Under French Skies

Upper surface camouflage scheme for a Caudron CR.714 belonging to GC I/145 at Billancourt France, May 1940. Because of the aircraft's identification number "13" on the fin, it is more probable that the aircraft is part of a group of training aircraft that were abandoned in June 1940 at Guyancourt. The side view of this aircraft can be viewed on this page.

   The link between the Polish GC I/145 and the Caudron Renault CR.714 "Cyclone" goes back to April 1933 when the French Aviation Ministry released their Plan I, the planned expansion of the Armee de l' Air (French Air Force) to have 1,010 combat aircraft. Unfortunately for France, the number of modifications of this plan, up to and including Plan V, did little for France's ultimate preparedness for war in September or May of 1940.
   The outgrowth of all of these plans was the French fascination of the "jockey" fighter. This fighter program, which was often modified, ultimately led to their Legier Chasse (ultra light-weight fighter), which the Caudron Renault CR.714 was an example. The French, always fascinated with the Groupes de Chasse de Defense (G.C.D,, Groups of Fighters for point Defense) concept, as early as 1933 stated that they would not allow French cities to be threatened by German bombs. As a result of this thinking, the French decided that they needed a light weight interceptor for the protection of factories, government buildings, military facilities, and metropolitan areas.
   The "jockey", legier Chasse, or Plan Caquot fighter idea was based on an aircraft of the lightest weight to be designed around a small but very high power to weight ratio aircraft engine. The Caudron firm had designed a number of very successful racers between 1933 to 1935, all powered by Renault air-cooled engines. It was on this basis that the Caudron firm designed their C.710 in 1936.
   Following a number of design modifications, the resulting CR.714 was ready to fly in September 1938. The engine chosen under the was the Renault 621 type 12 (for 12 cylinder) Ro-3, of 450 h.p. Because of the close association between the Caudron firm and the Renault factory at Billancourt, it was decided to build the new fighter at a portion of the Renault facility.

   The author Harold Stockton Jr. can be reached at his e-mail address.