Breguet 27 (French Wings)

good information on a seldom seen project

Jose Fernandez does a generally good job describing three of the what can be arguably described as ugly aircraft of the French air force of the 1930s. As the other reviewers point out, the book covers the Breguet 27 as well as the Potez 39 and ANF-Mureaux 113/115/117. All were either sesquiplane biplanes (in the case of the Breguet 27) or high-wing monoplanes (in the case of the Potez and Mureaux) with struts, open cockpits, and fixed landing gear. These were largely retrograde features when these aircraft appeared and condemned them to second-class status when pitted against more modern fighters early on in WW2. Nevertheless Fernandez does a good job describing the history, structure, and operational deployment of all three aircraft. The book is loaded with photographs and color illustrations. It also touches upon the foreign operations of these aircraft. The only features missing are technical specifications (highly surprising in a book of this nature) as well as cutaway illustrations, which would have been a nice feature. As a result, I give the book four stars.

Item delivered on time, was as described

In the mid to late 1920’s the French air force went out to buy additional aircraft to replace the wartime planes. By then, engine horsepower had increased substantially from the World War I aircraft. The new engines were approaching a thousand horsepower offering the possibility of much better performance. Further the use of metal such as aluminum to replace the wood and fabric of the earlier planes offered the strength to take advantage of the new powerful engines. The three aircraft discussed in this book were the result. A problem in that time frame was that the aluminum producers had formed a cartel to demand high, prohibitively high prices. As a result, the Breguet 27, as pictured on the cover of the book used a steel backbone for their plane. This backbone ran from the engine mounts through to the tail with a cockpit and the wings attached to it. It makes, in our eyes, a pretty goofy looking airplane. Even stranger, these aircraft were still in service with the French air force at the beginning of World War II. Can you imagine flying any of these up against Messerschmitt 109s? As with other publications from this publisher, this book is filled with pictures of these planes from the time they were used, along with color illustrations of the planes in the colors they were used in operation.

Excellent volume for the money. Good balance of text and illustrations. I can't add anything else to the older reviews

Not until I received this book did I realize that it covered not just the Br 27, but the Potez 36 and Mureaux 115/117 as well, with each plane getting roughly one third of the book. This is good and bad. As a modeler with many unbuilt kits, including the Heller Mureaux 117, I'm glad I now have more info on the latter. Unfortunately, I wanted lots of info on the 3 seat Br 27. The book really only covers the 2 seat Br 27. Nevertheless, I would recommend it overall for all the info it does provide.