Paint Set 7020: Armée de l’Air – Battle of France 1940

France was among the principal innovators of early aeronautical engineering. From the first generation of aeroplanes through the developmental surge of the 1930s, French designers continually explored advanced aerodynamic configurations and structural concepts, producing aircraft that were technically progressive on the eve of the Second World War.

The Battle of France

The May–June 1940 campaign represents one of the most consequential periods in European air warfare. From the outset of the German offensive through the Ardennes, units of the Armée de l’Air and attached RAF components attempted to counter the developing Schwerpunkt. Despite a numerical concentration of Allied fighters, neither service was able to impede the well-coordinated Luftwaffe operations or delay the rapid momentum of German armoured formations.

Frontline escadrilles operating the Dewoitine D.520, MS.406, and Bloch MB.152 were committed in a dispersed manner, tasked primarily with covering retreating ground forces and critical crossings. Sustained airfield bombardment, attrition of matériel reserves, and limited operational integration with ground commands rapidly degraded the combat capacity of the French air arm. By mid-June the front had collapsed, and on 22 June the armistice was signed—concluding one of the briefest yet most operationally intense campaigns of the Second World War.

The 1938 Camouflage Specification

In the years following the First World War, France undertook systematic evaluation of camouflage intended to reduce visual detection both in flight and on the ground. Throughout the 1920s and early 1930s aircraft of the Armée de l’Air commonly carried aluminium-doped finishes, khaki on single-seat fighters, or dark brown on heavier types.

Operational lessons from the Spanish Civil War confirmed the value of disruptive multi-tone patterns, prompting accelerated development of standardized camouflage. In 1938 a regulated scheme was introduced, prescribing green, brown, and dark grey upper-surface colours over a light grey-blue underside. Although the directive established official tones, measurable variation existed between manufacturers and in field-applied repaints, reflecting differences in available pigments and production batches. At the same time the national insignia were updated; the blue of the roundels was revised to a more vivid shade.

Purpose of the “Battle of France 1940” Paint Set

This set provides the principal colours employed on French military aircraft of the late 1930s and the 1940 campaign, corresponding to the standardized camouflage regulation introduced in 1938.

Set Includes:

• 778 Ombre calcinée (Burnt Umber) – the characteristic dark brown element of upper-surface disruptive fields on French aircraft.
• 780 Kaki (Khaki Green) – the principal green tone specified for upper camouflage areas.
• 776 Gris foncé (Dark Grey) – the standardized deep grey component of 1938-pattern disruptive layouts.
• 787 Gris-bleu ciel (Sky Blue-Grey) – the later, more saturated underside finish introduced prior to the 1940 campaign.
• 781 Azur cocardes 1938 (Roundel Blue) – the brightened blue shade adopted for national markings under the 1938 directive.
• 777 Rouge insigne (Insignia Red) – the standard red used in French roundels and fin flashes.

Collection:

• WWII French Air Force Aircraft

Recommended for:

• Amiot 143
• Amiot 351/354
• ANF Les Mureaux 113/115/117
• Arsenal VG-33
• Blériot-SPAD S.510
• Bloch MB.131
• Bloch MB.151/152/155
• Bloch MB.210
• Breguet 691/693/695
• Caudron C.445 Goéland
• Caudron C.630 Simoun
• Caudron C.714 Cyclone
• Curtiss H-75
• Dewoitine D.500/D.501/D.510
• Dewoitine D.520
• Farman F.222/223/224
• Hanriot H.230/232
• Koolhoven FK.58
• Lioré et Olivier LeO C.30
• Lioré et Olivier LeO C.45/451
• Lioré 46
• Loire-Nieuport LN.411
• Martin M.167
• Morane-Saulnier MS.405/406/410
• North American NAA-57
• North American NAA-64
• Potez 542
• Potez 56
• Potez 63/630/631/633/637/63.11
• Potez 650
• SNCAO CAO.200
• SNCASE SE.100
• Vought V.156, etc.

Paint Type:

• Acrylic A7020
• Enamel E7020

Finish:

• Semi-gloss

Volume:

• 6 x 0.33 fl oz (10 ml)