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Biography :

Emile Dewoitine was born on September 26th, 1892 inCrépy-en-Laonnois (02) He went to secondary school in Reims and then joined Ecole Bréguet in Paris with a specialty "Electricity". This school, created in 1904, trains engineers. He did his military service in 1911, first in a unit of the "Genie" before joining the recent Military Aeronautics, born in 1909. He obtained the patent n ° 5 of aircraft mechanic at the School of Mechanics Blériot Etampes. Sent to Algeria with a unit equipped with Farman Biplans, he took part in the Biskra-Tunis raid in February 1913.				Emile Dewoitine's native house
Demobilized in February, 1914, he joins the Halcyon company. This one, installed in Courbevoie, realized Motorcycles and cars, considered as their finish and their robustness. In the release of the 1st world conflict, he is re- mobilized, in August, 1914.
Salmson 2A2		Volunteer for the Army of East, sergeant Emile Dewoitine leaves for Russia in 1915, when we confide him the direction of the assembly of bombers "Voisins" biplanes, built under license in the factory " Anatra " in Odessa. Thanks to funds of private bankers, he will install afterward a factory of aircraft manufacturings meadows of Sevastopol. The Russian Revolution ends prematurely its trip in the Eastern Europe and he returns to France in 1917, at the disposal of the SFA (Service of Manufacturing of the Aviation). As such, it is necessary chargè, within the factory " Latécoère " of Toulouse, to set up the production of Two-seater 1000 of Observation Salmson 2A2.
Demobilized in 1919, Emile Dewoitine tries to obtain director's post of the engineering consulting firm with Georges Latécoère. But this one prefers to keep him in a role of person in charge of Manufacturing, posts for which he excelled during the realization of 1000 Farman. It is one of reasons why Emile Dewoitine, avid to conceive modern planes, leave the Latécoère company in 1920. Remaining in Toulouse, He creates in October, 1920, the SAD (Socété Anonyme of planes Dewoitine). His first realization was Dewoitine D1 in answer to a program launched by the direction of the Aeronautics. The aircraft, modern fighter metallic monoplane with wing parasol makes its first flight in November, 1922. Dewoitine D1 knew a big succés with orders of the Naval aviation, the Military Aeronautics and in the export of Yugoslavia and Italy.			Dewoitine D1
To answer the request, Emile Dewoitine settles down in bigger premises and confides a part of the manufacturing of Dewoitine D1 to a company installed in Courbevoie. D1 knew several by-products, D8, D9 and D12. The famous Marcel Doret will also realize several speed records in his edge.
Glider Dewoitine P3	Emile Dewoitine also explores the gliding and creates the Glider P1 in May, 1922 ., This one uses a wing to cantilever. Its peculiarity is to lack shrouds, the structure being insured by an internal central girder the wing and connected with the fuselage. Emile Dewoitine makes patent this conception which we shall find on the future modern fighters. Follow then gliders P2 and P3. These demonstrated their qualities of sharpness on the occasion of flights of very long-lasting. Hardly of his successes, Emile Dewoitine creates the "CAD" (Aircraft manufacturings Dewoitine).
The following project, the D14, is a aircraft of wooden Transport, with high wing, capable of transporting 6 passengers. Will follow Dewoitine D18, plane of Big Raid
However, the company knows financial difficulties and Emile Dewoitine has to stop his activity in 1927. His salute will come from the Swiss Government: this one offers him the technical and financial means to study and make a fighter monoplane with high wing, D27. Aircrafts will be built by the Federal Factory of Thun. The aircraft knew difficult debuts bound to its motorization, engine V12 Hispano-Suiza of 500ch "a little delicate". It will find a reliability when it will receive, under the name D26, an engine Hispano-Suiza 9QA of 250ch, copies under license, from the engine of Charles Lindberg's " Spirit Of Saint-Louis ".			Dewoitine D27
In France, Albert Caquot, in charge of the policy of the prototypes to the quite new Ministry of the Air, reminds Emile Dewoitine, who returns to the country to base the SAFD there (French Aeronautical society of Planes Dewoitine). The factory of Toulouse opens again its door in June, 1926
Dewoitine D33 "Trait d'Union"	The policy of the prototypes allows the birth in 1931, of a plane of Big Raid, D33 "Trait d'Union" . On board, the Doret, Mesmin, Brix crew will try the record of distance of 10000kms, but both copies of D33 will crash further to mechanical problems. Two of three men of crew will be killed : the only one Marcel Doret will survive.
The D33 will be the father of a line of three-engined : D332, D333, D338, D342 which will be used by the Air France Company.
In 1930, the Ministry of Air issued a Specification for a single-seat fighter "C1". To answer it, Dewoitine studied the D500, an elegant single-engine with a low cantilever wing and a fixed landing-gear. He made his first flight in 1932 at the controls of Marcel Doret. The aircraft has good performance and will have a very powerful weapon for the time, with its 20mm barrel housed between the two rows of cylinders (from the D501). The D500 and derivatives D501 and D510 enjoyed great success : about 336 aircraft of all versions were ordered by the Air Force and thirty copies will be exported.			Dewoitine D500
In 1936, the Dewoitine Society did not escape nationalization and became SNCAM (National Society of Aeronautical Constructions of the South). Emile Dewoitine remains the managing director.
Dewoitine D520	In June 1936, the Air Force issued a program C1, for a single-seater fighter able to fly at 500km / h and armed with a gun and 2 machine guns or 2 cannons. This program is quickly modified to impose a minimum speed of 520km / h. The D520 presented by the company Dewoitine, is retained, as the Morane 405, the CAO 200. Others will be attached later as the Bloch 152 and Arsenal VG33. Three prototypes are ordered on April 3, 1938, but the first will make its first flight on October 2, at the hands of Marcel DORET. It is powered by a Hispano-Suiza HS 12Y21 of 890Cv.
A first order of 200 machines equipped with Hispano-Suiza 12Y45 engine with 945Cv compressor at take-off is launched in March 1939. Deliveries planned between September and December, will be delayed due to weapons development problems and problems with cooling. The first aircraft will be delivered in January 1940 and will equip an experimental squadron. Production continues very slowly. On April 1, 1940, 139 D520 were manufactured, but only 32 are delivered to the EAA301 ... During the German offensive of May 10, 1940, 228 were built for 75 delivered. However, at that time, production was finally in full swing, with 100 machines assembled per month, and at the Armistice, 330 D520 could be taken into account.
After the armistice, Emile Dewoitine went to the United States with the project to be able to build fighter jets in collaboration with Henry Ford. He nevertheless agrees to return to France at the request of the Vichy government. It is likely that his decision was motivated by the good relations of the time between the United States and Vichy. He will be interned by the government of Petain upon his arrival on the national soil for "Betrayal for the benefit of the Enemy" ... He will be tried and finally acquitted. Wishing to move away from Vichy, he joined the occupied zone and agreed to head the design office "ARADO at the head of 200 employees, he then returned to" Free Zone "and worked for SIPA (Industrial Society for Aeronautics)..
In 1944, at the liberation, fearing rightly to be arrested for collaboration, he went to Spain and Argentina, hoping to resume his activities. In 1947, he will head the design office that created I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I, a plane of modest performance that did not go beyond the prototype stage, but which will remain in history as the first Argentine jet.			I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I
In February 1948, Emile Dewoitine, although a refugee abroad, will be sentenced in absentia, to 20 years of forced labor, to national indignity and the confiscation of his property. In 1953, however, he negotiates his return to France, but can not resume his activities in Aeronautics. He will stay for a while in Patagonia where he will operate a breeding of 8000 sheep, before settling in Switzerland, then in Toulouse. It will be extinguished on July 5, 1979.