designed as a successor to a highly successful

Aéronautique Militaire
in September 1923.

Mass production, both for the Aéronautique Militaire and export, began in France in 1924.

Design

The Breguet 19 was a

sesquiplane in which the lower wing was substantially smaller than the upper wing, with a conventional layout and braced wings. The fuselage was ellipsoid in cross-section and built up from a frame of duralumin pipes. Breguet made extensive use of duralumin as a construction material which resulted in an unusually light structure for its size, instead of steel or wood. It was faster than other bombers, and even many fighter aircraft which resulted in widespread interest which was further increased by successful record flights. The forward fuselage was covered with duralumin sheets, while the tail, rear fuselage and wings were covered with linen. It had a conventional fixed landing gear with a tail skid. The crew of two, pilot and observer/bombardier, sat in tandem in open cockpits
and were provided with dual controls.

A wide variety of engine types were fitted, mostly water-cooled V-12 or W-12 inline engines, including the following:

A fixed 7.7 mm (0.303 in)

Lewis Guns on a gun ring. There was also a fourth machine gun, which could be fired by the observer downwards through an opening in the floor. The Br.19CN2 night fighter variant was fitted with two fixed forward-firing machine guns.[2] The bomber could carry up to 472 kg (1,041 lb) of bombs under the fuselage, or small bombs up to 50 kg (110 lb) vertically in an internal bomb bay
. The reconnaissance variant could carry 12 x 10 kg (22 lb) bombs. The reconnaissance variant had a camera mounting, which was optional on the bomber variant. All variants were equipped radio.

Operational history

The Breguet 19 had its baptism of fire in the Spanish Civil War where it was the mainstay of the Spanish Republican Air Force's (the Government's) bomber fleet.

Greece

In the

Fiat CR.42 fighters. A Breguet was shot down, one crash-landed and the third returned to base, badly damaged.[4]

Variants

Br.19.01
The first Breguet 19 prototype, which first flew in March 1922 which was later bought by the Spanish government.[2]
Breguet Bre.19 No.3, flown by French aviator Georges Pelletier d'Oisy, at RAF Hinaidi, India en route from Paris to Tokyo in 1924
Br.19.02 to Br.19.02.011
Pre-production aircraft, whose fuselage was lengthened by 600 mm (24 in). Br.19.02 was evaluated by Yugoslavia in 1923.[2]
Breguet Bre.14A2
No.2097
Br.19 A.2
Two-seat reconnaissance aircraft.
Br.19 B.2
Two-seat light bomber biplane. These first two variants were the most numerous, and were practically identical. They used a variety of engines, the most popular being the 300 kW (400 hp)
Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb, the Renault 12K, the Hispano-Suiza 12H and the Farman 12We.[2]
Br.19 CN.2
Night fighter version, almost identical to the B2 reconnaissance variant with two additional forward-firing machine guns.[2]
Br.19 GR
(Grand Raid) A variant specially modified for long-distance flights, after early long-range attempts were made with the regular Br.19 A2 no.23 fitted with additional fuel tanks. The first Br.19 GR (no.64) had a fuel tank of about 2,000 L (440 imp gal; 530 US gal) and captured the world distance record in 1925.
Br.19 GR 3000 litres
In 1926, three additional aircraft were modified to Br.19 GR 3000 litre specifications. They had larger fuel tanks fitted in the fuselage, with a total capacity between 2,900 and 3,000 L (640 and 660 imp gal; 770 and 790 US gal). The cockpit was moved slightly aft, and the
Farman 12Wers engines. In 1927, one aircraft received a new 450 kW (600 hp) Hispano 12Lb engine, its fuel capacity was extended to 3,500 L (770 imp gal; 920 US gal) and its wingspan was further increased by 1 m (3 ft 3 in). It was christened Nungesser et Coli after the two airmen who disappeared in a transatlantic flight attempt in May 1927. A fifth aircraft was built for Greece, called Hellas, with a 410 kW (550 hp) Hispano 12Hb.[2]
(Other Br.19 aircraft may have received additional fuel tanks for long distance flights, but these were not officially called Br.19 GR. Some sources mention a Belgian Br.19 GR, maybe a confusion with the Belgian Br.19 TR.)
Cuatro Vientos Air Base, Madrid, Spain
Br.19 TR Bidon
Built in 1927 with various aerodynamic refinements and 3,735 L (822 imp gal; 987 US gal) of fuel in the fuselage. With an additional fuel tank in the wing, the total fuel capacity was 4,125 L (907 imp gal; 1,090 US gal). Five were built by Breguet and two by the Spanish company
Lorraine 12Eb. The first Bidon Hispano was sold to Belgium, and the Bidon Renault was sold to China after a Paris–Beijing flight. The third Bidon Hispano became the French Br.19 TF.[2] The second Spanish Bidon was christened Jesús del Gran Poder, and flew from Sevilla to Bahia (Brazil).[5]
le Bourget airport
Br.19 TF Super Bidon
The last and most advanced long-distance variant, built in 1929, and designed for
Hispano-Suiza 12Lb engine, later replaced by a 480 kW (650 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12NLb. Another aircraft, with a closed canopy, was built in Spain in 1933. Christened Cuatro Vientos, it flew from Sevilla to Cuba, and disappeared while attempting to reach Mexico.[8]
Cuatro Vientos Air Base, Madrid, Spain
Br.19 ter
Utilizing the experience with long-distance variants, this improved reconnaissance variant was developed in 1928, maybe for export purposes. It remained a prototype only (with civilian register F-AIXP).[2]
Br.19.7
The most popular of the late variants developed in 1930 with a 450 kW (600 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Nb engine, giving a maximum speed of 242 km/h (150 mph). The first five machines were converted in France for Yugoslavia, then a number were built in Yugoslavia, and a further 50 built in France for export to Turkey.
Br.19.8
With a 580 kW (780 hp)
Wright GR-1820-F-56 Cyclone radial engine, 48 Br.19.7 airframes
were eventually completed as Br.19.8's in Yugoslavia. Maximum speed was 279 km/h (173 mph).
Br.19.9
A single prototype developed in Yugoslavia with a 640 kW (860 hp)
Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs
engine.
Br.19.10
A single prototype developed in Yugoslavia with a 540 kW (720 hp)
Lorraine-Dietrich 12Hfrs Petrel
engine.
Br.19 hydro
(Breguet 19 seaplane) Fitted with twin floats as a seaplane, a single prototype (no.1132) was produced for France. Another aircraft sold to Japan was fitted with floats built there by Nakajima.[2]
Nakajima-Breguet Reconnaissance Seaplane
Nakajima built Breguet 19-A2B seaplanes.
Br.19T
Br.19T bis
Br.19 Limousine
(for six passengers, with a thicker fuselage), but these were never built.[2]
Breguet Br.26T
(1926)
Breguet Br.26TSbis
Breguet Br.280T
Breguet Br.281T
Breguet Br.284T

In total, more than 2,000 Breguet 19s were manufactured in France, and about 700 license-built by Spanish

CASA, Japanese Nakajima, Belgian SABCA and the Yugoslavian aircraft factory in Kraljevo.[9]

Operators

 Argentina
 Belgium
 Bolivia
 Brazil
 China
  • Manchurian warlord Zhang Zuolin is claimed to have ordered 70 Breguet 19s, but these were not delivered. Similarly, an order for four Br.19s from the central government was not met. Manchuria did acquire a single Br.19A2 in 1926 and a Br.19.GR in 1929.[11]
 Independent State of Croatia
  • anti-partizan
    missions.
 France
 Greece
  • invading Italian forces
    in 1940, delivering valuable information on Italian movements.
 Italy
 Japan

In April 1925, the factory Nakajima Hikoki KK acquired two aircraft. The purchase was the work of the well-known promoter of aviation, the Asahi Shinbun newspaper group. A production license was acquired. Nakajima offered a float-equipped version to the navy, and another was entered into a competition for maritime reconnaissance, but was unsuccessful. One plane flew again with wheeled undercarriage and civilian designation J-BBFO as a mail plane.

Iran Iran
  • Iranian Air Force
    operated two aircraft.
 Poland
  • Invasion of Poland of 1939
    and most were destroyed on the ground.
 Romania
  • Royal Romanian Air Force bought 50 Breguet 19 A2s and B2s in 1927, then 108 Br.19 B2s, and five Br.19.7's in 1930. They were in service until 1938.
 Soviet Union
  • Soviet Air Force
    bought one aircraft for tests.
Kingdom of Spain & Spain Spanish Republic
Sabiha Gökçen holding a bomb before the bombardment mission over Dersim with her Breguet 19.
 Turkey
  • Dersim Rebellion
    .
 United Kingdom
 Uruguay
 Venezuela
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia
  • German attack on Yugoslavia
    in 1941.
 Yugoslavia
  • Ustashes
    .

Record variants

Both standard and modified Breguet 19s were used for numerous record-breaking flights. The first was the Br.19 prototype, which won a military aircraft speed contest in Madrid on 17 February 1923. On 12 March 1923, it also set an international altitude record of 5,992 m (19,659 ft) carrying a 500 kg (1,100 lb) load. It was later bought by the Spanish government.

The Jesús del Gran Poder, a special version of the Breguet 19 that flew to Brazil from Spain in 1929

Many crews made long-distance flights in Br.19s. In February 1925,

Boleslaw Orlinski flew the Warsaw-Tokyo route (10,300 km (6,400 mi)) and back, in a modified Br.19 A2, despite the fact that one of its lower wings was broken on the way. On 8 June 1928 a modified Greek Br.A2 ("ΕΛΛΑΣ" en: Hellas), flown by C. Adamides and E. Papadakos, embarked on a long distance tour around the Mediterranean landing without incident at Tatoi airfield, Athens, on 1 July. Between 1927 and 1930, Romanian, Yugoslavian and Polish Br.19s were often used in Little Entente
air races.

Point D'Interrogation at Le Bourget

Breguet 19 GRs and TRs set several world records, mostly of long-distance non-stop flights, starting with Arrachart and Lemaitre's 3,166 km (1,967 mi) flight from

Dieudonne Costes and Rignot's 5,450 km (3,390 mi). From 10 October 1927 – 14 April 1928, Costes and Le Brix flew a Br.19 GR (named Nungesser-Coli) around the world, covering 57,000 km (35,000 mi) - though the journey between San Francisco and Tokyo
was taken by ship.

The Super Bidon was created especially for the purpose of a transatlantic flight. It was named Point d'Interrogation ("The Question Mark"). Dieudonne Costes and Maurice Bellonte set a non-stop distance record of 7,905 km (4,912 mi) from Paris to Moullart on 27–29 September 1929 on this aircraft. Then on 1–2 September 1930, they flew from Paris to New York City, a distance of 6,200 km (3,900 mi) making the first non-stop east-west crossing of the North Atlantic by a fixed-wing aircraft.[12] The second Super Bidon, the Spanish Cuatro Vientos, vanished over Mexico with M. Barberan and J. Collar Serra, after a transatlantic flight from Seville to Cuba on 10–11 June 1933.

Specifications (Br 19 A.2)

Data from The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft[13]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 9.61 m (31 ft 6 in)
  • Wingspan: 14.83 m (48 ft 8 in)
  • Height: 3.69 m (12 ft 1 in)
  • Wing area: 50 m2 (540 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 1,387 kg (3,058 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 2,500 kg (5,512 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 365 L (80 imp gal; 96 US gal)
  • Powerplant: 1 ×
    Lorraine 12Ed Courlis
    W-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 340 kW (450 hp)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 214 km/h (133 mph, 116 kn)
  • Range: 800 km (500 mi, 430 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 7,200 m (23,600 ft)

Armament

  • Guns: 1 × fixed, forward-firing 7.7 mm (0.30 in)
    Lewis Guns
    .
  • Bombs: Provision for light bombs.

Surviving aircraft

See also

The Breguet XIX played a central role in Nevil Shute's second published work "So Disdained".

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bréguet 19.

Related development

  • Breguet 280T

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

Notes

  1. ^ "Bugatti Powered Aircraft". the Bugatti revue. 1922-06-30. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Claveau, March–April 1997
  3. ^ Carr, 2012, p.17
  4. ^ Carr, 2012, pp.30-31
  5. ^ Pérez San Emeterio, Carlos. "Entre Oriente y Occidente: Los vuelos del Jesús del Gran Poder" (PDF). ejercitodelaire.mde.es (in Spanish). Ejército del Aire. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  6. ^ Swopes, Bryan R. (September 2, 2021). "1-2 September 1930". This Day in Aviation. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  7. ^ Sources differ by a small amount on the exact fuel capacity.
  8. ^ Betes, Antonio. "Gloria y Tragedia del Vuelo Sevilla-Cuba-Méjico" (PDF). ejercitodelaire.mde.es (in Spanish). Ejército del Aire. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  9. ^ "Breguet 19". 1000aircraftphotos.com. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  10. ^ Green; Swanborough; Layvastre (July–September 1978). "The Saga of the Ubiquitous Breguet". Air Enthusiast: 168.
  11. ^ Andersson 2009, p.253
  12. ^ "Captain Costa's World Famous Question Mark". Popular Mechanics: 908. December 1930. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  13. ISBN 1-85605-375-X
    .
  14. ^ Pictures of the Nungesser et Coli Archived 2012-03-01 at the Wayback Machine stored in the museum.
  15. ^ Pictures of the Point d'Interrogation Archived 2012-03-01 at the Wayback Machine in the museum.

Bibliography

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