The Battle of France
When the German offensive in the west began on 10 May 1940, GC I/3 was the only unit using the D.520. During the next month four more units converted to the D.520 (including G.C. III/6 on the Italian front). In combat the D.520 proved itself to be an equal to the Bf 109E – the only allied aircraft engaged in France that could really make that claim. In tests against a captured Bf 109E-3 the D.520 was found to be slightly slower but more manoeuvrable.
The five D.520 units scored 108 confirmed victories and 39 probable victories. The confirmed victories included 23 Bf 109s and 9 Bf 110s. In the same period 106 D.520s were lost, although only 26 of those were lost in air-to-air combat. If the D.520 had been available in larger numbers in May 1940 it may well have denied the Luftwaffe control of the air over the western front.
Stats
Span: 33 feet 5.5 inches
Length: 28 feet 2 5/8 inches
Empty Weight: 4680.3 lbs
Full Weight: 5901 lbs
Engine: 820 hp Hispano-Suiza 12Y45 12-cylinder liquid-cooled inline engine
Guns: One 20mm HS 404 cannon in engine hub, four 7.5mm MAC 1934 machine guns in wings
Speed: 331.8 mph at 18,044 ft
Ceiling: 34,450 ft
