Les avions Marcel Bloch

[Deltafan]

In French.
Lela Presse Histoire de l'aviation N°45, 46 and 47. Non-contractual date of publication. Non-contractual covers. Prices not indicated.

Les avions Marcel Bloch - Tome I : Premiers succès | Avions-Bateaux.com

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Les avions Marcel Bloch - Tome II : Entrée en guerre | Avions-Bateaux.com

www.avions-bateaux.com

Les avions Marcel Bloch - Tome III : Chasseurs et autres développements | Avions-Bateaux.com

www.avions-bateaux.com

Publication of 05/30/2024

Les avions Marcel Bloch - Volume I: First successes

Among all the major French aircraft manufacturers, Marcel Bloch is one of the least well known, just like his planes. It is time to fill an important gap and present his productions, which marked the 1930s until the Second World War. How, by applying a policy of small steps, always relying on its previous experiences, good and bad, it became one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world. Always looking to the future, disdaining the past, becoming Marcel Dassault after the Liberation, he did not leave many traces of his first achievements, both successes and failures. To retrace its history, it was necessary to research numerous fragmentary sources and reconstruct the thread of events by cross-checking scattered scraps of information. This long work of careful reconstruction carried out over many years by the author finally allows us to reveal very little-known aircraft stories, even on its most prominent aircraft. The history of Marcel Bloch aircraft is complex, full of contradictions and twists and turns. If you think you know her well, you are wrong! Discover another vision of the history of aviation, at the dawn of the war, with its controversies, its attempts, its projects, its achievements, its failures, its catch-ups and its sometimes dazzling successes.

Publication of 09/30/2024

Les avions Marcel Bloch - Volume II: Entry into war

After a first attempt that remained discreet, Marcel Bloch was able to become an Aviation industrialist thanks to the success of a second generation of MB 81, MB 120 and MB 200 aircraft. He then launched a vast challenge to his teams to give birth to a third generation, which notably includes the MB 130, MB 131, MB 210 and MB 220 models, which will make it one of the largest French aircraft manufacturers of the first half of the 1930s. Four years after its return to the Aviation, Potez, Breguet, Morane, Loire, Hanriot… most other aircraft manufacturers make Marcel Bloch aircraft. Find out how he was able to transform bitter technical failures into resounding successes. How failed prototypes became some of the best French planes. But nationalizations and technical controversies, to which is added the rise of anti-Semitic sentiments, are slowing down its extraordinary development. This second part highlights the successes and begins the first difficulties of Marcel Bloch and his planes.

Publication of 12/29/2024

Les avions Marcel Bloch - Volume III: Fighters and other developments

Marcel Bloch took a long time before deciding to propose a fighter plane. His first attempt is a total failure, the plane cannot even take off. However, the ideas he instilled in this project will lead the French government to catch up and, after multiple improvements, the industry will make it one of the three main defenders of French airspace. Alongside this, Marcel Bloch continues to open new paths, to offer new aircraft, prototypes of which follow one another. This third volume presents the peak of the Marcel Bloch planes as well as the fall, up to his confinement and deportation during the war. But with 1,887 Bloch planes built partially or completely between 1929 and 1946, including 53 prototypes or experimental aircraft, he remains one of the great aviation industrialists of the 1930s. And he will bounce back again to restart with a small team of faithful to give birth to a post-war global aviation giant: Dassault Aviation. This third volume addresses its first fighter planes, which crisscrossed the French skies throughout the war, as well as its last prototypes and projects before this great transition to a new adventure.

At this stage, it is difficult to see what exactly volume 1 will be about compared to the other two (SEA IV C2 + civil aircraft? But that does not correspond to the cover which, admittedly, is not yet contractual. Or else SEA IV C2 + MB 81 to MB 200?). For volume 3, there is already the book by Serge Joanne on Bloch 152 (and 150, 151, 155 and 157); to see what it will bring, especially on the “latest prototypes and projects”. Otherwise, Philippe Ricco is a guarantee of quality.

 

[Stargazer]

"Among all the major French aircraft manufacturers, Marcel Bloch is one of the least well known, just like his planes."

Well, yeah, only if you consider him a totally different person and entity as Marcel Dassault, his new non-Jewish name after WW2! I find it exaggerate therefore to describe him as "one of the least well-known", though some of his planes may be.

 

[Archibald]

I hope they found something new about the MB-140. I mean - the scaled-up MB-175 with 4 engines. Could have been a French DH. Mosquito.
One MB-140 was close from completion by June 1940 but, unable to escape or fly away, was destroyed - and all the paperwork along it.

MB-175 performance was already superlative, the four engine variant would fill a small niche right between the Mosquito and the Lancaster.

Would have been the crowning achievement of the MB-170 family - just like MB-157 for the MB-150 series. Also the MB-162 "Languedoc heavy bomber".

By June 1940 Bloch had a host of potentially excellent bombers at prototype stage, or flying. Varied developments of the MB-130 (the old BCR design: MB-134, MB-135) , MB-160 (future Languedoc) and MB-170 series (MB-175 with two engines, MB-140 with four of them)

 

[hesham]

I hope to get some unknown projects,such as MB 230,240 & 250, and MB 310 up to 390 (except 360,we know it),and go on.

 

[Stargazer]

I hope to get some unknown projects,such as MB 230,240 & 250, and MB 310 up to 390 (except 360,we know it),and go on.

Perhaps there NEVER were any MB 310 to 390. It is rather likely that Dassault reserved the 300 series for a certain category of airplanes, and the Flamant family was the only one they had the time to develop before the shift to the MD system.

 

[Deltafan]

Hi, provisional tables of contents:

Summary of Volume I: First successes
- Introduction
Marcel Bloch
First steps
Wood from which we make propellers (Lightning Propellers)
A plane for two (SEA I, SEA IV)

- Return to Aviation
First drawings (MB V)
Postal three-engine (MB VI, 60, 61, 62)
And projects… (MB VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XV, XVI)

- New team
First successes
Colonial three-engine (MB 70, 71, 120)
Medical aircraft (MB 80, 81)
From health to tourism
First passenger planes (MB 90, 91, 92, 93)
The medical plane goes sightseeing (MB 140, 141, 170T, 190)
Some attempts at single-engine aircraft (MB 100, 110)

- Military aviation
First generation of bombers (MB 200, 201, 202, 203)
Combat multi-seaters (MB 130, 130M, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 140)

- Bibliography
- Thanks


Summary of Volume II: Entry into war

- Strikes and nationalization
Second generation of bombers (MB 210, 211, 212, 210H, 218)

- Transport aviation
Why not a three-engine? (MB 300)
What if we tried with a twin engine? (MB 220, 221)
Colonial four-engine (MB 160, 162 Raid, 400)

- 39-40: a month and a half of war
Combat aircraft (MB 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 174Z, 175T)


Summary of Volume III: Fighters and other developments

- Fighters (MB 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157)
- Attempted four-engine bomber (162, 163, 165)
- Continental four-engine (MB 161, 261, 164)

- Prototypes with no future
Combat seaplane (MB 480)
Twin-engine utility vehicles (MB 500, 600, 800)
Small wooden hunter (MB 700, 720)
And little-known projects… (MB 180, 190, 1010, 1011, 1040,…)

- Bloch engines
- Debacle and restructuring (BA 1020, SO 180, SO 190, MB 500, MD 303)
- Summary

Appendix 1: Roussel aircraft
Appendix 2: Civil registrations of Bloch aircraft
Appendix 3: Summary of Marcel Bloch aircraft
Appendix 4: Chronology

 

[hesham]

Great news my dear Deltafan,

but really I disappoint,I think there are a projects,such as
Bloch 230,240 & 250,also where 1020,1030 and 900 ?.

 

[Apophenia]

but really I disappoint,I think there are a projects,such as Bloch 230,240 & 250,also where 1020,1030 and 900 ?.

Note that there is an ellipsis after "And little-known projects…" so, perhaps, the MB.900, 1020, and 1030 are included?

As for Bloch numbers like 230, 240, or 250, do you have references for these 'designations'?

 

[hesham]

As for Bloch numbers like 230, 240, or 250, do you have references for these 'designations'?

No I haven't,but on Net,I found the designation Bloch MB.232 as a project,that's
in my files,but it was from long time,so I can't find it now ?.

 

[Deltafan]

Great news my dear Deltafan,

but really I disappoint,I think there are a projects,such as
Bloch 230,240 & 250,also where 1020,1030 and 900 ?.

The table of contents is provisional and I think it is better to wait for the release of each of the three volumes, to see if the projects you mention are not present in the books. In any case, you can ask the question directly to its author at that time.

 

[PhR]

Great news my dear Deltafan,

but really I disappoint,I think there are a projects,such as
Bloch 230,240 & 250,also where 1020,1030 and 900 ?.

Hello,
sorry to disapoint you.
Bloch 230, 240 and 250 never existed. 1020 is in the list. 1030, I don't know it, and 900 was probably never used by Bloch.
Here is the final table of contents of the first volume, which is now at the printer.