Bloch MB . 150 The Bloch MB . 150 was a French low - wing , all - metal monoplane fighter aircraft with retractable landing gear and enclosed cockpit developed by " Société des Avions Marcel Bloch " as a contender in the 1934 French air ministry competition for a new fighter design . Development . Although the competition was won by the Morane - Saulnier M . S . 406 prototype , development proceeded culminating in the first attempted flight of the MB . 150 . 01 prototype in 1936 . Unfortunately , the aircraft proved unable to leave the ground . With modifications consisting of a strengthened wing of greater area , revised landing gear , and installation of a 701 kW ( 940 hp ) Gnome - Rhone 14N - 0 radial engine with a three - blade constant speed propeller , the MB . 150 finally flew in October 1937 . Handed over to the " Centre d ' Essais du Materiel Aerien " ( CEMA ) for service trials , its performance proved sufficiently interesting to warrant further development . This brought , at the very beginning of 1938 , a small increase in wing span and installation of a 14N - 7 engine . When trials were completed in late spring 1938 , SNCASO was awarded an order for a pre - production batch of 25 of these aircraft . No such production of the MB - 150 . 01 occurred , the aircraft being totally unsuitable for mass production . Redesign would lead to the MB . 151 . 01 and MB . 152 . 01 prototypes , developed and produced in parallel . By the outbreak of World War II , some 120 had reached the " Armée de l ' Air " , but few of them were flyable , most missing their gunsights and propellers . The MB . 153 and MB . 154 were intended as testbeds for American engines , but only the former flew , and when it crashed , a few days later , damaged beyond repair , pursuit of these alternatives also ceased . Instead , attention shifted to extending the range of the MB . 152 . This was achieved by moving the cockpit aft in order to make room for a new fuel tank . Other modifications included a slightly broader wing and revised aerodynamics around the cowling . The result , designated MB . 155 performed favourably in flight tests and was ordered into production in 1940 , however only 10 aircraft had been completed by the Fall of France . Under the terms of the armistice , the remaining 25 on the production line were completed and delivered into Vichy service . From there , some eventually made their way into the " Luftwaffe " after 1942 . The final member of the family , the MB . 157 utilised a far more powerful engine and eventually became a very different aircraft as the design evolved from the MB . 152 to accommodate the larger and heavier powerplant . Unfinished at the time of the armistice , it was ordered to be completed and flown under German supervision . Demonstrating superb performance , it was taken to Orly where the powerplant was removed for testing within a wind tunnel . The excellence in the design was confirmed . It was later destroyed in an Allied air raid . Operational history . MB . 151s and MB . 152s equipped nine " Groupes de Chasse ( fighter groups ) " during the Battle of France , but they were largely outmatched by the faster Messerschmitt Bf 109 E . Six groupes continued to fly in the Vichy French Air Force until this was disbanded on 1 December 1942 , the aircraft being passed over to the Royal Romanian Air Force by the Germans . Though the Greek government had ordered 25 MB . 151s , actually only nine of these were exported to Greece . They flew with the 24th Moira Dioxis ( Fighter Squadron ) of the Hellenic Royal Air Force in Elefsina against the Italians and Germans , scoring several air - to - air victories until 19 April 1941 , when the last MB . 151 was shot down . During World War II , the Bloch MB . 152 had destroyed at least 188 enemy aircraft , and lost about 86 of their own . They proved tough aircraft , able to stand considerable battle damage , and a good gunnery platform , but with many problems : poor agility , poor weapon reliability , poor range ( 600 km , but here the Bf 109E was only slightly better , around 660 km ) , and were notably underpowered . In 1944 , several surviving MB . 152s were liberated at an airfield in mid - southern France . After being flight - tested and evaluated , and painting out the balkenkreuz en and swastikas , they were fitted with more powerful American engines and went up against the last remnants of the Luftwaffe with the Free French .