What I Want and What I Got

Of all the French aircraft in World of Warplanes, the top of my list of favorites is missing....

The SNCAM/SNCASE Dewoitine D.520 was a fast, modern monoplane fighter designed to be a contemporary to the British Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires and be able to confront the Messerschmitt Bf 109, should war break over French skies.

Designed to meet a 1936, later revised in 1937 French Air Ministry specification, the first prototype took to the air in late 1938 and after further design refinements and production changes, the first aircraft finally reached operational units by early 1940. When the Battle of France started in May 1940, 246 D.520's had been built, but only 79 (some sources claim as high as 101) were in service with the Armée de l'Air.

The Dewoitine D.520 proved itself to be a very capable dogfighter and powered by a Hispano-Suzia 12-Y V-12, it was much more maneuverable than the Messerschmitt Bf 109E's it faced, despite being slower in speed. Armed with a central hub Hispano-Suzia 20mm cannon and four 7.5mm MAC 1934 machine guns, it was a formidable defender. However, they came too late to turn the tide and when France fell in June 1940, 437 D.520s had been built, 403 in five operational units saw combat and 106 had been lost, 26 in air-to-air combat.

Under Vichy France, D.520 production was restarted and another 349 were built between August 1941 and December 1942. By wars ends and a final total of 740 built (other various sources claim an even higher total of over 900), this aircraft had served with Bulgaria, Germany, France (Free and Vichy), Italy and Romania.

After the war, most D.520's were either scrapped or lived on as trainers, only to finally retire from active service in 1953. Three known survivors exist today.

If the Dewoitine D.520 were to finally come to World of Warplanes, I think it would be well suited for tier V, matched up with other Allied and Axis aircraft of it's time. Until then, I will continue to wait, see and take to the skies in the only French aircraft I currently have....