Caudron C . 714 The C . 710 were a series of light fighter aircraft developed by Caudron - Renault for the French Armée de l ' Air just prior to the start of World War II . One version , the C . 714 , saw limited production , and were assigned to Polish pilots flying in France after the fall of Poland in 1939 . A small number were also supplied to Finland . Design and development . The original specification that led to the C . 710 series was offered in 1936 in order to quickly raise the number of modern aircraft in French service , by supplying a " light fighter " of wooden construction that could be built rapidly in large numbers without upsetting the production of existing types . The contract resulted in three designs , the Arsenal VG - 30 , the Bloch MB - 700 , and the C . 710 . Prototypes of all three were ordered . The original C . 710 model was an angular design developed from an earlier series of air racers . One common feature of the Caudron line was an extremely long nose that set the cockpit far back on the fuselage . The profile was the result of using the 336 kW ( 450 hp ) Renault 12R - 01 12 - cylinder inline engine , which had a small cross - section and was fairly easy to streamline , but very long . The landing gear was fixed and spatted , and the vertical stabilizer was a seemingly World War I - era semicircle instead of a more common trapezoidal or triangular design . Armament consisted of a 20 mm Hispano - Suiza HS . 9 cannon under each wing in a small pod . The C . 710 prototype first flew on 18 July 1936 . Despite its small size , it showed good potential and was able to reach a level speed of 470 km / h ( 292 mph ) during flight testing . Further development continued with the C . 711 and C . 712 with more powerful engines , while the C . 713 which flew on 15 December 1937 introduced retractable landing gear and a more conventional triangular vertical stabilizer . The final evolution of the 710 series was the C . 714 Cyclone , a variation on the C . 713 which first flew in April 1938 as the C . 714 . 01 prototype . The primary changes were a new wing airfoil profile , a strengthened fuselage , and instead of two cannons , the fighter had four 7 . 5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns in the wing gondolas . It was powered by the newer 12R - 03 version of the engine , which introduced a new carburettor that could operate in negative " g " . The " Armée de l ' Air " ordered 20 C . 714s on 5 November 1938 , with options for a further 180 . Production started at a Renault factory in the Paris suburbs in summer 1939 Other projected versions were the C . 720 trainer with a 75 or 164 kW ( 100 or 220 hp ) engine , the C . 760 fighter with a 559 kW ( 750 hp ) Isotta - Fraschini Delta engine , and the C . 770 fighter with an 597 kW ( 800 hp ) Renault V - engine . None of these reached production . Operational history . Deliveries did not start until January 1940 . After a series of tests with the first production examples , it became apparent that the design was seriously flawed . Although light and fast , its wooden construction did not permit a more powerful engine to be fitted . The original engine seriously limited its climb rate and maneuverability with the result that the Caudron was withdrawn from active service in February 1940 . In March , the initial production order was reduced to 90 , as the performance was not considered good enough to warrant further production contracts . Eighty were diverted to Finland to fight in the Winter War . These were meant to be flown by French pilots . However , events in France resulted in only six aircraft being delivered , and an additional 10 were waiting in the harbour when deliveries were stopped . The six aircraft that arrived were assembled , tested and given registrations CA - 551 to CA - 556 . The aircraft were found to be too unreliable and dangerous to use in Finnish conditions , and were not committed to combat . Two of the aircraft were damaged during a transport flight to Pori . Further , the Finnish pilots found that it was difficult to start and land the aircraft from the air bases at the front . The aircraft were maintained on the roster until they were retired and scrapped on 30 December 1949 . One example , " CA - 556 " was transferred to the maintenance personnel school as an instructional airframe . On 18 May 1940 , 35 Caudrons were delivered to the Polish " Warsaw Squadron " , the " Groupe de Chasse polonais I / 145 " , stationed at the Mions airfield . After just 23 sorties , adverse opinion of the fighter was confirmed by front line pilots who expressed concerns that it was seriously underpowered and was no match for contemporary German fighters . On 25 May , only a week after it was introduced , French Minister of War Guy La Chambre ordered all C . 714s to be withdrawn from active service . However , since the French authorities had no other aircraft to offer , the Polish pilots ignored the order and continued to fly the Caudrons . Despite flying a fighter hopelessly outdated compared to the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E , the Polish pilots scored 12 confirmed and three unconfirmed victories in three battles between 8 June and 11 June , losing nine in the air and nine more on the ground . Interestingly , among the aircraft shot down were four Dornier Do 17 bombers , but also three Messerschmitt Bf 109 and five Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters . The Caudron fighter was also used by the Polish training squadron based in Bron near Lyon . Although the pilots managed to disperse several bombing raids , they did not score any kills ; but they did not lose any machines , either . By the end of June when France fell , only 53 production machines had been delivered ( although the number varies , 98 is another common figure ) . Survivors . One full CR . 714 airframe as well as one additional fuselage were preserved in Finland . The fuselage was offered back to the " Musée de l ' Air et de l ' Espace " where it is currently undergoing restoration .