Breguet 14 B2, Br.66, Fly 1:48

The kits from this company are not the easiest to build, but with a little patience and your own modifications, you can still build a decent-looking model of this aircraft. I have roughly described the main problems during construction in the Great War group.

An aircraft in this livery from the Br.66 bomber group was forced to land behind German lines and after the war served in the Polish Air Force in the fight against the Bolsheviks.

The Breguet XIV (in current practice) or Breguet 14 is a French biplane bomber and reconnaissance aircraft from World War I. It was built in very large numbers and production continued for many years after the end of the war.

The Breguet 14 was among the first mass-produced aircraft to use large amounts of aluminum in its construction rather than wood or steel. This allowed the airframe to be lighter and stronger, making the aircraft fast and maneuverable and able to outrun some contemporary fighters.

The airframe structure was constructed primarily of duralumin, an aluminum alloy invented in Germany by Alfred Wilm only a decade earlier. Many sections, such as duralumin stringers and struts, were attached using welded steel tube fittings and braced with piano wire. The wing spars were rectangular duralumin tubes with oak or ash washers at the attachment points, wrapped in a sheath of sheet steel. The wooden box ribs had plywood webs and ash flanges. The tail section was made of welded steel tube, while the elevators had large horn balances. French officials were initially wary of the innovative materials of the Type XIV due to their lack of experience with them.

Louis Breguet first flew the prototype on 21 November 1916. In November 1916, the STAé. issued requirements for four new aircraft types, and Breguet submitted the XIV for two of them—reconnaissance and bombing.

The prototype was handed over to the STAé on 11 January 1917 for trials and was accepted for both roles. A report issued on 7 February 1917 from the trials stated that the prototype had reached a speed of 172 km/h (107 mph) at an altitude of 2,000 m (6,600 ft). On 22 February 1917, Breguet asked the STAé to begin production and on 2 March informed them that the preparations were ready. On 6 March 1917, Breguet received the first official production order, which called for 150 Breguet XIV A.2 reconnaissance aircraft, and an additional order for 100 XIV B.2 bombers was received on 4 April. The A.2 was fitted with several cameras, while some also had radios. The lower wing of the 14 B.2 was fitted with Michelin bomb racks for thirty-two 115 mm (4.5 in) bombs. To prevent the flaps from jamming, forward wing extensions were added, while transparent panels were added to the sides of the fuselage to aid the use of the bomb sight.

By mid-1917, the French authorities had ordered a substantial increase in production. Various other companies were contracted to build the type. On 25 April, the French aircraft company Darracq was asked to build 330 aircraft. On 8 June, 50 were ordered from Farman, and on 18 June, a contract was issued to Paul Schmitt for 200 aircraft. Some of the suppliers were unable to begin serial production of the Breguet 14 until 1918. After the war, some aircraft were constructed in French military workshops in Indochina, although these aircraft were likely to have been dependent on imported parts.

As a safeguard against engine shortages, alternatives to the standard Renault powerplant were installed, both for experimental purposes and in production quantities. Apart from some used in France, many Belgian and American Breguet 14s were powered by the Fiat A.12 engine. An improved version of the standard engine, the Renault 12Ff, appeared in the summer of 1918 and was used in some late-production aircraft. Another engine used, lighter but less powerful than the Renault unit, was built by the French Lorraine-Dietrich automobile company. A number of late-model B.2s were fitted with the American Liberty engine. To distinguish these aircraft, they were designated the Breguet XIV B.2 L.

Other smaller variants of the Breguet 14 were flown in small numbers during the Great War; these included the XIV B.1 long-range single-seat bomber (Bombardement), the XIV GR.2 long-range reconnaissance/bomber (Grande Raid), the XIV H floatplane (Hydro), the XIV S air ambulance (Sanitaire). and the XIV Et.2 (Ecole) trainer. Later variants, such as the XIVbis A.2 and XIVbis B.2, had improved wings. The variant with enlarged wings was produced as the XVI Bn.2 night bomber (Bombardement de nuit). Other derivatives of the aircraft included the XVII C.2 (Chasse), a two-seat fighter, which was built in small numbers due to the end of the war. Production of the Breguet 14 continued long after the end of the war, ending in 1926.

The Breguet 14 played a role in one of the last acts of war: in November 1918, one aircraft was used to transport a German military officer, Major von Geyer, from Tergnier to Spa. It was covered with large white flags of truce to prevent attack.

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