Buffalos pour la Belgique by andreasgr
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Description
Belgium ordered 40 B-339 before the war break out.
One was delivered in France in that time Germany launched the 'Blitzkrieg'.
The transport of six other Buffalos was then diverted to the French Caribbean island of Martinique and unloaded there, never to be flown.
There are several stories about the whereabouts of these Buffalos.
Destroyed in a bombing raid
Destroyed by agents
Used by the RAF
Comments (2)
Well made and interesting story.
The RAF also picked up the Buffalo from the Belgian order. The RAF test pilots said it was not suitable for European service, but would make a fine advanced fighter trainer. The UK was desperate for aircraft and the RAE decided that it would be fine to use the Buffalo for fighter squadrons stationed in Malaya and Burma. Pilot armor, self sealing fuel tanks, flare bin and launch tubes were added and the weight increased by over 900 lbs. The use of refurbished airliner engines reduced horsepower and were prone to oil discharge on the windscreen. The RAF had no idea what the Buffalo would be up against in nimble Japanese fighters like the Mitsubishi A6M Zero and the Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscar" flown by experienced combat pilots.