The Breguet 690 series of twin-engined multi-role aircraft were attractive, high-performance, modern planes which, like many of France's aircraft in 1940, were simply too late to make a difference.

The Breguet had begun life in 1934 as Breguet's response to the same, quite far sighted strategic fighter specification that resulted in the eventual winner, the Potez 630. Both were attractive twin-engined monoplanes with twin tailplanes, powered by Hispano-Suiza 14 AB radials of modern design and, for the time, good performance.

Although the Breguet lost out in the competition for a strategic fighter, after considerable debate and delay the French Air Staff decided to acquire modern attack aircraft. Engineless for nearly a year, the prototype displayed such promise that 100 two-seat attack bomber versions known as the Breguet 691 AB2 were ordered in mid 1938, an order soon doubled. The production model had a pair of 20 mm cannon and a pair of light machine guns firing forward, could carry eight 50 kg (110 lb) bombs, and also packed two further light machine guns firing rearwards.

Breguet established an assembly line with remarkable speed: the first production aircraft flew less than a year after being ordered and was in service before the end of 1939.

As with the Potez 630, the Bre 691 was beset with engine difficulties. Hispano-Suiza had decided to concentrate on its V12 liquid cooled engines and the 14AB engine was unreliable. The French authorities decided to order a new version powered by Gnome-Rhône 14 M radials. Apart from the changed engines, which were of slightly smaller diameter, the two types were virtually identical. Orders for the Bre 691 were switched to the new type and more than 200 of the latter had been completed by the time of France's defeat.

Late production versions of the Bre 693 introduced a pair of additional light machine guns in the tail of each engine nacelle. Belgium ordered 32 licence built copies but none were completed before the Belgian collapse.

Variants

A number of experimental versions were planned including a light bomber (Bre 696 B2) which was first ordered and then cancelled in favour of the Bre 693 and the Bre 697, which was intended as a pre-prototype for the Breguet 700 C2 heavy fighter. Powered by Gnome-Rhône 14N 48/49 engines which offered 50% more power than the 14M, the Bre 697 prototype displayed a sensational rate of climb, and was as fast as a Bf 109E. The Bre 700 was expected to offer even higher speed and would have been armed with a 30 mm cannon!

French engine makers had even greater difficulties than airframe manufacturers in keeping up with the frantic demands from 1938 and in 1939 the French government decided that all combat aircraft had to be adapted for British and US engines. The conversion of the Bre 693, known as the Bre 695 was not particularly successful, the larger, heavier and higher-drag Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp Junior reducing visibility and lowering performance. Nonetheless the Bre 695 was ordered into production.

Fewer than 350 Breguet 690 series aircraft were completed and fewer than 220 saw service (including the approximately 80 Bre 691s completed). Some appear to have had some armour added, which would certainly have been useful given its role.

Operational Service

The little Breguets were popular with their crews, although the unreliable engines in the Bre 691 caused headaches and undercarriage failures proved troublesome. The aircraft was well designed, easy to maintain, pleasant to fly and could fly at 480 km/h at 4,000 metres (13,000 feet). The type's sturdy construction was frequently demonstrated and the armament was effective. Unfortunately, in the haste to get the Bre 693 into production the opportunity was lost to specify a low-level version of the Gnome-Rhône 14M, but in time no doubt this would have been remedied.

Crews were still working up their new machines and developing tactics when the Germans struck. The loss rate was almost 10% in the six weeks of the blitzkrieg. The Vichy air force kept the Breguet in service in one attack group; after the Germans occupied all of France in late 1942 the survivors were transferred to Italy for use as operational trainers.

Like the Bloch 175 light bomber and the LeO 451 and Amiot 351 medium bombers, the Breguet 693 showed that French designers were as good as any in the world. Unfortunately, French rearmament began two full years later than that in Britain and all of these fine aircraft were simply not available in sufficient numbers to make a difference in 1940.

Specifications (Bre.693)

General characteristics

• Crew: two
• Length: 9.67 m (31 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 15.37 m (50 ft 5 in)
• Height: 3.19 m (10 ft 6 in)
• Wing area: 29.2 m² (314 ft²)
• Empty: 3,010 kg (6,636 lb)
• Loaded: kg ( lb)
• Maximum takeoff: 4,900 kg (10,803 lb)
• Powerplant: 2x Gnome-Rhône 14 M-6/7, 522 kW (700 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 490 km/h (304 mph)
• Range: 1,350 km (839 miles)
• Service ceiling: 8,500 m (27,885 ft)
• Rate of climb: 555 m/min (1,822 ft/min)
• Wing loading: kg/m² ( lb/ft²)
• Power/Mass: kW/kg ( hp/lb)

Armament

• 1x fixed forward-firing 20 mm Hispano-Suiza cannon
• 2x fixed forward-firing 7.5 mm Darne machine guns
• 1x flexible, rearward-firing 7.5 mm Darne machine gun in rear cockpit
• 1x fixed, rearward-firing 7.5 mm Darne machine gun in ventral position
• 1x fixed, rearward-firing 7.5 mm Darne machine gun in each engine nacelle (late models)
• 400 kg (882 lb) of bombs

Sources

• War Planes of the Second World War Vol 7 by William Green
• Air War Over France 1939-40 by Robert Jackson

Related content

Related development: Breguet 700

Comparable aircraft:

Designation sequence: