Avions Amiot was a former

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

aircraft manufacturer. The company was formed in 1916 by

Félix Amiot Félix Amiot (October 17, 1894 – December 21, 1974) was a French industrialist and aircraft constructor based in Colombes, France. Some of the aircraft models he designed served in the French Air Force during the Second World War. His second in ...

as the Society of Mechanical Drawing and Construction (SECM).

History

Félix Amiot's first aircraft was built in a Paris garage in 1913, but it was not until 1916, during the First World War, that he became seriously involved in construction. The Minister of Defence granted a contract to SECM (french: Société d’emboutissage et de constructions mécaniques), owned by the Wertheimer brothers, Paul and Pierre, together with Félix Amiot. SECM and Amiot functioned as sub-contractors and assemblers only, and did not produce their own designs. After the war, SECM and Amiot constructed light aircraft. In 1929 the company made a large sum of money selling its interest in the

Lorraine-Dietrich Lorraine-Dietrich was a French automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer from 1896 until 1935, created when railway locomotive manufacturer ''Société Lorraine des Anciens Etablissements de Dietrich et Cie de Lunéville'' (known as ''De Dietri ...

engine company to the government. In 1934, controversially, the Lorraine company, then known as SGA, was sold to Amiot-SECM and Marcel Bloch for a fraction of the price the government had paid five years earlier. As well as SGA, and the original SECM-Amiot works at Le Bourget, Amiot controlled the CAN (french: Chantiers aéronautiques de Normandie) at

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

. In the early phases of rearmament, Amiot scored a considerable success with the Amiot 143, widely considered one of the ugliest aircraft, along with its contemporary the

Potez 542 The Potez 540 was a French multi-role aircraft of the 1930s. Designed and built by Potez, it served with the French Air Force as a reconnaissance bomber, also serving with the Spanish Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War. Although ob ...

, to have flown. As the pace of rearmament increased in the late 1930s, Amiot scored another success, this time with the elegant Amiot 354 bomber. With the fall of Paris in June 1940, Amiot and 3000 of his workers headed south, to the unoccupied zone, where he established a new factory at

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

. During the war, Amiot co-operated with the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

occupiers to protect his interests, and those of the exiled Wertheimers, then working in the United States. Amiot became a subcontractor for the

Junkers Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG (JFM, earlier JCO or JKO in World War I, English: Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works) more commonly Junkers , was a major German aircraft and aircraft engine manufacturer. It was founded there in Dessau, Germ ...

company, building 370 aircraft. Licence production of the

Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. Development of the Ju 52 commenced during 1930, headed by German Aeros ...

trimotor continued after the war under the designation Amiot AAC.1 Toucan. Over 400 units were built for the French military and for airline use in France and its overseas territories.Lemesle, 1995

Aircraft

* Amiot 110 - 1928 * Amiot 110-S (Seaplane) - 1931 * Amiot 120 Series - 1925 * Amiot 140/150 Series - 1931 * Amiot 340/350 Series - 1940 * Amiot AAC.1 Toucan - (Junkers Ju 52)

References

Citations

Bibliography

*Lemesle, André;''Du pionnier de l’aviation au père des vedettes de Cherbourg ou la passionnante aventure industrielle de Félix Amiot (1894-1974),'' Mémoire de la société nationale académique de Cherbourg, vol. 31, 1995. *Patard, Frédéric; ''L’aventure Amiot-CMN, des hommes, le ciel et la mer,'' Éditions des Champs, 1998 {{Authority control Defunct aircraft manufacturers of France History of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1916 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1945 French companies established in 1916 1945 disestablishments in France