The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for the military in both

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. From 1933 onwards, it was a subsidiary of

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...

Alphonse (Gaston) (1882–1915) and René Caudron (1884–1959)

Born in Favières, Somme to parents who farmed nearby in Romiotte, the Caudron brothers were educated at a college in

Abbeville Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital o ...

. Gaston, as Alphonse was always known, intended to become an engineer but his education was cut short by health problems; René was interested in the development of mechanics and was a sportsman. After military service in an artillery regiment, they returned to work on the farm. They began to build their first aircraft, a large

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

, in August 1908. Initially unable to obtain an engine, they flew it as a glider, towed by a horse, and tested it through the summer. In September 1909, they finally flew it under power. By April 1910, they were able to make a return flight of to Forest-Montiers. Gaston Caudron died in an aircraft accident on 15 December 1915 at the airfield at Bron. René continued in the aircraft business until the

fall of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second Wo ...

at the start of

. He died in 1959.

Caudron Frères and Caudron-Renault

Needing a more convenient base than the farm, the brothers established their factory in nearby Le Crotoy, on the eastern side of the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

estuary about from Abbeville and with a broad, flat, firm, south facing beach ideal for flying. They set up a flying school there which was functioning by 19 May 1910. This activity flourished and by early 1913 a second school had been set up at Juvisy with a combined capacity of 100–250. The War Ministry sent about 30 student pilots there in 1913. By then the company was based at Rue, Somme. During World War I, the company moved its production to

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

and

Issy-les-Moulineaux Issy-les-Moulineaux () is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France, lying on the left bank of the river Seine. Its citizens are called ''Isséens'' in French. It is one of Paris' entrances and is located from Notre-Dame Cath ...

, as the Somme plant was too close to the battle front. Designers of many aircraft like the two-seater Caudron G.3 that successfully landed on Mont Blanc in 1921, Caudron produced the

trainers Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...

in which thousands of pilots got their first flying licence. The Caudron plants at Lyon and Issy-les-Moulineaux produced nearly 4,000 airplanes during World War I. In 1920, the Lyon plant stopped assembling and the Issy-les-Moulineaux site was consolidated as the headquarters and main production base. In 1933, Caudron was acquired by

, following pressure from the French Air Ministry, which was seeking consolidation in the aircraft industry. At the time, Renault was increasing its involvement in the aviation field. Renault took a controlling 55% stake while René Caudron kept the remaining 45%. both the Société des Avions Caudron and Renault's aircraft engine branch were integrated into the Renault Aviation division led by François Lehideux (as top manager), Marcel Riffard (as aircraft body chief designer) and Charles-Edmond Serre (aircraft engine chief designer). The Issy-les-Moulineaux plant improved synergies with the Billancourt engine plant, as both were in the Paris area. In 1937, Renault bought out René Caudron's minority stake. Renault Viva Boucher

As part of Renault, Caudron centred on producing light, sportier aircraft powered by either inline-four or

inline-six The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balan ...

cylinder engines, mirroring its automotive range at the time. Riffard was an expert on streamlined designs, which helped to achieve good speeds on low power. Caudron-Renault aircraft set several records in the 1930s. In August 1934, Hélène Boucher, on board her C 450, achieved the world record average speed for 100 kilometres, 1000 kilometres, and the world female speed record. In December 1934, Raymond Delmotte got a land aircraft world speed record of 505 km/h on board his C 460. According to '' Popular Aviation'', by November 1935 Caudron-Renault was producing the following models: the C 272-3 ''Luciole'' (2-seat light biplane aircraft), the C 282-8 ''Phalene VIII'' (4-seat light monoplane), the C 360 (monoplane), the C 366 ''Atalante'' (a monoplane based on an earlier model), the C 440 (twin-engined low-wing cabin monoplane), the C 450 (1-seat racing monoplane), the C 460 (1-seat racing monoplane) and the C 530 ''Rafale'' (high-performance, 2-seat light monoplane). By 1936, Renault was hit by the Great Depression and, in 1938, it spun off Caudron-Renault into a separate, autonomous subsidiary in order to focus on its core automotive business. After France was occupied by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

during World War II, Caudron-Renault produced trainers, auto bodies,

Messerschmitt Messerschmitt AG () was a German share-ownership limited, aircraft manufacturing corporation named after its chief designer Willy Messerschmitt from mid-July 1938 onwards, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, in part ...

aircraft parts, Messerschmitt Bf 108s the Caudron's Simoun and Goéland ranges, the Siebel Si-204, for the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...

. It also repaired aircraft. In February 1942, Willy Messerschmitt requested to Caudron the production of the Messerschmitt Me 164, a Si-104 rival, but that was sabotaged. The Issy-les-Moulineaux plant was almost completely destroyed by RAF and AAF bombings that took place in September 1943, leaving it permanently out of production. In 1944, the remaining Caudron-Renault operations were nationalised by the French government and became part of the Société Nationale de Construction aéronautique du Centre.

Aircraft

(''Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères'' / ''Société des avions Caudron'') * Hydroaéroplane Caudron-Fabre *

Caudron Type A The Caudron Type A was the first successful aircraft built by René Caudron and his brother Gaston. During 1910 the Caudron brothers were briefly associated with the Société Anonyme Français d'Aviation (S.A.F.A.), and an example of the type ...

Caudron Type B.2 The Caudron Type B was a 1911 development of the earliest Caudron type, the Caudron Type A, with a nacelle style fuselage and more powerful engine. Initially an equal span biplane, it was modified into a sesquiplane. Design and development Pil ...

* Caudron Type C * Caudron Type D * Caudron Type E *

Caudron Type F The Caudron Type F was a French single seat biplane produced just before World War I. A dozen were bought by China and at least two other examples, with different engines, competed in 1913, coming first and second in the biplane category of the c ...

* Caudron Type G *

Caudron G.2 The Caudron G.2 was a single-engined French biplane built by Caudron, used in World War I as a reconnaissance aircraft and trainer. Development The outbreak of World War I precipitated the need for military applications of the successful Caud ...

* Caudron G.3 *

Caudron G.4 The Caudron G.4 was a French biplane with twin engines, widely used during World War I as a bomber. It was designed by René and Gaston Caudron as an improvement over their single-engined Caudron G.3. The aircraft employed wing warping for ban ...

Caudron G.6 The Caudron G.6 was a French reconnaissance aircraft of World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the ...

Caudron Type H The Caudron Type H was a collective name for three different Caudron designs of 1912-3. One of these was an amphibious three seat biplane built for the French military. Two were completed, one appearing at the Paris Aero Salon in November 1912. ...

* Caudron Type J * Caudron Type K * Caudron Type L *

Caudron Type M The Caudron Types M and N were small, fast French sports monoplanes, flown 1911–13 under a wide range of engine powers. There was also a military version. Design and development Although almost all the aircraft designed by the Caudron br ...

* Caudron Type N *

Caudron Type O The Caudron Type O was a French single seat air racing biplane first flown in 1914. Development The Type O was a single bay biplane with no stagger. Both wings had two wooden spars and were fabric covered. On each side there were two pairs ...

* Caudron Type P * Caudron R *

Caudron R.3 The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for ...

Caudron R.4 The Caudron R.4 (officially Caudron 40 A.3) was a French World War I twin-engine biplane reconnaissance/artillery cooperation aircraft and the progenitor of a series of successful aircraft that filled a variety of roles with the French Aéronauti ...

* Caudron R.5 * Caudron R.6 *

Caudron R.8 The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for ...

Caudron R.9 The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for ...

Caudron R.10 The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for ...

Caudron R.11 The Caudron R.11 (or R.XI in contemporary usage), was a French three-seat twin-engine long range escort fighter biplane developed and produced by Caudron during the First World War. Development The R.XI was intended to fulfill a French Corps d' ...

* Caudron R.12 *

Caudron R.14 The Caudron R.11 (or R.XI in contemporary usage), was a French three-seat twin-engine long range escort fighter biplane developed and produced by Caudron during the First World War. Development The R.XI was intended to fulfill a French Corps d' ...

Caudron R.15 The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for ...

* Caudron R.19 *

Caudron C.02 The Caudron 02 was a French high altitude single seat fighter that was flown in November 1917. Design and development The proper name and even the existence of this aircraft have been disputed in the past, but plans for the Type 02 high altitu ...

* Caudron C.20 * Caudron C.21 * Caudron C.22 *

Caudron C.23 The Caudron C.23 was a French long range twin engine night bomber, flown in the last year of World War I. Post-war some machines were modified to carry passengers. Design and development The C.23 BN.2 was designed to be a night bomber able to ...

Caudron C.25 The Caudron C.25 was a large, three-engined, biplane airliner, designed and built in France soon after the end of World War I. Its enclosed cabin could accommodate up to eighteen passengers. Design and development After the end of world War I, ...

Caudron C.27 The Caudron C.27 was a French biplane, a two-seat basic trainer which also competed successfully in the 1920s. Design and development When it was shown at the 1922 Paris Salon, the C.27 was presented as the second in a triplet of increasingly ...

Caudron C.33 The Caudron C.33 "Landaulet Monsieur-Madame" was a French twin engined biplane with four seats, two in open cockpits and two in an enclosed cabin. Design and development Between 1919 and 1922 Caudron built a series of multi-engined civil passen ...

Caudron C.37 The Caudron C.37 was a French three-engined biplane passenger transport, built in 1920. It could carry six passengers. Design and development Between 1919 and 1922 Caudron built a series of multi-engined civil passenger transport biplanes of sim ...

Caudron C.39 The Caudron C.39 was a French three-engined biplane with a cabin for six passengers when the aircraft was equipped as a landplane or four passengers when on floats. It was flown with some success in competitions in 1920 and 1921. Design and deve ...

Caudron C.43 The Caudron C.43 was the first French five-engined aircraft, a biplane intended for passenger transport or military use and multi-engined for safety. A development of the three-engined Caudron C.39, it had one tractor configuration engine in th ...

Caudron C.51 The Caudron C.51 was a French biplane floatplane made by Caudron in the early 1920s. One C.51 was built, powered by a Clerget engine and bearing the registration ''F-AIBL''. It had an empty weight of and a maximum speed of . It competed in the ...

Caudron C.59 The Caudron C.59 was a French, two-seat biplane with a single engine and a canvas-covered fuselage, produced between 1922 and 1924. Suitable for a variety of roles, more than 1,800 Caudron C.59s were manufactured. Operational history The Caudron ...

Caudron C.60 The Caudron C.60 was a French two-seat biplane of the 1920s and 1930s with a single Piston engine, engine and a canvas-covered fuselage. The French aircraft manufacturer Caudron developed this aircraft from the Caudron C.59. It was mainly used as ...

Caudron C.61 The Caudron C.61 was a French three-engined civil transport biplane aircraft built by the French aeroplane manufacturer Caudron. It was constructed of wood and covered in fabric. Development The prototype C.61 (F-ESAE) had a freight hold and c ...

Caudron C.61bis The Caudron C.61 was a French three-engined civil transport biplane aircraft built by the French aeroplane manufacturer Caudron. It was constructed of wood and covered in fabric. Development The prototype C.61 (F-ESAE) had a freight hold and cab ...

* Caudron C.65 * Caudron C.66 *

Caudron C.67 The Caudron C.67 was a simple single seat biplane with a low powered engine. It was built and flown in France in 1922. Design and development The C.67 was, apart from its undercarriage, an all wood-framed aircraft with fabric covering. It was ...

Caudron C.68 The Caudron C.68 was a two-seat French training and touring aircraft, built in the early 1920s, which attracted interest at the time because of its simple and fast wing folding arrangement. Only a few were produced. Design and development Apar ...

Caudron C.74 The Caudron C.74 was a ten-seat, four engine passenger biplane built in France in 1922. It showed promise but the sole prototype crashed fatally in a competition and no more were completed. Design and development The C.74 was a large biplane, po ...

* Caudron C.77 *

Caudron C.81 The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for ...

* Caudron C.91 *

Caudron C.92 The Caudron C.92 was a passenger transport built by Caudron in 1925, powered by a Lorraine-Dietrich 12D. Only one was built, and it was discarded in July 1934. Design and development The C.92, first flown in 1925, was a close but more powerfu ...

* Caudron C.97 * Caudron C.98 *

Caudron C.99 The Caudron C.99 was a France, French light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. The only example flew with different engines in the mid-1920s. Design and development Though in 1924 ''Flight'' described the C.99, which was on display at the 18t ...

* Caudron C.101 * Caudron C.103 *

Caudron C.104 The Caudron C.101 and its variants, the C.103, C.104 and C.107 were French two seat reconnaissance aircraft flown from 1925, differing in their engines. Design and development The C.101 was designed to be a deep reconnaissance aircraft with th ...

* Caudron C.107 *

Caudron C.109 The Caudron C.109 was a light utility aircraft built in France in the late 1920s. Design and development The C.109 was a parasol-winged braced monoplane of conventional configuration with fixed tailskid undercarriage. The pilot and single pass ...

* Caudron C.110 *

Caudron C.113 The Caudron C.109 was a light utility aircraft built in France in the late 1920s. Design and development The C.109 was a parasol-winged braced monoplane of conventional configuration with fixed tailskid undercarriage. The pilot and single pass ...

Caudron C.117 The Caudron C.109 was a light utility aircraft built in France in the late 1920s. Design and development The C.109 was a parasol-winged braced monoplane of conventional configuration with fixed tailskid undercarriage. The pilot and single pass ...

* Caudron C.125 *

Caudron C.127 The Caudron C.27 was a French biplane, a two-seat basic trainer which also competed successfully in the 1920s. Design and development When it was shown at the 1922 Paris Salon, the C.27 was presented as the second in a triplet of increasingly ...

* Caudron C.128 * Caudron C.128/2 * Caudron C.140 *

Caudron C.150 The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for ...

Caudron C.157 The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for ...

* Caudron C.159 *

Caudron C.160 The Caudron C.160 was a French training aircraft built by Caudron in the late 1920s. It was a two-seat biplane powered by a 65 hp Salmson 5Ac 5-cyl radial.Hauet, André (2001). Les Avions Caudrons. 1. Outreau: Lela Presse. . References C.160 ...

Caudron C.161 __NOTOC__ The Caudron C.161 was a lightweight French two-seat biplane designed by Caudron for sport or flight training use. A conventional biplane with a square fuselage powered by a Salmson radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating ...

Caudron C.168 __NOTOC__ The Caudron C.161 was a lightweight French two-seat biplane designed by Caudron for sport or flight training use. A conventional biplane with a square fuselage powered by a Salmson radial engine. It had two cockpits in tandem with dual c ...

Caudron C.180 The Caudron C.180 was an all-metal, three-engine French ten-seat passenger aircraft, flown about 1930. Only one was built. Design and development The Caudron C.180 was a high-wing cantilever monoplane with metal structure and duraluminium cover ...

* Caudron C.183 *

Caudron C.190 The Caudron C.190 was a French two-seat low-wing single-engine sports plane, built by the French aeroplane manufacturer Caudron in the late 1920s. The only variant of the C.190 family (C.190/191/192/193) to be built in series was the C.193. Oper ...

Caudron C.191 The Caudron C.190 was a French two-seat low-wing single-engine sports plane, built by the French aeroplane manufacturer Caudron in the late 1920s. The only variant of the C.190 family (C.190/191/192/193) to be built in series was the C.193. Oper ...

Caudron C.192 The Caudron C.190 was a French two-seat low-wing single-engine sports plane, built by the French aeroplane manufacturer Caudron in the late 1920s. The only variant of the C.190 family (C.190/191/192/193) to be built in series was the C.193. Oper ...

* Caudron C.193 *

Caudron C.220 The Caudron C.220 was a two-seat French biplane trainer. Only two were built, using different engines. Design and development The Caudron C.220 basic trainer was a single bay biplane with two pairs of parallel interplane struts aided by wire ...

Caudron C.221 The Caudron C.220 was a two-seat French biplane trainer. Only two were built, using different engines. Design and development The Caudron C.220 basic trainer was a single bay biplane with two pairs of parallel interplane struts aided by wire ...

* Caudron C.230 * Caudron C.232 *

Caudron C.240 The Caudron C.240 was a four-seat touring aircraft produced in France in 1931. It was a single-engined, low-wing, cantilever monoplane constructed using wood and metal. It had fixed, conventional landing gear Landing gear is the undercarri ...

Caudron C.250 The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for ...

Caudron C.251 The Caudron C.251 Et-2 was a French tandem seat, open cockpit biplane designed as an intermediate trainer and built in 1931. It did not go into production. Design and development The two seat, open cockpit C.251 was designed to replace the ub ...

* Caudron C.270 ''Luciole'' *

Caudron C.272 The Caudron C.270 ''Luciole'' ("Firefly") was a sporting, touring and trainer aircraft produced in France in the 1930s, derived from the C.230. Design and construction It was a conventional biplane with single-bay, unstaggered wings of equal s ...