Bloch MB.152

Bloch MB.152
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Name	Bloch MB.152
Type	Single-seat fighter aircraft
Manufacturer	Société des Avions Marcel Bloch
First flight	1938
Introduced	1939
Retired	1945
Primary user	Armée de l'Air
Produced	c. 550

Bloch MB.152 The Bloch MB.152 was a French single-seat, single-engine fighter designed and produced by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch in the late 1930s. Developed as part of pre-Second World War rearmament, the type served with the Armée de l'Air during the Battle of France and saw action against Luftwaffe units during 1940. The MB.152 was one of several contemporaneous designs competing with types such as the Morane-Saulnier MS.406, Dewoitine D.520, and foreign fighters like the Supermarine Spitfire and Messerschmitt Bf 109.

Design and development

Design work on the MB.152 originated from the earlier MB.150 family conceived by Marcel Bloch's company, Société des Avions Marcel Bloch, amid French rearmament under policies influenced by figures including Paul Reynaud and ministries such as the Ministry of Air. The programme responded to specifications from the French Air Force and industrial directives from the French Armaments Directorate (DGA). Chief designers and engineers at the Bloch firm adapted a low-wing monoplane layout with a retractable landing gear and stressed-metal construction, drawing on contemporary work from firms including Breguet Aviation, Potez, and Latécoère. Prototype flights occurred in 1938 and trials involved evaluations by units at Cazaux and the military flight-test centre at Villacoublay. The MB.152 incorporated a Gnome-Rhône radial powerplant selected after comparisons with inline engines used by firms such as Lioré-et-Olivier and SNCASO. Political pressures, industrial bottlenecks, and the influence of procurement officials delayed aspects of development, leading to incremental changes from the MB.150 through MB.151 to MB.152 production standards.

Operational history

The MB.152 entered service with the Armée de l'Air in 1939 and was deployed during the Phoney War and the subsequent Battle of France in 1940. Squadrons equipped with the type operated from bases including Orléans-Bricy, Reims, and Amiens and engaged Luftwaffe formations from units such as Jagdgeschwader 2 and Lehrgeschwader 1. Pilots flying the MB.152 encountered adversaries flying Messerschmitt Bf 109E, Heinkel He 111, and Junkers Ju 88 aircraft during escort, interception, and ground-attack missions. The MB.152's performance—affected by factors including maintenance practices at depots like those in Bordeaux and spare-part supply chains tied to firms such as Société Nationale des Chantiers de l'Atlantique—limited its ability to compete with faster opponents; nonetheless, crews from units including Groupe de Chasse I/3 claimed successes and distinguished pilots such as those trained at Cannes Mandelieu flew the type. After the armistice that followed the Armistice of 22 June 1940, surviving MB.152s were taken over by occupying authorities, some examples were evaluated by the Luftwaffe and technical staffs from organizations such as Reichsluftfahrtministerium, while others saw service in Vichy-aligned units or were cannibalized for parts. Postwar, a limited number were used for trials by French test establishments including Centre d'essais en vol.

Variants

Several progressive variants evolved from the MB.150 lineage through the MB.152 series. Early prototypes and preproduction models included the MB.150 and MB.151, with incremental airframe and engine adjustments made to produce the MB.152 production standard; these evolutionary steps paralleled contemporaneous varianting practices at firms such as Fairey and Hawker. Experimental conversions incorporated alternative powerplants, modified armament loads similar to trials at Atelier de Construction de l'Aéronautique de Toulouse, and changes to radiators and cowlings evaluated alongside conversions by Société des Avions Bernard. Limited-run adaptations featured heavier armament or altered fuel arrangements in response to tactical feedback from escadrilles operating from fields like Rosières-en-Santerre.

Technical description

The MB.152 was a low-wing cantilever monoplane of all-metal stressed-skin construction, drawing on structural techniques used at Hispano-Suiza and SNECMA workshops. The single Gnome-Rhône 14N radial engine drove a two- or three-blade propeller produced by manufacturers such as Hamilton Standard under licence; engine choice affected performance metrics including maximum speed, climb rate, and service ceiling compared with inline-powered types like those by Rolls-Royce and Daimler-Benz. The aircraft featured an enclosed cockpit with a framed canopy, a retractable tailwheel undercarriage, and a conventional empennage. Armament typically comprised two wing-mounted cannon or machine guns and fuselage-mounted guns in installations echoing armament philosophies of Hispano and MAC (Atelier de Construction de la Loire) patterns. Fuel tanks were located in wings and fuselage bays, while avionics included basic radio sets supplied by firms such as Thomson-Houston and navigation aids consistent with period French practice. Armor protection for the pilot and self-sealing tanks were limited compared to later wartime standards emphasised by designers at Mikoyan-Gurevich.

Production and operators

Production was carried out by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch and subcontractors coordinated through state-directed programmes involving entities like Société nationale de constructions aéronautiques du Sud-Est (SNCASE) and facilities in regions including Aquitaine and Île-de-France. Approximately five hundred to six hundred airframes were built before the 1940 armistice; production figures were constrained by factory dispersal policies advocated by officials including General Maurice Gamelin and logistical disruptions caused by German advances. Primary operator was the Armée de l'Air; captured or requisitioned examples were examined or employed by the Luftwaffe, and limited post-armistice use occurred within Vichy France air elements. Surviving examples postwar were largely scrapped or relegated to testing by French aviation establishments, though the MB.152 remains represented in collections and research archives at institutions such as Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace.

Category:French fighter aircraft