Potez 540: The Forgotten French Bomber

In the 1930s, France, the Potez 540 was built with big ambitions. Designed under the Douhet doctrine as an “aerial cruiser,” it was intended to perform multiple roles simultaneously: bombing, reconnaissance, and close air support.

The idea was to create one aircraft that could do everything. However, while the concept was bold and forward-thinking, it also highlighted the limitations of trying to make a single plane serve too many purposes.

The Potez 540 was a French twin-engine aircraft built by the Potez company to meet a 1932 request for a new reconnaissance bomber. It began as a private project called the Potez 54. It first flew on November 14, 1933. Designed by Louis Coroller, it was meant to be a four-seat aircraft that could serve as a bomber, transport, or long-range reconnaissance plane.

The Potez 54 was a high-wing monoplane constructed from both wood and metal, featuring a steel frame. The prototype featured twin fins and rudders and was powered by two Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs V-12 engines. Each producing 690 horsepower. These engines were housed in streamlined nacelles connected to the fuselage by short stub wings. The main landing gear retracted into these nacelles, and bomb racks were mounted beneath the wings.

It carried manual gun turrets in the nose and on top, plus a semi-retractable “dustbin” turret underneath. Later, the twin tail was replaced by a single fin and rudder, and the aircraft was renamed the Potez 540. It entered service with the French Air Force on November 25, 1934, with a total of 192 built.

The Potez 540 saw its first combat in the Spanish Civil War, where it served with the Republican forces. However, it quickly became clear that the design was outdated. Against faster and better-armed German and Italian aircraft, the Potez 540 was no match and earned the grim nickname “Flying Coffin.”

By the late 1930s, the aircraft was considered obsolete and reassigned to transport and training duties. At the start of World War II in 1939, most had been moved to French colonies in North Africa. There, they continued to serve as transport and paratrooper trainers. Even in these roles, they struggled due to their weak defenses and poor performance against modern aircraft. After France surrendered to Germany in June 1940, the remaining Potez 540s served with the Vichy French Air Force, mostly overseas. Most were retired or destroyed by late 1943.