Loire-Gourdou-Leseurre LGL.32.C1

Aéronautique Navale: 15 built total (32.C.1 version) 1927

From 1925, Gourdou-Leseurre was absorbed by Loire shipyard and the fighter LGL.32 was the only one pushed for serial contruction, primarily for the army, explorted and declined into a multitude of variants. Powered by Gnrome-Rhone 9Ady engine with two synchronized 7.7 mm nose MGs and flying first in 1925, the naval aviation later received 15 C1 versions intended for for the Aicraft Carrier Béarn. By 1935, retired from the air force, it soldiered on in the Navy modernized with a "V" landing gear to carry a 100 kg belly bomb and maintained on the Béarn until replaced by the Dewoitine D376, another parasol fighter.

Born from the GL.20 series

The GL.32 is just a variant of the larger GL.30, one of the most prolific parasol fighter made by France and of the interwar. The Gourdou-Leseurre GL.30 was a racing aircraft that first flew 1920 in the hope of attracting the Government's attention to renew its WW1 fighter park, now exported, sold at auction to the civilian market or scrapped outright. Thos concerned were the two main frontline fighters of the French armée de l'air in 1919, the inline engine SPAD VII and XIII as well as the radial-powered Nieuport 28. There was no shortage of manufacturers not ready to swap to civilian market orders, that were a tiny fraction of the ones obtained in 1918.

GL.22C1 landing on Béarn in 1927.

Gourdou-Leseurre was founded by Charles Edouard Pierre Gourdou and Jean Adolphe Leseurre in Saint Maur-des-Fossés, southeast of Paris in 1921. The factory assembled military aircraft under license such as the Breguet 14, until moving to their own aircraft. From 1925 Gourdou-Leseurre was taken over by the Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire shipyard, together with Nieuport in 1928. The company created twenty-nine models, most prototypes, untim closing its doors by 1934 following a disagreement between the founders. Meanwhile in 1918, the company created the Type A in 1918, when the war was not over, leading to the Type B and then Type B, GL.1, then GL-2 powered by an inline Hispano-Suiza 8Ab 134 kW (180 hp) engine, sub-distinguished as GL.21, 22 and 23) largely exported and finding its first naval contract with the GL.22C.1. The GL.22 was exported to Czechoslovakia (15), Estonia (15), Finland (20), Latvia (1), and Yugoslavia (20+26 by Zmaj).

The GL.30 series

LGL 341 C.1 structure, L'aéronautique, March 1928

However if this early fighter was on par with 1918 biplane models, it led to radical improvements, notably working around a new engine, which formed the basis for a highly successful family of fighter aircraft based on the same design. The GL.3 (later known as the GL.30) was developed to replace the GL.2 and answer new specifications to replace the acual WW1 legacy park of fighters. The accent was on better performances, following the latets evolution of engines.

In 1919, Gordou and Lesseure already started working on a malor improvement of the GL.2 based on a new engine, that led to so many modifications this started the GL.3, a new iteration rather than an evolution. The GL-3 was still a parasol-wing monoplane with amazingly a retractable undercarriage, powered by the new Bristol Jupiter engine. The wing had a caracteristic trapezoidal planform rather than rectangular as in the previous model. It first flew in 1920. Trials and fixes went on, still without any official order as it was developed as a private venture sport plane, in 1921 and 1922. Then in 1923 it flew the Coupe Beaumont course at an impressive 360 km/h (220 mph; 190 kn) and was remarked by officials of the Armée de L'air.

Thus, the GL.3 (later GL.30), was to be evaluated by the French air Force, and became the basis of a new fighter, the GL.31, considerably modified: It was given a greater span, almost double the wing area, fixed undercarriage, and Gnome-Rhône 9A engine. It was given four machine guns, two in the forward fuselage, two in the wings. The GL. 31 was developed in 1924-25 and only flew in 1926 only to be then abandoned for the more ambitious GL.32 developed already in 1923 to enter that year's Aéronautique Militaire competition for a new fighter. It returned to a more conventional rectangular plan wing but kept many aspects, notably its four 7.7mm machine guns.

However in 1926, Gourdou-Lesseure was acquire by Loire shipyards and the new company became Loire-Gourdou-Lesseure. The shipyard brought new facilities but the original team was left pretty much on its own to co,ntinue working on several projects, notably the GL.32 for the 1923 competition. By the time the GL.32 prototype flew, it was selected and entered service as the LGL.32, when apprearing second on official trials. It should have been discarded, but the armée de l'air was impressed enough to order it in January 1927.

The first prototype presented had still four MGs, longer-span wings and a Gnome-Rhône 9A radial engine. It was followed initially a small evaluation batch of five for evaluation, and then by an option for 20 preproduction machines. Eventually, 475 LGL.32C.1 (The "C" standing for "Chasseur" - Fighter), ordered by the Aéronautique Militaire, with 15 more by the Aéronautique Maritime for what we are concerned with. Exports followed suit: Romania 50 aircraft, Turkey 12 LGL.32-T and one was evaluated by Japan.

LGL also ventured into a floatplane variant of its model, and designed the LGL.32 Hy, a twin-pontoon floatplane version converted from the original prototype. It set world seaplane altitude record on 28 March 1927 but was not adopted by the Marine Nationale as there was no official spec. for a floatplane fighter as yet. It appeared in later specs and led Loire to deliver the Loire 210 in 1935. The firm continued improving on its models, creating the LGL.321 (450 kW (600 hp) Gnome & Rhône 9A), LGL.323 with a 373 kW (600 hp) Bristol Jupiter for altitude record attempts and the LGL.324 further modified by Pierre Lemoigne for a world landplane altitude record with 500 kg payload at 9,600 m (31,500 ft) on 23 May 1929 as well as with Albert Lécrivain for the 11,000 m (39,090 ft) record on 24 October.

LGL 33C1, L'Aéronautique December 1926

The model evolved also into the LGL.33 as an experiental variant with the inline Lorraine 12Eb engine, LGL.34 with an Hispano-Suiza 12Gb engine and LGL 341 with the Hispano-Suiza 12Hb, the LGL.35 and LGL.351 with the Renault 12J engine, LGL.390 night fighter prototype with Hispano-Suiza 9Va engine. Then the Armée de l'Air and Marine Nationale bioth declared they were interested by a dive bomber variant of the LGL.33, which led the company to work on the LG.40 series:

This led to the GL.410 with divided main undercarriage, GL.430 as a strengthened carrier-borne dive-bomber prototype and GL.432 dive-bomber variant for operational testing, with four built in all. It was declined into the fighter variant GL.450 and GL-482 with Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs engine. Noned led to adoption, albeit the Béarn tested the GL.432 for a full campaign (see later). The final hurrah of the company was in 1930 with the GL.521 - dive-bomber with Gnome-Rhône 9Kfr engine, taller tail fin (two) and GL.633 improved dive-bomber (1 more). It was realized at this stage in 1933 that parasol aircraft were fundamentally flawed as dive bombers compared to cantilever wing models.

Design

Length: 7.55 m (24 ft 9 in) Wingspan: 12.2 m (40 ft 0 in) Height: 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in) Wing area: 24.9 m2 (268 sq ft) Empty weight: 963 kg (2,123 lb) Gross weight: 1,376 kg (3,034 lb) Fuel capacity: 285 kg (628 lb) - (ca. 200 L (53 US gal; 44 imp gal)) Powerplant: 1 × Gnome et Rhône 9A Jupiter VIII 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 450 kW (600 hp) Propellers: 2-bladed wooden fixed pitch propeller Performance Maximum speed: 270 km/h (170 mph, 150 kn) at sea level 260 km/h (160 mph; 140 kn) at 3,000 m (9,800 ft) 251 km/h (156 mph; 136 kn) at 5,000 m (16,000 ft) 215 km/h (134 mph; 116 kn) at 8,000 m (26,000 ft) Landing speed: 90 km/h (56 mph; 49 kn) Range: 500 km (310 mi, 270 nmi) Service ceiling: 9,700 m (31,800 ft) Time to altitude: 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 3 minutes 5 seconds; 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in 11 minutes; 8,000 m (26,000 ft) in 31 minutes Wing loading: 54.8 kg/m2 (11.2 lb/sq ft) Power/mass: 0.33 kW/kg (0.2 hp/lb) Armament Guns: 2x synchronised forward firing 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Vickers or Darne machine-guns in the fuselage with 2x un-synchronised 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Darne machine-guns in the wings firing outside the propeller disc.

⚙ LGL-32 C1 specifications
Empty Weight	963 kg (2,123 lb)
Gross Weight	1,376 kg (3,034 lb)
Lenght	7.55 m (24 ft 9 in)
Wingspan	12.2 m (40 ft 0 in)
Height	2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
Wing Area	24.9 m2 (268 sq ft)
Engine	Gnome Rhône 9A Jupiter VIII 9-cyl. ACR 450 kW (600 hp)
Propeller	2-bladed wooden fixed pitch propeller
Fuel cap.	285 kg (628 lb) - (ca. 200 L (53 US gal; 44 imp gal))
Top Speed	270 km/h (170 mph, 150 kn) at sea level
Range	500 km (310 mi, 270 nmi)
Climb rate	8,000 m (26,000 ft) in 31 minutes
Ceiling	9,700 m (31,800 ft)
Armament	2x sync. fwd 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Darne, 2x 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Darne LMG wings.
Crew	1 pilot

Operational History

In French service, it was soon looked how the LGL 32 could transition from fighter to an adaption as a carrier-borne dive bomber. For this, the company started strengthening the airframe, dividing the main undercarriage units and and place a "fork" under the fuselage to release the ridiculously small 50 kg (110 lb) bomb from under the fuselage, a well known system to avoid hitting the propeller. The LGL.32 saw some service on the Béarn, evaluated only. No photo shows indeed a hook, which was paramount for carrier operations.

The GL.32 was not long-lasting, with attrition taking a heavy toll so by 1934, all remaining ones still serviceable went to training or as instructional airframes when the engine was "cooked". By 1936, only 135 remained total, with a few Marine ones. Many were sold to the Second Spanish Republic Govermnent and autonomous Basque Government. The Basques in 1937 also modified one as a dive bomber as the "GL.633" used by Miguel Zambudio to attack the Nationalist battleship España, managing to score a decisive hit contributinh substantially to her later sinking. I hope to present it if i find a photo.