00:20This design was the first modern monoplane fighter of the French Air Force, and it was
00:25their most numerous type in service at the time of the German invasion.
00:29Despite its shortcomings, it was the only French fighter, which was available in numbers,
00:34and at least to some extent was comparable to the German planes.
00:39This was the Morin-Sognier MS-406.
00:42So let's see the history of this aircraft today.
00:52These planes, though they were the most numerous modern fighters of the French Air Force, and
00:56more than 600 of them were in service when the Battle of France began, still had the worst
01:01kill-to-loss ratio during that period.
01:04The French pilots were not just outnumbered in the engagements, but their planes were much
01:08slower, had weaker armament, no-armorplating or self-sealing fuel tanks, and used weaker engines,
01:14compared to their German counterparts, like the Messerschmitt Bf 109E version.
01:20You could ask, how these planes, being worse than other contemporary designs, became the
01:24main fighters of the French Air Force.
01:26So let's rewind the time to the 1930s to understand the history of the MS-406.
01:34In the 1930s, after Hitler came into power, the conflict between Germany and France seemed
01:40more and more inevitable every day.
01:42And in light of the German rear-armament, the French Air Force started to modernize its
01:46forces as well.
01:49In September 1934, new requirements were issued by the Aeronautical Technical Service for the
01:54so-called C-1 fighter design.
01:57A new modern interceptor monoplane with retractable undercarriage to replace the old Devotin D-371,
02:03D-500 and the Loire 46 types.
02:07The competition for the new contract was fierce, with several French manufacturers submitting
02:12their designs.
02:14Morin-Sognier entered their MS-405, which was a new venture for the company.
02:19As though they built fighters during the First World War, this aircraft was their first low-wing
02:23monoplane design with retractable undercarriage and a closed cockpit.
02:28It used the construction of mixed materials, wood in the tail and metal tubing around the cockpit,
02:33and was built around the Hispano-Suiza 12Y engine, which incorporated a 20mm cannon fighting through
02:40the propeller shaft.
02:42Though at the time of the competition it was adequate, over time this engine choice severely
02:47limited the performance of the fighter.
02:51The MS-405 had many rivals in the competition, such as the Blerio Spud S-710, the Bloch MB-150,
03:01the Devotin D-513, the Loire 250 and the Neuport 161.
03:10The first prototype of the Morin-Sognier design was finished in August 1935, and made its maiden
03:16flight in the same month.
03:18This variant was built with a fixed landing gear, which was later replaced with a retractable
03:23design.
03:24After Danish Air test flights, the prototype had the military equipment fitted, and it was
03:29delivered to the CIMA in January 1936.
03:32The new fighter showed excellent flight characteristics.
03:35It was easy to fly, and it managed to reach a top speed of 480 km an hour at 4000
03:41m altitude.
03:43But the testing and development of the type was fairly slow.
03:47After the trials, the type needed some modifications to the wing platform, and also received a new
03:52propeller.
03:54The second prototype incorporating the changes only flew in February 1937.
03:58It was tested at CIMA during June and July, but soon was destroyed in an accident.
04:05To speed up the process, even before testing of the second prototype began, in March 1937,
04:11already 15 pre-production aircraft was ordered for further evaluation.
04:15But again the production of these was very slow, and they were only delivered through 1938,
04:20with numerous small differences between each aircraft.
04:23The first one flew in February 1938, and the last one was delivered in December.
04:29During the 1937 comparison trials between the designs of different manufacturers, the Morin-Sognier
04:35was the most convincing, as many of its competitors were plagued with technical problems, delays, or
04:41in the case of the Loire design, simply performance issues.
04:45So the MS-405 in the end came out as the winner of the competition.
04:49As a design, though it was complicated, met all the specifications, and its flying characteristics
04:54were very good.
04:57From the 15 pre-production planes, the number 4 became the base for the production models.
05:02Plenty of changes and updates were applied to the type even after production began, as
05:07the first orders for these fighters were awarded to the company even before testing was concluded.
05:1350 units were ordered right after the pre-production variants in April 1937, then a further 80 units in August.
05:20In April 1938 a bigger order of 825 aircraft was placed, followed by the last order of 90 units in
05:28August.
05:30The production aircraft differed from the initial design in so many areas that its designation
05:35was changed to MS-406.
05:38It featured redesigned lighter wings, a new engine, and a very complicated and frankly unnecessary
05:44retractable radiator under the fuselage.
05:47This radiator design was a complete waste of resources, as the aircraft could only reach
05:52high speeds in level flight when the radiator was in the retracted position.
05:56But this quickly caused the engine to overheat, so maximum power at high speeds could only be
06:01used for a very limited time.
06:03There were also cases when the radiator released by itself during maneuvers.
06:08The complicated design of the aircraft meant each fighter needed somewhere between 12.000 to
06:1315.000 hours to build, so production was very slow to ramp up.
06:17In 1938 only 28 units were built, 25 in January 1939, 34 in March, 95 in May, 147 in August,
06:28and so on, ending up with 932 produced by the end of 1939.
06:34And until the signing of the armistice in June 1940, 1,098 units were built in total.
06:42The first MS-406 models were accepted into service in early 1939, but the type was riddled with problems.
06:49Apart from the mentioned radiator issues, the propeller pitch settings many times didn't work.
06:54The landing gear could release spontaneously in high-g maneuvers.
06:58The machine guns could freeze up at high altitudes, not to mention their limited ammo count.
07:04Based on the feedback after the first deliveries, the improvements on the type continued during production.
07:10But even in its finest form, the MS-406 had many drawbacks, as in the more than 4 years since
07:161935 when the type first flew, the aviation industry seen many new developments, and the
07:21new fighters like the Hurricane, the Spitfire, or the new Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-models all
07:27featured more advanced aerodynamics, stronger engines, and heavier armament than the French
07:32fighter.
07:34The Bf 109 and the Spitfire were both powered by excellent engines.
07:38The German Daimler DB-601 and the British Rolls-Royce Merlin, both producing around 1,150
07:46horsepower.
07:47Thanks to these engines and their better design, these types were almost 100 km an hour faster
07:52than the MS-406.
07:55So let's take a look at the actual specifications of the French type.
08:07The production variant of the MS-406 was 8.17 meters long, with a wingspan of 10.61 meters.
08:15It had an empty weight of 1,895 kg and a maximum takeoff weight of 2,540 kg.
08:25The fighter was powered by the Hispano Suiza 12Y engine, producing 860 horsepower.
08:31With this engine, the plane could reach a top speed of 480 km an hour at 4,000 meters altitude,
08:38and a cruise speed of 320 km an hour.
08:42It had a service ceiling of 9,400 meters and a range of 1,400 km.
08:52The fighter's armament consisted of one 20 mm cannon and two 7.5 mm machine guns in the wings.
09:10The MS-405 was the original prototype, initially built with a fixed landing gear, which was later
09:16changed to a retractable one.
09:20The MS-406 was the production variant, which featured all the modifications applied to
09:25the type during development, the two most prominent changes being the new lightweight wing design,
09:31and the retractable radiator.
09:35The MS-4010 variant was developed after the combat experiences in 1939.
09:40This version featured 4 machine guns in the wings, which were now belt fed, and they were also heated,
09:46as experience showed the machine guns in the wings were prone to freezing at high altitudes.
09:51It also featured a new windscreen and gunsight, and had the capability to carry external fuel tanks.
09:57In early 1940, 500 MS-406 was ordered to be upgraded to these standards, but soon the conversions had to
10:04stop,
10:05as all the fighters were needed during the Battle of France.
10:08One of these MS-40s was fitted with the experimental Hispano Suiza 12Z engine, producing 1300 horsepower,
10:16creating the MS-450 variant.
10:18The new engine dramatically improved performance, but in the end it did not enter production.
10:24The MS-4011 variant featured the Hispano Suiza 12Y45 engine, producing 950 horsepower.
10:33This variant also featured a fixed radiator, and it became the base for the Swiss D3801 variant.
10:40The next MS-412 was tested with the 1050 horsepower Hispano Suiza 12Y51 engine,
10:47and this variant became the base for the D3800 type.
10:53The Finnish so-called Markomoran was a heavily modified variant of the type,
10:58featuring a strength and fuselage, a new, more streamlined engine cowling,
11:02and it used captured Klimov M105 engines, which produced 1,100 horsepower.
11:08These versions carried four belt-fed machine guns in the wings,
11:11and a 20mm cannon was changed for either a German MG151 type,
11:16or the Soviet UBK machine gun.
11:18The modifications significantly improved the fighter's performance,
11:22with a top speed of 525 km an hour.
11:34The MS-406 entered service in early 1939, as the first modern monoplane fighter of the French Air Force.
11:42By the time of the German invasion, it was the most numerous type in service,
11:46and the backbone of the fighter force, together with the American Curtis H-75s.
11:53During the phoning war, they were mostly used for air defense and reconnaissance over the German border,
11:59but isolated skirmishes with German fighters happened from time to time.
12:04These engagements highlighted the weaknesses of the type,
12:07such as the light armament, lack of armor plating, unreliable weapons and radio equipment.
12:14When Germany invaded France in May 1940, the type was outclassed by the German Bf 109s,
12:19which were faster and more heavily armed.
12:22But many of the MS-406s weren't lost in a dogfight.
12:26The rapid advance of the German army forced the French Air Force to relocate to airfields further away from the
12:31front lines,
12:32and many times they had to abandon or destroy the grounded planes themselves.
12:36Still, the French pilots achieved around 190 aerial victories, and lost about 150 MS-406 fighters to enemy actions,
12:45but almost twice as much was destroyed on the ground, either by German raids or by the French forces themselves
12:50during a retreat.
12:53After the armistice, the Vichy French retained a small number of fighters mainly for training purposes,
12:58but they were kept in active service on the French colonies, such as Syria, Madagascar and Indochina.
13:06Some other countries used the type as well.
13:08Switzerland purchased the rise to manufacture the type and their license,
13:12and the results were the D-3800 and 3801 types,
13:17which were later developed into the D-3802,
13:21which featured a stronger 1250hp engine, allowing this type to reach 630kmh speed.
13:29And finally, the D-3803, which featured a 1500hp engine and three 20mm cannons.
13:37Though its performance was impressive, with 680kmh top speed,
13:42but only one prototype was built in light of the arrival of new airfighter designs.
13:48Finland ordered 30 MS-406 models in early 1940,
13:52and later in 1943 these were joined by around 50 units,
13:56which they purchased from the Germans, who captured a large number of these fighters.
14:01Though by this time the type was obsolete, these planes were so heavily modified,
14:05they almost became a new type, featuring the Soviet Klimov M-105 engine and heavier armament.
14:15We can conclude, the main reason for the failure of the MS-406 was probably its complicated design,
14:21and too slow development, which made this fighter obsolete by the time it entered service.
14:26The French authorities tried to correct this error,
14:29when they requested new fighter designs in a 1936 competition,
14:33which was won by the Devoteen D-520,
14:36a plane that would have been a better match against the German Messerschmitt fighters.
14:40But only a few of them were in service when Germany invaded France.
14:47Hope you guys enjoyed this video.
14:48Please leave a like, subscribe to my channel,
14:51and in the comments let me know if there's any interesting events or vehicles you'd like to see.
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