WW1 French aircraft production - data needed :)

[KRK4m]

Gentlemen,

Contrary to the British, US and Austro-Hungarian WW1 aircraft manufacturing data, the numbers of French (and German, Russian, Italian, a.s.o.) aircraft manufactured in this period are unknown even in approximate form. Various sources give the total number of the French WW1 aircraft as some 60.000 (varying from 52.000 of the indigenously designed up to 68.000 including licences purchased and sold). Very few of them are confirmed - or maybe at least I haven't been able to find exact numbers of the vast majority of them.

Would anybody be able to direct me to the appropriate sources or to help me with filling the list below with data known to you:

• Bleriot (mostly XI) - less than 400 built for military use
• Breguet (mostly XIV) - some 6200
• Caudron (all J, G and R types) - some 5400
• Deperdussin (mostly TT ) - about 100
• Donnet (DD-2 to DD-10) - less than 1100
• Dorand AR - some 1400
• Hanriot (mostly HD.1) - less than 400 in France
• Letord (1 to 5) - less than 400
• Levy-Besson (all types) - less than 400
• Morane-Saulnier (all, mostly L, LA and P) - some 3000 in France
• Paul Schmitt (all, mostly 7) - less than 200
• Salmson (all types, incl. Moineau) - less then 3400 in France
• Schreck FBA (all types, mostly H) - less than 1000 in France
• SPAD (all types, 1- and 2-seaters) - about 14.400 in France
• Tellier (all types, mostly T.3) - about 300
• Voisin (1 - 10 pushers) - less then 3800

This already makes ~42.000 - is it possible that there were only 10.000 of all Farman and Nieuport types combined built?

Even if we take the 52.000 number as too low, adding another 10.000 (4500 Sopwith 1 /1/2 Strutters as well as 5500 Moranes, SPADs, Caudrons, Schrecks, Hanriots and Voisins built in Italy, Russia, Germany and the UK) to these 42.000 makes just 52.000, which leaves 16.000 for all the Famans and Nieuports built worldwide - far too few !

There are some authors approximating the total (worldwide) production at 11.000 aircraft for all the Farman-types combined and 12.000 for all the Nieuport-types.

Should we trust them? Could these numbers be so high?

Any help will me much appreciated!

Cheers

Michael 

Edited September 10, 2017 by KRK4m
cosmetics :)

[Jeff.K]

i'm no expert. i have no idea actual numbers. zip zip zero. but i read a lot of memoirs and bios. the numbers of aircraft taking to the sky in the first 3 years of the war strikes me as very small, so it could be true. that said, late model Nieuports went to training squadrons... Italy made their own i believe. 

[stevehed]

From the Aerodrome but it is generalized.

 

http://www.theaerodrome.com/aircraft/statistics.php