page_title: Bréguet 14
section_title: Operational history
hierarchical_section_title: Bréguet 14 / Operational history
caption_attribution_description: English: Breguet 14 at Air Service Production Center No. 2, Romorantin Aerodrome, France, 1918
context_page_description: The Bréguet 14 was a French biplane bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of World War I. It was built in very large numbers and production continued for many years after the end of the war.
  Apart from its widespread usage, the Bréguet 14 is known for being among the first mass-produced aircraft to use large amounts of metal, rather than wood, in its structure. This allowed the airframe to be lighter than a wooden airframe of the same strength, in turn making the aircraft relatively fast and agile for its size; in combat it was able to outrun many contemporary fighters. The Bréguet 14's strong construction allowed it to sustain considerable damage, in addition to being easy to handle and possessing favourable performance. The type has often been considered to have been one of the best aircraft of the war.
context_section_description: The Bréguet 14 was taken on in quantity by the French Air Force. At its peak, the type equipped at least 71 escadrilles of the service, and was deployed on the Western Front, where it participated in number major actions in which it typically acquitted itself well. For its actions during the Battle of the Lys, the Section Artillerie Lourde, equipped with the type, received a citation and was further lauded for its actions during the Allied counter-attack to the German Spring Offensive. On 9 July 1918, Capitaine Paul-Louise Weiller shot down two enemy aircraft during one sortie flying the type. Many 14A2 and 14B2s were used in the conflict and were subject to considerable modification, particularly to respond to increasing German opposition to Allied Air operations.
  Following its introduction by the French, during 1918, the Bréguet 14 was also ordered in quantity by the Belgian Army (40 aircraft) and the United States Army Air Service (over 600 aircraft). Around half the Belgian and U.S. aircraft were fitted with Fiat A.12 engines due to shortages of the original Renault 12F. Prior to the Armistice of 11 November 1918, the Bréguet 14 was typically assigned to serve in both reconnaissance and bombing roles. By the end of the conflict, the type had reportedly been responsible for dropping a combined total of 1,887,600 kg (or 1,854 tons) of bombs.
  In one of its more atypical deployments, a Bréguet 14 played a role in one of the last actions of the war. During November 1918, the aircraft was used to transport a German military officer, Major von Geyer, from Tergnier and Spa; it was covered in larger white flags of truce to avoid being engaged.
  The type continued to be widely used after the war, equipping the French occupation forces in Germany and being deployed to support French troops in the colonies. A special version was developed for the harsh conditions encountered overseas, designated "14 TOE" (Théatres des Operations Extérieures). These saw service in putting down uprisings in Syria and Morocco, in Vietnam and in the French intervention in the Russian Civil War. The last trainer examples were not withdrawn from French military service until 1932.
  Other air arms using the type included Brazil (30), China (70), Czechoslovakia (10), Denmark, Finland (38), Greece, Japan, the Siamese Air Force, Uruguay (9) and Spain. The Polish Air Force used 158 Bréguet 14s, about 70 of them being used in combat in the Polish-Soviet war. In Japan, Bréguet 14s were licence-built by Nakajima. The type was also heavily used in various internal wars in China during the 1920s and 1930s.
  Weeks after the signing of the Armistic, the Bréguet 14 was used to conduct several long distance flights to demonstrate its capabilities. On 26 January 1919, a double-crossing of the Mediterranean was flown using the type by Lt Roget and Captaine Coli. On 5 April, Roget flew from Lyon to Rome and then to Nice. Roget and Coli later establish a new French long-distance record flying the Bréguet 14, flying from Paris to Kenitra, Morocco, a distance of 1,900 km, in 11 hours 15 minutes. Aviation pioneer Pierre-Georges Latécoère had one example of the type converted to conduct experimental in-flight refuelling operations.
  During the postwar years, Bréguet decided to commence manufacture of dedicated civil versions of the Bréguet 14. The 14 T.2 Salon carried two passengers in a specially modified fuselage. An improved version of this was the 14 Tbis, manufactured as both a land-plane and seaplane. The 14 Tbis also formed the basis of the improved 14 Tbis Sanitaire air ambulance version, and 100 mail planes custom-built for Latécoère's fledgling airline, Lignes Aeriennes Latécoère. After changing its name to "CGEA", the airline used, among others, 106 Bréguet 14s for flights over the Sahara Desert. The 18 T was a single 14 T re-engined with a Renault Ja engine and equipped to carry four passengers. When production finally ceased in 1928, the total of all versions built had reached 7,800 (according to other sources, 8,000 or even 8,370).
caption: Bréguet 14 at the Air Service, United States Army Air Service Production Center No. 2, Romorantin Aerodrome, France, 1918
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