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As perhaps not everyone on this aviation forum knows, the largest French WW2 battleship, Richelieu (commissioned in April 1940) - although equipped with 2 catapults and a spacious hangar at the stern - received its four Loire 130 flying boats only in July 1941. During this period, the ship moored in Dakar (the capital of Senegal then controlled by Vichy), immobilized due to damage caused by HMS Hermes Swordfish torpedo bombers in July 1940 and HMS Ark Royal Skua dive bombers in September 1940. However, its eight 15'' main guns could be used as a floating coastal defence battery if the defenses of smaller French warships (2 cruisers and 4 destroyers) docked in Dakar were too weak against the expected British + Free French invasion. The four Lo 130s, received in July 1941, belonged to the last production batch of 30 aircraft, made just before the Loire factory switched to the production of Arado 196 for the Germans. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of these planes and very rare profiles never show them wearing red and yellow stripes on the tail and engine. They are usually shown as silver doped overall. AFAIK the "slave pyjama" markings were introduced in August 1941, while since the July 1940 French bombing of Gibraltar, all (?) Vichy planes were ordered by Goering himself to have almost whole tails (i.e. with rudder retaining the traditional tricolor) painted bright (lemon) yellow. But are there any photos of these Loires available aboard Richelieu (or in the Senegal area in general) in 1941? In black and white photos, there may not be any difference between the yellow tail surfaces and the rest of the silver airframe. Cheers Michael
