Tony Holmes - World War II Fighter Planes Spotters Guide

B 534 (M-4) of catnik Jozef Stauder, No 13 Sqn, Tulczyn, Ukraine, summer 1941

Up until 1942, the B 534 was the standard equipment of Slovakian fighter units. This particular aircraft displays the Slovakian Air Arms (Slovenske vzdusne zbrane) camouflage scheme, with the wing uppersurfaces and fuselage sides in khaki overall, and the wing and fuselage undersurfaces in light blue. The aircraft also has the yellow markings displayed by all Axis aircraft on the Eastern Front. Jozo Stauder did not score any victories with the B 534, gaining all 12 of his kills in Bf 109s in 1943.

The B 534 biplane evolved from the limited-production B 34 of 1932 and became the most successful Czechoslovakian fighter design of the interwar period. Both aircraft were the work of Avias gifted aeronautical engineer Frantiek Novotn, who trialled several different engines in slightly modified B 34 airframes before settling on the license-built Hispano-Suiza 12Ydrs V12. The resulting single-bay biplane prototype completed its maiden flight on 25 May 1933, and the aircraft was ordered into series production for the Czechoslovak Air Force shortly thereafter. Despite its increasing obsolescence, the B 534 would be built by Avia through to 1939, by which time 568 aircraft had been completed in five variants.

The B 534-I, with guns mounted in the wings and on the fuselage, was the first to enter service in October 1935. The follow-on B 534-II had all four guns mounted in blisters on either side of the fuselage, and some examples also had a bubble canopy. The B 534-III of 1937 featured aerodynamic refinements, including mudguard spats for the fixed undercarriage and streamlining of the front carburettor air intake. The B 534-IV that quickly followed was the major production variant, with Avia completing 272 examples of the aircraft. It had various refinements that pushed the fighters top speed to 252mph. The final variant was the Bk 534, which was supposed to be fitted with a cannon firing through the propeller hub, but Avia had to stick with an extra machine gun due to installation issues with the weapon. Only 35 Bk 534s were built.

When Germany occupied Czechoslovakia in March 1939, more than 450 B/Bk 534s were commandeered by the Luftwaffe. The aircraft were briefly used as fighters and then trainers, and three frontline squadrons of the newly formed Slovak Air Force were also equipped with the aircraft. They would see action on the Eastern Front from June 1941. The Bulgarian Air Force also received 78 B 534-IVs from German stocks, and these aircraft tried to oppose the early USAAF bombing raids on the Ploesti oilfields. Finally, Greece and Yugoslavia had been export customers for the B 534 pre-war.

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