Editing Dewoitine D.520 (section)

====Battle of France====
{{main|Battle of France}}

The [[Groupe de Chasse I/3|''Groupe de Chasse'' I/3]] was the first unit to get the D.520, receiving its first aircraft in January 1940. These initial examples were unarmed and used for pilot training.<ref name="Danel 6"/> In April and May 1940, operational units received 34 'war-capable' production D.520s; the type quickly proved to be highly popular with pilots and ground crew. During comparative trials on 21 April 1940 at CEMA at Orleans-Bricy against a captured Bf 109E-3, the German aircraft had a {{cvt|32|km/h}} speed advantage owing to its more powerful engine.<ref name="Danel 3"/> However, the D.520 had superior maneuverability, matching its turning circle, although displaying nasty characteristics when departing and spinning out of the turn repeatedly during the tests. The Bf 109, owing to its [[Leading edge slats|slats]], could easily sustain the turn on the edge of a stall.<ref name="Danel 3"/>

[[File:Dewoitine D.520, Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace, Le Bourget, Paris. (8211176327).jpg|thumb|left|Dewoitine D.520 on display at Le Bourget]]
By 10 May 1940, when the [[Phoney War]] came to an end as [[Battle of the Netherlands|Germany launched the invasion of France and the Low Countries]], a total of 246 D.520s had been manufactured, but the French Air Force had accepted only 79 of these, as most others had been sent back to the factory to be retrofitted to the new standard.<ref name="Danel 6"/> As a result, only GC I/3 was fully equipped, possessing a force of 36 aircraft. These met the ''Luftwaffe'' on 13 May, shooting down three [[Henschel Hs 126]]s and one [[Heinkel He 111]] without suffering any losses.<ref name="Danel 6"/> The next day, two D.520s were lost while a total of ten Luftwaffe aircraft (4 [[Messerschmitt Bf 110]]s, 2 Bf 109Es, 2 [[Dornier Do 17]]s, and 2 He 111s) were confirmed to be destroyed.<ref name="Danel 6"/>

Four more ''Groupes de Chasse'' and three naval ''Escadrilles'' rearmed with the type before France's surrender.<ref name="Jackson pp. 16-17.">Jackson 2003, pp. 16–17.</ref> GC II/3, GC III/3, GC III/6 and GC II/7 later completed conversion on the D.520. A naval unit, the ''1<sup>er</sup> Flotille de Chasse'', was also equipped with the Dewoitine. However, only GC I/3, II/7, II/6 and the naval AC 1 saw any action in the Battle of France.<ref name="Jackson p. 17.">Jackson 2003, p. 17.</ref> GC III/7 converted to the D.520 too late to be involved in any action. In addition, several aircraft were flown by non-operational units, such as the special patrol of the [[École de l'air]] military school, as well as a handful flown by Polish and civilian pilots in defence of airstrips and production facilities in the vicinity of [[Toulouse]].<ref name="Danel 7"/>

In air combat, mostly against the Italians, the Dewoitine 520s claimed 114 air victories, plus 39 probables.<ref name="Hachette p. 98.">Hachette 1979, p. 98.</ref> Eighty five D.520s were lost.<ref name="Jackson p. 17.">Jackson 2003, p. 17.</ref> By the armistice at the end of June 1940, 437 D.520s had been constructed, 351 of these having been delivered.<ref name="Danel 7"/> After the armistice, 165 D.520s were evacuated to North Africa.<ref name="Jackson p. 17.">Jackson 2003, p. 17.</ref> GC I/3, II/3, III/3, III/6 and II/7 flew their aircraft to Algeria to avoid capture.<ref name="Danel 7"/> Three more, from GC III/7, escaped to Britain and were delivered to the [[Free French]]. A total of 153 D.520s remained in unoccupied mainland France.<ref name="Danel 7">Danel 1971, p. 7.</ref>

One of the most successful D.520 pilots was [[Pierre Le Gloan]], who shot 18 aircraft down (four Germans, seven Italian and seven British), scoring all but two of his kills with the D.520, and ranked as the fourth-highest French ace of the war.<ref name="Danel 7"/>