Breguet Biplanes, August 1914: Seeking Information

Old Man · 5 May 2006, 11:19 AM

I am intending to begin scratch-building an early Breguet biplane, and hope to be able to model one in use at and shortly after the start of the war.

I have the Swedish monograph on the U.1 type in hand, and several photographs of similar machines in service with Escadrille BR17 in 1913 at Dijon, among other materials.

However, I am not sure this is the type was in service a year later. My old Harleyford volumn has a capsule on the type, which indicates a version with two interplane struts per bay, rather than one, was in service then with BR17, and I have seen a drawing of this type designated A.G.4, but only a couple of photographs of it.

I understand also some Breguet machines were flown out of Paris at the time, and as one was flown by M. Breguet himself on a particularly fruitful reconnaisance, this also interests me as a possible subject.

I would greatly appreciate any light anyone could shed on this matter.

Rbailey · 7 May 2006, 04:45 PM

Acording to Davilla and Soltan, the machine flown by Breguet in that instance was the original model of what became the AG4. It did have the 2 struts. The U1 is mentioned there as a single machine going to the RFC in 1913. The U2's (essentially a U1 with more powerful engine) did see some service in the war with BR17.

Old Man · 9 May 2006, 09:31 AM

That is a big help.

I am glad to have some confirmation the 'single strut" version did see active service, as I have much more detailed information on that configuration.

Tsuru · 14 May 2006, 06:08 AM

Hi Old Man,

You may find your information on Bréguet aircraft and other planes in the following WebPages:

http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/breguet.html
http://www.mfarchive.modelstuff.co.u...earlybirds.htm

Cheers,
Tsuru

Old Man · 15 May 2006, 08:42 AM

Those are helpful sites.

gilles · 16 May 2006, 07:15 AM

Hello Old Man

French magazine Icare is now publishing a series of articles about the french aviation in august and september 1914.
Issue 193 contains some details about BR.17 aircrafts.

The aircrafts used in august were #11, 26, 28, 30; there are also #48, 49, 50, 51 but these are referred as U1 types "escadrille 1914" or affinés (streamlined

) and have a different cowl.
I will email you some pictures.

gilles