Potez 63.11

[Atomeur 529]

Hello !

I want to suggest a classic plane of Batlle of France : the Potez 63.11.

 

At the begeinning

 

All the history of this plane began in 1934 when French Army wanted to have a heavy fighter. The armament needed was at least two 20mm canon and a max.speed of at least 450 km/h. This lead to a first prototype named Potez 630. It was a heavy fighter like the Breguet 690. The Potez 630 made his maiden flight on arpil 1936. But this is not our plane, because our plane was a reconnaissance plane.

The Potez 637 was the first version made to do reconnaissance. A ventral gondola was added, to have an observator to look at the ground. It flew for the first time in 1938 and it enterred in service in French Air Army only as a transition plane, to wait more modern aircrafts because it was too bad.

 

Our plane

 

Real Potez 63.11, reconsitution

 

The Potez 63.11 was ordered for the first time in 1938. This plane was a version of the fighter one. It has the same wings, the same engines, the same landing gears ans the same back part of the 631, but his fuselage was enlarged to have an observer un a glssed nose. The cockpit has been moved back but not the gunner position. His aspect is different as the 631 now in gamebut not so different. It made his first flight the 31th of December 1938. The French Air Army believed so much in this plane that an order for 145 planes was placed before the first flight ! After the first tests at the CEMA, the nose was modified to have his current look. In 1939, 1684 planes were ordered. They had to be built by the SNCAN at Méault and Mureaux. The first serie exemplary to fly was the 10th of july 1939. A difficulty appeared during the production because of the propellers and the engines. At the 15th of March 1940, 459 Potez 63.11 has been made. 217 planes are equiped with Gnome et Rhône 14 M 6/7, 95 with Gnome et Rhône 14 M 4/5 and 147 are equiped with wooden propellers.

Still in March, in the GAO (Groupement Aérien d'Observation), the several Potez 63.11 was used next to Potez 390, Breguet 270, ANF les Mureaux 115 and Potez 25 !!

 

In operationnal conditions

 

When  Battle of France began, the Potez 63.11 did missions at the begeinning. For example, one Potez 63.11 discovered the German army in the Ardennes the 12th of May 1940. 3 Potez were sent over the same place, attacked an entire army with their 7.5 mm guns, but it was still considered as a joke (seriously). The condition of use od this aircrafts are hard : no spare parts, several changes of airfields, ennemies everywhere and more powerfull, very powerfull DCA... A huge number of them were shotted down. This produced a lot of epic fights. The most epic one, for me, is when a Potez 63.11 was followed by 7 Me 109. Here, I need to exmplain the armament of this plane, the reason of this suggestion. The Potez 63.11 has 3 x 7.5 mm Darne machine gunes, one at the front, one at the back for the gunner and the last ont under the fuselage. BUT some planes recieved a reinforced armament. It is not 3 machines guns, but 12 ! 7 at the front, 2 for the gunner and 3 under the fuselage firing at the back. It is with this armament that our Potez 63.11 is followed by 7 Me 109. Two 109 were shotted down by the gunner, and one by the pilot. At the end, the plane crashed, but only 4 Me 109 returned at their base. To be followed by 6 or 7 Me 109 is normal for French pilots in 1940, like being fired by the Flak.

 

After the Armistice, a lot of GAO were dissolved and some planes were in Africa. Several planes has been captured by Luftwaffe, especially after the invasion of France.

Some of them were used by Polish pilots, some others served under British colours in the FAFL.

 

At the end of war, more than 700 or 800 copies of the normal version were produced (exact number unknown). Some of them (more than one prototype !) has been transformed with an augmented armament. It seems that the 4 x 50 kg bombs has never been used un fight.

 

Want an idea of the cockpit of this plane ?

Spoiler

Instruments of the pilot of the Potez 63.11

 

Gunner place of the Potez

 

 

 

General characteristics Potez 63.11

• Crew: 3
• Length: 10,93 m
• Wingspan: 16 m
• Height: 3.08 m
• Wing area: 37,70 m²
• Empty weight: 3 135 kg
• Gross weight: 4 530 kg
• Powerplant: 2 × Gnome-Rhone 14M 4/5 or 6/7 of 700 ch                                                 

Performance

• Maximum speed: 425 km/h
• Range: 1 500 km
• Max. altitude : 8 500 m

Armament

• Normal version :
  • 3 × 7.5 MAC 1934 machine guns (one fixed at the front, one for the gunner and one under the fuselage)
  • up to 200 kg of bombs with 4 x 50 kg bombs

 

• Augmented armament version :
  • 12 x 7.5 MAC 1934 machine guns (3 fixed at the front under the fuselage (in the same nacells than the Potez 631), 4 fixed under the wings (like the Potez 631), 3 flexibly mounted under the fuselage firing at the back, and 2 for the gunner.)
  • up to 200 kg of bombs with 4 x 50 kg bombs

 

Potez 63.11 normal version

 

 

At the very begeinning of the video, you can see our beautiful plane "in flight" !

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Sources :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potez_630

https://aviationsmilitaires.net/v3/kb/aircraft/show/7720/potez-6311#tab:tab-details

Book L'aviation Française 1939 - 1942  by Dominique BREFFORT

[ItssLuBu 1,798]

Approved and open for discussion. 

[Milocat 4,848]

+1 from me, interesting attack aircraft and would be nice to see in the game.

[FrizBeee 229]

+1 I'm waiting this little bomber for a long time. I could see it having a similar gameplay that the FW 189, capable to shoot down early planes, while having some small bombs to drop

[Arghail 1,220]

I never knew this Potez had that many 7.5mm mgs. That would be a fun thing to fly, as long as it isn't above 2.0. The 631 is already really stretched at its br.

[Arghail 1,220]

Here's a schematic from this link : https://www.passionair1940.fr/Armee de l'Air/Appareils/Reconnaissance/Potez-63-11/Potez-63-11.htm

 

Spoiler

Which depicts said "reinforced armament" (in the pic, the Russian says "Third serie"). However, I've yet to find a historical photos showing these gun pods. If I do I'll add them.

Edited October 25, 2021 by Arghail

[Atomeur 529]

On 06/10/2021 at 18:00, Frizare said:

+1 I'm waiting this little bomber for a long time. I could see it having a similar gameplay that the FW 189, capable to shoot down early planes, while having some small bombs to drop

I didn't compared to the FW 189, but I think it can be good to compare them, tu have an idea.

The Potez 63.11 have a better max.speed than the FW189, a better armament with the Augmented Armament version and the same amount of bomb. The Potez can be maybe in 2.0.

 

Moreover, I think the Potez can be easy to developp because the wings, the tail and the landing gears are already in game with the Potez 630. Same for the ventral gondola and 7.5 on the wings for which are already designed with the Potez 631. It exists a reconstitution of the plane, which is in America I think, but also a reconstitution of the cockpit and gunner place by a French association, so it can't be very difficult to design and to find informations.