“Dewoitine” D.510 – the French fighter

The first models of this type, the D500 and D.501, were accepted into service by the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) in 1935 July. In 1936 October month the D.510, a variant with a more powerful engine, entered service. Although the aircraft was ordered as the main fighter of the Armée de l'Air, it was soon considered obsolete due to the development of aviation technology. The D.510 retained its role as the main fighter until the end of the forties and only in 1939 they began to be replaced by the more capable “Morane-Saulnier” M.S.406. At the very beginning of the Second World War, early D.500 aircraft were assigned secondary local defense functions and were also used by training units. At the beginning of World War II, D.510s were in service with three French fighter groups (French Groupes de chasse), two regional fighter squadrons, stationed in North Africa (French Escadrilles régionale de chasse) and two naval aviation squadrons (French Escadrilles de aéronautique navale ). These aircraft were tasked with air defense functions behind the front line, protecting cities and industrial facilities. In 1939 in November only one squadron of non-cannon D.510s (ERC571) was active in Morocco. In 1940 May this squadron was merged with ERC 573 to form Combat Group III/4 (GC III/4). It was demobilized in 1940 August. There is evidence, that D.500-class aircraft took part in several battles during the German invasion of France: the Dakar-based group, GC I/6 flew with D.510 until 1941 end, after which she was re-armed with the “Curtiss” H-75. Green and Swanborough state, that fourteen D.501s sold to Lithuania (index D.501L) and two D.510s intended for the Emirate of Hijaz ended up in the Spanish Republic army during the Spanish Civil War, around 1936. For the "Lithuanian" D.501s, this statement is not true (except for one that crashed, all "Lithuanian" D.501s were occupied by the Soviets), but a few D.501s ended up in the Spanish Republican Army. When the French government found out about it, they demanded the return of the planes or at least their engines. After that, the "Spanish" “Dewoitines” were re-armed with USSR-made Klimov M-100 engines, which were a licensed copy of the Hispano-Suiza 12Y, also used in A. Tupolev's “SB-2” bombers. During the Spanish Civil War, two D.510s were assigned to the 71st Coast Guard Group, and did not take part in battles with enemy aircraft. In 1938 one of them was irreparably damaged during the landing, the other was destroyed during a Francoist air raid. In 1938 In June, the Republic of China Air Force established the 41st French Volunteer Squadron at Wujiaba and Qingyunpu Air Bases. French volunteer pilots with “Hawk” III and D.510 fighters took part in several aerial battles with Japanese forces. There were no victories in the battles; one pilot was killed in a battle with a Mitsubishi A5M. After these failures, China refused to buy the D.510, and the squadron itself was disbanded in 1938 October. In China, the remaining 18 D.510 fighters were transferred to the 17th Fighter Squadron of the 5th Fighter Group of the Republic of China. They were based in Sichuan Province and conducted mostly defensive operations against the Japanese AF during the Battle of Chongqing-Chengdu. Piloting the D.510 and leading a group of seven such fighters, in 1939 November 4 In the Battle of Chengdu and Chongqing, Republic of China AF pilot Captain Cen Zeliu attacked a group of Japanese G3M bombers and, together with three others, shot down the plane, flown by Captain Kikushi Okuda, commander of the Japanese fleet's 13th Kōkūtai. He was the highest-ranking Japanese air officer to die in battle up to that time. France also offered the D.510 to Japan, which, after evaluating the only D.510J, decided, that the Japanese Mitsubishi A5M was far superior.

The “Dewoitine” D.510 fighter used by the French AF can be made from this medium-complexity, well-detailed publication. However, with drawings and photos, it can easily be redesigned with a computer rendering program into a fighter model, used by the Lithuanian Air Force. By the way, it is not very complicated and is perfect for an advanced beginner modeler, working under the supervision of a more experienced colleague.