Armée de l'Air (1939–1940)
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| Armée de l'Air (1939–1940) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Armée de l'Air (1939–1940) |
| Country | French Third Republic |
| Branch | Aéronautique militaire |
| Active | 1939–1940 |
| Size | ~600,000 personnel (including support) |
| Notable commanders | Général Joseph Vuillemin, Général Guy La Chambre, Général Maurice Gamelin |
| Aircraft attack | Bloch MB.200, Bréguet 693, LeO 451 |
| Aircraft bomber | Farman F.220, Bloch MB.210, Lioré et Olivier LeO 451 |
| Aircraft fighter | Dewoitine D.520, Morane-Saulnier MS.406, Curtiss H-75 |
| Aircraft patrol | Potez 63, Ansaldo Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 |
| Battles | Phoney War, Battle of France |
Armée de l'Air (1939–1940) was the principal aerial arm of the French Third Republic during the transition from peacetime to the collapse of metropolitan France in 1940. Formed from the interwar Aéronautique militaire and restructured on the eve of World War II, it confronted strategic dilemmas involving doctrine, procurement, and alliance coordination during the Phoney War and the Battle of France. The force's performance influenced subsequent debates at Versailles-era circles, debates in London, and assessments by Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler’s staff.
Background and Formation
In 1939 the French air arm drew on decades of aviation development centered at Bordeaux, Toulouse, Le Bourget, and Villacoublay. Political oversight came from ministers such as Guy La Chambre and advisors from the Ministry of Air (France), linked to the Ministry of War (France). The 1936–1938 rearmament programs were shaped by responses to Remilitarization of the Rhineland, the Spanish Civil War, and lessons from Kaiser Wilhelm II-era doctrine. Industrial actors included Société Nationale des Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord, Société des Avions Marcel Bloch, and Société des Avions Dewoitine, which supplied prototypes and serial production models to units committed to the front lines in 1939.
Organization and Command Structure
Command rested with the État-Major of the French Army and a centralized Air Ministry under figures such as Joseph Vuillemin. Operational control split between numbered air regions and Groupe de Chasse and Groupe de Bombardement formations based at airfields in Rheims, Reims, Metz, and Lille. Tactical aviation units were grouped into Escadrilles and Groupes organized along lines influenced by Manfred von Richthofen’s legacy and emergent combined-arms theory advocated by officers who trained at École de l'Air and the St Cyr staff college. Coordination with Royal Air Force liaison officers and the Belgian Air Force was attempted during the Saar and Low Countries campaigns.
Aircraft and Equipment
The inventory mixed modern and obsolescent types. Fighters included the modern Dewoitine D.520, earlier Morane-Saulnier MS.406, and imported Curtiss H-75 variants; interceptors and night fighters were scarce. Bombers ranged from multiengine types such as the LeO 451 and Farman F.220 to older models like the Bloch MB.200 and Bloch MB.210. Reconnaissance and twin-role designs such as the Potez 63 family served in army cooperation and long-range observation roles tied to corps-level commanders. Coastal and maritime patrols used aircraft similar to those flown by Aéronavale squadrons and adapted from designs tested against Regia Aeronautica and Luftwaffe practices noted during the Spanish Civil War. Ground support ordnance and communication radios lagged behind Luftwaffe standards, and spares shortages affected units at Reims and Cognac.
Operational History (1939–1940)
During the Phoney War the arm conducted reconnaissance over the Saar and interdiction patrols in coordination with Royal Air Force bomber commands and Belgian units. Combat sorties increased dramatically with the German invasion of France in May 1940; Groupes attempted counterattacks during the Battle of Sedan and the Battle of Dunkirk evacuation period. Notable engagements saw D.520 pilots contesting LG 1 and Jagdgeschwader 26 formations; bomber units struck advancing columns near Meuse crossings and around Aisne river sectors. Command friction with the French Army high command and delays in strategic redeployment contributed to failures during the Blitzkrieg thrusts spearheaded by Heinz Guderian and supported by Luftwaffe close air support doctrine. Coordination with Royal Navy and Allied Expeditionary Force naval air arms occurred during Operation Dynamo to protect evacuation beaches.
Personnel and Training
Personnel comprised career officers trained at École Militaire branches, non-commissioned aircrew, and reservists mobilized from industrial regions like Nord and Auvergne. Fighter pilots included veterans of the Spanish Civil War and recent graduates from conversion units formed at Cazaux and Avord. Training emphasized formation flying and reconnaissance but suffered from compressed mobilization timetables and shortages in dual-control trainers from firms such as Morane-Saulnier and Caudron. Technical tradesmen and ground crews were recruited from aviation factories and polytechnic schools including École Polytechnique, while liaison and intelligence roles drew on personnel seconded from Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure and Service de Renseignements elements.
Losses, Reorganization and Aftermath
Combat losses in 1940 were heavy: aircraft destroyed in air-to-air combat, ground strafing, and capture at airfields in Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Champagne-Ardenne. Personnel casualties and internments followed defeats at Compiègne and indiscriminate routings during rapid retreats from the Meuse line. Surviving units were reorganized under the Vichy regime and some personnel joined Free French Air Forces under Charles de Gaulle in Brazzaville and London. The operational collapse prompted postwar inquiries and influenced post-1944 reconstruction embodied in the new French Air Force doctrines, procurement reforms with manufacturers like Société Dassault Aviation, and shifted Allied airpower assessments at conferences including Casablanca and Tehran.