# German light bombers and reconnaissance aircrafts



## gekho (Dec 8, 2011)

Blohm Voss Ha-139

It was in the middle of the 1930s, when the Deutsche Lufthansa, that operated already a veritable far-distance mail transportation service via North and South Atlantic, needed a modern, catapultable long-range seaplane. Among the primary claims there was a payload of 400 kg, a range of 5,000 km and a cruising speed of 250 kph. This range was necessary to manage the distance of 3,850 km between Horta on the Azores and New York at a headwind of 60 kph. Also demanded was high seaworthiness, because landings on the open seas had been always to be calculated.

Lead by Dr. Richard Vogt, chief constructor of Hamburger Flugzeugbau, some drafts were submitted to the Deutsche Lufthansa. The one project named P.17, equipped with two floats, was accepted by the technical heads of the airline. The demanded high performances required small sizes of the airplane. After the drafting was finished, Hamburger Flugzeugbau got the order to manufacture three prototypes under the type deignation Ha 139. For propulsion, Jumo 205C Diesel engines were chosen, for their specifically few fuel consumption (165 g / PS *h). They had a take-off performance of 600 hp. The demanded high safety resulted in the installation of 4 engines. The aerodynamical valuability of the concept allowed to fly with only two engines, with reduced payload. The wing was formed with a bend to keep cockpit and tail surfaces away from splashing water. Like usually in Dr. Vogt's designs, the wing structure was a steel-tube spar, which contained five fuel tanks with a capacity of 6,500 l. The wing contained of three parts, had a span of 27 m and a constant depth of 4.5 m. The outer wing ankle was 7 degrees. The fuselage had an oval cross section. The crew consisted of four or five. The vertical stabilizer also had a constant depth and was strutted against the fuselage. The horizontal fins were formed as disks, changed more than one time and equipped with an aerodynamical balance. The fin cover was metal, while the rudders were covered with fabric. All rudders were equipped with trim flaps, while the inner wing had hydraulically operated spreading flaps. The fixing of the engines was done in a new system what resulted in a very smooth running. 

The Ha 139 V1 registered D-AMIE "Nordmeer" (= "Northern Sea"), facility no. 181, was finished during late summer 1936 and had its successfull maiden flight in October of this year. The calculated flight performances were surpassed. The Ha 139 V2 registered D-AJEY "Nordwind" (= "Northern Wind"), facility no. 182, became ready at the same time, and both machines were taken over by the Lufthansa in March 1937. "Nordmeer" took off on August 15th, 1937, catapulted from the Lufthansa catapult ship "Friesenland" laying off the Azores, to her first Atlantic flight. After 16 1/2 hours, she landed in Port Washington, the seaplane station off New York. For the return flight, the catapult ship "Schwabenland" off Long Island was used (the original article mentions again the "Friesenland", what is impossible. The "Schwabenland" is the sister ship, I hope I don't confuse them). Until end of November 1937, another thirteen flights were successfully performed by both machines. Although the Ha 139 proved exceptionally, some changes, in engine radiation and vertical rudders were necessary. All complaints found their respect also in the manufacturing od the third sample, Ha 139 V3 registered D-ASTA "Nordstern" (= "Northern Star"), facility no. 217, that should be the prototype of the planned B series and was finished beginning of 1938. "Nordstern" also was thoroughly tested on the Northern route between July and October 1938. 

Then, all three machines were used, first on the Horta-New York line and later in regular line service between Bathurst in Western Africa and Recife in Brasil. Now it was possible to restrain from catapulting, the improvements made even take-offs on overload and rough sea possible. In June 1939 the 100th crossing of the Atlantic Ocean was performed, so it could be proved that there was no more obstacle for any airline service to North and South America.

Not included in the original article is the reason why the North Atlantic route was closed down. Contrary to the situation now, in the late 30s there was no mutual air traffic agreement between the USA and the European countries. An admission of the US authorities was required. We have to speculate that the visits of European aircraft in the USA was not just welcome. Only some weeks before the Ha 139 did their last flights on the northern route, on August 10th to 11th, 1938, a FW 200 had made a non-stop flight from Berlin to New York. Shortly after this, the US authorities refused to renew the landing admission for the German aircraft. Political reasons can be supposed, but also economical ones, because at least one time before also a French Latecoere 521 missed the allowance to come to the US east cost (original information (exluding the "French" one by a friend from luftarchiv.de/bullet-board (*Ali*), conclusions by RT).
The last flight of the Ha 139 on the northern route was on October 18th, 1938. The next machine following in service, the flying boat Dornier Do 26, was never used on the northern route.

When WWII broke out, two Ha 139s were still in the South Atlantic. They reached their home base Travemünde only on an indirect route (which one would be interesting, RT). They were taken over by the Luftwaffe immediately and became converted to auxiliary transporters. Blohm Voss drafts for a development of the Ha 139 as long-range reconnoisater had not been realized. The Ha 139 V3 also became converted, in her case as minesweeper. She got MG 15 defensive weapons, in the now glazed bow, dorsal and two side-ventral stations. While the wingspan remained unchainged, the lenght grew to 20.2 m and the weight to 19.500 kg. A big amount od this additional weight resulted from the ring-shaped mine detector, that was fixed on bow, outer wings and tail of the airplane. The first test flight of the Ha 139 V3, now called Ha 139 B/U1, was performed on January 19th, 1940, again from catapult ship "Friesenland", in the Baltic Sea. At a take-off weight of 19,500 kg, the machine achieved a maximum speed of 310 kph. The maximum range a t a speed of 200 kph was 5,000 km, what corresponds with an endurance of 25 hours! None of the three aircraft remained in service for long, soon being grounded by a lack of spares. Plans for a bomber version came to nothing, although a land plane based on the same design was built, as the Ha 142. 

Source: http://warbirdsforum.com/showthread.php?t=976


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## gekho (Dec 8, 2011)

In February 1937 a Reichsluftfahrtministerium specification for a short-range reconnaissance aircraft was issued to Arado, Hamburger Flugzeugbau​ and FockeWulf. Kurt Tank​ responded with the Focke-Wulf with Fw 189 Uhu (eagle owl), an all metal stressed-skin low wing monoplane that had an extensively glazed fuselage pod, and twin booms carrying the tail surfaces. The mainwheels retracted to the rear, into the booms. The crew nacelle provided accommodation for pilot, navigator/ radio operator and engineer/gunner, and power for the prototype was supplied by two 430-hp (321-kW) Argus As 410 engines. Construction of this aircraft began in April 1937 and designer Tank performed the first flight in July 1938. The Fw 189 V2 second prototype, flown in August, was armed with one 7.92mm (0.31-in) MG 15 machine-gun in each of nose, dorsal and rear positions, two fixed MG 17 weapons in the wing roots, and four underwing racks each carrying a 110-lb (50-kg) bomb. A third, unarmed, prototype was flown in September, this Fw 189 V3's engines driving Argus-designed air-pressure-actuated variable-pitch propellers. 

The award of a development contract was followed by the first flight of a fourth prototype, forerunner of the production Fw 189A, which was powered by two Argus As 410A-1 engines and armed with only two MG 15 machine-guns. The fifth prototype was representative of the proposed Fw 189B dual-control trainer, its redesigned fuselage nacelle having a stepped cockpit and much reduced glazing. It was the dual-control trainer which gained the first order in the summer of 1939, for three Fw 189B-0 pre-series and 10 Fw 189B-1 production five-seat crew trainers. These preceded the Fw 189A into manufacture and service, some being used as conversion trainers by 9.(H)/LG 2 during the spring and summer of 1940. In a similar manner the construction of 10 Fw 189A-0 pre-production aircraft began in 1940, some of them being delivered to 9.(H)/LG 2 for operational trials, and being followed by the initial production Fw 189A-1 which was armed similarly to the Fw 189 V2 prototype, except that the MG 15 was deleted from the nose position and an Rb 20/30 or Rb 50/30 camera was carried. Further developments of this version included the Fw 189A-1/ Trop which carried desert survival equipment, and the Fw 189A-11U2 and Fw 189A-11U3which were equipped as personal transports for the use of Generalfeldmarschall Kesselring and General Jeschonnek respectively. The remaining Fw 189A variants included the Fw 189A-2 introduced in 1942, which had the flexibly· mounted MG 15 machine-guns replaced by twin 7.92mm (0.31-in) MG 81Zs; the Fw 189A-3 two-seat dual-control trainer which was built in limited numbers; and introduced in late 1942, the light ground-attack Fw 189A-4 which was armed with two 20-mm MG 151/20 cannon and two 7.92-mm (0.31-in) machine-guns in the wing roots, and had armour protection for the underside of the fuselage, engines and fuel tanks. Unbuilt project included the c1ose-support Fw 189C and the Fw 189D twin-float trainer; the seventh prototype, which had been intended to serve as the development aircraft for this last variant, was completed instead as an Fw 189B-0. The use of alternative powerplant was planned for the Fw 189E, a French-built Fw 189A-1 airframe being modified by the installation of two 7oo-hp (522-kWI Gnome-Rhone 14M radial engines, but when this prototype crashed while being flown to Germany for evaluation, further development was abandoned. Final production version was the Fw 189F-1, basically an Fw 189A-2 re-engined with two 580hp (433-kW) Argus A 4llMA-1 engines; a similarly-powered Fw 189F-2 introducing electrically-actuated landing gear and increased armour and fuel capacity was planned, but none had been built when production ended in 1944. 

Total production of the Fw 189 then amounted to 864 aircraft including prototypes, built not only by Heinkel but also by Aero in Prague from 1940 to 1943, and by SNCASO at Bordeaux-Merignac until 1944. Fw 189s were supplied in small numbers to the Slovakian and Hungarian air forces operating on the Eastern Front, in which theatre the type was deployed most extensively by the Luftwaffe, but at least one Staffel used the type operationally in North Africa.


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## gekho (Dec 8, 2011)

At the start of the war German short range reconnaissance was carried out by squadrons designated as Aufklärungsstaffeln (Heer), abbreviated to Aufkl.(H) or (H). Thirty six existed in August 1939, and were under army control. Each squadron was self-supporting and fully mobile and could move from location to location under its own steam.

The first few Fw 189s reached experimental sections of the Luftwaffe in the spring of 1940. At about the same time some aircraft reached the reconnaissance squadrons for service trials, but large-scale deliveries didn't really begun until the end of 1942.

On 22 July 1941, at the start of the invasion of the Soviet Union, the number of squadrons had risen to 54, most of which were still using the Hs 126. Production of the Fw 189 increased in pace during the year, but even at the end of 1942 the Hs 126 was still significant. In the winter of 1941-42 the squadrons were organised into short-range reconnaissance groups, each of which was meant to contain three squadrons. On the southern sector there were nine groups with sixteen squadrons, of which six were still using the Hs 126. In the middle sector things were worse, with six groups and thirteen squadrons, of which nine still had the Hs 126. Finally both squadrons operating in the north were still using the older aircraft. Of a total of 31 short-range reconnaissance squadrons, 17, or just over half, were still using the older aircraft.

When the Fw 189 did appear in strength in the East it performed well. The air-cooled inline engines were more reliable in extreme cold weather than liquid cooled engines, while the aircraft provided to be very rugged. 1942 was probably the heyday of the Fw 189, and saw it operate in comparatively large numbers against weak opposition. After that things became increasingly difficult. Ever stronger Soviet fighter defences and ever-improving Soviet fighter aircraft made the skies increasingly dangerous for the Fw 189. Reconnaissance missions either needed an increasing number of fighter escorts, or took place at night. By the summer of 1944 the Fw 189 had been forced out of the daytime skies, and the surviving aircraft were forced to operate at night, or as training and liaison aircraft. 

Source: Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu (Eagle Owl)


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## gekho (Dec 9, 2011)

The Arado 95 was designed in 1935 as a two-seat seaplane, for coastal patrol, reconnaissance and light attack roles. The first prototype, an all-metal biplane powered by a BMW 132 radial engine, flew in 1936, while a second prototype was powered by a Junkers Jumo 210 liquid-cooled engine. The two prototypes were evaluated against the similar Focke-Wulf Fw 62. The BMW-powered version was considered worthy of further study, and a batch of six were sent for further evaluation with the Legion Condor during the Spanish Civil War. The Arado Ar 95 was the basis for the prototype Ar 195 carrier-based torpedo bomber, which was proposed for operation from the German aircraft carrier. The Ar 95 was not ordered by the German armed forces, and so was offered for export in two versions, the Ar 95W floatplane and Ar 95L landplane, with a fixed, spatted undercarriage. Six Ar 95Ls were ordered by the Chilean Air Force, being delivered prior to the start of World War II. Turkey placed an order for Ar 95Ws, but these were taken over by Germany on the outbreak of war.

Source: Arado Ar 95 | Facebook


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## gekho (Dec 9, 2011)

The Dornier Do 24 was designed to meet a Dutch navy requirement for a replacement of the Dornier Wals being used in the Dutch East Indies. It was an all-metal monoplane with a broad-beamed hull and stabilising sponsons. The aircraft was powered by three wing-mounted radial engines. The first two aircraft built were fitted with 447 kW (600 hp) Junkers Jumo 205C diesel engines. The next two had 652 kW (875 hp) Wright R-1820-F52 Cyclones, this was to meet a Dutch requirement to use the same engines as the Martin 139. The third aircraft (with Cyclone engines) was the first to fly on 3 July 1937. Six Dutch aircraft (designated Do 24K-1) were built in Germany, followed by a further aircraft built under licence by Aviolanda in the Netherlands (designated Do 24K-2). Only 25 aircraft had been built on the Aviolanda assembly line before the German occupation. The Luftwaffe were interested in the completed and partially completed aircraft. The Dutch production line continued to produce aircraft under German control. 11 airframes were completed with Dutch-bought Wright Cyclone engines, but later models used the BMW Bramo 323R-2. A further 159 Do 24s were built in the Netherlands during the occupation, most under the designation Do 24T-1. Another production line for the Do 24 was established in the old CAMS factory at Sartrouville, France, during the German occupation. This line was operated by SNCAN and was able to produce another 48 Do 24s. After the liberation, this facility produced a further 40 Do 24s, which served with the French Navy until 1952.

Thirty-seven Dutch- and German-built Do 24s had been sent to the East Indies by the time of the German occupation of the Netherlands in June 1940. Until the outbreak of war, these aircraft would have flown the tri-color roundel. Later, to avoid confusion with British or French roundels, Dutch aircraft flew a black-bordered orange triangle insignia. A Dutch Dornier Do 24 is credited with sinking the Japanese destroyer Shinonome on December 17, 1941 while the ship was escorting an invasion fleet to Miri in British Borneo. On 10 January 1942 a Dutch Dornier Do-24K spotted a Japanese invasion fleet heading for Tarakan Island in Dutch Borneo, giving adequate warning so that all oil instalations could be destroyed before the Japanese arrived. After the Japanese invasion of the Netherlands East Indies, six surviving Do 24s were transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force in February 1942. They served in the RAAF through most of 1944 as transports in New Guinea, making the Do 24 one of the few aircraft serving operationally on both sides during World War II. During the war, a German Do 24 made a forced landing in neutral Sweden, was impounded and eventually bought, and remained in Swedish service until 1952. In 1944, 12 Dutch-built Do 24s were delivered to Spain with the understanding that they would assist downed airmen of both sides. After the war, a few French-built Do 24s also found their way to Spain. Spanish Do 24s were operational at least until 1967, and possibly later. In 1971, one of the last flying Spanish Do 24s was returned to the Dornier facility on Lake Constance for permanent display.


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 9, 2011)

I've always loved the Uhu, one of the first models I ever remember building.


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## gekho (Dec 10, 2011)

The origins of this twin-engine flying boat go back to 1934 when Deutsche Lufthansa asked Dornier Metallbauten G.m.b.H. to develop a more modern successor to the Wal. It was expressly designed for Trans-oceanic mail service and is notable for being the first commercial flying boat fitted with diesel engines. Fitted with two 500-560 hp Junkers "Jumo 205D" compression-ignition engines, the Do-18 type was used for experimental work on the North Atlantic crossing to the United States. Six Dornier 18s were entrusted to the German airline between 1935 and 1937 and because of its exceptional range (2,765 miles) the aircraft aroused the interest of the Luftwaffe as well, who ordered a military version. D models were armed with light machine guns but the most important series proved to be the heavier armed DO-18G-1 reconnaissance version. This version exchanged the light machine guns for a heavier one and a 20 mm cannon. By 1938 it had already been introduced into the coastal flying units of the Luftwaffe being used for air sea rescue and reconnaissance. Before too much longer the open aft gun position was replaced with an enclosed turret and heavier armament. In the North Sea the large British flying boats often clashed with enemy aircraft that was about the same business. The Do-18, which was smaller, less powerful, less well armed and generally considered harmless by Allied flyers was nonetheless useful to the Germans.

On Tuesday, the 26th of September,1939 the Do-18 played an interesting role in history. A Dornier Do-18D flying boat of 2/Küstenfliegergruppe 506 trying to shadow the carrier Ark Royal was engaged by Lieutenant B.S. McEwen and his air-gunner Petty Officer Airman B.M. Seymour in their Blackburn Skua of No 803 Squadron just north of the Great Fisher Bank. The Do-18 was forced down and the destroyer HMS Somali rescued the four-man crew. The aircraft, which was still afloat, was sunk by gunfire. The Do-18 played another ‘first’ role just a few days later when on October 8, 1939 another Do-18D tangled with a Hudson Mk I of No. 224 Squadron. The Dornier was shot down off Jutland marking the first combat kill of a Hudson. By 1942 the Dornier Do-18s were replaced in service by the Bv-138 flying clog.


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## gekho (Dec 10, 2011)

Development of the three-seat Dornier Do 22 floatplane was the responsibility of Dornier's Altenrhein factory in Switzerland, where.two prototypes were built. Of all-metal construction with fabric covering throughout, except for the metal-skinned forward fuselage, the Do 22 was powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs engine driving a three-bladed propeller. The Do 22 carried a crew of three, the rear cockpit providing accommodation for a gunner, and a radio operator whose position in the front half of the cockpit was protected by a glazed canopy. Four 7.92mm MG 15 machine-guns were fitted, one in the forward fuselage above the engine, one in a ventral position and two in the rear cockpit. Although not ordered by the Luftwaffe, approximately 30 were built at Friedrichshafen in Germany and the first production aircraft was flown on 15 July 1938. Do 22s were supplied to the Greek, Yugoslav and Latvian air forces as the Do 22Kg, Do 22Kj and Do 22Kl respectively

Source: Dornier Do 22 - recon, torpedo-bomber


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## Wayne Little (Dec 10, 2011)

Nice


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## gekho (Dec 11, 2011)

The fabric-covered Storch observation monoplane served the German Forces throughout World War Two wherever the Germans saw combat. With ten times the life expectancy of the Bf 109 fighter, the Storch ("Stork") proved to be a rugged Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) airplane that gained the respect of all its pilots.

The Storch was first flown in 1936. Using a fixed slat over the leading edge of the wing and slotted camber-changing flaps along the trailing edge, the Storch achieved incredible short take-off performance. In a light breeze the Storch could take off in just 200 feet (60 meters) and land in about 66 feet (20 meters). It had a crew of three, and with extensive windows surrounding the occupants, made an excellent observation and liaison aircraft. Production for the German armed forces began with the Fi 156A-1. The Fi 156C, which had the rear glazing raised to accommodate a machine gun for defense, soon replaced the A-1. Other variants included a tropical version with dust filters, an ambulance version carrying a single stretcher, and an enlarged version (Fi 256) with seating for five built in limited numbers in France between 1943 and 1944. Fieseler began building the Storch in Germany, but was soon forced to move production to Morane-Saulnier in France (as the M.S.500 Criquet) and Mraz in Czechoslovakia (as the K-65 Cap). This was done to make room for the BF 109 at the Fieseler plant.

The Fieseler Storch was the last dogfight victim of the western front. Pilot Duanes Francies and his observer, Lieutenant William Martin, of the 5th US Army Division, spotted a Storch circling below them while looking for ground targets in their Piper Cub. Diving on the Storch, the two men opened fire with their Colt .45s and the plane spiraled to the ground. After a short gun battle, Francies and his observer took the two Germans into custody. Lt. Martin was awarded the Air Medal for his part in the fight, but Francies would have to wait until the story was reported in Cornelius Ryan's book "The Last Battle," to finally be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The USAF was 22 years late. Apart from being the last Luftwaffe plane lost in the west, this Storch was also the only enemy plane downed by pistol fire during the war. After the war Morane-Saulnier continued to produce the Storch as the M.S.500, and Mraz continued to build the K-65 Cap. Over 2,900 Fi 156s were produced. Today, approximately 30 Fi 156s and their brethren have survived in Europe and North America, and only four are still capable of flying today. 

Source: Warbird Alley: Fieseler Storch


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## gekho (Dec 11, 2011)

The Storch could be found on every front throughout the European and North African theaters of operation in World War II. It will probably always be most famous for its role in Operation Eiche, the rescue of deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from a boulder-strewn mountain top near the Gran Sasso, surrounded by Italian troops. German commando Otto Skorzeny dropped with 90 paratroopers onto the peak and quickly captured it, but the problem remained of how to get back off. A Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 helicopter was sent, but it broke down en route. Instead, pilot Walter Gerlach flew in a Storch, landed in 30 m (100 ft), took aboard Mussolini and Skorzeny, and took off again in under 80 m (250 ft), even though the plane was overloaded. The Storch involved in rescuing Mussolini bore the radio code letters, or Stammkennzeichen, of "SJ + LL" in motion picture coverage of the daring rescue.

On 26 April 1945 a Storch was one of the last planes to land on the improvised airstrip in the Tiergarten near the Brandenburg Gate during the Battle of Berlin and the death throes of the Third Reich. It was flown by the test pilot Hanna Reitsch, who flew her lover Field Marshal Robert Ritter von Greim from Munich to Berlin to answer a summons from Hitler. Once in Berlin von Greim was informed that he was to take over command of the Luftwaffe from Hermann Göring. A Storch was the victim of the last dog fight on the Western Front and another was downed by a direct Allied counterpart of the Storch—a L-4 Grasshopper—from the L-4's crew directing their pistol fire at it. The pilot and co-pilot of the L-4, Lts. Duane Francis and Bill Martin, opened fire on the Storch with their .45 caliber pistols, forcing the German air crew to land and surrender. During the war a number of Störche were captured by the Allies; the British having captured 145 from which 64 were given to the French as War compensation from Germany, one becoming the personal aircraft of Field Marshal Montgomery.


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 11, 2011)

Great pics!


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## gekho (Dec 12, 2011)

In 1933, the Kriegsmarine looked for a standardized shipboard reconnaissance aircraft. After a brief selection period, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (German Air Ministry, RLM) decided on the Heinkel He 60 biplane. This was one of a line of developments of a basic biplane airframe that appeared as a number of floatplanes, trainers, and fighters. Deliveries started in a matter of months. By 1935, it was found that the He 60's performance was lacking, and the RLM asked Heinkel to design its replacement. The result was the He 114. The first prototype was powered by the Daimler-Benz DB 600 inline engine, but it was clear that supplies of this engine would be limited, and the production versions turned to the BMW 132 radial engine instead. The plane proved to have only slightly better performance than the He 60, and its sea-handling was poor. Rushed modifications resulted in a series of nine prototypes in an attempt to solve some of the problems, but they didn't help much. The Navy gave up, and the planes were eventually sold off to Romania, Spain and Sweden.

In October 1936, the RLM asked for a He 114 replacement. The only stipulations were that it would use the BMW 132, and they wanted prototypes in both twin-float and single-float configurations. Designs were received from Dornier, Gotha, Arado and Focke-Wulf. Heinkel declined to tender, contending that the He 114 could still be made to work. With the exception of the Arado design, they were all conventional biplanes. That gave the Arado better performance than any of the others, and the RLM ordered four prototypes. The RLM was also rather conservative by nature, so they also ordered two of the Focke-Wulf Fw 62 design as a backup. It quickly became clear that the Arado would work effectively, and only four prototypes of the Fw 62 were built.

The Ar 196 prototypes were all delivered in summer 1937, V1 (which flew in May) and V2 with twin floats as A models, and V3 and V4 on a single float as B models. Both versions demonstrated excellent water handling, and there seemed to be little to decide one over the other. Since there was a possibility of the smaller outrigger floats on the B models "digging in", the twin-float A model was ordered into production. A single additional prototype, V5, was produced in November 1938 to test final changes. 10 A-0s were delivered in November and December 1938, with a single 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun in the rear seat for defense. Five similarly equipped B-0s were also delivered to land-based squadrons. This was followed by 20 A-1 production models starting in June 1939, enough to equip the surface fleet. Starting in November production switched to the heavier land-based A-2 model. It added shackles for two 50 kg (110 lb) bombs, two 20 mm MG FF cannons in the wings, and a 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine gun in the cowling. The A-4 replaced it in December 1940, strengthening the airframe, adding another radio, and switching props to a VDM model. The apparently mis-numbered A-3 replaced the A-4, with additional strengthening of the airframe. The final production version was the A-5 from 1943, which changed radios and cockpit instruments, and switched the rear gun to the much-improved MG 81Z. In all versions, 541 Ar 196s (526 production models) were built before production ended in August 1944, about 100 of these from SNCA and Fokker plants. The Ar 196C was a proposed aerodynamically-refined version. The Ar 196C project was cancelled in 1941.


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## gekho (Dec 12, 2011)

The plane was loved by its pilots, who found it handled well both in the air and on the water. With the loss of the German surface fleet the A-1s were added to coastal squadrons, and continued to fly reconnaissance missions and submarine hunts into late 1944. Two notable operations were the capture of HMS Seal, and the repeated interception of RAF Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley bombers. Although it was no match for a fighter, it was considerably better than its Allied counterparts, and generally considered the best of its class. Owing to its good handling on water, the Finnish Air Force utilized Ar 196 solely on transporting and supplying special forces patrols behind enemy lines, landing on small lakes in remote areas. Several fully equipped soldiers were carried in the fuselage.

Source: Arado Ar 196 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## gekho (Dec 12, 2011)

More pics


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 12, 2011)

That has got to be my favorite single engine sea plane, well done.


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## gekho (Dec 13, 2011)

The Blohm und Voss BV 138 was officially named 'Seedrache' (Sea Dragon) but unofficially it was instead mostly called 'the flying clog'. It was built and used as a long-range maritime reconnaissance flying boat - often flying for hours far out over the sea in search of allied convoys and shipping. Fully loaded it could fly over 4000 kilometers and stay up for 16 hours. This range could be increased even further when using RATO packs (Rocket Assisted Take-offs) or when launched from catapults on board seaplane tenders. The BV 138C-1 was powered by three Junkers Jumo 205D-1 diesel engines and although they were fuel efficient they made the aircraft very slow and gave it a maximum ceiling of only 5000 m (16400 ft). However, armed with 20mm cannons in two turrets and a 13mm heavy machinegun in an open position as well as an optional MG15 the BV 138 could often take care of itself when attacked. It has for example been known to shoot down a British Blenheim as well as a Catalina flying boat in air-to-air combat. And since the BV 138 could also take a lot of battle damage and keep flying, especially as the diesel fuel rarely ignited when hit by machine gun fire, she was generally well liked by her crews.

Although the BV 138 was able to carry small loads of bombs and depth-charges and thereby do attack missions such as sub-hunting, most operations were pure reconnaisance and surveillance, often working together with the german U-boats. But they were also used for convoy escort, air-sea rescue, personnel and equipment transport or as a few modified ones for mine-sweeping duties. The BV 138 flying boats were used almost all over Europe and patrolled the North Sea, Skagerrack and Kattegatt, Baltic Sea, Arctic Ocean, Norwegian Sea, Bay of Biscay as well as the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

Source: BV 138 flying boat of WWII


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## gekho (Dec 13, 2011)

By the middle of the 1930's the idea of using aircraft against ground targets had been "well understood" to be of little use other than hurting enemy morale. Experiences during World War I had demonstrated that attacking the combatants was generally much more dangerous to the aircraft than the troops on the ground, a problem that was only becoming more acute with the introduction of newer weapons. For much of the 1920s and 30s the use of aircraft was seen primarily in the strategic and interdiction roles, where their targets were less likely to be able to fight back with any level of coordination. For high-value point targets, the dive bomber was the preferred solution.

Condor Legion experience during the Spanish Civil War turned this idea on its head. Although armed with generally unsuitable aircraft such as the Henschel Hs 123 and cannon-armed versions of the Heinkel He 112, their powerful armament and fearless pilots proved that the aircraft was a very effective weapon even without bombs. This led to some support within the Luftwaffe for the creation of an aircraft dedicated to this role, and eventually a contract was tendered for a new "attack aircraft". Since the main source of damage would be from rifle and machine gun fire from the ground, the plane had to be heavily armored around the cockpit and engines. They also required the same protection in the windscreen, which required 75 mm thick armored glass. Since the aircraft was expected to be attacking its targets directly in low level strafing runs, the cockpit that had to be located as close as possible to the nose in order to see the ground. One last requirement, a non-technical one, ended up dooming the designs; the RLM demanded that the aircraft be powered by "unimportant" engines of low power that were not being used in other designs. Four companies were asked to respond, and only two of the resulting three entries were considered worthy of consideration; Focke-Wulf's conversion of their earlier Fw 189 reconnaissance plane, and Henschel's all-new Hs 129.

The Hs 129 was designed around a single large "bathtub" of steel sheeting that made up the entire nose area of the plane, completely enclosing the pilot up to head level. Even the canopy was steel, with only tiny windows on the side to see out of and two angled blocks of glass for the windscreen. In order to improve the armor's ability to stop bullets, the fuselage sides were angled in forming a triangular shape, resulting in almost no room to move at shoulder level. There was so little room in the cockpit that the instrument panel ended up under the nose below the windscreen where it was almost invisible, some of the engine instruments were moved outside onto the engine nacelles, and the gunsight was mounted outside on the nose. In the end the plane came in 12% overweight and the engines 8% underpowered, and it flew like a pig. The controls proved to be almost inoperable as speed increased, and in testing one plane flew into the ground from a short dive because the stick forces were too high for the pilot to pull out. The Fw design proved to be no better. Both planes were underpowered with their Argus Ar 410 engines, and very difficult to fly. The RLM nevertheless felt they should continue with the basic concept. In the end the only real deciding factor between the two was that the Henschel was smaller and cheaper. The Focke-Wulf was put on low priority as a backup, and testing continued with the Hs 129A-0. A series of improvements resulted in the Hs 129A-1 series, armed with two 20 mm MG 151/20's and two 7.92 mm MG 17's, along with the ability to carry four 50 kg bombs under the fuselage midline.


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 13, 2011)

Excellent


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## gekho (Dec 14, 2011)

In 1933 the Luftwaffe issued a request for an advanced battlefield observation aircraft which would improve on the Heinkel He 46 (which had not then entered service). Henschel responded with the Hs 122, a neat parasol monoplane which offered an outstanding all-round view and excellent low-speed and short-field characteristics. The prototype flew in early 1935 powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel, although the Siemens Sh 22B radial was the intended motorplant. Flight tests were successful, but the Luftwaffe was dis*appointed with the maximum speed, which was little better than the He 46. Therefore, Henschel was asked to further develop the aircraft using the Bramo 323 Fafnir radial. This design became then the well known Hs 126.

Henschel took the opportunity to revise the design, with a longer fuselage, more angular wing layout and also refinements to the vertical tail and cantilever undercarriage. Flight trials revealed excellent short-field capability and easy handling. A pre-production batch of 10 Hs 126A-0s was completed, some of which were issued to reconnaissance squadrons for evalua*tion. The first production aircraft were delivered in early 1938. These Hs 126A-ls switched to the BMW 132Dc engine to overcome the non-availability of the Fafnir. The cockpit accommodated the pilot and a gunner/observer, both provided with a sliding canopy. The back-seater operated a Zeiss Rb topographic camera in a bay behind him, a hand-held camera and the 7.9-mm MG 15 machine-gun with 975 drum-held rounds. The pilot aimed the fixed MG 17 machine-gun with a capacity of 500 rounds, mounted in the upper starboard fuselage. For light bombing missions the aircraft could carry five 10-kg (22-lb) bombs in the camera bay and a single 50-kg (110-lb) bomb on a port-side strut which was braced to the wing and the fuselage.


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## gekho (Dec 14, 2011)

Six Hs 126A-ls were sent to Spain in 1938 for combat evaluation with the Legion Condor. There they proved very successful in both the light bombing and reconnaissance roles. The five sur*vivors remained in Spain after the end of the Civil War, and a further 16 were exported to Greece. By September 1939, Hs 126 production was in full swing, and soon the Hs 126B-1 was available, powered by the originally intended Fafnir 323 radial, offering better performance. Radio equipment was also upgraded, with the FuG 17 VHF set as standard. Thirteen reconnais*sance squadrons of Hs 126s took part in the Polish campaign in September 1939. In addition to their traditional roles of army co*operation, battlefield reconnaissance and artillery spotting, they also strafed and bombed Polish positions. In the absence of effective air defense, the Hs 126 could operate with relative impunity. Hs 126s were next in action over France, performing reconnais*sance missions along the Maginot Line in late 1939. However, by the time the Luftwaffe turned on France in earnest, in May 1940, the Hs 126 was beginning to prove easy meat for fighters. Production of the aircraft slowed dramatically with the decision to procure the Fw 189 for the battlefield reconnaissance role, and the last aircraft was deliv*ered in January 1941. 

While the Aufklärungsstaffel (H) waited for the Fw 189, the Hs126s flew in North Africa, and the Russian front. After the re-equipment with newer types from the spring of 1942, the displaced Hs 126s relegated to second-line duties. Among these was the towing of DFS 230 gliders. From the autumn of 1942, a handful was used as night harassment aircraft by the Nachtschlachtgruppen. Two such units operated in the Balkans, operating a few examples of the aircraft right until the last days of the war. 

Source: Henschel Hs 126 Nachbau

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## vikingBerserker (Dec 14, 2011)

That really looks like a fun plane to fly.

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## gekho (Dec 16, 2011)

Henschel was a German locomotive manufacturer. Soon after Hitler's rise to power, Henschel decided to start designing aircraft, one of the first being the Hs 123. The aircraft was designed to meet the 1933 dive bomber requirements for the reborn Luftwaffe. Both Henschel and rival Fieseler (with the Fi 98) competed for the production contract requirement, which specified a single-seat biplane dive-bomber. General Ernst Udet, a World War I ace, flew the first Hs 123V1 prototype on its first public demonstration fight on 8 May 1935. The first three Henschel prototypes, powered by 650 hp (485 kW) BMW 132A-3 engines, were tested at Rechlin in August 1936. Only the first prototype had "smooth" cowlings, from that point on, all aircraft had a tightly-fitting cowling that included 18 fairings covering the engine valves. The Henschel prototypes did away with bracing wires and although they looked slightly outdated with their single faired interplane struts and cantilever main landing gears attached to smaller (stub) lower wings, the Hs 123 featured an all-metal construction, clean lines and superior maneuverability. Its biplane wings were of a "sesquiplane" configuration, whereby the lower wings were significantly smaller than the top wings.

The overall performance of the Hs 123 V1 prototype prematurely eliminated any chances for the more conventional Fi 98 which was cancelled after a sole prototype had been constructed. During testing, the Hs 123 proved capable of pulling out of "near-vertical" dives, however, two prototypes subsequently crashed due to structural failures in the wings that occurred when the aircraft were tested in high-speed dives. The fourth prototype incorporated improvements to cure these problems, principally, stronger centre-section struts were fitted. After it had been successfully tested, the Hs 123 was ordered into production with an 880 hp (656 kW) BMW 132Dc engine. The Hs 123 was intended to replace the Heinkel He 50 biplane reconnaissance and dive bomber as well as acting as a "stop-gap" measure until the Junkers Ju 87 became available. As such, production was limited and no upgrades were considered, although an improved version, the Hs 123B was developed by Henschel in 1938. A proposal to fit the aircraft with a more powerful (960 hp (716 kW) "K"-variant of its BMW 132 engine did not proceed beyond the prototype stage, the Hs 123 V5. The V6 prototype fitted with a similar powerplant and featuring a sliding cockpit hood was intended to serve as the Hs 123C prototype. Nonetheless, production of the type ended in October 1938 with less than 1000 aircraft in all series.

A small pre-production batch of Hs 123A-0s was completed in 1936 for service evaluation by the Luftwaffe. This initial group was followed by the slightly modified Hs 123A-1 series, the first production examples. The service aircraft flew with an armoured headrest and fairing in place (a canopy was tested in the Hs 123V6) as well as removable main wheel spats and a faired tailwheel. The main weapon load of four SC50 110 lb (50 kg) bombs could be carried in lower wing racks along with an additional SC250 550 lb (250 kg) bomb mounted on a "crutch" beneath the fuselage. The usual configuration was to install an auxiliary fuel "drop" tank at this station that was jettisoned in emergencies. Two MG 17 machine guns (7.92 mm/0.312 in) were mounted in the nose synchronized to fire through the propeller arc. The aircraft entered service at StG 162 in autumn 1936. Its career as a dive bomber was cut short when the unit received its first Ju 87A the next year. Remaining Hs 123s were incorporated into the temporary Fliegergeschwader 100 at the time of the Munich Crisis. The Geschwader (wing) had been created as an emergency measure, equipped with obsolete aircraft and tasked with the ground attack role. With the signing of the Munich agreement, the crisis was over and the Geschwader was disbanded, the Gruppen being transferred to other established units. By 1939, despite its success in Spain, the Luftwaffe considered the Hs 123 obsolete and the Schlachtgeschwader (close-support wings) had been disbanded with only one Gruppe, II.(Schl)/LG2 still equipped with the Hs 123.

Source: Luftwaffe Resource Center - A Warbirds Resource Group Site - Henschel Hs 123


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## gekho (Dec 16, 2011)

Developed to replace the He 59, the Heinkel He 115 floatplane prototype was flown during 1936. Its two machine-guns were then removed, their positions faired over, and on 30 March 1938 the aircraft set eight payload/speed records. The second prototype was similar, the third introduced the 'glasshouse' canopy which became standard, and the fourth was the production prototype with float/ fuselage bracing wires replaced by struts. The He 115s were used by coastal reconnaissance squadrons of the Luftwaffe, and after the outbreak of World War II were deployed to drop parachute mines in British waters. Four reached the UK from Norway, three being modified later for clandestine operations to Norway and the Mediterranean.


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 16, 2011)

Excellent!


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## gekho (Dec 17, 2011)

As mentioned, the Hs-123 was seen strictly as an interim solution, though it would turn out to be far more useful than might have been expected. As for the long-term solution, the RLM issued a specification in January 1935 and four firms submitted proposals, including Arado, Ha, Heinkel, and Junkers. The Arado and Ha proposals were rejected, leading to a flight evaluation between the Junkers "Ju-87" and the Heinkel "He-118". The He-118 did badly in trials at the Luftwaffe test center at Rechlin, and the Ju-87 was selected as the winner of the competition. The Ju-87 not only won the flyoff, it would become one of the most famous Luftwaffe aircraft of World War II, and the service's most famous attack aircraft. Despite the fact that "Stuka" actually referred to any dive bomber, such as the Hs-123, the name would effectively become the exclusive property of the Ju-87. The first prototype of the Stuka, the "Ju-87 V1", had performed its initial flight in the spring of 1934. It was designed by an engineering team under Hermann Pohlmann. Professor Hugo Junkers, the founder of the firm, had little directly to do with the effort, having been removed from the company in May 1933 for his anti-Nazi views and other reasons. The government took over control of the firm and Junkers was sent off to forced retirement in Bavaria, where he would die on 3 February 1935.

The Ju-87 V1 was not a very pretty aircraft -- none of its descendants would be, either -- featuring:

A somewhat untidy nose containing an inline, water-cooled engine.

A high-set canopy for a pilot and a rearward-facing gunner / radio operator.

A braced tail with twin tailfins.

An inverted gull wing, with a flap inboard and in mid-span, and an aileron outboard on each wing.

Fixed landing gear, with the main gear in oversized pant-type fairings. 

Since German industry couldn't deliver the needed powerplant at the time, the Ju-87 V1 was fitted with a British Rolls Royce 12-cylinder, supercharged, liquid-cooled vee Kestrel engine with 391 kW (525 HP), as was the first prototype of the famous Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighter. The Kestrel engine drove a two-bladed fixed wooden prop. Engine cooling proved problematic, and so the V1 was refitted with a larger chin radiator, which did nothing to improve its looks. The second prototype, the "Ju-87 V2", featured a Junkers Jumo 210Aa 12-cylinder liquid-cooled vee engine with 455 kW (610 HP) driving a three-bladed variable pitch propeller. The V2 was originally designed with the twin-fin tail, until the V1 went into a spin during a dive and crashed, killing the pilot, Willy Neuenhofen, and an observer who happened to be in the back seat for the ride. The V2 was completed with a single tailfin, which increased the aircraft's length slightly. It was also fitted with underwing dive brakes, in the form of a pivoting slat under the leading edge of the wing outboard of the main landing gear. The lack of dive brakes had been a contributing factor to the loss of the V1. The V2 was rolled out in March 1936. 

The V2 was quickly followed by the "Ju-87 V3". The V3's major changes from the V2 was a lowering of the Jumo engine to improve the pilot's forward view over the nose, plus a larger rudder and a tailplane with small endplate fins. The flight test program for the Stuka went on through mid-1936 and the aircraft proved very satisfactory. It did have its opponents but it was approved for production, with the backing of Ernst Udet, by then a senior RLM official, heavily contributing to the aircraft's political success. The fact that Udet had been forced to "hit the silk" when the He-118 prototype broke up in mid-air no doubt influenced his thinking on the matter. The "Ju-87 V4", completed in the late fall of 1936, was close to production spec, featuring such improvements as a further lowered engine; a bigger tailfin and rudder; revised landing gear pants; a modified rear canopy; and full operational kit. It led to directly to the preproduction "Ju-87A-0" machine, with the first of ten delivered before the end of 1936. The Ju-87A-0 was much like the V4, but featured an uprated Jumo 210Ca engine with 475 kW (640 HP) plus a slightly reprofiled wing to simplify manufacturing, eliminating a leading-edge "kink" that had been featured in the four prototype aircraft. The Ju-87A-0 led in turn to the "Ju-87A-1" full production variant, with initial deliveries to the Luftwaffe in early 1937. The two variants were generally identical externally, the only difference being that the Ju-87A-1 featured changes in airframe construction, also to simplify manufacturing. Three Ju-87A-1s were provided to the Kondor Legion, proving devastatingly effective in attacks on Republican shipping and ground targets. The Luftwaffe's enthusiasm for the Stuka increased accordingly. Incidentally, although Kondor Legion aircraft such as the Hs-123 and the Bf-109 were often passed on to the Nationalists, the Germans kept the Ju-87 strictly to themselves, even refusing to allow the Nationalists to inspect them, and the Spaniards never flew them.


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## gekho (Dec 17, 2011)

The Ju-87A-1 was of metal stressed-skin construction and was very ruggedly built, a basic requirement for a dive bomber considering the flight stresses and combat environment it faced. Its handling was excellent and it was very responsive to its controls. It was, unsurprising given its cluttered lines, not very fast, even in a dive. Armament consisted of a single fixed forward-firing MG-17 7.9 millimeter (0.311 caliber) machine gun in the right wing; an MG-15 of the same caliber on a flexible mount in the rear of the cockpit; and a single 250 kilogram (550 pound) bomb on a belly crutch. A 500 kilogram (1,100 pound) bomb could be carried if the rear gunner was left behind. In a dive bombing attack, the pilot would fly until the target disappeared under the left wingroot. He would then shut the engine cooling vents; set the propeller to coarse pitch; open the airbrakes; and nose over to the left to dive at about an 85% angle. Red lines painted on the canopy side panels helped the pilot determine the proper bombing angle. Bomb release was a matter of pilot judgement, with the bomb swinging out on its crutch before release. An automatic flight assistance system was fitted to help the pilot deal with the stressful pull-out maneuver after bomb release. The Stuka was said to be very comfortable in a dive, and pilots didn't have the perception that they were falling past the vertical as they did in other dive bombers. The Ju-87A-1 was followed by the "Ju-87A-2", which was similar but featured a Jumo 210Da engine with 507 kW (680 HP) plus an improved propeller with broader blades, as well as updated radio gear. By May 1938, there were about 200 Ju-87A-1s and Ju-87A-2s had been built and were in Luftwaffe service, staffing four "Stukagruppen", relegating most of the Hs-123As to second-line roles.

However, by this time the Luftwaffe was receiving numbers of the much improved B-series Stuka, which featured:

The new, more powerful Junkers Jumo 211 engine.

A completely reengineered fuselage.

A still larger tailfin.

Sliding canopy elements, replacing the side-hinged elements of earlier variants,

Neat spat fairings replacing the pants fairings on the main gear. 

Considerable attention had been paid to making the machine easier to maintain in the field.

A Ju-87A-1 was fitted with the Jumo 211 engine for evaluation in early 1938, with this machine redesignated "Ju-87 V6", leading to a more extensive modification designated the "Ju-87 V7", which was the prototype for the B-series. It led to a batch of ten "Ju-87B-0" preproduction machines, which led in turn to the initial "Ju-87B-1" full production machine. Although the V7 prototype and the preproduction Ju-87B-0 were fitted with the Jumo 211A engine with 746 kW (1,000 HP), the Ju-87B-1 featured a fuel-injected Jumo 211Da engine with 895 kW (1,200 HP), providing almost twice as much power as the Jumo 210Da of the Ju-87A-2. A Ju-87B-1 could carry two crew and a 500 kilogram (1,100 pound) bomb on the belly crutch; or a 250 kilogram (550 pound) bomb on the belly crutch and four 50 kilogram (110 pound) bombs on wing racks. A second MG-17 gun was fitted in the left wing, giving the Ju-87B-1 a total of two forward-firing guns; the rearward-firing MG-15 was retained. Five early production machines were sent to Spain, where they proved even more effective than the three Ju-87A-1s sent there earlier, though one of the B-1s was lost in action. The Ju-87B-1 quickly replaced the A-series in frontline service, with A-series machines relegated to training roles. Manufacturing and engineering for the type was passed on from the Junkers plant in Dessau to the Weser firm, with its plant at the Berlin Tempelhof airport; Weser built 557 Ju-87B-1s.


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## gekho (Dec 17, 2011)

There were still some doubters about the Ju-87 in the German military when World War II broke out in September 1939, but the Stuka proved its worth in the invasion of Poland. The Luftwaffe's nine Stukagruppen had a total of 322 B-series Stukas in service for the campaign, 13 having been lost just before the beginning of the conflict during a demonstration that was interrupted by a ground fog that arose abruptly. In any case, the Stuka proved entirely devastating, performing strikes at the opening of the offensive, sinking most of the Polish Navy's vessels, almost annihilating a Polish infantry division that was caught changing trains, and smashing Polish resistance in front of German ground forces. The Stuka was part of the emerging "Blitzkrieg (Lightning War)" tactics developed by German generals such as Heinz Guderian: fast-moving armored columns would move rapidly through enemy defenses, communicating with Stukas over radios for the removal of obstacles to the advance. B-series Stukas were usually fitted with a prop-driven siren on the front of each main gear spat, using the wail of these "Trumpets of Jericho" to terrorize enemy troops in attacks. The sirens were apparently Ernst Udet's idea. They were sometimes removed since they cut the aircraft's top speed and gave warning that it was coming, but the ugly Stuka and its banshee wail became one of the most feared symbols of Nazi power, and remains so even today, exceeded only by the swastika in its notoriety. By the end of 1939, the Ju-87B-1 had been replaced on the production line by the "Ju-87B-2", the first new variant to be built by Weser. The Ju-87B-2 was similar to the Ju-87B-1 but had:

A slightly uprated Jumo 211D engine.

An improved propeller with broader blades.

Ejector exhausts to provide a slight amount of thrust.

Hydraulically-operated radiator cooling gills. 

The Ju-87B-2 could carry a 1,000 kilogram (2,200 pound) bomb if the back-seater was left behind. A number of factory conversion kits, or "Umruest-Bausaetze", were created for the Ju-87B-2, resulting in several subvariant modifications:

The "Ju-87B-2/U2" featured an improved radio.

The "Ju-87B-2/U3" featured increased armor protection for the close-support role.

The "Ju-87B-2/U4" featured ski landing gear for winter operations. 

A "tropicalized" modification, the "Ju-87B-2/Trop", was built for service in North Africa, and featured sand filters plus a desert survival kit. The same conversion kits were used with the Ju-87B-1, and similar conversion kits would also be available for later Stuka versions.


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## gekho (Dec 17, 2011)

During the invasion of France in May 1940, the Stuka proved as terrifying as it had in Poland, helping to bring about the quick collapse of French resistance. However, this was the high tide of the Stuka. During the Battle of Britain over the summer of 1940, the Ju-87 proved far too vulnerable to British Royal Air Force (RAF) fighters. One out of five Stukas was shot down and the type was withdrawn from the effort on 19 August 1940. There had been a faction in the Luftwaffe that had recognized even before the outbreak of war that the Stuka was an obsolescent aircraft and likely to suffer heavily in the face of effective air opposition. Reichsmarshal Hermann Goering, head of the Luftwaffe, had sided with the advocates of the Stuka, but now the beliefs of the doubters were starting to prove justified. The writing was on the wall for the Ju-87, though its career was far from over. After the Stuka's bloodying in the Battle of Britain, it went on to achieve its former successes in the Mediterranean theater. Stukas badly damaged the Royal Navy carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS on 10 January 1941, and sank the cruiser HMS SOUTHAMPTON on 11 January. The Ju-87 also put in very useful service in the capture of the Balkans and Crete in the spring of 1941. Stukas devastated Royal Navy vessels during the Crete campaign, helping to send the cruiser HMS GLOUCESTER to the bottom; also sinking the destroyers GREYHOUND, KELLEY, and KASHMIR; and badly damaging several other RN ships.

The Ju-87 also proved highly effective in North Africa, at least initially. With the invasion of the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941, the Stuka was as destructive as ever, leading the Blitzkrieg deep into the USSR while Red air power was completely crushed. Red Army troops nicknamed it the "Musician" or "Screecher". At that time, Junkers was working on the definitive "Ju-87D" series. The initial "Ju-87D-1" subvariant featured a Jumo 211J-1 engine with 1,045 kW (1,400 HP), driving a new VS-11 propeller. The new engine permitted a much cleaner installation than its predecessors, and the airframe was redesigned accordingly with a new engine cooling scheme, eliminating the older "broken nose" appearance of the Stuka. An entirely new canopy with better aerodynamics was fitted; the main landing gear fairings were reduced in size and tidied up. The fairings would actually be generally removed in service, since they didn't provide much improvement in speed and were a nuisance in muddy field operations. The tailfin was once again enlarged. Greater engine power also permitted more protective armor and fuel capacity, with the Ju-87D-1 featuring the outer wing tanks pioneered by the Ju-87R series. The Ju-87D-1 retained the twin fixed forward MG-17 guns, but replaced the single MG-15 gun in the rear with twin MG-81 guns of the same caliber, ganged together side-by-side on a common flexible mount, for a total of four guns. The MG-81 had a faster rate of fire than the MG-15, and had belt instead of magazine feed. (Very early production apparently had twin rear MG-17 guns instead.)

The Ju-87D-1 could carry a 1,800 kilogram (3,970 pound) bomb over short ranges, and the airframe and bomb crutch were reinforced appropriately. A more typical bombload was a 1,000 kilogram (2,200 pound) bomb on the crutch and two 50 kilogram (110 pound) bombs under each wing, though when used in the close-support role the wings were usually fitted with "Waffenbehaelter (weapons containers)", including a container with six MG-81 machines guns, or a container with twin 20 millimeter MG-FF cannon. As with the Hs-123, cluster munitions with butterfly bombs were also a popular weapon for schlacht missions; the container was released and promptly disintegrated, to scatter its munitions over a wide area. 

The Ju-87D-1 began to replace the Ju-87B-2 in production in mid-1942 and was put to use in combat in the East and in North Africa (in the form of the "Ju-87D-1/Trop" modification). A similar variant, the "Ju-87D-2", was built in parallel, differing only in having a strengthened rear fuselage and a stronger tailwheel with a glider tow attachment, to be used in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Production was heavy enough to allow the D-series to replace the less capable B-series in frontline units. The D-series was mostly used in the close-support role, since it was tough and could carry and deliver a lethal warload, though it had to dodge enemy fighters by hiding at low level if fighter cover wasn't available. By this time, the sunshine days of the Stuka were clearly over. In the first year of the war in the East the Red Air Force had been ineffective, but by mid-1942 Soviet air power was beginning to recover. At the same time, Allied air power in North Africa was beginning to make itself painfully felt against the Ju-87. By 1943 the Stuka was clearly on the defensive on all fronts, unable to survive in the face of effective fighter opposition.

The D-series Stuka had been regarded as the end of the line, an interim solution to be manufactured until something better was available. Production of the Stuka had tapered off through 1941, with a total of only 476 Stukas of all types delivered in that year. Unfortunately for the Reich, it quickly became apparent that nothing better was going to be available any time soon. The planned replacement, the Messerschmitt Me-210 twin-engine heavy fighter and attack aircraft, turned out to be almost completely "snakebitten", requiring a long time and a lot of effort to work out its bugs. It was ultimately produced in relatively small numbers as the much more workable "Me-410", but it was a case of too little and much too late. Stuka production ramped back up again, heavily, in 1942, with 917 D-series machines delivered; 1,844 were delivered in 1943.

Manufacturing had moved on to the "Ju-87D-3" in late 1942, with this variant featured improved armor protection to optimize for the schlacht role. It did retain the underwing dive brakes, but had no bomb crutch and no sirens. Some Ju-87D-3s were converted to "Ju-87D-4" torpedo bombers, but they were not used operationally and were later converted back to Ju-87D-3 configuration. The Ju-87D-3 was used in experiments with personnel pods, with one such pod carried on the top of each wing outboard of the landing gear. Two people could ride in tandem in each pod, and in principle the pods could be released in a shallow dive, to deploy parachutes for a soft landing. The whole scheme was questionable and though the Stuka was evaluated with the pods, apparently they were never paradropped. Since the Stuka had undergone the "weight creep" that typically afflicts combat aircraft over their evolution, its wing loading had become unacceptable, and in early 1943 production moved on in turn to the "Ju-87D-5", which featured distinctive "pointed" extended wingtips to improve handling, as well as the jettisonable landing gear developed for the Ju-87C series. The dive brakes were deleted after initial Ju-87D-5 production since it was used almost exclusively in the schlacht role. The two forward-firing MG-17 machine guns were also replaced with twin MG-151/20 20 millimeter cannon.

Confronted with a hostile air environment, by mid-1943 the Stuka was limited mostly to night operations. The Ju-87D-5 had no particular optimizations for flying at night, with pilots coming in low and slow and dropping antipersonnel bombs on clusters of incautious Allied troops. The Luftwaffe learned this trick from the Soviets, who had become fond of using little Po-2 biplanes on such harassment raids earlier in the war. Although a "Ju-87D-6" subvariant was planned, with the focus apparently being the simplification of manufacturing, it was not built. The next variant, the "Ju-87D-7", was a Ju-87D-5 with night flight instrumentation and long flame-damper exhausts to hide the exhaust glow from the pilot or potential enemies. The Ju-87D-7 also featured a further uprated Jumo 211P engine with 1,118 kW (1,500 HP). There was also a "Ju-87D-8" variant, which was a conversion of the Ju-87D-5 to Ju-87D-7 specification. A "Ju-87E" torpedo-bomber was considered, but was cancelled after Germany gave up work on aircraft carriers in early 1943. The D-series Stukas were the last new-build Ju-87s, with the last of them rolled out in September 1944. Total production of all variants amounted to over 5,700 machines

Source: http://www.vectorsite.net/avstuka.html


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## gekho (Dec 18, 2011)

Largest flying-boat to achieve production status during World War II, the six-engine Blohm und Voss Bv 222 Viking was designed in 1936 to provide Deutsche Lufthansa with a 24- passenger airliner for the North and South Atlantic routes, but it was not until 7 September 1940 that the first prototype Bv 222 VI was first flown by Flugkapitan Helmut Wasa Rodig. Flying characteristics were pronounced good and the first operation for the Luftwaffe was flown by a civilian crew between Hamburg and Kirkenes, Norway, on 10 July 1941. Usually escorted by a pair of Messerchmitt Bf 110 fighters the Bv 222 VI, with six Bramo Fafnir radials, then started flying regular supply missions across the Mediterranean for German forces in North Africa. Several narrow escapes from Allied fighters emphasized the need for some defensive armament and the second and subsequent prototypes included a number of gun positions, while the Bv 222 VI was fitted with seven single 7.92mm and 13mm machine-guns, and under each wing a gondola mounting a pair of the latter. The Bv 222 V3 featured gun turrets on top of the wing between the outboard engines, each with a 20mm cannon. By March 1943 a total of seven transport prototypes had been completed, all with armament variations; all served with Lufttransportstaffel See 222 (LTS See 222) in the Mediterranean, three being lost (two shot down by fighters and one sunk after striking a buoy while landing at Athens). The remaining aircraft, the Bv 222 V2, Bv 222 V3, Bv 222 V4 and Bv 222 V5, were converted for maritime reconnaissance and served with Fliegerfuhrer Atlantik, some with FuG 200 search radar; the Bv 222 V3 and Bv 222 V5 were destroyed at their moorings at Biscarosse by Allied fighters in June 1943, and another aircraft was shot down by an Avro Lancaster over the Bay of Biscay in the following October. The Bv 222 V7 was the prototype of the production version, the Bv 222C, of which five examples were completed with six 746kW Junkers Jumo 205D or 207C diesel inlines and a total armament of three 20mm and five 13mm guns. Of these one was shot down by a British night-fighter near Biscarosse and another was hit by strafing Mustangs at Travemunde; the Bv 222 V2 was destroyed during the Allied reoccupation of Norway; two others were sunk by their crews at the end of the war, two were flown to the USA and one was ferried to the UK after the end of hostilities. 

Source: Blohm und Voss BV.222 Viking - flying boat


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## gekho (Dec 18, 2011)

In 1930 Germany was still nominally operating under the treaty of Versailles prohibiting them from developing military hardware. When Ernest Heinkel was developing this aircraft its true military nature was concealed by classifying it as a civilian aircraft. The aircraft was under development for the German Navy as a twin engined float plane constructed of various materials. The wing contained a wooden main spar with plywood and fabric covering while the fuselage was fabric around a steel frame and the tail planes were covered with light weight metal sheets.
The floats doubled as fuel tanks capable of holding 900 liters each. Even when combined with the internal fuel capacity the aircraft was still deemed to have insufficient range. While the aircraft was considered pleasant to fly it was seriously under powered. Between 1931 and 1939 one hundred forty two aircraft were manufactured and used in several roles. Some were used as trainers, some were used as torpedo bombers and most importantly, some were used as air/sea rescue aircraft. During the first months of World War II they were used to lay mines and during the Battle of Britain they were used to recover Luftwaffe pilots downed in the channel. One of the most famous and most colorful aircraft was D-ARYX, a He-59B in all white with red crosses used for SAR duty during the Battle of Britain. All examples of these aircraft were destroyed during the war and all that is left are some black and white pictures taken by crew members during their days of service.


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## gekho (Dec 19, 2011)

Intended to replace Heinkel's own He 60, the Heinkel He 114 was developed originally as a private venture. Five prototypes, flown in 1936 and 1937, were powered by a variety of engines, including the 716kW Daimler-Benz DB 600, the 477kW Junkers Jumo 210, the 656kW BMW 132Dc and the 716kW BMW 132K. Ten pre-production He 114A-0 aircraft were built, with the BMW 132Dc engine, which was adopted also for the 33 He 114A-1 trainers. A development aircraft with a BMW 132K engine, flown on 16 February 1937, preceded the similarly-powered He 114A-2 which was the first operational version, armed with a fixed forward-firing 7.92mm MG 17 machine-gun and an identical weapon mounted in the observer's cockpit. Export orders comprised 14 He 114A-2s for Sweden as the He 114B-1, and six He 114B-2 aircraft for Romania (three with DB 600 engines and three with Jumo 210s). Romania also bought 12 He 114B-2S with BMW 132K engines. Fourteen He 114C-1 aircraft, with an additional fixed MG 17, were supplied to the Luftwaffe. The type saw limited war-time service, although production ceased in 1939, and some were armed with up to four 50kg bombs. 

Source: Heinkel He 114 - maritime bomber, recon


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## Gnomey (Dec 19, 2011)

Nice shots!


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 26, 2011)

I agree!


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## gekho (Jan 31, 2012)

The elegant Do 26, sometimes referred to as the "most beautiful flying-boat ever built", was of all-metal construction. The hull had a central keel and a defined step, and the wings were of gull wing configuration, the outer sections being equipped with fully retractable narrow stabilising wing-floats, instead of Dornier's famous "water-wing" sponsons extending from the lower hull for lateral stabilization. Its four engines, Junkers Jumo 205C diesel engines, were mounted in tractor/pusher pairs in tandem nacelles located at the joint between the dihedral and horizontal wing sections. The rear (pusher) engines could be swung upwards through 10° during take-off and landing, to prevent contact between the three-blade airscrew and water spray created by the forward propellers. The tail unit was of conventional design, comprising a horizontal tailplane and a single, vertical fin with rudder.

In 1937, Deutsche Lufthansa ordered three Do 26 aircraft, which were designed to be launched by catapult from special supply ships, for transatlantic air mail purposes. The first, Do 26 A D-AGNT V1 Seeadler ("Sea eagle") was piloted on its maiden flight by Flight Captain Erich Gundermann on 21 May 1938; D-AWDS V2 Seefalke ("Sea Falcon") followed on 23 November 1938, piloted by Flight Captain Egon Fath. Both were completed and handed over to Deutsche Lufthansa before the outbreak of World War II. Due to opposition from the United States, Deutsche Lufthansa was unable to operate these aircraft on the intended transatlantic route; instead, in 1939 they were used to carry air mail between Bathurst and Natal in South Africa. The third aircraft, Do 26 B D-ASRA Seemöwe ("Seagull") was completed shortly before the start of World War II. One notable Do 26 civilian mission was carried out by V2 Seefalke, when on 14 February 1939 the veteran Lufthansa pilot Flight Captain Siegfried Graf Schack von Wittenau embarked on a mercy flight to Chile, taking 580 kg (1,279 lb) of medical supplies for earthquake victims in Chile. The 10,700 km (6,600 mi) flight lasted 36 hours.


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## gekho (Jan 31, 2012)

All three Deutsche Lufthansa aircraft were impressed into military service in 1939 at the outbreak of World War II, as P5+AH, P5+BH and P5+CH respectively. Three further Do 26 aircraft (V4 - V6) were built as Do 26 C for the Luftwaffe with the more powerful 648 kW (880 hp) Junkers Jumo 205D engines; the original three aircraft were similarly converted for military service. Armament consisted of one 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon and three 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine guns. The Do 26s saw service in April-May 1940 in the Norwegian Campaign, transporting supplies, troops and wounded to and from the isolated German forces fighting at Narvik under the command of General Eduard Dietl. During this campaign three of them were lost: On 8 May 1940, V2 (ex Seefalke) was shot down by three Blackburn Skuas of 803 Naval Air Squadron operating from the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal[4] while carrying 18 Gebirgsjägers to the Narvik front. After a running fight V2 crash-landed in Efjorden in Ballangen. Siegfried Graf Schack von Wittenau, the crew and 18 soldiers were captured in bloody fighting with Norwegian forces. One of the Skuas, flown by future Fleet Air Arm fighter ace Sub-Lieutenant Philip Noel Charlton, was hit by return fire from V2 and made an emergency landing at Tovik near Harstad.

Then, on 28 May 1940, both V1 (ex Seeadler) and V3 (ex Seemöwe) were set ablaze with gunfire and sunk at their moorings at Sildvik in Rombaksfjord near Narvik, when discovered and attacked by three Hurricanes of No. 46 Squadron RAF led by the New Zealander Flight Lieutenant (later Group Captain) P.G. "Pat" Jameson, DSO, DFC and bar shortly after landing. Three mountain guns destined for the German forces fighting in the mountains east of Narvik were lost with the destruction of V1 and V3, whilst one gun was recovered from one of the aircraft before it was lost. V5 was lost on 16 November 1940 , killing its crew, after being launched at night from the catapult ship Friesenland in Brest, France. The fate of V4 and V6, which in 1944 were still assigned to the Test Unit (German: Erprobungsstelle) in Travemünde, is unclear.


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## Gnomey (Feb 1, 2012)

Good stuff!


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## proton45 (Feb 4, 2012)

This is a cool topic...I have a soft spot for reconnaissance and liaison aircraft. I have always felt that reconnaissance and liaison pilots (artillery spotters) where the overlooked hero's of WW2. It wasn't a glorious (movie star) job, but they did so much to save lives and shorten the war.


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## Erich (Feb 25, 2013)

Auch du unless I am amiss I do not see the Ju 290 of FAGr 5 fame listed for it's armed recon duties which it excelled at. we should continue this thread Gents.........


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## Erich (Feb 26, 2013)

nice LW losses page for the North

Luftwaffe Loss Register - The Nordic area - Part 1 Seaplanes


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## johnbr (Aug 25, 2017)

*Focke Wulf fw-189 being made.




*

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## johnbr (Aug 25, 2017)

Blohm



Voss 141

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## Wurger (Aug 25, 2017)




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## Old Wizard (Aug 25, 2017)




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## Wayne Little (Aug 26, 2017)

like the weirdness of the Bv141....


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## johnbr (Aug 28, 2017)




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## Old Wizard (Aug 29, 2017)




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## Wurger (Aug 29, 2017)




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## johnbr (Oct 7, 2017)

Bv-141 v-1

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## Wurger (Oct 8, 2017)




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## Old Wizard (Oct 8, 2017)




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## johnbr (Aug 3, 2018)

Fw-189


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## Gnomey (Aug 12, 2018)

Good shots!


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## johnbr (Oct 16, 2018)



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## johnbr (Oct 28, 2018)




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## Wurger (Oct 28, 2018)




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## johnbr (Oct 28, 2018)




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## Wurger (Oct 28, 2018)




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## johnbr (Dec 27, 2018)

*Fw-189 (Rama) after a forced landing on the snow*


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## johnbr (Dec 27, 2018)




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## johnbr (Dec 31, 2018)



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## Wurger (Dec 31, 2018)




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## Gnomey (Jan 3, 2019)

Good stuff!


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## johnbr (Jan 6, 2019)

Captured by Soviet troops at the Kotelnikovo airfield, the German tactical reconnaissance aircraft Focke-Wulf Fw.189 “Uhu


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