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The Amiot 354 was the last in a series of fast, twin-engine bombers which fought with the French Air Force in limited numbers during the Battle of France.
| 354 | |
|---|---|
| Amiot 351 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Bomber |
| Manufacturer | Avions Amiot |
| Primary users | French Air Force |
| Number built | ca. 86 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1940 |
| First flight | November 1939 |
The Amiot 350 series originated in the same 1934 requirement as a rival to the Lioré et Olivier LeO 451. Derived from the Amiot 341 mail plane, the Amiot 340 prototype was involved in a propaganda flight to Berlin in August 1938 to convince the Germans that the French employed modern bombers. Though 130 machines were ordered by the French government that year, production delays and modifications ensured that by September 1939 none had been delivered. 830 of this very modern aircraft were eventually ordered but only 80 machines were received by the Air Ministry. The main variant was the twin-tailed 351; due to delays, the single-tailed 354 was accepted into service as an interim type. The Amiot 351 was intended to carry a 7.5 mm (0.295 in) MAC 1934 machine gun in nose and ventral positions and a 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon in the dorsal position. Due to technical problems with the armament installation, many aircraft went to operational units with only a rifle-calibre machine-gun in the dorsal position.
In May 1940, the Amiot 351/354 was in the process of equipping just two bomber groupes: GB 1/21 and GB II/21 based at Avignon. Though 200 were in the final stages of construction, only 35 were ready for flight. This situation was exacerbated by the Amiot 351/354 being built in three factories, two of which were later bombed by the Germans. On 16 May 1940, the Amiot 351/354s carried out armed reconnaissance sorties over Maastricht in the Netherlands - the first operation conducted by planes of this type. By June, the Amiot 351/354 was also delivered for GB I/34 and GB II/34, neither flying them in combat. At that time, all Amiot 351/354s were based on the northern front. Three had been lost in combat and ten in training accidents. All aircraft were ordered to evacuate to Africa on 17 June, 37 surviving the trip. As their numbers were too few to engage the Italians, the aircraft were sent back to Metropolitan France and their groupes disbanded in August 1940. Five Amiot 351/354s continued to be used as mail planes after the Battle of France. Four Amiot 351/354s were commandeered by the Luftwaffe as transports, two found service in the 1./Kampfgeschwader 200 a special service unit. Engines taken from these aircraft were later used on Messerschmitt Me 323 cargo transports.
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Data from War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Seven Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft [1]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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