Unusual aircraft w/ Invasions Stripes, or are they? ...

[Mark Allen M]

Nope! These photos below show Bloch 131's assigned to target tug duty. The Bloch MB.130 and its derivatives were a series of French monoplane reconnaissance-bombers developed during the 1930s. They saw some limited action at the beginning of World War II but were obsolete by that time and suffered badly against the Luftwaffe. After the fall of France, a few were pressed into Luftwaffe service.

The MB.130 was developed in response to the August 1933 French Aviation Ministry request for a reconnaissance and tactical bomber. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, low-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear, and armed with three flexible machine guns, one each in the nose, dorsal turret, and ventral gondola. It first flew on 29 June 1934, and despite very ordinary performance, soon entered production, 40 machines being ordered in October 1935. An improved version, the MB.131 was first flown on 16 August 1936, but still needed more work to overcome its deficiencies. The radically revised second prototype which flew on 5 May 1937 eventually formed the basis for series production, with aircraft being manufactured by SNCASO, the nationalised company that had absorbed Bloch and Blériot. Total production (including prototypes) was 143.

Guess those aren't "Invasion Stripes" as most of us know them to be from the Normandy Invasion of June 1944.










Abandoned RAF & French aircraft in German hands after the Battle of France.

[JohnB]

Don't forget the Anglo-French stripes from the Suez campaign of 1956.

[dhfan]

The French certainly mastered seriously fugly aircraft in the 1930s.

[LysanderUK]

Very interesting shots, included in the detritus are at least two 88sqn Fairey Battles.

[Spitty]

Dieppe operations MkV Spitfires were another.

[Stoney]

Suez stripes were yellow i think.

[Fred41]

Dieppe operations MkV Spitfires were another.

At Dieppe (Jubilee) operations Spitfire haven't strippes. Some were paint with it but few moments before Dieppe, for Rutter operation.