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Bloch MB.200

1933 GOLDEN AGE SPANISH CIVIL WAR WORLD WAR 2

History

Like other European powers during the interwar period, France sought to modernize its armed forces in response to the nascent Germany. MB. The result of these efforts is the 200, a pre-World War II twin-engine medium/heavy bomber of French origin.

It was designed, developed and built by the specialists of the French aviation company Marcel Bloch (Bloch) and was in service with the French Air Force as early as 1935. Although it was a capable bomber in the mid-1930s, the MB.

By the start of World War II (1939-1945), the 200 was largely obsolete. Nonetheless, it was able to function in a wide range of conflicts and emerged earlier in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

This aircraft was born in 1932 when the French Air Force needed a new, state-of-the-art day/night bomb platform. Bloch engineers opted for a high-wing shape with a traditional twin-engine layout for the character, incorporating modern features like metal skins and an enclosed workspace.

As with other large aircraft of the era, defensive machine gun positions were placed around the aircraft to cover its vulnerable sides - the front, top and rear.

Following the French example, the Czech Air Force is working on a modern bomber design, hoping to strengthen its air attack fleet to counter the growing threat from its neighbors. The lack of in-house knowledge to design, develop and build a modern very large aircraft prompted the government to obtain the MB's production license.

In 1937, French and local aviation groups Aero and Avia produced 200 of the 124 built. However, this Czech stock was taken over by the invading Germans and spent its final days under the banner of the Luftwaffe and the Kingdom of Bulgaria.

The other brands in the series are the "MB.201" which was converted to a Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs engine, while the "MB.202" uses 4 Gnome-Rhone 7Kdrs engines. The "MB. 203" is the last of the series and is powered by 2 Clerget 14F diesel engines.

With the German conquest of France in 1940, MB. 200 surviving bombers were requisitioned by French Vichy forces. A number was used during the fighting in Lebanon and Syria during the North African campaign in 1941.

However, the battle ended in an Allied victory, and the bombers had little influence on its outcome.

Bloch MB. 210 and MB. 211 entries are direct forks of MB. 200 - but the more modern monoplane wing and retractable landing gear make a difference. About 300 of these were built by French parties before the war, and the service was launched in late 1936.