Mystère IVE - a fighter for Europe

[ValAstur]

In 1948, as Europe still lay under the shadow of World War II and the political landscape was reshaping, a group of European nations decided to take a bold step towards self-determination. While the United States was preparing to establish NATO and bring the Western world under its leadership, some European nations aimed to build a military power, that didn’t necessarily rely on the US in order to develop a strong military force by themselves. A secret meeting in the French Alps brought together military leaders, engineers, and political figures to launch the “European Military Initiative.”

The first days of the conference were filled with doubt and tension. Charles de Gaulle, the leader of France, worked tirelessly to promote the idea of military cooperation within Europe, without remaining dependent on the United States. The Americans had already laid out their own plans for European defense, but De Gaulle wanted more – he wanted Europe to develop its own, independent military backbone. In particular, there was a growing need for indigenous technology in the field of aviation, one that could compete with both American and Soviet counterparts. The war showed the flaws of tnot improving the own military capablities. Especially when it comes to airborne firepower, the allies learned a hard lesson from the axis, which was able to knockout Poland’s and France’s air force wthout any greater problems in a short period of time.

De Gaulle knew that France, as the leading nation of this alliance, had to take a crucial step to win the trust of the other European countries. At Dassault Aviation factories in Toulouse, a team of engineers was already working on a new jet that would form the backbone of the European Air Force: the Dassault Mystère IVA.

The Mystère IVA was originally designed as an advanced fighter and bomber, intended to challenge the leading aircraft of the Western world in the early 1950s. Under the leadership of Serge Dassault, the charismatic CEO of Dassault Aviation, the Mystère IVA became a symbol of French engineering excellence and military independence.

Although the Mystère IVA was originally intended for the French Air Force, the project quickly caught the interest of other European nations. Greece, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy recognized the potential of this jet and decided to join forces in advancing the development of the Dassault Mystère IVA; whose european export version received the designation IVE. The Mystère IVE was a sleek, fast jet designed to secure air superiority, and it was above all one thing: a symbol of European self-determination and military innovation.

As the first test flights of the Mystère IVE took place in the early 1950s in France, a high-ranking delegation of European leaders traveled to Toulouse to see the jet up close. Among them was Konrad Adenauer, the Chancellor of West Germany, who was increasingly aware of the need for military cooperation between Western nations to counter the Soviet threat in the East. Adenauer was a pragmatic politician, but he also knew that a strong, united Europe was essential for rebuilding the continent and securing long-term peace.

The development of the Dassault Mystère IVA led to further diplomatic tensions, but also to a surprising collaboration. The German engineers, who had been allowed to return to military development under Adenauer, contributed their expertise to improving the Mystère IVE. The jet was now truly a collaborative project that brought together the best minds from across Europe.
Despite concerns from the United States and tensions within the Western alliance, the European Military Initiative grew in importance. By 1955, as NATO was already in full swing, Europe had stabilized enough that the Dassault Mystère IVE jets were no longer just a military asset – they were a symbol of European resolve. Even Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, came to recognize the value of military cooperation within Europe, although he had initially been skeptical. In spite of his recognition, the UK kept their own path, mostly relying on domestic designs.

Spain, who was also interested in participating and acquiring the jet for it’s own air force, got rejected because of the dictatorial government. Other countries like Sweden and Norway got offers for the fighter, but refused. While Sweden was building it’s own aircraft industry, Norway preferred to buy aircraft from the UK and US.

 

Italy
The italian ministry of defence ordered 24+ jets in 1952, receiving the first units in 1954 with an option on 12 more in the forthcoming years. The planes were allocated to the 6° and 51° Stormo. In general, the pilots were satisfied with the performance of the plane. But the option for the 12 more units was not drawn, because the italian administration wanted to focus on their domestic industry.

IVEs from the 6° Stormo

 

An IVE of the 51° Stormo departing

 

Belgium
Under minister of defence Eugène De Greef, Belgium ordered 60 units of the IVE in three tranches, receiving the first batch of 36 units in 1954. The planes of the first batch got allocated to the 2nd Wing, 1st Squadron „Chardon“ in Florennes and the 10th Wing, 31st Squadron „Tiger“ in Kleine-Brogel while the smaller batches got allocated to the 2nd Wing, 2nd Squadron „Comets“ and the 10th Wing, 23rd Squadron.

Chardon's IVEs on a CAP

 

Two IVEs from the Tigers

 

Greece
From the initially ordered 60 units, the greek ministry of defence under Panagiotis Kanellopoulos reduced the order to 36 units due to cuts in the military budget. The aircraft, which got delivered in spring of 1955, were designated to the 330, 337 and 340 Mira.

A 337 Mira IVE departing to a reconaissance mission

 

Germany
The new founded Luftwaffe received this plane in 1958. The JG 71 „Richthofen“, JBG 31 „Boelcke“ and JG 74 “Mölders“ were the first squadrons to receive this aircraft. The JBG 31 also used the IVE for CAS missions.

IVE of the JG 71 "Richthofen"

 

Denmark
The scandinavian country only equipped it’s Eskadrille 730 with this aircraft in 1957, focusing on aircraft from abroad since the danish administration was not completely convinced of the capabilities of this plane after the initial testing phase.

Preparing to return from a mission

 

Netherlands
The dutch air force ordered to complete squadrons of this aircraft and equipped the squadrons 312 and 322 with them. The delivery started in 1954 and finished 1957 with the arrival of the last unit.

IVEs from the 312th Squadron moving in to intercept

 

Portugal
After initial euphoria about the new aircraft project, cuts in the defence budget forced the portuguese ministry of defence to reduce the order, only being able to equip the 51st Squadron „Falçoes“. The delivery was started in early 1957 and ended in early summer of 1958.

Overflying an autumnal landscape of Portugal

 

Final credits:

Story created with the aid of AI (CHatGPT)

Spinners for some of the decals I used on the italian skins

Yakarov79 for the badge of the 337 Mira

[+Gepard]

Nice story.

And here the successor:

Super Mystere B2E

 

[pvince]

Marcel Dassault, not Serge 

[Shootingstar2]