Bloch

Slagorde · Vliegtuigfabrikanten · Frankrijk

Bloch

Société des Avions Marcel Bloch · MB

Before he was Marcel Dassault, Marcel Bloch built bombers, airliners and fighters under his own initials, lost his company to nationalisation, refused to work for the Germans and survived Buchenwald.

1928Opgericht
Samengevoegd in SNCASO (Sud-Ouest) in 1937Status
6Vliegtuigen geregistreerd
2Luchtmachteenheden die met dit type vliegtuigen vliegen
LandFrankrijkOpgericht1928OprichtersMarcel BlochHoofdkwartierCourbevoie, Hauts-de-SeineStatusSamengevoegd in SNCASO (Sud-Ouest) in 1937
Het verhaal

Bloch: the company and the aircraft that made its name

The man who changed his name

On 11 April 1945 Buchenwald concentration camp was liberated. Among the prisoners freed was a French aircraft maker, Marcel Bloch, who had been interned by Vichy and then held by the Germans after repeatedly refusing to collaborate. After the war he took the name Dassault, the military nickname adopted by his brother Darius, and his company became Dassault Aviation, maker of the Mirage and the Falcon. But before Dassault there was Bloch, and every aircraft carried his initials: MB.

From ambulances to bombers

Bloch had been a leading figure at the S.E.A. firm in the First World War and then left aviation for property. When France created an Air Ministry in 1928, he came back and founded the Société des Avions Marcel Bloch. An early order from the engineer Albert Caquot was for a three-engined mail plane; the first government contracts, in 1931, were for the MB.80 air ambulance and the MB.120 colonial transport. Bigger premises followed at Courbevoie in 1932, and in January 1935 Bloch and his old associate Henry Potez bought the Société Aérienne Bordelaise to build the MB.200 and MB.210 bombers. Bloch also gave his workers a week’s paid leave in 1935, before the law required it.

Nationalised, interned, reborn

On 16 January 1937 the company was nationalised and its factories at Courbevoie, Châteauroux-Déols, Villacoublay and Bordeaux became the core of SNCASO, with Bloch as delegated administrator. His designs went on into mass production for rearmament: the MB.150 family of fighters, of which about 120 had been delivered by September 1939, and the MB.174 reconnaissance bomber, first flown operationally by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry on 29 March 1940. Bloch left SNCASO in February 1940 after a dispute with the Air Ministry.

Before he was Marcel Dassault, Marcel Bloch built bombers, airliners and fighters under his own initials, lost his company to nationalisation, refused to work for the Germans and survived Buchenwald.Bloch · verified 2026-10-03
In één oogopslag

Bloch in numbers

Het bedrijf

Kortom
Founded 1928

  • Founded by Marcel Bloch after France created its Air Ministry
  • Bought the Société Aérienne Bordelaise with Henry Potez in 1935
  • Nationalised 16 January 1937 into SNCASO

Productie

Het meest bekend om
MB.200, MB.210, MB.152, MB.174

  • MB.80 air ambulance and MB.120 colonial transport (1931 orders)
  • MB.200 also licence-built by Aero and Avia (about 124)
  • MB.150 fighter family: about 120 delivered by September 1939

Vandaag

Nu
Continued as Dassault Aviation

  • Marcel Bloch renamed himself Marcel Dassault after the war
  • Company relaunched as Dassault Aviation

De cijfers

MB.150-series fighters delivered
about 120September 1939
MB.200 licence-built in Czechoslovakia
about 124
Paid holiday for employees
3 weeks a year (from 1936)
Het vliegtuig

Every notable Bloch aircraft

Vliegtuig Rol Eerste vlucht Gebouwd Status Opmerking
Bloch MB.80/81 Luchtambulance Gepensioneerd
Bloch MB.120 Three-engined colonial transport Gepensioneerd
Bloch MB.200 Twin-engined bomber Gepensioneerd Licence-built by Aero and Avia in Czechoslovakia
Bloch MB.210 Twin-engined bomber 1934 Gepensioneerd Low-wing development of the MB.200
Bloch MB.150/151/152 Eenpersoons gevechtsvliegtuig 1937 Gepensioneerd Built after nationalisation by SNCASO
Bloch MB.174 Verkenningsbommenwerper Gepensioneerd Flown by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry with GR II/33
Wie vliegt ermee?

Bloch aircraft in the world’s air forces

2 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew Bloch types. Geen van hen heeft er nog een in gebruik.

Luchtmacht In dienst Voorheen gevlogen
Griekse luchtmacht Bloch MB.151
Roemeense luchtmacht Bloch MB.210
Plaatsen, mensen, archieven

Where Bloch built, who led it, what it achieved

Fabrieken

  • Courbevoie works · Courbevoie, near Paris — Rented from September 1932
  • Châteauroux-Déols works · Châteauroux, Indre
  • Villacoublay · Vélizy-Villacoublay
  • Bordeaux (ex-SAB) · Bordeaux — Bought with Potez in 1935

Mensen

  • Marcel Bloch (Dassault) · founder — Freed from Buchenwald 11 April 1945; renamed himself Dassault
  • Henry Potez · partner — Co-bought SAB and Lorraine with Bloch in 1935
  • Antoine de Saint-Exupéry · pilot — Flew the MB.174’s first operational mission
Tijdlijn

Bloch, year by year

1928

France creates an Air Ministry; Bloch founds the Société des Avions Marcel Bloch

1930

First Bloch aircraft produced

1931

First government orders: MB.80 and MB.120

1932

Courbevoie premises rented

1934

MB.210 first flight

1935

Bloch and Potez buy the Société Aérienne Bordelaise

1937

Company nationalised into SNCASO

1940

Bloch leaves SNCASO

1940

Saint-Exupéry flies the MB.174’s first operational mission

1945

Marcel Bloch freed from Buchenwald

De stamboom

Before and after Bloch

Kwam daarnaSNCASO (Sud-Ouest)Took over Bloch’s factories on nationalisation, 1937Read the SNCASO (Sud-Ouest) pageKwam daarnaDassault AviationBloch’s company relaunched under his new name after 1945Lees de pagina van Dassault Aviation
Vragen en antwoorden

Everything people ask about Bloch

Is Bloch the same company as Dassault?
Yes in lineage: Marcel Bloch founded the Société des Avions Marcel Bloch, and after the war he changed his name to Dassault and relaunched the business as Dassault Aviation.
What does MB stand for in Bloch aircraft names?
Marcel Bloch, the founder.
When was Bloch nationalised?
On 16 January 1937; its factories became the core of the state-owned SNCASO.
What was the Bloch MB.152?
A French single-seat fighter of 1938–1940 that fought in the Battle of France; about 120 of the MB.150 family had been delivered by September 1939.

Vervolg de rondleiding

Around Bloch

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Geverifieerd op 3 oktober 2026.