Faced with the growing threat from Hitlerite Germany, in the second half of the 1930s France embarked on a programme of modernization and quantitative expansion of its armed forces, including the air force.
It became apparent fairly quickly that the domestic industry would not be able to meet the demand for modern equipment on its own in sufficient time and in large quantities. By the beginning of 1938, the situation had become so critical that the authorities began to look for opportunities to purchase abroad. And the only country that was able to offer modern aircraft was the United States. There, the attention of the French was drawn to the Curtiss Model 75 fighter, newly ordered by the USAAC (US Army Air Corps) and designated as the P-36.
Fighters from America
One of the first Curtiss H-75s seen by the 1st escadrille of GC I/5, no. 19. It has neither radio nor collimator. Photo: Morel Family via B. Philippe
Importantly, this modern, all-metal low-wing aircraft with a covered cabin and retractable undercarriage satisfied the current requirements of the Armée de l’Air and could be obtained at short notice. The biggest problem proved to be the price, ultimately totalling almost half as much as the Americans paid for the aeroplane and more than double that for domestic French fighters (MS.406, MB 151/152). On 9 September 1938, after several months of discussions and negotiations, an official order for 100 Curtiss H-75 A1s was finally signed. This was the designation given to the initial batch intended for the French air force. The first French H-75 A1 n°1 was test flown in the USA on 15 November 1938. Towards the end of December of the same year, the first fighters were offloaded at the French port of Le Havre. The entire order, for one hundred aeroplanes, was completed by the end of April 1939. Immediately upon their arrival, the Curtisses were sent to trials, and preparations were made for their introduction into service.
Silver Curtisses of Reims
The first unit designated for re-equipment with the new type was GC I/5 Squadron based in Reims. At the same time, its 1st Flight received “experimental” status (escadrille de expérimentation), in order for pilots to gain experience of the operation and usage of the new fighter as rapidly as possible. Previously, the unit had flown the Dewoitine D.501, an all-metal low-wing aeroplane with an open cockpit and fixed landing gear. The first two Curtisses were delivered to the flight in late February 1939. Despite the numerous differences, training on the new type did not cause any major problems. The Curtiss’ excellent handling qualities made it easier for pilots to get used to the novelties which it introduced.
It proved more challenging for the technical personnel, for whom many of its systems were a complete unknown, especially as in the beginning they lacked the appropriate instructions, spare parts and specialist tools.
Alignment of Curtiss H-75A1s from the 1st escadrille of GC I/5 in the spring of 1939 at Amiens-Glisy. In the foreground, the n°38, then the n°19. Photo: ©
The initial batch of fifty or so Curtiss H-75 A1s delivered to France was operated for several months without any camouflage, even though single-colour (khaki) camouflage paintwork was already required on the upper surfaces from 23 September 1938, and tri-colour from 7 December 1938.
Of importance for explaining the silver colour of the Curtisses may be that when the contract was signed, no camouflage paintwork was applied to fighter aircraft of all-metal construction in the French air force, and they were kept in their natural sheet metal colour (with the exception of experiments).
Camouflage for the war
The modified provisions regulating concerning camouflage were primarily applied to newly ordered aeroplanes. Those that were already in service and those that left the factories after these provisions were introduced were repainted gradually, oftentimes much later than initially planned. The process began only in the spring of 1939. The Curtisses from the initial batch of fifty were painted in camouflage colours in the summer of 1939 at the earliest. When the aircraft were inspected at Villacoublay before the 14 July parade, many were still without paintwork. Subsequent H-75 A1s from the first contract, as well as aircraft ordered later (A2, A3 and A4 series), received camouflage paintwork immediately after their delivery and assembly in France. Paradoxically, therefore, the later H-75 A1s were the first to receive the requisite paintwork.
The possibility of having camouflage applied at the manufacturer’s facility in America was not explored, presumably so as not to increase costs and delay deliveries.
Curtiss H-75A1 no. 16 code 9 of the 1st escadrille of GC I/5 in the spring 1939. Originally flown in Alclad duralumin colour Photo: ©
No. 16 camouflaged
We have reproduced our Curtiss No. 16 in its natural metal coloured livery from the spring and summer of 1939, but we also know what it looked like later, when it was painted in camouflage colours for the coming war. Along with the escadrille other aircraft, it was featured in the famous propaganda photographs depicting the brotherhood of arms between French and British airmen, in which Curtisses from GC I/5 escort Fairey Battle bombers from No. 88 Squadron RAF over France.
Photo: Imperial War Museum/Public Domain via Wikmedia Commons and World War Photos
Our plane there is painted in large camouflage patches (like the others in this production series). A French roundel has been painted on the fuselage, and the small roundels on the wings have been replaced by large ones. This scheme can be done using kit decals completed with a typical fuselage roundel, e.g. from the Techmod set.
Photo: Enlarged parts of the above Imperial War Museum photos/Fair Use – Right to Quote
You can also see what the aircraft looked like in the winter of 1939-1940, parked at the airfield and covered in snow – unfortunately we do not have the rights to publish these photos. You can find them on the Blog: https://escadrillespa67.blogspot.com/2018/03/decembre-1939.html?m=1
Great War Stork
1st escadrille GC I/5 was a continuator of the traditions of SPA 67 escadrille light from the First World War, and thus the aircraft has a characteristic emblem affixed to its fuselage, namely, a stork with its wings lowered, on a brown and orange pennant with a black border. The white tactical number “9” on the vertical stabiliser was painted on an orange shield with a thin black border. [1]
Curtiss H-75 A1 no. 16 (U015), 1. escadrille GC I/5, pilot Sgt Léon Vuillemain. Reims, Spring 1939
Curtiss n°16 is one of the few silver H-75 A1s from this escadrille to be known from photographs – complete with its tactical number. The majority of photographs of silver Curtisses from GC I/5 are from an earlier period, when no markings had yet been applied, or only round shields without numbers: orange for 1st escadrille and blue for 2nd escadrille.
Two Curtiss H-75s from GC I/5’s 1st escadrille ready for takeoff spring 1939, Nos. 7 and 19. Photo: J. Mutin
The military registration code (Matricule Militaire) on the underside of the wings, almost invisible in the picture of the aircraft in flight, was reconstructed from photographs of other fighters from the series. These markings were painted in a very specific way on the early Curtiss H-75 A1s, namely, the code marks were narrower, lower and more tightly spaced than on later aircraft, for which a standardized typeface, size and placement were applied.
The identification marks on the wings corresponded to the standard in force between 7 December 1938 and 19 November 1939. Tri-colour cockades with a diameter of 1.2 m were painted on the underside, occupying 4/5 of the chord of the wing. Smaller cockades with a diameter of 0.3 m were painted on the topside of the wing.
The tri-colour stripes on the rudder, typical of the first eighty or so Curtiss H-75 A1s, were narrow, each about 0.2 m wide.
The rudder also carried the French type designation “Curtiss H75-C1” (common for the A1, A2 and A3 series) and the military serial number, in this case N° 16.
The operational markings (in French) were applied as a colourless decal with black lettering. They are not too conspicuous on the silver Curtisses. To preserve these inscriptions on camouflage-covered aircraft, they were carefully masked during painting. As a result, small silver rectangles with tiny black lettering are visible on the painted Curtisses.
Aeroplane equipment
Initially, the Curtisses were not equipped with a reflective gunsight. Installation of the Baille-Lemaire RH 38 type gunsight began towards the end of spring 1939 at the earliest. Export versions of the Curtiss H-75A, including the French, were equipped with underwing bomb release gears which could support five bombs weighing 30 lbs each, or three bombs weighing 50 lbs each (calibres provided by the manufacturer). Although tests of this armament were performed, it was not used in practice during the fighting in France. The Curtisses delivered to the French air force had American pilot’s belts, the two-piece B10, but in some instances at least these were replaced with the French Aviorex 32 model, which was made up of five parts.
References and Sources
[1] photographs of these first H-75 A1s are quite poor quality, with orange being reproduced as very dark, so the border is impossible to see. The information is taken from the description in:
L. Persyn : Les Curtiss H-75 de l’Armée de l’Air, Coll. Histoire de l’aviation 22, Lela Presse 2008, page 395.
Acknowledgements
The photographs illustrating this article ( except those from IWM) were obtained courtesy of Matthieu Comas and Lionel Persyn and the excellent magazine Les Ailes dedicated to the history of French aviation. Lionel is also the author of key books on French Curtisses. Thank you for the photos and the valuable consultation!
More about Les Ailes magazine on their www: https://www.avions-bateaux.com/produit/les-ailes
…and on the Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lesailesaero
Check also:
- Order Curtiss H-75 A1/A2 kit with extras on the promotional pre-sale!
Only until the end of the promotional pre-order can you order Curtiss with additional sprues (‘overtrees’) and 3D-printed details. Don’t miss this opportunity! The kit decals allow you to make two complete models!
A former scale modeller, he now values perfection and purity of geometric forms more than invisible details. He has long been fascinated by the arcane design and technology used in aviation of the 1930s and 1940s. Also interested in the colours and markings of military aircraft of the period, including French ones with a connection to the Polish Air Force in the West. Co-author of several publications on the subject. For relaxation, he listens to loud, eclectic music from the 1980s and 1990s.
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