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 one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. 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 manufactured ...

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

Born in

Favières, Somme Favières () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated on the D140 road, from the estuary of the river Somme, some northwest of Abbeville. Railway Favières is served by a ...

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 of ...

. 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 Forest-Montiers is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated on the D32 road, near the N1/A16 autoroute junction, some north of Abbeville. Population Places of interest Fores ...

. Gaston Caudron died in an aircraft accident on 15 December 1915 at the airfield at

Bron Bron () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, eastern France. Geography Bron lies east-southeast of central Lyon. It is the sixth-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and is adjacent to its east side. Climat ...

. René continued in the aircraft business until the fall of France 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 Le Crotoy () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. The inhabitants are known as ''Crotellois''. History Isabella of France, queen consort of England, and her son (later Edward III of England) embarked fro ...

, on the eastern side of the Somme 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 Juvisy-sur-Orge (, literally ''Juvisy on Orge'') is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located 18 km south-east of Paris, a few kilometres south of Orly Airport. The site of the town has been o ...

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 Rue () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Rue is situated some north of Abbeville, on the junction of the D938, D4 and D85 roads. Rue station has rail connections to Amiens, Calais and Paris ...

. 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 t ...

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 Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and i ...

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 François Lehideux (30 January 1904 – 21 June 1998) was a French industrialist and member of the Vichy government. Car industry In 1929 Lehideux married the daughter of Fernand Renault, and soon became a leading figure in the Renault car compa ...

(as top manager),

Marcel Riffard Marcel Riffard (1886–1981) was a French aeronautical engineer. In the 1930s, while working at the design department of Caudron-Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French ...

(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 A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the e ...

or inline-six 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 Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

got a land aircraft world speed record of 505 km/h on board his C 460. According to ''

Popular Aviation Ziff Davis, Inc. is an American digital media and internet company. First founded in 1927 by William Bernard Ziff Sr. and Bernard George Davis, the company primarily owns technology-oriented media websites, online shopping-related services, an ...

'', 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 The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

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 aircraft parts,

Messerschmitt Bf 108 The Messerschmitt Bf 108 ''Taifun'' (English: "Typhoon") was a German single-engine sport and touring aircraft, developed by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in the 1930s. The Bf 108 was of all-metal construction. Design and development Originally desi ...

s the Caudron's Simoun and Goéland ranges, the

Siebel Si-204 The Siebel Si 204 was a small twin-engined transport and trainer aircraft developed in World War II. It was based on the Siebel Fh 104, Fh 104 Hallore. Originally designed in response to an Ministry of Aviation (Germany), Ministry of Aviation de ...

, 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 previous ...

. It also repaired aircraft. In February 1942,

Willy Messerschmitt Wilhelm Emil "Willy" Messerschmitt (; 26 June 1898 – 15 September 1978) was a German aircraft designer and manufacturer. In 1934, in collaboration with Walter Rethel, he designed the Messerschmitt Bf 109, which became the most important ...

requested to Caudron the production of the

Messerschmitt Me 164 The Messerschmitt-Caudron MeC 164 was a prototype airliner built in 1942 by Messerschmitt and Caudron to compete with the Siebel Si 204. It did not enter mass production. Design and development The MeC 164 was designed in Germany by Messersc ...

, a Si-104 rival, but that was sabotaged. The Issy-les-Moulineaux plant was almost completely destroyed by

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

and

AAF AAF may refer to: Aviation * Aigle Azur (ICAO code), a French airline * Apalachicola Regional Airport (IATA code), in Apalachicola, Florida Corporations * American Air Filter, today a part of HVAC-equipment-maker Daikin Military * Albanian Arm ...

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 * Caudron Type B.2 *

Caudron Type C The Caudron Type C was a single seat France, French biplane, intended for military evaluation. Two were built in 1911. Design and development From the Caudron Type B, Type B of 1911 to the World War I Caudron G.3 Caudron biplanes had a common ...

Caudron Type D The Caudron Type D was a French pre-World War I single seat, twin-boom tractor biplane, a close but slightly smaller relative of the two seat Caudron Type C. More than a dozen were completed, one exported to the United Kingdom, where they may al ...

Caudron Type E The Caudron Type E two seat trainer was a larger and more powerful development of the Type C. Two or three were bought by the French military and one by the Royal Navy just before World War I but its sales were overtaken by the superior Type ...

* Caudron Type F *

Caudron Type G The Caudron Type G was a single-engined France, French biplane built by Caudron, prior to World War I. Developments of the Caudron G saw widespread service in France, Russia and Great Britain. Specifications See also References Further r ...

* Caudron G.2 * Caudron G.3 * Caudron G.4 * Caudron G.6 * Caudron Type H *

Caudron Type J The Caudron J Marine was an amphibious, two-seat, biplane equipped with floats and wheels, similar to the earlier Caudron J floatplane. The Caudron J was essentially a seaplane version of the two-seat Caudron G and single-seat Caudron F. The F ...

Caudron Type K The Caudron Type K was a French floatplane with a very powerful, twenty cylinder radial engine in pusher configuration. It took part in a French seaplane competition in 1913, but was lost in a take-off accident during the competition. Design ...

Caudron Type L The Caudron Type L was a two-seat French pusher configuration amphibious biplane, flown around 1913 and intended for naval use. Design With unequal span, two bay, unstaggered wings and an open frame fuselage the Type L had much in common ...

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 bro ...

Caudron Type N 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 O *

Caudron Type P 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 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.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 *

Caudron R.5 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.6 __NOTOC__ The Caudron R.6 was a French reconnaissance aircraft of World War I. It was a scaled-down version of the Caudron R.4. It eliminated the R.4's nose-gunner and used smaller engines (Le Rhône Le Rhône was the name given to a seri ...

* Caudron R.8 * Caudron R.9 * Caudron R.10 * Caudron R.11 *

Caudron R.12 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.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 World War I, First World War. Development The R.XI was intended to fulfill a Fr ...

* Caudron R.15 *

Caudron R.19 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.02 *

Caudron C.20 The Caudron C.20 was a French army cooperation aircraft/light bomber built by Caudron in World War I. It was powered by a 180-hp Gnome ''Monosoupape'' rotary engine.Hauet, André (2001). Les Avions Caudrons. 1. Outreau: Lela Presse. . References ...

Caudron C.21 The Caudron C.21 was a French twin engine biplane built just after World War I, able to carry three passengers in an open cockpit. Design and development In 1917 Paul Deville was developing a twin engine observation aircraft when it became clear ...

Caudron C.22 The Caudron C.22 was a French twin engine night bomber built in 1917. It did not reach production. Design The C.22 BN2 was based on the earlier Caudron C.21, but scaled up. The span was increased by 22%, requiring an extra bay and more powerfu ...

* Caudron C.23 * Caudron C.25 * Caudron C.27 *

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 * Caudron C.39 *

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 the ...

* Caudron C.51 * Caudron C.59 * Caudron C.60 * Caudron C.61 * Caudron C.61bis * Caudron C.65 * Caudron C.66 * Caudron C.67 * Caudron C.68 * Caudron C.74 * Caudron C.77 * Caudron C.81 * Caudron C.91 * Caudron C.92 * Caudron C.97 * Caudron C.98 * Caudron C.99 * Caudron C.101 * Caudron C.103 * Caudron C.104 * Caudron C.107 * Caudron C.109 * Caudron C.110 * Caudron C.113 * Caudron C.117 * Caudron C.125 * Caudron C.127 * Caudron C.128 * Caudron C.128, Caudron C.128/2 * Caudron C.140 * Caudron C.150 * Caudron C.157 * Caudron C.159 * Caudron C.160 * Caudron C.161 * Caudron C.168 * Caudron C.180 * Caudron C.183 * Caudron C.190 * Caudron C.191 * Caudron C.192 * Caudron C.193 * Caudron C.220 * Caudron C.221 * Caudron C.230 * Caudron C.232 * Caudron C.240 * Caudron C.250 * Caudron C.251 * Caudron C.270 ''Luciole'' * Caudron C.272 ''Luciole'' * Caudron C.272/2 ''Luciole'' * Caudron C.272/3 ''Luciole'' * Caudron C.272/4 ''Luciole'' * Caudron C.272/5 ''Luciole'' * Caudron C.273 ''Luciole'' * Caudron C.275 ''Luciole'' * Caudron C.280 ''Phalene'' * Caudron C.280/2 ''Phalene'' * Caudron C.280/6 ''Phalene'' * Caudron C.280/9 ''Phalene'' * Caudron C.282 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.282/4 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.282/8 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.282/10 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.286 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.286/2 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.286/2.S4 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.286/4 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.286/5 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.286/6 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.286/7 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.286/8 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.286/9 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.289 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.289/2 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.340 ''Micro Phalene'' * Caudron C.344 ''Phalène Junior'' * Caudron C.360 * Caudron C.362 * Caudron C.366 * Caudron C.400 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.401 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.410 ''Super Phalene'' * Caudron C.430 ''Rafale'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.440 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.441 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.444 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.445 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.445/1 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.445/2 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.445/3 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.445M ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.445R ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.446 ''Super Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.447 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.448 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.449 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.449/1 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.449/2 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.449/3 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.449/4 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.440 Goéland, Caudron C.449/5 ''Goéland'' * Caudron C.450 * Caudron C.460 * Caudron C.461 * Caudron C.480 ''Frégate'' * Caudron C.490 * Caudron C.491 * Caudron C.500 ''Simoun I'' * Caudron C.510 ''Pélican'' * Caudron C.520 ''Simoun'' * Caudron C.530 ''Rafale'' * Caudron C.560 * Caudron C.561 * Caudron C.570 * Caudron C.580 * Caudron C.600 ''Aiglon'' * Caudron C.601 ''Aiglon'' * Caudron C.610 ''Aiglon'' * Caudron C.620 ''Simoun IV'' * Caudron C.630 ''Simoun'' * Caudron C.631 ''Simoun'' * Caudron C.632 ''Simoun'' * Caudron C.634 ''Simoun'' * Caudron C.635 ''Simoun'' * Caudron C.635M ''Simoun'' * Caudron C.640 ''Typhon'' * Caudron C.641 ''Typhon'' * Caudron C.530 Rafale, Caudron C.660 ''Rafale'' * Caudron C.670 ''Typhon'' * Caudron C.680 * Caudron C.684 * Caudron C.685 ''Super Rafale'' * Caudron C.690 * Caudron C.710 ''Cyclone'' * Caudron C.711 ''Cyclone'' * Caudron C.712 ''Cyclone'' * Caudron C.713 ''Cyclone'' * Caudron C.714 ''Cyclone'' * Caudron C.720 ''Cyclone'' * Caudron-Renault CR.760 ''Cyclone'' * Caudron-Renault CR.770 ''Cyclone'' * Caudron C.800, Caudron C.800 ''Epervier'' * Caudron C.800, Caudron C.801 * Caudron C.800, Caudron C.810 * Caudron C.800, Caudron C.811 * Caudron C-815 * Caudron C.860 * Caudron C.870 * Caudron C.880 * Caudron KXC * Caudron Navy Experimental Type C Trainer * Caudron LEI

References

External links

Aviation Pioneers: An Anthology – Gaston & René Caudron

Aviafrance list of Caudron aircraft

{{Defunct aircraft manufacturers of France Renault Defunct aircraft manufacturers of France Manufacturing companies established in 1909 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1944 French companies established in 1909 1944 disestablishments in France 1933 mergers and acquisitions Caudron aircraft,