France's Farman F.222 bomber

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Farman F.222 bomber:
Farman F.224 transport:

The Farman F.222 was based on the F.220 / F.221² that originated in 1930.^1,2

The fuselage was box like.¹

The wing was mounted high.^1,2

The Farman F.222 was France's first four engine bomber.²

The engines were paired in a push-pull setup.^1,2 These were mounted on struts between the wing and fuselage.¹

The landing gear on the Farman F.222 were retractable.²

The F.220 and F.221 prototypes first flew in 1935.¹

Note: BN5 stands for Bombardment du Nuit Cinq-Place (night bomber with five seats).¹

Farman F.220: Prototype.¹
Farman F.221: Prototype.¹ Landing gear was fixed.²
Farman F.221 BN5: Built in 1935 - 1936.¹ Mostly used as transports.¹
Farman F.221.1: Built in 1937.¹
Farman F.222.2: Built in 1937 - 1938.¹ Had a longer nose and dihedral on the outer wings.¹
Farman F.224: Transport version.¹
Farman NC.233: Redesigned F.222.¹

First deliveries of the Farman F.222 to operational squadrons was in early 1937.²

There were three Armée de l'Air groups that were equipped with the F.222s by September 1939.¹ Two of them were in France and the other in Africa.¹

The F.222s were initially used to drop leaflets and then for bombing western Germany.^1,2 The BMW plant in Munich was one of the targets.¹

The F.222s were used for ocean patrol and bombing.¹

The NC.233 were the first Allied aircraft to bomb Berlin.¹ It was a 13 hour 30 minute mission on the night of June 7 and June 8, 1940.¹

The Vichy used the F.222s for transports.¹

As late as 1944 the F.222s were still being used as transports in North Africa.¹

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