Vultee Vengeance Mk.II
French Air Force

In March 1943, A-35s were transferred to the Free French Armée de l’Air to equip three dive-bomber groups in North Africa. Sixty-six A-35As were supplied without the maintenance modifications previous operators had found essential. Inexplicably the French did not undertake the modifications either, with the result that the three Groupes de Bombardement (GB I/32, II/62 and I/17) were frustrated by massively excessive oil consumption: a mere 25 aircraft used 30 litres of oil per flying hour, and several force- landed as a direct result. Other problems, including cracks in the landing gear legs, resulted in the type being grounded. Serious disenchantment by the crews and the commanders was understandable.