As
PhilHL has given us a Caudron Cr.714 "Cyclone", I have made a campaign for it:
This is a semi-historical, static 10-mission campaign, set during the Battle for France 1940. You are a Polish Fighter pilot with Groupe de Chasse "Polonais" I/145, flying the Caudron C.714, a light fighter aircraft that the French themselves have withdrawn from service, due to various design problems. The campaign starts after the German big breakthrough at the Ardennes, when your unit is hurriedly brought into action. Can a defeat be averted? The odds are against you, but you and your comrades know the Germans by now, and are determined not to go down without a fight.
You can download it here: http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads3&file=details&id=1241
This campaign is a variant of my campaign “Glory and Defeat”, but with the first eight missions from that campaign taken out and a new end mission added. All missions have also been tweaked in various ways. With this campaign comes 4 skins, courtesy of Canon, VP_Media and Owl. It also contains a new background and new menu music, but these are of course optional.
REQUIREMENTS: The campaign has been built in DBW 1.7. In addition to this you will need the following:
* The new WestFront 1940 map by GilB57, found here:
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,18776.0.html* The Dornier Do-17Z by Ranwers, found here:
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,21566.0.html*And of course the Caudron C.714 “Cyclone by =JFC=PhilHL, found here:
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,26224.0.html
The original specification that led to the Caudron C.714 came in 1936, a response to the rise of Germany and an increased risk of a new war. The hope was to quickly raise the number of modern aircraft in French service, by acquiring a "light fighter" of wooden construction that could be built cheaply and rapidly in large numbers without upsetting the production of existing types.
The origins of the C.714 go back to a racing aircraft that first flew in 1936. The C.714 first flew in April 1938 as a prototype. The primary changes compared to the predecessors were a new wing airfoil profile, a strengthened fuselage, and four 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns in the wing gondolas. It was powered by a new 12R-03 version of the original engine, which introduced a new carburettor that could operate in negative G:s.
The
Armée de l'Air ordered 20 C.714s on 5 November 1938, with options for a further 180. Production started at a Renault factory in the Paris suburbs in summer of 1939. Deliveries did not start until January 1940. After a series of tests with the first production examples, it became apparent that the design was seriously flawed. Although light and fast, its wooden construction did not permit a more powerful engine to be fitted, and that seriously limited its climb rate and manoeuvrability. The aircraft "climbed like a brick", and only one squadron was assigned the aircraft. In March, the initial production order was reduced to 90, as the performance was not considered good enough to warrant further production contracts.
On 18 May 1940, 35 Caudrons were delivered to the Polish Warsaw Squadron, the
Groupe de Chasse Polonais I/145, stationed at the Mions airfield. After just 23 sorties, adverse opinion of the fighter was confirmed by front line pilots who expressed concerns that it was seriously underpowered. On 25 May, only a week after it was introduced all C.714s were withdrawn from active service. However, since the French authorities had no other aircraft to offer, the Polish pilots ignored the order and continued to fly the Caudron. Despite flying a fighter hopelessly outdated compared to the Messerschmitt Bf 109E, the Polish pilots scored 12 confirmed and three unconfirmed victories in three battles between 8 June and 11 June, losing nine in the air and nine more on the ground. Interestingly, among the aircraft shot down were four Dornier Do 17 bombers, but also three Messerschmitt Bf 109 and five Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters.
Thanks for looking!
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Topic: Polish Cyclone - Campaign for the Caudron CR.714 (Read 6936 times)
