Breguet Bre.12

The Breguet Bre.12 was a French two‑seat bomber and reconnaissance aircraft produced by Breguet Aviation during the latter stages of World War I. Designed in 1917 as a larger, more powerful successor to the famed Breguet 14, the Bre.12 first flew in early 1918 and entered limited service with the Aéronautique Militaire in the final months of the conflict. Powered by a 300 hp Lorraine D‑type V‑12 engine, the aircraft featured a robust wooden frame covered with fabric, a high‑mounted wing of equal span and a reinforced fuselage capable of carrying a 200 kg bomb load beneath the wings. Defensive armament consisted of a forward‑firing Vickers machine gun for the pilot and a flexible Lewis gun on a Scarff ring for the observer. With a top speed of about 200 km/h and a service ceiling of 5 500 m, the Bre.12 offered improved range and payload compared with earlier French bombers. Although produced in modest numbers, the type demonstrated the transition from simple reconnaissance planes to purpose‑built tactical bombers, influencing post‑war designs such as the Breguet 19. Its legacy lies in illustrating Breguet’s rapid adaptation to modern warfare and laying groundwork for interwar French air power.