# German Bombers and Transport Aircraft



## gekho (May 2, 2010)

Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956. Since the Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany from having an air force, German pilots had to be trained in secret from the Treaty of Versailles. Initially, civil aviation schools within Germany were used, yet only light training planes could be used in order to maintain the facade that the trainees were going to fly with civil airlines such as Lufthansa. To train its pilots on the latest combat aircraft, Germany solicited the help of its future enemy, the USSR, which was also isolated in Europe. A secret training airfield was established at Lipetsk in 1924 and operated for approximately nine years using mostly Dutch and Russian, but also some German, training aircraft before being closed in 1933. This base was officially known as 4th squadron of the 40th wing of the Red Army.

On 26 February 1935, Adolf Hitler ordered Hermann Göring to establish the Luftwaffe, breaking the Treaty of Versailles's ban on German military aviation. Germany violated the treaty without sanction from Britain, France, or the League of Nations, and neither they nor the league did anything to oppose this. Although the new air force was to be run totally separately from the army, it retained the tradition of according army ranks for its officers and airmen, a tradition retained today by united Germany's Luftwaffe and by many air forces throughout the world. It is worth noting, however, that before the official promulgation of Göring's new Luftwaffe in 1935, Germany had a paramilitary air force known as the Deutscher Luftsportverband (DLV: German air sports union). The DLV was headed by Ernst Udet and its insignia were taken over by the new Luftwaffe, although the DLV "ranks" had special names that made them sound more civilian than military. Dr. Fritz Todt, the engineer who founded the forced labor Organisation Todt, was appointed to the rank of Generalmajor in the Luftwaffe. He was not, strictly speaking, an airman, although he had served in an observation squadron during World War I and had been awarded the Iron Cross. He died in a plane crash in February 1942.

National Socialist Party came to power, the eagle held between his claws the symbol of the party—the swastika (an old symbol of sunrise)—which was usually enveloped by an oak wreath. Göring rejected the old heraldic eagle because he felt it was too stylized, too static, and too massive; instead he chose a younger, more natural and lighter eagle with wings spread as if in flight, as he considered this a more suitable symbol for an air force. While the Wehrmacht eagle held the symbol of the National Socialist Party firmly in its claws, the Luftwaffe eagle held the swastika with only one claw while the other was bent in a threatening gesture.

The Luftwaffe attempted to incorporate all military units that had anything to do with air warfare. Given the strong nazi origin and influence in the Luftwaffe, this was seen as a way to increase nazi influence in the army (alongside the other project in this respect, the formation of SS divisions), as well as boosting the personal prestige of Göring. Thus the anti-aircraft (Flak) and airborne troops (Fallschirmjäger) fell under direct Luftwaffe command, and the navy (Kriegsmarine) never established its own air branch; naval aviation was executed by the Luftwaffe. Even the aircraft flown from the (never finished) aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin were intended to be operated by the Luftwaffe. By the middle of the war, when personnel assignments for the Luftwaffe were disproportionate to a shrinking amount of planes, the excess personnel was not transferred to the army (Heer), but instead organized into Luftwaffe Field Divisions in 1942. However, their performance as ground units was so poor that command was transferred to Heer in 1943, although they retained their name.

At the outset of the war, the Luftwaffe was one of the most modern, powerful, and experienced air forces in the world, dominating the skies over Europe with aircraft much more advanced than their foreign counterparts. The Luftwaffe was central to the German Blitzkrieg (lightning war) doctrine, as the close air support provided by various medium two-engine bombers, Stuka dive bombers and an overwhelming force of tactical fighters were key to several early successes. However, unlike the British and American Air Forces, the Luftwaffe never developed four-engine bombers in any significant numbers, and was thus unable to conduct an effective long-range strategic bombing campaign against either the Russians or the Western Allies.

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the most versatile and widely-produced fighter aircraft operated by the Luftwaffe and was designed when biplanes were still standard. Many versions of this aircraft were made. The engine, a liquid cooled Mercedes-Benz DB 601, initially generated up to almost 1,000 hp (750 kW). This power increased as direct fuel injection was introduced to the engines. The kill ratio (almost 9:1) made clear this plane was far superior than any of the other German fighters during the war. In this regard it was followed by the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 at 4:1. This plane had relatively short wings and was powered by a radial BMW engine. The Junkers Ju 87 Stuka was a main asset for Blitzkrieg, able to place bombs with deadly accuracy. The leader of the Luftwaffe was Hermann Göring, a World War I fighter ace and former commander of Manfred von Richthofen's famous JG 1 (aka "The Flying Circus") who had joined the Nazi party in its early stages.

In the second half of 1940, the Luftwaffe lost the Battle of Britain over the skies of England, the first all-air battle. Following the military failures on the Eastern Front, from 1942 onwards, the Luftwaffe went into a steady, gradual decline that saw it outnumbered and overwhelmed by the sheer number of Allied aircraft being deployed against it. Towards the end of the war, the Luftwaffe was no longer a major factor, and despite fielding advanced aircraft like the Messerschmitt Me 262, Heinkel He 162, Arado Ar 234, and Me 163 it was crippled by fuel shortages and a lack of trained pilots. There was also very little time to develop the new aircraft, and they could not be produced fast enough by the Germans, so the jet- and rocket-powered planes proved to be "too little too late".


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium bomber.

Perhaps the best-recognised German bomber due to the distinctive "greenhouse" nose of later versions, the Heinkel was the most numerous and the primary Luftwaffe bomber during the early stages of World War II. It fared well until the Battle of Britain, when its weak defensive armament, relatively low speed, and poor manoeuvrability left it exposed. Nevertheless it proved capable of sustaining heavy damage and remaining airborne. As the war progressed the He 111 was used in a variety of roles on every front in the European Theatre. It was used as a strategic bomber during the Battle of Britain, a torpedo bomber during the Battle of the Atlantic, and a medium bomber and a transport aircraft on the Western, Eastern, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and North African Fronts.

Although constantly upgraded, the Heinkel He 111 became obsolete during the latter part of the war. The He 111 was to have been replaced by the Luftwaffe's Bomber B project, but the delays and eventual cancellation of the project forced the Luftwaffe to continue using the He 111 until the end of the war. Manufacture ceased in 1944, at which point, piston-engine bomber production was largely halted in favour of fighter aircraft. With the German bomber force defunct, the He 111 was used in transport and logistics roles. The design of the Heinkel endured after the war in the CASA 2.111. Its airframe was produced in Spain under license by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA. The design differed significantly in powerplant only. The Heinkel's descendant continued in service until 1973, when it was retired.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

In the early 1930s Ernst Heinkel decided to build the world's fastest passenger plane, a goal met with scepticism by Germany's aircraft industry and political leadership. Heinkel entrusted development to Siegfried and Walter Günter, both fairly new to the company and untested. In June 1933 Albert Kesselring visited Heinkel's offices. Kesselring was head of the Luftwaffe Administration Office: at that point Germany did not have a State Aviation Ministry but only an aviation commissariat, the Luftfahrtkommissariat. Kesselring was hoping to build a new air force out of the Flying Corps being constructed in the Reichswehr and convinced Heinkel to move his factory from Warnemunde to Rostock and turn it over to mass production with a force of 3,000 employees who would produce the first He 111. Heinkel began a new design for civil use in response to new American types that were appearing, the Lockheed 12, Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2.

The first single-engined Heinkel He 70 Blitz ("Lightning") rolled off the line in 1932 and the type immediately started breaking records. In its normal four-passenger version its speed reached 380 km/h (230 mph), powered by a 447 kW (600 hp) BMW VI engine. The elliptical wing that the Günther brothers had already used in the Bäumer Sausewind sports plane before they joined Heinkel became a feature in this and many subsequent designs they developed. The design drew the interest of the Luftwaffe, which was looking for an aircraft with dual bomber/transport capabilities. The He 111 was a twin-engine version of the Blitz, preserving the elliptical inverted gull wing, small rounded control surfaces and BMW engines, so that the new design was often called the Doppel-Blitz ("Double Blitz"). When the Dornier Do 17 displaced the He 70, Heinkel needed a twin-engine design to match its competitors. Heinkel spent 200,000 hours developing it. The fuselage length was extended to just over 17.4 m/57 ft (from 11.7 m/38 ft 4½ in) and wingspan to 22.6 m/74 ft (from 14.6 m/48 ft).

The first He 111 flew on 24 February 1935, piloted by chief test pilot Gerhard Nitschke, who was ordered not to land at the company's factory airfield at Rostock-Marienehe, as this was considered too short, but at Rechlin. He ignored these orders and landed back at Marienehe. He said that the He 111 performed slow manoeuvres well and that there was no danger of overshooting the runway. Nitschke also praised its high speed "for the period" and "very good-natured flight and landing characteristics", stable during cruising, gradual descent and single-engined flight and having no nose-drop when the undercarriage was operated. However during the second test flight Nitschke revealed there was insufficient longitudinal stability during climb and flight at full power and the aileron controls required an unsatisfactory amount of force.

By the end of 1935, prototypes V2 V4 had been produced under civilian registrations D-ALIX, D-ALES and D-AHAO. D-ALES became the first prototype of the He 111A-1. On 10 January 1936, and received recognition as the "fastest aircraft in the world", as its speed exceeded 402 km/h (250 mph).[11] However, this was incorrect; the fastest aircraft at that time was the Macchi M.C.72, which broke the record in 1934. The design would have achieved a greater total speed had the DB 600 engines of 746 kW (1,000 hp) been added. However, German aviation industries lacked power plants with more than 447 kW (600 hp). Heinkel were forced to use the BMW VI glycol-cooled engine.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

Early civilian versions

The first prototype, He 111 V1 (W.Nr. 713, D-ADAP), first flew from Rostock-Marienehe on 24 February 1935. It was followed by the civilian-equipped V2 and V4 in May 1935. The V2 (W.Nr. 715, D-ALIX) used the bomb bay as a four-seat "smoking compartment", with another six seats behind it in the rear fuselage. V2 entered service with Lufthansa in 1936, along with six other newly-built versions known as the He 111 C. The He 111V4 was unveiled to the foreign press on 10 January 1936. Nazi propaganda inflated the performance of the He 111C, announcing its maximum speed as 400 km/h (249 mph), in reality its performance standing at 360 km/h (224 mph).[15] The He 111C-0 was a commercial version and took the form of the V4 prototpye design. The first machine, designated D-AHAO "Dresden". It was powered by the BMW VI engine and could manage a range (depending on the fuel capacity) of 1,000 km (621 mi) to 2,200 km (1,367 mi) and a maximum speed of 310 km/h (193 mph). The wing span on the C series was 22.6m (74 ft 1¾in). The fuselage dimesions stood at 17.1m (56 ft 1¾in) in the He 111V1, but changed in the C to 17.5m (57 ft 5in). The Jumo 205 diesel-type powerplant engine replaced the BMW VI. Nevertheless, the maximum speed remained in the 220–240 km/h (137-149 mph) bracket. This was increased slightly when the BMW 132 engines were introduced. A general problem existed in powerplants. The He 111 was equipped with BMW VI glycol-cooled engines. The German aviation industry lacked powerplants that could give an output more than 600hp. The engines that were of suitable quality were kept for military use, frustrating German airline Lufthansa and forcing it to rely on the BMW VI or 132s.

The He 111G was an upgraded variant and had a number of differences to its predecessors. To simplify production the leading edge of the wing was straightened, like the bomber version. Quite a few different engine types were used, among them the BMW 132, BMW VI, DB 600 and DB601A. Some C variants had been upgraded with the new wing modifications. A new BMW 132H engine was also used in a so-called Einheitstriebwerk (unitary powerplant). These radial engines were used in the Junkers Ju 90 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 200. The wing units and engines were packed together as complete operating systems, allowing for a quick change of engine. The He 111G was the most powerful as well as the fastest commercial version. The G-0 was given the BMW VI 6.0 ZU. Later variants had their powerplants vary. The G-3 for example was equipped with the BMW 132. The G-4 was powered by DB600G inline 950 hp engine and the G-5 was given the DB601A with a top speed of 410 km/h (255 mph). By early 1937, eight G variants were in Lufthansa service. The maximum number of He 111s in Lufthansa service was 12. The He 111 operated all over Europe and flew flights as far away as South Africa. Commercial development ended with the He 111G.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

The He 111Z was a design that entailed the merging of two He 111s. The design was originally conceived to tow the Messerschmitt Me 321 glider. Initially, four He 111H-6s were modified. This resulted in a twin-fuselage, five-engine aircraft. They were tested at Rechlin, and the pilots rated them highly. A batch of 10 were produced and five were built from existing H-6s. The machines were joined by a centre wing formed by two sections 6.15 m (20 ft) in length. The powerplants were five Jumo 211F engines at 1,000 kW (1,340 hp) each. Total fuel capacity was 8,570 L (2,260 US gal). This was increased with the addition of four 600 L (160 US gal) drop tanks. It could tow a Gotha Go 242 glider or Me 321 for up to 10 hours at cruising speed. It could also remain airborne if the three centralised powerplants failed. The He 111Z-2s and Z-3s were also planned as heavy bombers carrying 1,800 kg (3,970 lb) of bombs and having a range of 4,000 km (2,500 mi). The ETC extensions allowed for a further four 600 L (160 US gal) drop tanks to be installed.

The He 111Z-2 could carry four Henschel Hs 293 anti-shipping guided missile, which were guided by the FuG 203b Kehl III missile control equipment. With this load the He 111Z had a range of 1,094 km (680 mi) and a speed of 314 km/h (195 mph). Its maximum bombload was 7,200 kg (15,870 lb). To increase power the five Jumo 211F-2 powerplants were to be fitted with Hirth TK 11 superchargers. The armament was the same as the H-6 with the addition of one 20 mm MG 151/20 in a rotating gun-mount of the centre section. The variant did not display any convincing (stable) flight performance. The layout of the He 111Z had the pilot and his controls in the port fuselage only. Only the controls themselves and essential equipment remaining in the starboard section. The aircraft had a crew of seven; a pilot, first mechanic, radio operator and gunner in the port fuselage, and the observer, second mechanic and gunner in the starboard fuselage.

The Z-3 was to be a reconnaissance version and was to have additional fuel tanks increasing its range to 6,000 km (3,730 mi). Production was due to take place in 1944, just as bomber production was being abandoned. The long-range variant designs failed to come to fruition. The He 111Z was to have been used in an invasion of Malta in 1942 and as part of an airborne assault on the Soviet cities Astrakhan and Baku in the Caucasus in the same year. During the Battle of Stalingrad their use was cancelled due to insufficient airfield capacity. Later in 1943 it helped evacuate German equipment and personnel from the Caucasus region and during the Allied invasion of Sicily attempted to deliver reinforcements to the island. During operations, the He 111Z did not have enough power to lift a fully loaded Me 321. The He 111s in RATO (rocket assisted takeoff) units were supplemented by rocket pods. Two were mounted beneath each fuselage and one underneath each wing. This added 500 kg (1,100 lb) in weight, but gave additional thrust to the engines. The pods were then released by parachute after takeoff.[36] The He 111Z's operational history was minimal. One such machine was caught by RAF fighter aircraft over France on 14 March 1944. The He 111Z was towing a Gotha Go 242, and was shot down. Eight were shot down or destroyed on the ground in 1944.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

Polish campaign

Five He 111 Geschwader were committed to the German invasion of Poland. Kampfgeschwader 1 (KG 1), Kampfgeschwader 4 (KG 4), Kampfgeschwader 26 (KG 26), Kampfgeschwader 27 (KG 27) and Kampfgeschwader 53 (KG 53). All, with the exception of KG 4 were committed to Luftflotte 1 under the command of Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring. KG 4 operated under Luftflotte 4. The He 111 provided medium-high altitude interdiction and ground support missions for the German Army. The He 111 participated in the Battle of the Bzura when the Polish Army Poznań and Army Pomorze were virtually destroyed by aerial assault. It also participated extensively in the Siege of Warsaw. During the campaign the Luftwaffe had anticipated that its bombers would be able to defend themselves adequately. PZL P.11s "for all their limited firepower and aerodynamic limitations, were capable of handing out severe punishment when able to engage the bombers without interference".

Phoney war

During the period of the phoney war the He 111 was tasked with strategic bombing attacks over the North Sea and naval bases in the United Kingdom as a means of attacking the Royal Navy. On 9 November 1939, Adolf Hitler issued directive No. 9 which emphasised the target with most importance as the British Navy. Mindful of the damaging blockade that hurt the German war effort in the First World War, the directive selected British port storage depots with particular reference to oil and grain facilities, mining British sea lanes and direct attacks on British merchant shipping. In October 1939 several sorties had been made to bomb the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow and the Firth of Forth. HMS Hood was a particular target. Interceptions were made by RAF Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane squadrons and suffered the odd losses. One significant incident took place on 22 February 1940. Kampfgeschwader 26 were ordered to attack fishing boats in the Dogger Bank region. The Kriegsmarine suspected they were being used as early warning vessels to report German warship movements in the North Sea, who at this time had made sorties to sink Allied merchant shipping. At the same time a German naval flottila 1st Zerstörerflottille was sent into to the are to disrupt Allied shipping. Lying between the German ships and the open sea was a massive minefield to prevent the Royal Navy from reaching the Heligoland Bight. Within the field lay a 6 mile (10 km) gap for the Germans to slip through. The liaison between the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe broke down. KG 26 had not been told of the German destroyers' presence. Attacking from 5,000ft (1,500m) the He 111s sank the Leberecht Maas and the Max Schultz, with the loss of 600 German sailors.

Norwegian campaign 

The Heinkel formed the backbone of the Kampfwaffe in Operation Weserübung, the invasions of Denmark and Norway. KG 4, KG26 and KGr 100 were committed. The occupation of Denmark took less than 24 hours with minimal casualties and no aerial losses. The He 111s first task along with the Luftwaffe in general was to offset British Naval superiority in the North Sea. He 111s of KG 26 were to support the German Naval Task Force, composed of the heavy cruisers Blücher and Lützow, light cruiser Emden, three E-Boats and eight minesweepers with 2,000 men to Oslo. KG 26 were unable to prevent the sinking of Blücher at the Battle of Drøbak Sound by the Oscarsborg Fortress. KG 26 focused on Drøbak since the other strong points were taken. Showered with SC 250 250 kg (550 lb) bombs, the Norwegians capitulated. Heinkel He 111s of KG 26 helped Junkers Ju 88s of KG 30 damage the battleship HMS Rodney and sink the destroyer HMS Gurkha on 9 April. With most of the country secure the He 111s participated in the Battles of Narvik and anti-shipping missions against Allied reinforcements being brought to Norway by sea in May-June 1940.

French campaign

The French Campaign opened on 10 May 1940. The He 111 Geschwader encountered scattered and uncoordinated Allied fighter resistance over the Netherlands and Belgium. On 14 May 1940, He 111s of KG 54 undertook the Rotterdam Blitz in which large portions of the city were destroyed after the 111s had dropped some 91 tonnes (100 tons) of bombs. The Dutch surrendered early the following morning, ending the Battle of the Netherlands. Most units suffered light to moderate losses in the early stages. The exception was KG 27, which suffered the heaviest losses of the He 111 Geschwader over the French sectors. By the end of the first day, seven He 111s were missing, two were written off and five damaged. The He 111s supported the dash to the English Channel and helped defeat the French forces at Sedan, the Allied counter-offensive at the Battle of Arras and assisted German siege forces during the Battle of Dunkirk. During the Sedan breakthrough, 3,940 sorties were flown against French positions by German bomber formations, the bulk of which were equipped with the He 111. The result was a French collapse that made the pincer move of Fall Gelb possible. The He 111 - with its heavier bomb load - was also tasked with the destruction of the French rail network in the Reims and Amiens regions. Their attacks were instrumental in preventing French reinforcements and retreats. Any French counter against the German forces left flank was impossible as a result. With the conclusion of Fall Gelb the He 111 units prepared for Fall Rot. Some 600 He 111s and Do 17s took part in Operation Paula which was aimed at the final destruction of French air power in and around Paris. The resulting combats and bombing failed to destroy what remained of the Armée de l'Air. From that point He 111 losses were light, with occasional exceptions. The He 111 had performed well, though losses were substantially higher than in any campaign before it. This was mainly due to its light defensive armament. This would be exposed during the Battle of Britain, the first major test of the He 111s poor defensive armament.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

Battle of Britain

Luftflotte 2 and Luftflotte 3 committed 34 Gruppen to the campaign over Britain. Fifteen of them were equipped with the He 111. The remainder were mixed Do 17 and Ju 88 units. The He 111 and Ju 88 were equal in performance in all but speed, in which the Ju 88 was faster. The Do 17 was also faster, but lacked the heavy bomb load capabilities of the Ju 88 and He 111. During the Battle of Britain the He 111 was to fare better than the Ju 88. The Heinkels ability to take heavy punishment was one of its strengths. However The battle highlighted the need for heavier armament and effective protection by the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Messerschmitt Bf 110 units if losses were to be kept to sustainable levels. The concentration of most of the crew in the glass nose made the He 111 vulnerable to concentrated fire from a head-on attack. A frontal shot of a He 111H, summer 1940. The cockpit design gave the crew excellent vision but was vulnerable to attack from a head-on position

The advantages won in July and August were destroyed by the switch of strategy to bombing British cities (known as the Blitz) on 7 September 1940. The He 111 was now being asked to perform in the role of the strategic bomber, something it had not been intended for. Despite this, the He 111 carried enough destructive power to cause severe damage to strategic targets; the de Havilland Mosquito factory near Bristol was devastated by Kampfgeschwader 53 on 30 August. A month later, the Woolston factory was destroyed largely by He 111s of Kampfgeschwader 55 on 26 September; the factory had been producing the Supermarine Spitfire. This attack forced the factory's closure and dispersal, though the disruption to production was, at that time, not as serious as it would have been in July/August 1940.

He 111s were fitted with the Knickebein during the Blitz, leading to the Battle of the Beams. This system was intended to increase the navigational ability of the He 111. Several aircraft using this system were needlessly risked over London in nuisance raids in the winter 1939/40. One was shot down on 13 February 1940 but the crew were killed and the aircraft was lost over the North Sea. The Knickebein was later upgraded to the X-Gerät. This was expected to increase the precision to the extent that it could target individual buildings. Eventually, the Y-Gerät was introduced, as an enhanced version of the previous X system. On 3 November 1940 the RAF had a chance to evaluate a He 111 with the equipment. The bomber had landed along the coast and was partially submerged. A Royal Navy captain who arrived claimed command of the salvage operation as he was a superior rank to the attending Army Officer. The captain insisted the He 111 be towed to deeper water before hoisting it up. The ropes snapped and the He 111 sank. The machine was eventually pulled out, but the salt water had got into its Gerät system.

The Luftwaffe tried to attack industrial, transport and civilian targets simultaneously but failed to do so. Even so the He 111 contributed to the Birmingham Blitz, Bristol Blitz, Barrow Blitz, Coventry Blitz, Liverpool Blitz, Plymouth Blitz and Southampton Blitz which caused severe damage. Some of these targets were obscured by cloud, but the equipped X-Gerät Heinkels inflicted heavy damage. However the British countered its use with decoy sites to attract the attention of bombers and the "Meacon" system, which disrupted Luftwaffe beacon transmissions.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

The He 111 also served as a torpedo bomber in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. In the Atlantic campaign the Luftwaffe created Fliegerführer Atlantik for this purpose. In the spring 1941, the Luftwaffe had been using conventional bombs to attack shipping more often than not. Such a method resulted in heavy losses to He 111 units in aircraft and crew as the 111s attack point was too close. III./Kampfgeschwader 40 had only eight of 32 crews remaining by April 1941 and had to be withdrawn. Most He 111 units were replaced by the faster Junkers Ju 88 and Dornier Do 217 which also suffered losses, but not to the extent of the He 111.

A proper aerial torpedo could have prevented such losses. The German Navy had purchased Horton naval torpedo patents from Norway in 1933 and the Whitehead Fiume patent from Italy in 1938. But air-launched torpedo development was slow. In 1939 trials with Heinkel He 59 and Heinkel He 115 had revealed a 49 percent failure rate owing to aerodynamic difficulties and depth control and fusing difficulties. Until 1941 the Luftwaffe obtained poor results in this field. When in 1941 the Luftwaffe took an active interest, the Kriegsmarine resisted Luftwaffe involvement and collaboration and direct requests by the Luftwaffe to take over development was refused. With the Atlantic campaign in full swing, the Luftwaffe needed a torpedo bomber to allow its aircraft to avoid increased shipping defensive armament. It set up a number of schools devoted to torpedo attack at Gossenbrode, Germany and Athens, Greece. It was found that the He 111 was highly suited to such operations.

In December 1941 the Luftwaffe was granted the lead in torpedo development. Trials at Grossenbrode enabled the He 111 to carry two torpedoes, while the Ju 88 could also manage the same number and remain faster in flight. KG 26 was equipped with both the He 111 and Ju 88. Some 42 He 111s served with I./KG 26 flying out of Norway. The He 111's ordnance was the Italian Whitehead Fiume 850 kg (1,870 lb) torpedo and the German F5 50 kg (110lb) light torpedo. Both functioned over a distance of 2 miles (3 km) at a speed of 25mph (40kmph) The Whitedhead armament weighed over 200 kg (440lb). To make an attack the He 111 pilot had to drop to 130ft (40m) and reduce air speed to 120mph (193kmph). The water depth had to a minimum of 50ft (15m). The He 111 was committed to operations in the Arctic Ocean against the Arctic convoys traveling to the Soviet Union from North America and the United Kingdom. 

One notable action involved I./KG 26 attacking Convoy PQ 17 in June 1942. I./KG 26 and its He 111s sank three ships and damaged three more. Later, III./KG 26 helped Ju 88s of III./KG 30 based at Banak sink several more ships. Some 25 out of 35 merchant ships were sunk altogether. Convoy PQ 16 was also successful intercepted by KG 26, who claimed four vessels, but lost six crews in return. Convoy PQ 18 was also intercepted during 13 15 September 1942. In total some 13 out of 40 ships were sunk. However it cost the Luftwaffe 40 aircraft, of which 20 were KG 26 He 111s. Of the 20 crews, 14 were missing.

He 111 torpedo units continued to operate with success elsewhere. Anti-shipping operations in the Black Sea against the Soviet Navy were also carried out. The Soviets mainly sailed at night and singly. It made interception very difficult. The Soviets heavily protected their shipping at sea and in port. Anti-aircraft defensive fire was severe in daylight and at night were supported by searchlights. Nevertheless it failed to stop the He 111 Geschwader continued to press home their attacks with some success. In the Mediterranean theatre the Allies had won air superiority by 1943 but the torpedo Geschwader, KG 26, continued to operate He 111s in shipping attack units. The He 111s attacked Allied shipping along the African coast flying from bases in Sicily and Sardinia both in daylight and darkness. In spite of nightfighers and anti-aircraft defences the He 111s continued to get through to their targets. Losses meant a gradual decline in experienced crews and standards of attack methods. Such missions were largely abandoned in the spring owing to shortages in aircraft and crews. By April, KG 26 could only scrape together some 13 Ju 88 and He 111 torpedo bombers. With the exception of I./KG 26 all other groups converted onto the Ju 88.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

The Rashid Ali Rebellion and resulting Anglo-Iraqi War saw the Luftwaffe committ 4.staffel.II./KG 4 He 111s to the Iraqi Nationalists cause under "Flyer Command Iraq" (Fliegerführer Irak). Painted in Iraqi markings their stay was very brief. Due to the Iraqi collapse the Staffel was with drawn on 31 May 1941, just 17 days after its arrival. The record of the He 111 fleet at the time of its departure between the 15 and 29 May indicated it had participated in seven armed reconnaissance flights and five bombing missions against Habbaniya which involved 20 crews and the dropping of 10 tons of bombs.

The Italian failures during the initial period of the North African Campaign forced the Wehrmacht to reinforce the Axis forces in North Africa which led to a 28 month aerial campaign. The He 111 along with the Ju 88 took on deep offensive bombing operations from the very beginning. In January 1941 a number of Kampfgeschwaders carried out raids against the Royal Navy and Allied convoys. KG 26 was the first unit to be used in this capacity. Some of the early raids were costly despite the lack opposition. On night of 17/18 January 12 of KG 26s machines set out to bomb Benghazi, seven of eight were lost after running out of fuel. Successes were frequent and the minesweeper HMS Huntley and the freighter Sollum were sunk. A number of He 111 units, mostly KG 26, also supported the German invasion of Crete. During the Balkans conflict and following attack on the Soviet Union, most of the bomber operations in the theatre fell to the Ju 88 and Junkers Ju 87 equipped units. The He 111s returned during the winter of 1941/42 during the stalemate on the Soviet-German front.

Throughout 1941-1942, the small numbers of He 111s assisted in the attempt to starve Malta into surrender. With most of RAF Fighter Command concentrated on the Channel Front, the He 111s and the Luftwaffe came close to achieving this by gradually strangling the sea supply routes and forcing a partial collapse of British sea power in the central Mediterranean Sea. The Allied forces on Malta were considering surrender as late as November 1942. It was not until later that month the attacks ceased and the siege was lifted.


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## Njaco (May 2, 2010)

Great stuff gehko but what is your source? Are you copying from a website, a book or is this something you have been working on?


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

All the information that I have is in spanish, so sometimes I translate it and in other ocasions I take the information from internet or from one of the many e-books that I have. To be honest, I would like to write it by myself, but you have to consider that is very difficult to write in a diferent lenguage, and write a text like these would take me weeks. In any case this is helping me to improve my writting english.

Concernning the pictures, check out my thread "new sites"; most of my pictures come from those sites.


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## FalkeEins (May 2, 2010)

thanks for the links. You put together some neat threads..great work !


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

On 22 June 1941 Adolf Hitler initiated Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The Heinkel order of battle on this date amounted to three Kampfgeschwader. KG 53, committed to Luftflotte 2 attached to Army Group North. KG 27 was committed Luftflotte 4's Army Group Centre and KG 55, allocated to V. Fliegerkorps. As in the previous campaigns the He 111 were to provide tactical support to the German Army. Little thought was given to strategic bombing. It was thought that such an undertaking would not be required until the conquest of the European part of the Soviet Union west of a line connecting the cities of Arkhangelsk and Astrakhan, often referred to as the A-A line. During 1941-1942 the tactical use of the He 111 was limited owing to its limited manoeuvrability and bulky airframe. The He 111 was switched to the job of "train busting". The only specialised German ground attack aircraft was the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka and Henschel Hs 123. However, both lacked the range. The only recourse was to "employ" the He 111, along with the Ju 88. Some units had success. For example, KG 55 destroyed or damaged 122 train loads, along with claims of 64 locomotivess. But the Soviets set up countermeasures. Heavy concentrations of anti-aircraft artillery caused losses to increase, particularly in inexperienced crews. KG 55's special train busting staffel (Eis)./KG 55 suffered some 10 percent losses. During the winter battles of 1941, the He 111 was used also reverted back to a transport aircraft. The He 111 helped evacuate 21,000 soldiers from the Demyansk pocket, while transporting some 24,300 tons of food and ammunition. The He 111 proved invaluable in the "battle of the pockets".

Later, in 1942, the He 111 participated in the Battle of Stalingrad. During the Soviet Operation Uranus, which encircled the German Sixth Army, the He 111 fleet once again was asked to fly in supplies. The operation failed and the Sixth Army was destroyed. Some 165 He 111s were lost to heavily entrenched Soviet defences around the city during the siege.

The He 111 operated in the same capacity as in previous campaigns on the Eastern Front. The bomber was asked to perform strategic bombing functions. Targeting Soviet industry had not been high on the OKL's agenda in 1941-42, but prior to the Battle of Kursk several attempts were made to destroy Soviet military production. The tank factory at Gorkovskiy Avtomobilniy Zavod (GAZ) was subjected to a series of heavy attacks throughout June 1943. On the night of 4/5 June, He 111s of Kampfgeschwader 1, KG 3, KG 4, KG 55 and KG 100 dropped 161 tonnes (179 tons) of bombs, causing massive destruction to buildings and production lines. All of GAZ No. 1 plant's 50 buildings, 9,000 m (29,500 ft) of conveyers, 5,900 pieces of equipment and 8,000 tank engines were destroyed. However, the Germans made an error in target selection. The GAZ plant No. 1 produced only the T-70 light tank. Factory No. 112, the second-biggest producer of the more formidable T-34, continued production undisturbed. Soviet production facilities were repaired or rebuilt within six weeks. In 1943, Factory No. 112 produced 2,851 T-34s, 3,619 in 1944, and 3,255 in 1945. The Luftwaffe had also failed to hit the Gorkiy Artillery Factory (No. 92) or the aircraft plant where the Lavochkin La-5 and La 5FN were made. The Luftwaffe failed to disrupt the Soviet preparation for the coming battle, but the He 111 had proved capable of operating in a strategic role.
Heinkel He 111 H in flight

Soviet fighter opposition had made strategic bombing in daylight too costly. German bombers crews were retrained in the winter of 1943/44 to fly night operations. The offensive began on the night of the 27/28 March 1944. Some 180 to 190 He 111s took part dropping an average of 200 tons of bombs. On the night of 30 April/1 May 1944, 252 sorties were flown. This was the highest number flown during the offensive. The targets were mainly Soviet marshalling yards in the western and eastern Ukraine.

Later in the summer, 1944, the He 111 once again operated with success as part of the shrinking German bomber force. German industry began to move factories eastward, out of the range of RAF Bomber Command and United States Army Air Force attacks. In response, the USAAF started shuttle missions to the Soviet Union in which they would continue on and land in the USSR after their mission. The USAAF would then repeat the mission and continue to England. IV. Fliegerkorps was ordered to target the airfields of the USAAF bombers. On 21 June 1944, the US Eighth Air Force's B-17 Flying Fortresses landed at Mirgorod and Poltava airfields after bombing targets in Debrecen, Hungary. The Soviets had not prepared proper anti-aircraft defences and IV. Fliegerkorps and its He 111s from KG 4, KG 53 and KG 55 dropped 91 tonnes (100 tons) of bombs destroying 44 B-17s and 15 US fighters. The He 111s flew at altitudes of 4,000-5,000 m (13,120-16,400 m), and not a single German aircraft was hit by enemy fire. Such missions were halted thereafter. The suspending of the "shuttle missions" (known as Operation Frantic) was assessed by the Germans as a result of the Soviet failure to provide appropriate protection. It is likely, however, that the B-17 and P-51's, which now had the range to strike anywhere in Europe, and had bases that could reach Eastern Europe in Italy, did not fly shuttle missions to the Soviet Union owing to these reasons.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

By the spring, 1943, the numbers of He 111s in operational combat units was declining. The introduction of more powerful bombers, mostly the Junkers Ju 88, but also the Dornier Do 217 (as a rival anti-shipping attack aircraft) forced the He 111 out of service. Luftwaffe offensive operations were largely halted after late 1943 owing to Allied air superiority. Nevertheless, the anti-shipping missions against the Soviet Navy in the Black Sea. The late model He 111 H-16s in particular were fitted with FuG 200 Hohentweil anti-shipping radar. The armament of the FuG 200 equipped He 111s consisted of several difference types of Anti-ship missiles. The Henschel Hs 293 L-10 Friedensengel, a glider-mounted torpedo and the Blohm Voss Bv 143 and Blohm Voss BV 246 rocket-assisted glide bombs. Only the Hs 293s reached the operational stage. The Hs 293 was controlled by the FuG 203b Kehl III guidance control box. After the bomb was released, and the rocket fuelled power unit ignited, the rocket cleared the aircraft and was then in sight of the bomb aimer. The aimer controlled the lever of the FuG 203 to adjust the angle of the missile's control surfaces. Flares were attached to the missiles to allow the crew to track the direction of the missile until impact.

Other variants such as the He 111H-16/R3 and H-20/R2 pathfinders carried V-1 flying bombs to their targets in London as part of Adolf Hitler's "vengeance" campaign. The V-1s had been launched from northern France and the German occupied Netherlands, but of the 2,000 launched some 50 percent had reached London, of which 661 were shot down. The He 111H-21 and H-22 were asked to deliver the V-1s when the British and Canadian 21st Army Group liberated the Netherlands and overran the landing sites. Some of the H-22s were loaded with Fieseler Fi 103R (Reichenberg) missiles. The conditions of late 1944 differed greatly from the "Blitz" of 1940-41. RAF nightfighters carried the AI Mk IV metric wavelength radar and the high performance of types like the de Havilland Mosquito ensured German bomber crews had to stay low to the surface of the sea to avoid early detection, while flying the North Sea route to the British coast. Flying at low-level for long periods carried heavy risk of collision with a rising wave. In order to have any chance of surviving, crews were forced to wear bulky immersion suits and inflatable life vests that made the average flight, of three to five hours, very uncomfortable.

The raids usually started from the radio beacon at Dan Helder, the Netherlands. When the release point was reached, the pilot would climb to 1,600ft (500m) and release the payload before retreating back to low altitude. The return journey was just as dangerous at that time. Mosquito units operating over the Netherlands and continent posed a threat to He 111s as they sought to land. In late 1944 and 1945, the He 111 reverted to a transport role. It helped evacuate Axis forces from Greece and Yugoslavia in October - November 1944. He 111 units also transported men and material out of Budapest, during the siege of the city, while He 111s of Kampfgeschwader 4 assaulted Soviet bridgeheads and lay mines in the Danube to hamper the Red Army from crossing the river. The remaining He 111s withdrew from the Hungarian front after the siege ended in February 1945 to concentrate on destroying the bridges over the Oder river as the Soviet advance was nearing Berlin.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

The Arado Ar 232 Tausendfüssler (German:"Millipede") was the first truly modern transport aircraft, designed and built in small numbers by the German firm Arado during World War II. The design introduced almost all of the features now considered to be "standard" to modern transports, including a low-slung box-like fuselage, rear loading ramp, a high tail for easy access to the hold, and various features for operating from rough fields. Although the Luftwaffe was interested in replacing or supplanting their fleet of outdated Ju 52/3m transports, they were overloaded with types at the time and did not purchase large numbers of the Ar 232.

The Ar 232 design led from a tender offered by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (German Air Ministry, RLM) in late 1939 for a replacement for the Ju 52 transport. Both Arado and Henschel were asked for rear-loading designs powered by two of the 1,193 kW (1,600 hp) BMW 801A/B radial engine, which was just entering prototype production and not currently used on any front-line designs. The Arado design beat out Henschel's after an examination of the plans, and an order for three prototypes was placed in 1940.

Wilhelm van Nes led the design of the Ar 232. He began at the cargo area, with a bay directly behind the cockpit that extended 6.6 m (21 ft 7¾ in) to the rear, 2.3 m (7 ft 6½ in) wide and 2.0 m (6 ft 6¾ in) high. Typical designs of the era would use a side-mounted door for access, but the Ar 232 used hydraulically powered clamshell-doors on the rear of the bay with a ramp to allow cargo to be rolled into the hold. The tail control surfaces were mounted on the end of a long boom to keep the area behind the doors clear so trucks could drive right up to the ramp. This allowed the Ar 232 to be loaded and unloaded faster than other designs. For short-field performance, the Ar 232 incorporated Arado's own "travelling flap" design for the entire rear surface of the wing. Even loaded to 16,000 kg (35,270 lb), the plane could take-off in 200 m (656 ft). This distance could be further reduced by using rocket assist (RATO) for take-off, and either parachutes or reverse RATO for landing.

The most noticeable feature of the Ar 232 was the landing gear. Normal operations from prepared runways used tricycle gear, but the struts could "break", or kneel, after landing to place the fuselage closer to the ground and thereby reduce the ramp angle. An additional set of 11 smaller wheels per side supported the aircraft once "broken", or could be used for additional support when landing on soft or rough airfields. The aircraft was intended to be capable of taxiing at low speeds on its small wheels, thus being able to negotiate small obstacles such as ditches up to 1.5 m (5 ft) in width. The appearance of the row of small wheels led to the nickname "millipede". In flight, the main legs fully retracted into the engine nacelles, while the support wheels remained extended and the nose wheel only semi-retracted. Normally operated by a crew of four, the pilot was the only member without two jobs. The navigator operated a 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun in the nose, the radio operator a 20 mm MG 151 cannon in a rotating turret on the roof, and the loadmaster a 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun firing rearward from the extreme rear of the cargo bay above the cargo doors.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

Even before the prototypes were complete in 1941, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 project had moved to the BMW 801A/B, and was proving to be a capable design. Production of the BMW 801 was insufficient to supply this new demand, and the Ar 232 was forced to use another engine. Eventually, the BMW Bramo 323 from the Junkers Ju 352 was selected instead, as it was already in production and could meet requirements if the Ar 232 really did replace the Ju 52/3m in service. The prototypes were far enough along that switching engines would have seriously delayed the program, so the first two were to be completed as the Ar 232A, and the third and a newly ordered fourth as the Ar 232B. The prototypes (and all production aircraft) used four engines (in place of the two specified in the RLM specification) in order to provide the desired performance.

The first two prototypes, GH+GN and VD+YA, started trials in early 1941. The first flight resulted in the collapse of the nose gear, but the millipede wheels saved the plane from damage. A further ten pre-production machines were built, and were used operationally as the Ar 232A-0 while awaiting production versions. In general, the Ar 232 completely outperformed the Ju 52/3m. It carried roughly double the load over longer distances, operated from shorter runways and rougher fields if need be, and cruised about 70 km/h (44 mph) faster. The Ar 232B program ran at the same time. With four 895 kW (1,200 hp) Bramo 323, the plane increased in power from 2,386 kW (3,200 hp) to 3,580 kW (4,800 hp), solving the A model's problem of having little excess power in case of engine failure. This change also required the wing to be extended slightly, the span rising just over 3 m (9 ft 10 in) in total. The extra weight of the engines also moved the center of gravity forward, which was offset by extending the cargo area rearward another meter.

Two prototypes were ordered, the V3 and V4, and V3 first flew in May 1942. A further 10 were then ordered as the Ar 232B-0, and were used widely in an operational role. However, this was the only order for the design, as the Luftwaffe gave transport aircraft production a very low priority. Many of those produced were used by Arado to transport aircraft parts among their factories, and did not see front-line service. Plans were also made to replace the outer wing sections and control surfaces with wooden versions to conserve then-limited supplies of aluminium. Originally to be known as the Ar 232C, the design dragged on and was later re-named the Ar 432. Plans were finally put into place to start production in October 1945, but the war ended without even a prototype being produced. Two even larger planned versions, the Ar 532 and the Ar 632, would have almost doubled the wingspan to 60 m (196 ft 10 in) and added another two engines. Two of the B-0s were captured by the British at the end of the war. After test flights by Eric "Winkle" Brown, who gave the design excellent marks, they were used by the Royal Air Force on flights between England and Germany after the war.


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## gekho (May 2, 2010)

The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift (German: "flying pencil"), was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke. It was designed as a Schnellbomber ("fast bomber"), a light bomber which, in theory, would be so fast that it could outrun defending fighter aircraft. The Dornier was designed with two engines mounted on a "shoulder wing" structure and possessed a twin tail fin configuration. The type was popular among its crews due to its manoeuvrable handling at low altitude, which made the Dornier capable of surprise bombing attacks. Its sleek and thin airframe made it harder to hit than other German bombers, as it presented less of a target.

Designed in the early 1930s, it was one of the three main Luftwaffe bomber types used in the first three years of the war. The Do 17 made its combat debut in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War, operating in the Legion Condor in various roles. Along with the Heinkel He 111 it was the main bomber type of the German air arm in 1939-40. The Dornier was used throughout the war, and saw action in significant numbers in every major campaign theatre as a front line aircraft until the end of 1941, when its effectiveness and usage was curtailed as its bomb load and range were limited. Production of the Dornier ended in the summer of 1940, in favour of the newer and more powerful Junkers Ju 88. The successor of the Do 17 was the much more powerful Dornier Do 217, which started to appear in strength in 1942. Even so, the Do 17 continued service in the Luftwaffe in various roles until the end of the war, as a glider tug, research and trainer aircraft. A considerable number of surviving examples were sent to other Axis nations. Few Dornier Do 17s survived the war. The last was scrapped in Finland in 1952.


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## skeeter (May 2, 2010)

Nice reading and photos. I purchased a book not too long ago about the Nazi effort to produce an 'Amerika Bomber.' Alas, America was just too far away to make it worthwhile, though I am surprised they did not go for one or more one way missions with a minimal crew flying back out over the Atlantic after pickling their bombs on, say, New York City. It could have ditched next to a sub in the dead of night one would think with direction finding equipment and some subdued lighting, and be gone before trouble showed up. But later in the war, this would have been more problematic with the airborne radar sets that the Allies had begun fielding. As far as the Heinkel 111? It was inadequate from the start. How much more could the Nazis have pounded England, and all parts of it, with a four engine job (built from the ground up to be a bomber) if they had had them in quantity? Concentrating, of course on military targets and not on London and other civilian centers, as it was a key mistake of the Nazi leadership, thereby taking pressure off of England's military assets and Fighter Command. In a nutshell, the maniacal Hitler started the war too soon. His navy was ready. His air force not tuned to the job of conquering, but rather defense. The vaunted Me 109, for instance, was not an offensive fighter. If it was, it would have had the range to prove it, like the Mustang.


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## skeeter (May 2, 2010)

Hitler's navy WAS NOT ready, I meant to say.


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## gekho (May 3, 2010)

In 1932, the Ordnance Department (Heereswaffenamt) issued a specification for the construction of a "freight aircraft for German State Railways", and a "high speed mail plane for Lufthansa". The factory at Friedrichshafen began work on the design on 1 August 1932. When the Nazis took power in 1933, Hermann Göring became National Commissar for aviation with former Lufthansa employee Erhard Milch as his deputy, soon forming the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM — Air Ministry). The RLM designated the new aircraft Do 17, and on 17 March 1933, just three months after taking office, Milch gave the go-ahead for the building of prototypes. At the end of 1933, the RLM issued an order for a "high speed aircraft with double tail," and for a "freight aircraft with special equipment," in other words, a bomber. The original design (the Do 17 V1) configuration in 1932 had sported a single vertical stabilizer, and Dornier continued developing that model. The Do 17 was first demonstrated in mock-up form in April 1933. The "special equipment" was to be fitted later, to disguise its offensive role.

In April 1934, the Dornier works at Manzell began project "definition." During this month, the defensive armament was designed and the bomb release mechanism details ironed out. Production of these prototypes began on 20 May 1934 and, on 23 November 1934, the Do 17 V1, with a single fin and powered by two BMW VI 7.3 motors, took off on its first flight. Testing was delayed by a series of accidents, with V1 being damaged in landing accidents in February and April 1935. The twin-tailed V2 (powered by low-compression BMW VI 6.3 engines) first flew on 18 May 1935 and was evaluated together with the V1 by the RLM at Rechlin in June. During the tests, the single fin proved to be only marginally stable, resulting in the V1 being modified with a twin tail. The aircraft was destroyed in a crash after an engine failure on 21 December 1935. The V3, also fitted with a twin tail, was originally planned to be powered by Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs engines, but as these were unavailable, it was fitted with BMW VI 7.3 engines like the V1 and flew on 19 September 1935. The V1 prototype remained the only built machine with the single stabilizer.

It is claimed that, unlike the Heinkel He 111 series, whose military use was planned from the start, the Do 17 V1 was contracted as a fast six-passenger mail plane to compete with the smaller Heinkel He 70 monoplane. It has been suggested that it was rejected by Lufthansa, as the cramped cabin was too uncomfortable for passenger use and the operating costs also were too high for a mail plane. According to the story, the three prototypes remained unused in the Dornier factory in Lowental for almost six months, until Flight Captain Untucht of Lufthansa came across them. After receiving permission to fly one of the machines, he proceeded to put it through an almost stunt flying routine. After landing, he said that "the machine is as nimble as a fighter, give it more lateral stability and we'll have a high speed bomber!" Untucht's comments prompted Dornier to redesign the tail unit and revived interest in the type.

Dornier was then ordered to produce the V4 prototype. Some sources state this differed from the V3 in that the passenger portholes were removed and the single fin was replaced with two smaller ones. Photographic evidence demonstrates the V3 had twin stabilizers from the start of its construction. The tests of the "twin-tailed" V4, V6 and V7 prototypes were positive and more prototypes like the V8 emerged as the forerunner of the long-range reconnaissance version, while the V9 was tested as a high-speed airliner. The V9 machine was still flying in 1944.


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## gekho (May 3, 2010)

In late 1936, the Do 17 E-1 began to be mass produced. The first Luftwaffe units to be receive the bomber were Kampfgeschwader 153 (KG 153), and KG 155. Aufklärungsgruppe (F)/122, a reconnaissance unit, began converting to the Do 17 F-1. In early 1937, KG 255 was formed, also to be equipped with the Do 17 E-1. According to the Generalquartiermeister der Luftwaffe, 479 Do 17s were on strength. Some 100 more had been lost in crashed or sent to Spain. On 12 March 1938, Do 17Es of KG 155 dropped pro-Nazi leaflets on Vienna, as a prelude to the city's occupation during the German Anschluss operation. KG 153 received its first Do 17 E-1s on 20 September 1938 as part of a mass re-equipment program (note the significance of the date). The unit was redesignated KG 3 on 1 May 1939. KG 155 converted on to the type in early 1938. KG 252 was also equipped with the Do 17M, at this time to meet the threat of the Sudeten Crisis. By December 1938, it had 26 Do 17s and 17 crews. On 1 May 1939, the Kampfgeschwader was redesignated Kampfgeschwader 2.

Polish Campaign

A series of new models introduced the new enlarged nose, greatly increasing defensive firepower, finally settling on the Z models, which were widely available by 1939. During the first phase of World War II, the Do 17, along with the He 111, formed the backbone of the Luftwaffe's Kampfgruppen. From 1939 to 1940, four of the Luftwaffe's bomber groups, KG 2, KG 3, KG 76 and KG 77 operated the Dornier. KG 76 and KG 77 operated the first generation Do 17E, with the other two Kampfgeschwader operating only the Do 17Z on the outbreak of war. On 1 September 1939, 533 Dorniers and 705 Heinkels were combat-ready. The total strength of the Dornier force was approximately 100 Do 17 E-1s, 32 M-1s, 188 Z-1 and Z-2s as well as 213 P-1s. Its reliability and robustness made it highly popular in the Luftwaffe. During the campaign, Do 17s of I./KG 2 took part in the Battle of Bzura, in which they used incendiary bombs against Polish forces consisting of Army Poznań and Army Pomorze. These raids caused a huge number of Polish casualties, who by now had retreated to dense wooded areas, contributing to their vulnerability. The Do 17 had performed well and could use its speed to outrun Polish fighter aircraft.

Battle of France

The first German aircraft shot down over France during the war was a Dornier Do 17P of 2(F)123, brought down by Pilot Officer Mould's Hawker Hurricane of No. 1 Squadron RAF on 30 October 1939. The Dornier, Wrk Nr. 4414, constructed at Blohm Voss, crashed near Vassincourt, killing all three of its crew, Hauptmann Balduin von Norman, Oberleutnant Hermann Heisterberg and Feldwebel Friedrich Pfeuffer.

On 10 May the Dornier units, Kampfgeschwader 2, KG 3 and KG 4, were under the command of Fliegerkorps. II. Kampfgeschwader 76 and 77 also operated the Do 17 under Fliegerkorps I and Fliegerkorps VIII. The Do 17 saw its usefulness diminish during the French campaign owing to its limited bomb load and range. The design continued to be favoured by the Luftwaffe aircrews, as it was more maneuverable than the He 111 or Ju 88, and because of its ability to perform low-level strikes well. An example of this was a raid carried out by KG 2 against the RAF-controlled airfield at Vraux on 10 May. Six Bristol Blenheims and two Fairey Battles of No. 114 Squadron RAF were destroyed, with many more damaged. However Allied fighter resistance on the first day was severe, and KG 2 and KG 3 of Fliegerkorps II lost a total of 19 Do 17s between them on 10 May. Only two weeks into the campaign, KG 2 and 3 suffered fuel shortages, keeping the Dorniers grounded, and forcing some attacks to be aborted. By the beginning of June, the Dornier Geschwader were encountering less opposition and losses declined sharply, as the Armée de l'Air was no longer a sufficient threat. However, over Dunkirk, the RAF fighters inflicted a high loss rate. On 2 June, 30 German aircraft were destroyed, including 16 Do 17s (4 from KG 2 and 12 from KG 3). The Dornier units dropped some 320 tonnes (350 tons) of bombs.


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## gekho (May 3, 2010)

During the Polish campaign, the Do 17Z could use its 427 km/h (265 mph) maximum speed to stay away from most enemy fighters, and its light armament was effective. It also fought with success during the Battle of France and losses were relatively light, although when facing modern fighters like the Hawker Hurricane, the bomber proved slow in comparison and more vulnerable. When it faced British fighters during the Battle of Britain, it was shown that fast, well-armed monoplane fighters had changed the balance between bombers and fighter decidedly in favour of the latter. The Do 17 suffered in early raids.
An RAF Spitfire attacks a formation of Dorniers during the Battle of Britain. It is unknown whether this is a propaganda shot using a captured Spitfire. Picture dated December 1940. Since the Fafnir was a low-altitude engine, the Luftwaffe responded by employing the Do 17 units in a number of terrain-following mass raids in an attempt to evade fighter opposition. The Dornier was manoeuvrable in comparison to the Heinkel and the more robust nature of radial engines made it ideal for low-level attacks, with a number of units being fitted with 20 mm cannon. The Junkers Ju 88 was now entering service in larger numbers, replacing the Do 17 at higher altitudes. The Dornier excelled at low-level attacks. However, this was becoming more and more dangerous. The British were now firing rocket-powered parachutes into the path of low-flying aircraft and dragging them from the skies. Losses were considerable.

The Dornier's performance advantage at low altitude became moot on 7 September 1940, when the Luftwaffe switched to the bombing of London (known as the Blitz), requiring all-out attacks at medium altitude. Losses mounted and on 15 September 1940, the three Dornier-equipped Kampfgruppen suffered heavily, losing twenty shot down and thirteen damaged. Among these was the famous casualty of Dornier Do 17 Z-2 F1 + FH Wk Nr.2361 KG 76, part of which crashed into the forecourt of Victoria Station and elicited a congratulatory note from Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands who had witnessed the event. A significant event took place on 15 September 1940, now known as "Battle of Britain Day". Among the German bombers shot down that day was Dornier Do 17 F1+FS, found in a field near Shoreham. The Dornier was found to be fitted with a flamethrower, installed in the tail. Oil, nitrogen, and hydrogen cylinders were found in the fuselage, while the external pipe was fitted with a jet. Initially, it was concluded that it was a smoke producing device to feign damage. But it was discovered that it was a device that was triggered by one of the rear gunners to destroy a fighter pursuing the bomber from line astern. However, the lack of oxygen meant that the device failed to function, and only a continual spray of oil was emitted.

The losses for the Do 17 in August and September were considerable. In August 1940, 54 Dorniers were lost and another 20 written off due to technical problems and accidents. In September 50 more were lost, with 31 Do 17s and crews missing in action. In October another 36 Dorniers were lost. Dorniers had improvised armament of eight machine guns installed to increase defensive fire power, but still were unable to counter fighter attacks. The battle continued into October as the Luftwaffe concentrated on night attacks which were carried out by units mainly equipped with the Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Ju 88, as they had bigger bomb loads, and the Ju 88 had a greater speed. The Dornier Do 17s losses in the Battle of Britain are given as between 132 and 171, the lowest losses as a ratio of the three German bomber types.

With the introduction of the Junkers Ju 88 and the new Dornier Do 217 entering production, the Do 17's days were numbered, and production ceased in mid-1940. Even with the end of production, the Dornier saw action in notable numbers after the Battle of Britain, in the Balkan Campaign, Operation Barbarossa (the invasion of the Soviet Union), and with the other Axis air forces


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## gekho (May 3, 2010)

After the successful conclusion of the Balkans campaign, the Luftwaffe prepared for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. By this time, the Kampfgruppen had mostly converted to the Ju 88, and the Do 17 played a minimal part. Only two reconnaissance Staffeln, and three Kampfgruppen employed the Dornier. KG 2 was the only sole fully equipped Luftwaffe wing that operated the Dornier. The Dornier's most notable action on the Eastern front occurred on 23–24 June at Grodno. The commander of the Soviet Western Front, General Armii Dmitriy Pavlov attempted a counterattack against Hermann Hoth's Panzergruppe 3. With air superiority and no air opposition, Dornier Do 17s of III./KG 2 destroyed columns of Soviet infantry. With help from other units, the Luftwaffe claimed to have destroyed 105 Soviet tanks. The Soviet 6th and 11th Mechanised Corps and 6th Cavalry Corps were routed. For his unit's particular effectiveness, the commander of 9./KG 2, Hauptmann Walter Bradel, received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

The limitations of the Dornier reemerged on the Eastern Front, namely its limited bomb capacity and its range. The vastness of this new theatre meant its usage declined. As 1941 wore on, the Dornier was phased out of the bomber role. Surviving aircraft were used as test beds for new technologies and training schools, while many others were handed off to allied nations over the next two years. Total losses for Kampfgeschwader 2 on the Eastern Front in 1941 indicate three Do 17s lost in June, a further nine lost in July, nine in August, a single Dornier destroyed on the ground in September, three Do 17s in October, for a total of 24 lost in aerial combat and one on the ground. The unit was withdrawn at the end of October to convert to the Junkers Ju 88. The Do 17 continued to see action in other air forces after the mass conversion to the Ju 88 in the Luftwaffe. Fifteen Do 17s serving with Finnish Air Force, at least five (possibly seven) survived the end of hostilities and continued to serve until they were scrapped in 1952


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## gekho (May 3, 2010)

On 27 July 1937 a new and graceful aircraft made its first flight, from the airfield of Neuenlander. The pilot was the designer of the aircraft, Kurt Tank, and the aircraft was the Fw 200 Condor. It belonged to a new generation of four-engined, long-distance transports. The Condor had been designed for the Deutsche Lufthansa, which wanted a airliner for a route to South America. Its high aspect ratio, long-span wing was characteristic of long-range aircraft, sail planes, and the Condor bird that the aircraft was named after. Its modern, flush-riveted light alloy construction aimed for maximum efficiency. With four Pratt Whitney Hornet S1E-G engines, later replaced by BMW 132L engines (licence-built Hornets) and up to 4360 liters of fuel the Condor was intended to fly 26 passengers over long distances. That it could do so was demonstrated in August 1938 by a flight from Berlin to New York in 20 hours, non-stop. Later that year a Fw 200 flew to Tokyo, with three stops, in 46 hours.

Production began in 1938 with the Fw 200A-0 transports. One of them became Hitler's personal aircraft, D-2600 Immelmann III. Other aircraft went to the Lufthansa, the Condor Syndicate (a German-owned airline in South America), and the Danish DDL. Focke-Wulf followed up with the more powerful, heavier Fw 200B and the Fw 200D that had even more fuel. But meanwhile, the Condor was developed in another direction. The Imperial Japanese Navy had expressed an interest in a long-range reconnaissance version of the Condor. Tank modified a Fw 200B-1 to create the Fw 200V10 prototype, with more fuel, three machine guns, a short ventral gondola with fore-and-aft gunner positions, and a lot of additional equipment. It was never delivered to its customer. In 1939 the Luftwaffe decided that the Fw 200 could meet its own requirement for a long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, and instructed Focke-Wulf to develop the Fw 200V10 into a more robust aircraft with a bomb-carrying capacity.

The answer was the Fw 200C, with some modest structural reinforcements, improved cowlings containing 850hp BMW 132H-1 engines with three-bladed propellers, and bomb crutches on the wings. A longer ventral gondola, with a bomb bay, was planned but not fitted to the first production aircraft. When fitted, the gondola, which was offset to starboard, housed a 20mm MG FF cannon in front and a 7.9mm MG 15 machine gun aft. Another MG 15 was in a position above and behind the cockpit, and one in a dorsal position. The bomb capacity was 250kg in the gondola, two 250kg bombs under the outboard engine nacelles, and two more under the outer wing panels. The aircraft had a five-man crew. The Fw 200s were delivered to Kampfgruppe 40, which from June 1940 operated from Bordeaux-Merignac. Systematic anti-shipping operations began in August. Flights lead over the Bay of Biscay, around Ireland, and ended in Norway. The sinking of 90,000 tons of shipping was claimed in the first two months, and 363,000 tons by February 1941. Churchill called it the "Scourge of the Atlantic".


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## gekho (May 3, 2010)

But the Fw 200C-1 made itself very unpopular by breaking its back on landings. At least eight Fw 200Cs were lost when the fuselage broke, just aft of the wing. Obviously, the strength of the airframe was insufficient to cope with the additional weight and stress. The Fw 200C was always an improvised combat aircraft, with many deficiencies. The crews also complained about inadequate armament and an vulnerable fuel system. The Fw 200C-3 introduced some more reinforcements, although still insufficient, a gun turret to replace the fairing above the cockpit, two beam guns, an increase in bomb load, and an additional crew member. It also had 1200hp BMW 323-R2 engines to compensate for the weight increase. Soon a number of variations in armament appeared, as the MG FF and MG 15 were replaced by far more powerful 15mm and 20mm MG 151 cannon, or the 13mm MG 131. With these changes, the later Condors were very well armed.

For offensive purposes the Fw 200C was equipped with the low-altitude Revi bombsight, or the Lofte 7D sight for attacks from between 3500m and 4000m. Radar appeared, on the Fw 200C-4, in the form of Rostock or Hohentwiel anti-shipping radars. These modifications increased the weight and reduced the speed. the max level speed of the Fw 200C-4 was a very unimpressive 330km/h at 4800m, down to 280km/h at sea level. The speed of 450km/h was not be exceeded, and brusque evasive manoeuvres could results in structural failures. Endurance was 14 hours, for a range of about 3860km, or 18 hours if additional fuel tanks were carried instead of bombs, and cruising speeds were around 250km/h. The common bomb load on long-range missions was just four 250kg bombs.

In mid-1941 a change of tactics occurred. The Fw 200 crews were now instructed not to attack, and to evade all combat unless unavoidable. The Condors were used to report allied shipping movements. To guide the U-boats to the convoys they shadowed they transmitted direction finding signal, but they did not directly communicate with the submarines. This was a more effective use of the available numbers, and it also helped to conserve the aircraft: Production was low, and some Fw 200s were diverted to other roles, notably VIP transports. But worse was to come. On 20 September 1941 a Condor was lost when it attacked a convoy escorted by HMS Audacity, the first escort carrier. During the second voyage of the carrier, four Condors were shot down. Although the Audacity was primitive, and soon sunk by U-751, it announced the beginning of the end. The vulnerable Condor was increasingly confronted by enemy fighters, based on catapult-equipped merchant ships (CAM ships), merchant ships with small flight decks (MAC ships), or small escort carriers. In 1943 the Condors were recalled to be used as transports on the Eastern front, during the Battle of Stalingrad. They later returned to the Atlantic coast, but only a few continued to serve as maritime reconnaissance aircraft. In this role, the Condor was now being replaced by the Ju 290. The Fw 200s returned to anti-shipping strikes. For this purpose, the Fw 200C-6 and C-8 were equipped with the Henschel Hs 293A anti-ship missile, but the type's career was clearly over. The Condor served until the end of the war, but mainly as a transport aircraft.


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## gekho (May 3, 2010)

Only one relatively complete Fw 200 exists today. This aircraft was raised from the Trondheimsfjorden in Norway in the late 1990s. Despite disintegrating on recovery, the remains were transported to the Technical Museum in Berlin to be rebuilt there. A request from the museum for a set of separate wings to be recovered from the mountain Kvitanosi near Voss in Norway to complete the rebuild was denied, as a result of the local population wanting the wings to be left in situ as a war memorial. (Wikipedia)


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## gekho (May 6, 2010)

In the autumn of 1940, the RLM offered a tender for a jet-powered high-speed reconnaissance aircraft with a range of 2,156 km (1,340 mi). Arado was the only company to respond, offering their E.370 project, led by Professor Walter Blume. This was a high-wing conventional-looking design with a Junkers Jumo 004 engine under each wing. The projected weight for the aircraft was approximately 8,000 kg (17,600 lb). In order to reduce the weight of the aircraft and maximize the internal fuel, Arado did not use the typical retractable landing gear; instead, the aircraft was to take off from a jettisonable three-wheeled, nosegear-style trolley and land on three retractable skids, one under the central section of the fuselage, and one under each engine nacelle. Arado estimated a maximum speed of 780 km/h (490 mph) at 6,000 m (19,690 ft), an operating altitude of 11,000 m (36,100 ft) and a range of 1,995 km (1,240 mi).

The range was short of the RLM request, but they liked the design and ordered two prototypes as the Ar 234. These were largely complete before the end of 1941, but the Jumo 004 engines were not ready, and would not be ready until February 1943. When they did arrive they were considered unreliable by Junkers for in-flight use and were only cleared for static and taxi tests. Flight-qualified engines were finally delivered that spring, and the Ar 234 V1 made its first flight on 15 June 1943. By September, four prototypes were flying. The eight prototype aircraft were fitted with the original arrangement of trolley-and-skid landing gear. The sixth and eighth of the series were powered with four BMW 003 jet engines instead of two Jumo 004's, the sixth having four engines housed in individual nacelles, and the eighth flown with two pairs of BMW 003s installed within "twinned" nacelles underneath either wing. These were the first four-engine jet aircraft to fly. The Ar 234 V7 prototype made history on 2 August 1944 as the first jet aircraft ever to fly a reconnaissance mission.


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## gekho (May 6, 2010)

The RLM had already seen the promise of the design and in July had asked Arado to supply two prototypes of a Schnellbomber (fast bomber) version as the Ar 234B. Since the aircraft was very slender and entirely filled with fuel tanks, there was no room for an internal bomb bay and the bombload had to be carried on external racks. The added weight and drag of a full bombload reduced the speed, so two 20 mm MG 151 cannon were added in a remotely-controlled tail mounting to give some measure of defence. Since the cockpit was directly in front of the fuselage, the pilot had no direct view to the rear, so the guns were aimed through a periscope mounted on the cockpit roof. The system was generally considered useless, and many pilots had the guns removed to save weight.

The external bombload, and the presence of inactive aircraft littering the landing field after their missions were completed (as with the similarly dolly/skid-geared Messerschmitt Me 163) made the skid-landing system impractical, so the B version was modified to have tricycle landing gear. The ninth prototype, marked with the Stammkennzeichen (radio code letters) PH+SQ, was the first Ar 234B, and flew on 10 March 1944. The B models were slightly wider at the mid-fuselage to house the main landing gear, with a fuel tank present in the mid-fuselage location on the eight earlier trolley/skid equipped prototype aircraft having to be deleted for the retracted main gear's accommodation, and with full bombload, the plane could only reach 668 km/h (415 mph) at altitude. This was still better than any bomber the Luftwaffe had at the time, and made it the only bomber with any hope of surviving the massive Allied air forces.

Production lines were already being set up, and 20 B-0 pre-production planes were delivered by the end of June. Later production was slow, however, as the Arado plants were given the task of producing planes from other bombed-out factories hit during the Big Week, and the license-building of Heinkel's heavy He 177 bomber. Meanwhile, several of the prototypes were sent forward in the reconnaissance role. In most cases, it appears they were never even detected, cruising at about 740 km/h (460 mph) at over 9,100 m (29,900 ft). The few 234Bs entered service in the fall and impressed their pilots. They were fairly fast and completely aerobatic. The long takeoff runs led to several accidents; a search for a solution led to improved training as well as the use of rocket-assisted takeoff. The engines were always the real problem; they suffered constant flameouts and required overhaul or replacement after about 10 hours of operation.

The most notable use of the Ar 234 in the bomber role was the attempt to destroy the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen. Between 7 March, when it was captured by the Allies, and 17 March, when it finally collapsed, the bridge was continually attacked by Ar 234s of III/KG 76 carrying 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) bombs. The aircraft continued to fight in a scattered fashion until Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945. Some were shot down in air combat, destroyed by flak, or "bounced" by Allied fighters during takeoff or on the landing approach, as was already happening to Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters. Most simply sat on the airfields awaiting fuel that never arrived. The normal bombload consisted of two 500 kg (1,100 lb) bombs suspended from the engines or one large 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) bomb semi-recessed in the underside of the fuselage with maximum bombload being 1,500 kg (3,310 lb). If the war had continued it is possible that the aircraft would have been converted to use the Fritz X guided bombs or Henschel Hs 293 air-to-surface missiles. Overall from the summer of 1944 until the end of the war a total of 210 aircraft were built. In February 1945, production was switched to the C variant. It was hoped that by November 1945 production would reach 500 per month.


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## gekho (May 6, 2010)

The Heinkel He 177 Greif (Griffin) was a long-range bomber of the Luftwaffe. This troubled aircraft was the only heavy bomber built in large numbers by Germany during World War II. Luftwaffe aircrew nicknamed it the Luftwaffenfeuerzeug (Luftwaffe's lighter) or the "Flaming Coffin" due to serious engine problems on the initial versions of the aircraft. When these problems were later rectified the type was successful, but could not be deployed in numbers due to Germany's deteriorating situation in the war.

In 1936 the company of Heinkel Flugzeugwerke received details of the new Bomber A specification from the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM). This specification, first proposed by the RLM on June 3, 1936, called for an aircraft more advanced than the Dornier Do 19 or Junkers Ju 89 Ural bomber prototypes. The aircraft was to be capable of carrying a bombload of at least 1,000 kg (2,204 lb) over a range of 5,000 km (3,107 mi), possess a maximum speed of not less than 500 km/h (311 mph) at altitude,. This was a formidable specification, calling as it did for an aircraft able to outrun any modern fighter and outperform, by a considerable margin, any bomber then in service. On June 2, 1937 Heinkel Flugzeugwerke received instructions to proceed with construction of a full scale mock-up of its Projekt 1041 Bomber A. The mock-up was completed in November 1937, and on November 5, 1937 allocated the official RLM type number "8-177", the same day that the OKL first stipulated the requirement for the new design to possess sufficient structural strength to enable it to undertake medium degree diving attacks. Heinkel Flugzeugwerke's estimated performance figures for Projekt 1041 included a top speed of 550 km/h (341.7 mph) at 5,500 m (18,045 ft) and a loaded weight of 27,000 kg (59,525 lb). In order to achieve these estimates, Heinkel's chief designer, Siegfried Gunter, employed several revolutionary features.


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## Gnomey (May 6, 2010)

Good stuff Gekho!


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## Crimea_River (May 7, 2010)

Agreed. Great pics! Keep em coming!


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## gekho (May 7, 2010)

On November 9, 1939, the first prototype, the He 177 V1 was flown for the first time with Dipl. Ing. Leutnant Carl Francke, chief of the Rechlin flight test center, at the controls. The initial flight terminated abruptly after only twelve minutes as a result of overheating engines. Francke referred favorably to the general handling and landing characteristics of the prototype but complained of some vibration in the airscrew shafts, the inadequacy of the tail surfaces under certain conditions, and some flutter which accompanied any vigorous movement of the elevators. The He 177 V2 made its first flight soon afterwards. Following Francke's initial flight, the He 177 V1 received several modifications suggested by the initial trials, including a 20% increase in the tail surface area. These modifications were not applied to the He 177 V2 when another test pilot undertook the first diving trials. During the diving trials, the V2 developed severe control flutter and broke-up in the air. Following this incident, the tail surfaces of the V3, V4, and V5 prototypes were modified in a similar fashion to those of the He 177 V1. The He 177 V3 was allocated the task of power plant development. The V1 through V3 prototype airframes were all equipped with two counterclockwise rotating DB 606 A powerplants, while the V4 prototype and all later aircraft, throughout the production run of the A-series, used a DB 606 A or DB 610 A engine on the starboard wing and one clockwise rotating B-version of the same powerplant on the port wing, so that the propellers rotated "away" from each other at the tops of the propeller arcs. The He 177 V4 was retained at Heinkel's test field where it undertook diving trials. While flying over the Baltic, the He 177 V4 failed to recover from a moderate dive, crashing into the sea near Ribnitz. It was later discovered that the accident had resulted from the malfunctioning of an airscrew pitch control mechanism.

The He 177 V5 incorporated a number of changes which were principally concerned with defensive armament installations. Early in 1941, during a simulated low-level attack, both DB 606 engines burst into flames, the V5 hitting the ground and exploding. The He 177 V6 was the first aircraft equipped with main production type DB 606 A/B engines instead of the pre-production units which offered a slight increase in takeoff power by 100 PS to 2700 PS (2,663 hp, 1,986 kW). The He 177 V7 featured a revised nose section which, while generally following the contours of the nose sections employed by the previous prototypes, was considerably reinforced and embodied fewer glazed panels. In September 1941, the He 177 V8, the last of the aircraft to be built as prototypes from the outset with a different, almost "bulletlike" cockpit construction from the production He 177A series aircraft, was made available for engine tests, but owing to the urgency of other development work it was returned to Heinkel after only forty days, and it was not possible to resume engine tests in the air until February 1942. The He 177 V1 to V8 and the A-0 production prototypes are notable for having a broad-bladed set of four-bladed propellers, with blade shapes and profiles similar to those used on the Junkers Ju 88 medium bomber, which were not used on the production He 177A series aircraft.

Photos of the first eight prototypes show a largely circular fuselage cross-section, especially forward of the wing root, with the A-0 series possessing flatter sides, dorsal and ventral surfaces of the main A-series production aircraft. The choice of what was called the "Cabin 3" cockpit design on September 20, 1939 for the production A-series run, placed a well-framed hemispherical "fishbowl" nose onto the He 177 A-0, giving it the generic "stepless cockpit", without a separate windshield for the pilot and co-pilot, that almost all German bomber aircraft had in World War II. The He 177A's "stepless" cockpit's forward glazing had its characteristic framing of four supporting frame members running in each orthogonal direction, running as the parallels and meridians on a globe would. Two sets of four roughly square windows, themselves arranged in a square of four windows each, on each side of the upper cockpit, just behind the "fishbowl's" rear edge, provided sideways vision from the cockpit for the pilot and crew. Often, the two lower rows of the "fishbowl's" windows in the lower nose were made opaque, with the exception of the bombardier's projecting bombsight window, either by painting them over or replacement with metal panels that performed the same function.


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## Thorlifter (May 7, 2010)

Very nice threads you have going.


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## Wayne Little (May 8, 2010)

Keep 'em coming mate!


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## gekho (May 8, 2010)

The tendency of the DB 606 engine to ignite became increasingly serious as the test programme progressed and many of the He 177 A-0s were destroyed in accidents or engine related causes. The DB 606 engine had first been introduced on the Heinkel He 119 and later used on other aircraft such as the Messerschmitt Me 261 where they functioned as intended, but the extremely tight cowlings on the He 177 led to considerable problems, the most common being in-flight engine fires and engine overheating. There were several reasons for the flammability of the DB 606 engine, one of which was the common "central" exhaust manifold, serving a total of twelve cylinders, on the two inner cylinder banks of the engines, which became excessively hot and caused the usual accumulation of oil and grease in the bottom of the engine cowling to catch fire. When the pilot throttled back there was a tendency for the injection pump to deliver more fuel than was required by the engine, in addition to which the injection pump connections leaked. In order to restrict the aircraft's weight, no firewall had been provided, and the DB 606 was fitted so close to the main spar that there was insufficient space for the fuel/oil pipelines and electrical leads. The engine was frequently saturated by fuel and oil from leaking connections. At high altitude, the oil tended to foam due to a badly designed oil pump, and in this condition it circulated in the engines, its lubricative qualities being severely reduced. The lack of adequate lubrication resulted in the disintegration of the connecting rod bearings which burst through the engine crankcase, puncturing the oil tanks which poured their contents on to the hot exhaust pipe collector. The tightly-packed nature of the engine installations also led to very poor access to the engines as well as very poor ventilation. As a result of these factors, as well as a lack of routine maintenance in the field, the DB 606 easily caught fire in flight. The effort to create an adequately powerful engine for the He 177 by mechanically coupling pairs of lower-power engines, while theoretically sound, proved to be difficult and time consuming to perfect, leading to numerous engine complications especially on the initial production models.

Starting with the He 177 A-3/R2, a modified engine nacelle with a new engine, the Daimler-Benz DB 610 which consisted of a pair of Daimler-Benz DB 605's, was used to eliminate the tendency for engine fires. With the introduction of the DB 610 came several improvements including the relocation of the engine oil tank, the lengthening of the engine mountings by 20 cm (8 in), the complete redesign of the exhaust system which also facilitated the installation of exhaust dampers for night missions, and the setting of a power limitation on the engines which resulted in greater reliability. These modifications were successful as far as engine fires were concerned but other minor problems with the transfer gearbox between the two engines and their shared propeller remained.


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## gekho (May 8, 2010)

The Junkers 290 was developed directly from the Ju 90 airliner, versions of which had been evaluated for military purposes, and was intended to replace the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor which by 1942 was proving increasingly slow and vulnerable when confronted by RAF aircraft over the "narrow seas" around Europe. It was also intended to meet the need for large transport aircraft. A bomber version, the A-8, was planned, but never built. The development programme resulted in the Ju 290V1 prototype (works no. 290000001), with Stammkennzeichen of BD+TX), which first flew on 16 July 1942. It featured a lengthened fuselage, more powerful engines, and a Trapoklappe hydraulic rear loading ramp. Both the V1 and the first eight A-1 production aircraft were unarmed transports. The need for heavy transports saw the A-1s pressed into service as soon as they were completed.

Several were lost in early 1943, including one taking part in the Stalingrad Airlift, and two flying supplies to German forces in Tunisia, and arming them became a priority. The urgent need for Ju 290s in the long-range maritime reconnaissance role was now also high priority, and resulted in the Ju 290A-2. Three A-1 aircraft were converted to A-2 specification on the assembly line. Production was slow due to the modifications necessary and the installation of strong defensive armament. The A-2 was fitted with FuG 200 Hohentwiel low-UHF band search radar and a dorsal turret fitted with a 20 mm MG 151 cannon. The Hohentwiel radar was successfully used to locate Allied convoys at ranges of up to 80 km (50 mi) from an altitude of 499 m (1,637 ft) or 100 km (62 mi) from an altitude of 999 m (3,278 ft). It allowed convoys to be tracked while remaining well out of range of any anti-aircraft fire.

The A-3 version followed shortly after with added navigational equipment and probably the heaviest defensive armament of any World War II aircraft; it was fitted with two hydraulically-powered HDL 151 dorsal turrets armed with 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, with a further 20 mm MG 151/20 and a 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun fitted in a gondola beneath the nose, and a 20 mm MG 151/20 fitted in the tail operated by a gunner in a prone position. Two 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131s were also fitted in waist positions (Fensterlafetten). The A-3, along with the A-2, also featured large auxiliary fuel tanks in the fuselage. Both types retained the rear loading ramp so that they could be used as transports if need be. The improved A-7 version appeared in spring 1944; 13 were completed, and 10 served with FAGr 5. Some A-7s and some A-4s were fitted with a detachable nose turret armed with a 20 mm MG 151/20 for added defense against frontal attack. No bombs were carried, as it was intended that the A-5 and A-7 would be used to launch anti-ship missiles.

Production lines were set up at the Letov aircraft factory in Prague for combat versions of the aircraft, commencing with the Ju 290 A-2, which carried a search radar for its patrol role. Minor changes in armament distinguished the A-3 and A-4, leading to the definitive A-5 variant. The A-6 was a 50-passenger transport aircraft.


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## gekho (May 8, 2010)

A special long-range reconnaissance group, FAGr 5 (Fernaufklärungsgruppe 5), had been formed on 1 July 1943 and during the late summer of 1943 three of the new Ju 290 A-2s were delivered to its 1 Staffel, which became operational at Mont-de-Marsan near Bordeaux on 15 October of that year. They flew their first operational missions in November 1943, shadowing Allied convoys in cooperation with U-boats, and often remaining airborne for up to 18 hours. Five Ju 290 A-3 aircraft with more powerful BMW 801D engines followed, as did five Ju 290 A-4 aircraft with improved dorsal turrets mounting 20 mm MG 151/20s. The Ju 290s were well suited to their patrol role and began replacing the Fw 200 Condors. An A-4, Works no. 0165, was experimentally equipped with attachments for FX 1400, Henschel Hs 293, and Hs 294 missiles, and fitted with FuG 203e radar; it was surrendered to the US after the war and flown across the Atlantic to the USA.

In November 1943, a second Staffel was activated and, with a range of over 6,100 km (3,790 mi) the Ju 290s ranged far out over the Atlantic, relaying sightings of Allied convoys to U-boats. 11 Ju 290 A-5s with increased armour protection, 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons in place of the earlier waist-mounted machine guns, and self-sealing fuel tanks were delivered to FAGr 5 early in 1944, as were around 12 of the Ju 290 A-7 version; the A-7 could carry three Hs 293 glide bombs or Fritz X anti-ship missiles and featured a redesigned nose section which combined a 20 mm cannon installation with the FuG 200 radar aerial array. Towards the end of 1943, Admiral Dönitz demanded that the entire output of Ju 290s be made available for U-boat warfare. However, a mere 20 machines were assigned for this purpose. Even though both Hitler and Dönitz demanded an increase, the Luftwaffe General Staff declared it was unable to assign anymore for naval reconnaissance purposes. The General Staff argued that there could be no increase in output so long as the Luftwaffe was not conceded "precedence in overall armaments".

In the spring of 1944, after Albert Speer had taken over the direction of air armaments, the Luftwaffe High Command baldly announced that it production of the Ju 290 was to be suspended despite it being urgently needed for maritime reconnaissance; suspending production meant that resources could instead be diverted to building fighter aircraft. At that point in time, Speer's position was weak and Hermann Göring was trying to find allies to help him strip Speer of his power, and the Luftwaffe was not prepared to offer the Navy more than "goodwill". As the Battle of the Atlantic swung irrevocably in favour of the Allies with the loss by the Germans of French bases in August 1944, maritime reconnaissance unit FAGr 5 was withdrawn eastwards and the remaining Ju 290s were reassigned to transport duties, including service with KG 200, where they were used to drop agents behind enemy lines and other special missions.

These pictures were taken during the Stalingrade´s siege.


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## gekho (May 9, 2010)

The Junkers Ju 390 was a long-range derivative of the Junkers Ju 290 and was intended to be used as a heavy transport, maritime patrol aircraft, and bomber. It was the design selected for the abortive Amerika Bomber project, and is the largest aircraft ever to have been built in Germany. Two prototypes were created by inserting an extra pair of inner wing segments into the wings of basic Ju 290 airframes and adding new sections to "stretch" the fuselages. The resulting giant first flew on October 20 1943 and performed well, resulting in an order for 26 such aircraft, to be designated Ju 390A-1. None of these were actually built by the time that the project was cancelled (along with Ju 290 production) in mid 1944. The maritime patrol version and bomber were to be designated Ju 390B and Ju 390C respectively. It was suggested that the bomber could have carried the Messerschmitt Me 328 parasite fighter for self-defence. Some test flights are believed to have been performed by Ju-390 aircraft with the anti-shipping Fritz-X guided smart-bomb. There is a heavily disputed claim that in January 1944, a Ju-390 prototype made a trans-atlantic flight from Mont-de-Marsan (near Bordeaux) to some 20 km (12 miles) of the coast of the United States and back. Critics claim FAGr.5 (Fernaufsklarungsgruppe 5) never flew such a flight. Supporters say the only link between FAGr.5 and the new York flight is the common use of an airfield at Mont-de-Marsan and the veracity of the New York flight is neither proved nor disproved by a lack of unit records for such a flight. Indeed the flight may have had nothing whatsoever to do with FAGr.5 operations.

Whilst the Ju-390's 32-hour endurance would have certainly made such a crossing theoretically possible, there is a lack of evidence to support the claim. Aviation historian Horst Zoeller claims the flight was recorded in Junkers company records. Critics have also pointed to the vagueness of the aircraft's alleged position and even the date of what would have been a milestone flight. The best known (and maybe earliest publication) of the claim in English was in William Green 's Warplanes of the Third Reich in 1970Events January events January 1 Construction begins on Arcosanti, by Paolo Soleri, in Mayer, Arizona, located 65, miles north of Phoenix, Arizona. January 1 Unix epoch at 00:00:00 UTC. January 12 Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian civil war. January, where he wrote that the Ju 390 flew to "a point some 12 miles from the US coast, north of New York". Critics say the vagueness of detail and lack of corroborating evidence are hallmarks of an urban legendUrban Legend is also the name of a 1998 movie. Urban legends perpetrate a type of folklore, endlessly circulated by word of mouth, repeated in news stories and distributed by email. People frequently recount such tales as having happened to a "friend of a.

Critics believe that the aircraft would have had to overfly parts of the MassachusettsMassachusetts is a state of the United States of America, part of the New England region. postal abbreviation is MA and its traditional abbreviation is Mass . It is properly called the Commonwealth of Massachusetts although there is no legal distinction b coast in order to fix their location, and point out the likelihood of the aircraft being spotted by observers and/or radar, which it was not. If New York state were meant, this would have put the aircraft closer to Boston. Critics ask why this city wasn't referred to for fixing the position of the claim. Finally, it is questioned how the aircrew would have been able to fix their position so accurately anyway. Supporters argue that a Ju-390 crew could have obtained a highly accurate fix from public broadcast radio stations. Also that a ju-390 would not have needed to overfly Massachusetts at all. They say there was no reason why New York city could not have been approached purely from the sea.

Following the war, Hitler's armaments minister Albert Speer also claimed to author James P O'Donnell that a Ju-390 aircraft flown by Junkers test pilots flew a polar route to Japan in 1944.


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## gekho (May 9, 2010)

The Messerschmitt Me 264 was intended as a long-range aircraft and reconnaissance platform that was to supply the German Luftwaffe with a bomber capable of hitting targets within America as well as support Kriegsmarine U-boat operations in the Atlantic. However, an underperforming prototype and subsequent construction delays soon pushed the Me 264 into the background as German authorities moved their focus to more promising projects. Development of the Me 264 spanned some eight years, culminating in only three prototypes - only one of which was able to achieve flight (this being the Me 264 V1). Design of this interesting aircraft was credited to Wolfgang Degel, Paul Konrad and Waldemar Voigt of Messerschmitt.

Development of a long-range reconnaissance platform began in 1937. The German declaration of war against the United States began to advance the project. Hitler envisioned hitting targets within America from territories under German (and Japanese) control. In effect, Hitler wanted "harassing" actions against the country in an effort to disrupt production and instill fear into the American populace. At the same time, the German Navy was also looking for a long-range aircraft for use in maritime reconnaissance and bombing. Messerschmitt developed their P.1061 model and, by 1941, the type was ordered in six prototype forms (later reduced to three) as the Me 264. The prototypes were committed to this endeavor in three developmental forms as the Me 264 V1, Me 264 V2 and the Me 264 V3.

After a protracted construction period, the Me 264 V1 achieved first flight on December 23rd, 1942, with 4 x Jumo 211J series liquid-cooled inline piston engines of 1,340 horsepower each and was built sans armor or weapons. By the end of 1943, the powerplants were replaced by 4 x BMW 801G radial piston engines of 1,750 horsepower each. It was hoped that the V1 would be ready for flight testing as early as October 10th 1942, but this proved optimistic to say the least. In-flight testing revealed some inherent faults in the design with the major factor being high wing loading - this itself leading to a host of handling and performance issues. Wing loading essentially represented the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of its wings. A fully-loaded Me 264 was soon found to exhibit a poor rate-of-climb and equally degraded maneuverability - this before armor and weaponry were even added to the mix. Performance from the BMW 801 series (G or H) radial engines netted the Me 264 a top speed of 350 miles per hour with an impressive range of 9,500 miles. The service ceiling was a reported 26,000 feet with a rate-of-climb equaling 390 feet per minute.

The Me 264 V2 was constructed with armor in place though sans its defensive guns but was not fully completed. The Me 264 V3 was given its guns and full armor (this one too never fully completed) but by this time, German interest in the project had waned. The Me 264 faced a slew of material delays and underperformed in tests despite claims made by the people at Messerschmitt. The German Navy (and the RLM for that matter) instead decided to focus their attentions on using the Junkers Ju 290 in the preferred roles and wait on its intended long-range, six-engine cousin - the Ju 390 - to achieve operational status. The official call for cancellation involving the fruitless Me 264 program came to an end in Reichsmarschall Technical Order Nr. 2. The Me 264 program was closed down officially on September 23rd, 1944.

Junkers eventually won out in the long run with their large Ju 390 - a design that could take advantage of the existing Ju 290 parts already in circulation and production. In all, only the three Me 264 airframes were produced, with the V1 only ever achieving flight and this eventually being fielded in a limited role with Transportstaffel 5. Under German orders, Messerschmitt's focus then turned on developing their Me 262 twin-engine, jet-powered fighter. Hitler's dream of harassing the American East Coast was dead. While the V2 and V3 prototypes were destroyed in subsequent Allied bombing raids, the V1 forged on until suffering a direct hit in another Allied air raid. The V1 was not repaired, however, and therefore left out of operational service for the duration of the war.


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## wheelsup_cavu (May 9, 2010)

Good pics Gekho. 


Wheels


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## Crimea_River (May 9, 2010)

Agreed. Thanks for posting.


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## gekho (May 9, 2010)

By 1932, the German airline, Lufthansa, had sufficiently recovered from the economic woes of the 1920’s to put in service a three-engine civil transport plane, the Junkers Ju 52/3m. Based on a short-lived single engine model, the Ju 52 first flew in April 1931 and quickly became the workhorse of both the airline and the reviving Luftwaffe, with a standard passenger-carrying load of 17. During the Spanish Civil War, the Ju 52 ferried more than 10,000 Moorish troops from Morocco to Spain, as well as dropping 6000 tons of bombs. With three BMW engines of 725 horsepower each, the Ju 52 had a maximum speed of 171 mph and a range of 800 miles. For air defense and tactical ground support the bomber carried two 7.92 machineguns and could be fitted with a variety of bomb racks as the need arose; the plane's trademark corrugated skin produced a very solid airframe.

By the beginning of World War Two over 1,000 Ju 52’s were in service; eventually a total of 5,000 planes would fly the Nazi colors performing every imaginable mission from troop transport to mine-laying on all fronts. During the war some thirteen ‘variations on a theme’ saw improved radios, interchangeable float/ski/wheel landing gear (indicating the wide range of Luftwaffe requirements), better armor and engines, and heavier defensive armament.


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## gekho (May 9, 2010)

The Ju 52 was obsolete as a bomber by 1939, but because of its durability, simplicity of design and handling characteristics, it continued to serve throughout World War II as a versatile workhorse of the German transport fleet. For a period, Adolf Hitler used a Ju 52 as his private transport. Ju 52s delivered the attacking forces and their supplies during the German invasion of Norway, Denmark, France and the Low Countries in 1940. Almost 500 Ju 52s participated in the historic airborne assault on the island of Crete in May 1941, and Junkers later supplied Rommel's armored forces in North Africa.


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## gekho (May 9, 2010)

Most Ju 52s were destroyed after the war, but 585 were manufactured after 1945. In France, the machine had been manufactured during the war by the Junkers-controlled Amiot company, and production continued afterwards as the Amiot AAC 1 Toucan. In Spain, Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA continued production as the CASA 352 and 352L. Four CASA 352s are airworthy and in regular use today.


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## gekho (May 9, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

The Junkers Ju 252 was a cargo aircraft that made its first flight in late October 1941. The aircraft was planned as a replacement for the Junkers Ju 52/3m in commercial airline service, but only a small number were built as cargo aircraft for the Luftwaffe. The original Ju 252 came about after talks between Junkers and Lufthansa in December 1938. Lufthansa requested a new design that would replace the Ju 52, but offer much greater loads, seating, range and performance. Junkers responded with the EF.77 design with a pressurized fuselage with seating for up to 35, making it one of the larger airliners in the world at that time. It was powered by three Junkers Jumo 211F engines, in nacelles almost identical in appearance, each complete with annular radiator, to those on Jumo 211-powered versions of the Junkers Ju 88, replacing the BMW 132 of the Ju 52, which dramatically improved performance. Compared to the Ju 52, the Ju 252 was twice as heavy (13,100 kg vs. 5,600), over 100 km/h faster (440 km/h vs. 305) and had dramatically improved range (3980 km vs. 1300) when fully loaded.

By the time the prototype was ready to fly in October 1941, the war was already in progress and the Luftwaffe took over development. Like earlier taildragger designs, the Ju 252 would normally be difficult to load when parked due to the sloping floor. Junkers pioneered a unique solution to this problem, the Trapoklappe, a hydraulically powered ventral loading ramp that lifted the plane off its tailwheel, leveling the floor and allowing oversized cargo to be loaded. Even as cargo aircraft of all nations since World War II have used nosewheel landing gear undercarriage designs, the Trapoklappe concept of a rear loading ramp, that forms the openable rear ventral panel of the fuselage of a cargo aircraft, is a ubiquitous feature of most military airlift cargo aircraft to the present day.

Although the Ju 252 was a vast improvement over the Junkers Ju 52/3m, the situation at that time did not permit any disruption of the existing production lines, and the Reich Air Ministry (RLM) was of the opinion that any replacement for the Junkers Ju 52/3m must make minimum demands on supplies of strategic materials and use powerplants not required by combat aircraft. Junkers was then instructed to investigate the possibility of redesigning the Ju 252 in order that a considerable portion of wood could be included in its structure, simultaneously replacing the Junkers Jumo 211F engine with the BMW Bramo 323R engine of which surplus stocks existed. The result was the Junkers Ju 352. Production of the Ju 252 was restricted to already completed prototypes plus those for which major assemblies had already been semi-completed, thus only 15 transports of this type were completed before production was switched to the Junkers Ju 352.


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

The genesis of the Me 323 Gigant (giant) transport was in a 1940 German requirement for a large assault glider. The DFS 230 light glider had already proven its worth in the famous attack on Fort Eben-Emael in Belgium (the first ever assault by gliderborne troops), and would later be used successfully in the Crete invasion in 1941. However, the prospective invasion of Great Britain focused minds on the need to be able to airlift vehicles and other heavy equipment as part of an initial assault wave. Although Operation Sealion was cancelled, the requirement was still a valid one with the focus now on the forthcoming invasion of the USSR.

On October 18 1940, Junkers and Messerschmitt were given just 14 days to submit a proposal for a large transport glider. The emphasis was still very much on the assault role: the ambitious requirement was to be able to carry either an 88mm gun and half-track tractor, or a PzKpfw IV medium tank. The Junkers Ju 322 'Mammut' reached prototype form, but was completely unsatisfactory and was scrapped. The Messerschmitt was originally designated the Me 261w, was then changed to Me 263, eventually becoming the Me 321. Although the Me 321 saw considerable service, it was never used for a Maltese invasion, or for any other such undertakings.

Early in 1941, the decision had been taken to produce a motorized variant of the Me 321. It was now realised that a serious heavy-lift requirement would exist outside the specialized assault role, and that a huge glider that needed specialised towing aircraft, rocket packs and other equipment was simply not the answer. After much study and testing with a converted Me 321 with four engines, it was decided to fit six French Gnome-Rhone GR14N engines. These were in production and readily available, and could easily be bolted on the wing, which consequently needed to be strengthened. A cabin for a flight engineer was added in each wing between the inboard and centre engines, although the pilot could override each engineer’s decision on engine and propeller control. A brand-new permanent landing gear was bolted on to the side of each fuselage, and gave the resulting Me 323 superb rough-field performance. Compared to the Me 321, the Me 323 had a much-reduced payload of between 10–12 tonnes, which was the price that had to be paid for an aircraft that could operate autonomously. Even with the engines, rocket assisted take off packs were still frequently used. Some ME-321 was converted to ME-323, but the majority was built as 6-engined from the beginning, the early ones had wooden 2-blade propellers which later was replaced by metal 3-blades one.


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

Capable of carrying 100 combat-equipped troops or a similar freight load of about 15 tons, the Me 323 was used in 1943 to ferry supplies and reserve troops from Italy and Sicily to the German Afrika Korps in Tunis and the area of North Africa. However, from Ultra intelligence, the transport formations' flight schedules were known to the Allies who used this information to send fighter squadron to ambush the aerial convoys and shoot down the transports. For example, on 22 April 1943 near Cape Bon, several squadrons of Spitfires and P-40 Kittyhawks attacked a unit of 14 petrol-carrying Me 323s and their fighter escorts. All 14 were shot down with the loss of about 120 crew and 700 drums of fuel.

213 Me 323's were built before production ceased in April 1944. There were several production versions, beginning with the D-1. Later D- and E- versions differed in the choice of power plant and in defensive armament, with improvements in structural strength, total cargo load and fuel capacity also being implemented. Nonetheless, the Me 323 remained significantly underpowered. There was a proposal to install six BMW 801 radials, but this never came to pass. The Me 323 was also a short-range aircraft, with a typical range (loaded) of 1,000–1,200 km. Despite this, the limited numbers of Me 323's in service were an invaluable asset to the Germans, and saw intensive use. The Me 323 was something of a 'sitting duck', being so slow and large an aircraft. In the final weeks of the North African campaign in April/May 1943, 43 Gigants were lost, along with much greater numbers of Ju 52's. In terms of aircraft design, the Me 323 was actually very resilient, and could absorb a huge amount of ene my fire, unless loaded with barrels with fuel - the Afrika Korps' nickname of Leukoplastbomber (Elastoplast Bomber) was somewhat unfair. However, no transport aircraft can ever be expected to survive without air superiority or at least, comprehensive local air cover, and it is believed that no Me 323s survived in service beyond the summer of 1944.


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

More pics


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## Crimea_River (May 10, 2010)

Great shots!


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## Thorlifter (May 10, 2010)

Love that pic of the Ju-52 under or beside the Me-323. Sure give a little scale, though skewed a bit due to angle and depth perception, to the size of the Gigant.


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

Like the contemporary He 111, the Ju 86 was developed as an airliner and bomber, and five prototypes of each were ordered in 1934. The Junkers aircraft flew five months later, four months ahead of its competitor, and had been designed around the new Junkers Jumo 205 diesel engine. Initial flight trials were disappointing, handling in particular being poor, and during subsequent modifications (which may have improved but not eradicated the problems) gun positions were installed. The third prototype was completed as a bomber and flew in January 1935, four months before the second prototype that was built as a commercial aircraft with 10 passenger seats. The fourth prototype, destined to become the first definitive Ju 86B airliner, flew in May 1935, followed three months later by the fifth prototype, the production prototype for the Ju 86A bomber.

Production at Junker's Dessau factory began on both versions in late 1935 with an initial batch of 13 Ju 86A-0 and seven Ju 86B-0 pre-production aircraft, the first deliveries being made in February 1936. Bombers carried a crew of four and had a defensive armament of three machine-guns. The first export delivery was of a Ju 86B-0 to Swissair in April 1936 for night mail service, and the balance of six of these pre-production aircraft went to Lufthansa. In February 1937 a second aircraft went to Swissair under the export designation Ju 86Z-1, but when re-engined subsequently with BMW 132De radials it was redesignated Ju 86Z-2. Lufthansa also received an additional six aircraft in 1937 and these, powered by Jumo 205C diesel engines, had the designation Ju 86C-1.

Junkers had received some export orders for military models with alternative powerplants. Sweden acquired three Ju 86K-1 aircraft with 875 hp (652 W) Pratt Whitney Hornet radial engines, and subsequently 16 more were built under licence by SAAB in Sweden and powered by either Swedish or Polish built Bristol Pegasus engines, both variants having the designation Ju 86K-13. Other versions of the Ju 86K were sold to Chile, Hungary and Portugal and the (wit Gnome-Rhone, Bristol Pegasus 111 or Swedish built Pegasus XII engines) had the respective designations Ju 86K-9, Ju 86K4 and Ju 86K-5. Hungary later assembled 66 more aircraft under licence, powered by licence-built Gnome-Rh6ne radials, and these had the designation Ju 86K-2.


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## gekho (May 10, 2010)

Meanwhile, modifications to the military models resulted in the Jumo 205C-engined Ju 86D-1, five of which served with the Legion Condor during the Spanish Civil War, but the diesel engines were not standing up well to combat conditions and the aircraft had proved markedly inferior to the He 111. Disenchantment with the Ju 86D and the very poor serviceability of its engines led the Luftwaffe to make savage and sudden cuts in the Junkers programme and the diesel engines were dropped. Instead, the 810 hp (604 kW) BMW 132F radial was installed, resulting in the designation Ju 86E-1, this type being followed by the Ju 86E-2 with uprated 865 hp (645 kW) BMW 132Ns. Performance showed little improvement but reliability was greatly improved.

In 1938, in an attempt to improve pilot visibility, Junkers redesigned the entire nose section, bringing the pilot farther forward and shortening and lowering the nose to provide a fully glazed enclosure of more streamlined contours. The revisions were included on the final 40 production Ju 86E-2s under the designation Ju 86G-1, and manufacture of the Ju 86 ceased in 1938 with a total of about 390 aircraft (excluding licence- manufacture). Withdrawal of the type from Luftwaffe front-line service began in late 1938, but at various times during World War 11 it was found necessary to recall groups from training establishments, for instance in the relief of Stalingrad, but casualties were heavy. In spite of its unsuitability for front-line service, the Ju 86 still had one useful (and unique) role to fill for the Luftwaffe.

Junkers had been experimenting for some time with a high-altitude version of the Jumo diesel engine, together with pressure cabin design, and in September 1939 submitted proposals for a high-altitude reconnaissance version of the Ju 86. The go-ahead was given, and two Ju 86D airframes were converted, gun positions faired over (since no fighter would be able to reach the aircraft at its operation al altitude) and a two-seat pressure cabin was fitted. The prototypes flew in February and March 1940 as Ju 86P aircraft, and reached altitudes of more than 32,810 ft (10000 m). A third prototype with wing span increased by 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) reached 39,700 ft (12100 m), and the success of the trials earned an order for the conversion of 40 Ju 86Ds to Ju 86Ps. Two models were built the Ju 86P-1 bomber with a load of 2,205 lbs (1000 kg) and the Ju 86P-2 reconnaissance aircraft with three cameras. One of the prototypes flew a reconnaissance mission over the UK at 41,010 ft (12,500 m) in the summer of 1940 and was undetected, and other production models both followed this over the UK and USSR.

While standard Allied fighters were unable to reach them the Ju 86Ps remained unscathed, but in August 1942 a stripped-down Spitfire Mk V caught a Ju 86P at 37,000 ft (11275 m) over Egypt and after a chase to 42,000 ft (12800 m) shot it down. In an effort to gain more altitudes, a higher aspect ratio wing was designed, increasing the span to 104 ft 113/4 in (32.00 m), and uprated Jumo engines with four- blade propellers were installed. Two versions were again built, the Ju 86R-1 reconnaissance aircraft and the Ju 86R-2 bomber, each comprising conversions of the respective Ju 86P types. Only a few aircraft reached service, but during tests an altitude of 47,250 ft (14400 m) was reached. Further development of the Ju 86R-3 with 1,500 hp (1119 kW) supercharged Jumo 208s and designed to reach 52,500 ft (16000 m), and of a proposed Ju 186, with four Jumo 208s or two Jumo 2 18s (which were coupled Jumo 208s) was abandoned. Probably the last surviving Ju 86s were those with the Swedish Air Force which completed their service as transports in 1956. One is preserved in the Swedish Air Force museum.


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## Gnomey (May 10, 2010)

Nice shots!


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## wheelsup_cavu (May 10, 2010)

Cool shots Gekho. 


Wheels


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## gekho (May 11, 2010)

The Junkers Ju 88 represented one of the better and more successful bomber designs attributed to the German Luftwaffe. The system performed on a variety of levels, achieving success with most every role and saw production reach totals well past 15,000 examples. Though operating for a nation whose bomber squadrons are rarely the cause for general discussion of the air war in World War 2, the Junkers Ju 88 stands out as a formidable and successful flyer that provided German warplanners with a versatile performers and equally terrified the leaders of opposing countries. At its core, the Ju 88 was simple twin-engine monoplane system built around a thin pencil-like fuselage with a single vertical tail surface. The crew compartment was fitted to the extreme forward portion of the fuselage and held accommodations for up to four personnel under glazed glasswork. The Ju 88 had provisions for an internal and (later models) external bomb loadouts along with a defensive array of machine guns of various types.

The initial Ju 88V-1 prototype first as early as 1936, though it accommodated just three personnel and was fitted with Daimler-Benz DB 600A series engines of 1,000 horsepower each. Production models entered service by the end 1939 as the Ju 88A-1 and in time for the full-swing of the Second World War. Most notably, the Ju 88 series took part in the 1940 summer offensive against England in the famed "Battle of Britain", serving the gamut of roles in varying forms - some featuring rocket-assisted take-off for quick action response.

The Ju 88 proved to be a versatile component to the Luftwaffe arsenal. It represented the fastest of the German bombers available and much was made with its advantage in speed. The system would go on to be fielded on every front that Germany was fighting on and was also well-noted for its anti-shipping capability against the Allied convoys thanks to several conversion models fitted with specialized radar and anti-ship munitions. As prized as the platform was, its final claim to fame would be recognized in the use of the Ju 88's bomb-laden fuselage as part of the Mistel - a fighter aircraft/Ju 88 combination where the piloted fighter (various were considered including the Fw 190, Me 262 and Me 109 platforms) would be mounted atop a crewless, yet bomb-laden Ju 88 fuselage, component which would later be jettisoned onto a target. Another in the seemingly long line of ingenious - yet desperate and ill-fated - concoctions related to the Luftwaffe and the closing months of World War 2 but such was the end for this fine machine.


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## gekho (May 11, 2010)

During the Battle of Norway, the Luftwaffe committed II./Kampfgeschwader 30 to the campaign under X. Fliegerkorps for Operation Weserübung. The unit was equipped with Ju 88s and engaged Allied shipping as its main target. On 9 April 1940, Ju 88s of KG 30 dive-bombed, in cooperation with high-level bombing Heinkel He 111s of KG 26, and helped damage the battleship HMS Rodney and sink the destroyer HMS Gurkha. However, the unit lost four Ju 88s in the action, the highest single loss of the aircraft in combat throughout the campaign.

I have found this interesting site about the recovery of a Ju-88 and a He-111 in Norway. I hope you like it.

JU88.net


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## gekho (May 11, 2010)

The Luftwaffe's order of battle for the French campaign reveals all but one of the Luftwaffe's Fliegerkorps (I. Fliegerkorps) contained Ju 88s in the combat role. The mixed bomber units, including the Ju 88, of Kampfgeschwader 51 (under the command of Luftflotte 3) helped claim between 233 and 248 Allied aircraft on the ground between 10-13 May 1940. The Ju 88 was particularly effective at dive-bombing. Between 13-24 May, I. and II./KG 54 flew 174 attack against rail systems, paralysing French logistics and mobility. On 17 June 1940, Junkers Ju 88s (mainly from Kampfgeschwader 30) destroyed a "10,000 tonne ship", the 16,243 grt ocean liner RMS Lancastria, off Saint-Nazaire, killing some 5,800 Allied personnel. Some 133 Ju 88s were pressed into the Blitzkrieg, but very high combat losses and accidents forced a quick withdrawal from action to re-train crews to fly this very high performance aircraft. Some crews were reported to be more scared of the Ju 88 than the enemy, and requested a transfer to a He 111 unit. By this time, major performance deficiencies in the A-1 led to an all-out effort in a major design rework. The outcome was a longer, 20.08 m (65 ft 10½ in) wingspan, from extended rounded wing tips, that was deemed needed for all A-1s; thus the A-5 was born. Surviving A-1s were modified as quickly as possible, with new wings to A-5 specifications.


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## gekho (May 11, 2010)

By summer 1941, most of the units equipped with the Dornier Do 17 were upgrading to the Ju 88. With a few exceptions, most of the German bomber units were now flying the He 111 and Ju 88. The Ju 88 was to prove a very capable and valuable asset to the Luftwaffe in the east. The Ju 88 units met with instant success, attacking enemy airfields and positions at low level and causing enormous losses for little damage in return. 3./Kampfgeschwader 3 attacked Pinsk airfield in the morning of the 22 June 1941. It caught, and claimed destroyed, 60 Soviet bombers on the ground. The 39 SBAP Regiment of the 10 Division SAD actually lost 43 Tupolev SBa and five Petlyakov Pe-2s. Ju 88s from Kampfgeschwader 51 destroyed over 100 aircraft after dispatching 80 Ju 88s to hit airfields. In general the Soviet aircraft were not dispersed and the Luftwaffe found them easy targets. A report from the Soviet 23rd Tank Division of the 12th Armoured Corps reported a low-level attack by Ju 88s on 22 June, resulting in the loss of 40 tanks. However, the Ju 88s were to suffer steady attritional losses. At 0415 on 22 June 1941, III./KG 51 attacked the airfield at Kurovitsa. Despite destroying 34 Polikarpov I-153s, the Ju 88s were intercepted by 66 ShAP I-153s. Six Ju 88s were shot down before the German fighter escort dealt with the threat. By the end of the first day of the campaign, Ju 88 losses amounted to 23 destroyed.

Due to the lack of sufficient numbers of Ju 87 Stukas, the Ju 88 was employed in the direct ground support role. This resulted in severe losses from ground fire. Kampfgeschwader 1, Kampfgeschwader 76 and Kampfgeschwader 77 reported the loss of 18 Ju 88s over enemy territory on 23 June. KG 76 and KG 77 reported the loss of a further four Ju 88s, of which 12 were 100% destroyed. In the north, the VVS North-Western Front lost 465 aircraft on the ground, 148 of them bombers, to the Ju 88s of KG 1. A further 33 were damaged. Out of a total of 1,720 aircraft deployed by the VVS Northern Front on 22 June, it lost 890 and a further 187 suffered battle damage in eight days.[28] The Ju 88s units helped virtually destroy Soviet airpower in the northern sector. Again, the Ju 88 demonstrated its dive-bombing capability. Along with He 111s from KG 55, Ju 88s from KG 51 and 54 destroyed some 220 trucks and 40 tanks on 1 July, which helped repulse the Soviet South Western Front's offensive. The Ju 88s destroyed most rail links during interdiction missions in the area, allowing Panzergruppe 1 to maintain the pace of its advance.

Ju 88 units operating over the Baltic states during the battle for Estonia inflicted severe losses on Soviet shipping, with the same dive-bombing tactics used over Norway, France and Britain. KGr 806 sank the Soviet destroyer Karl Marx on 8 August 1941 in Loksa Bay Tallinn. On 28 August the Ju 88s had more success when KG 77 and KGr 806 sank the 2,026 grt steamer Vironia, the 2,317 grt Lucerne, the 1,423 grt Artis Kronvalds and the ice breaker Krisjanis Valdemars (2,250 grt). The rest of the Soviet "fleet", were forced to change course. This took them through a heavily mined area. As a result, 21 Soviet warships, including five destroyers, struck mines and sank. On 29 August, the Ju 88s accounted for the transport ships Vtoraya Pyatiletka (3,974 grt), Kalpaks (2,190 grt) and Leningradsovet (1,270 grt) sunk. Furthermore, the ships Ivan Papanin, Saule, Kazakhstan and the Serp i Molot were damaged. Some 5,000 Soviet soldiers were lost.


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## A4K (May 11, 2010)

Bloody great shots!!!!! Thanks for posting!


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## Gnomey (May 11, 2010)

Great shots!


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## gekho (May 12, 2010)

The Ju 188 was an improved version of the Ju 88, one of the mainstays of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Although the aircraft only entered service in 1943, its basic design was based on an alternative cockpit for the Ju 88 that had been part of the original design for that aircraft in 1936. A prototype of this Ju 88B had flow in 1940, but the advantages of the modified cockpit were not enough to make it worth disrupting production of the already important aircraft. Instead Junkers were to concentrate on the Ju 288, part of the 1939 “Bomber B” competition. Work resumed on the Ju 88B under the new designation Ju 188 in October 1942. It was triggered by the failure of the Bomber B project. Work on the Ju 288 was scaled down in favour of the Ju 188, which as a modification of an existing aircraft would take much less time to enter service. It benefited from the years of development that had gone into improving the Ju 88, with the first prototype originally constructed as Ju 88 V44, (the forty-fourth development aircraft).

The RLM specification for the Ju 188 required it to be capable of acting as either a level or dive bomber. It was to carry the same dive-brakes and automatic pull-out gear as the Ju 88A. It was to be capable of being powered by either Jumo 213 (A series) or BMW 801 (E series) engines, built into a “power egg” that would allow either engine to be installed on the production line. The most obvious change made to the Ju 188 was in the cockpit. The stepped nose of the Ju 88 was replaced by a single canopy that began under the nose then curved up and over the cockpit, ending at the rear dorsal gun position, giving the new aircraft the profile of a tadpole. Changes were also made to the wings, increasing the wingspan by three feet while the tail was also enlarged and the fin made larger. 

The standard bomber version carried four guns, all in the main cockpit. These included a 20mm cannon in the nose, an dorsal turret at the top of the cockpit, with either a 13mm or 20mm gun, a rear firing 13mm gun in the rear dorsal position and a rear firing MG 81Z twin machine gun in the ventral position. The normal bomber variant could carry a 3000kg/ 6614lb bomb load. Two prototypes were ready by January 1943, when they began flight tests. The new aircraft was generally popular. It outperformed the already excellent Ju 88, and features a more spacious cockpit with improved visibility. Its biggest weakness was the lack of any effective tail guns, which led to a variety of attempts to fit a rear turret.

The Ju 188 entered service in May 1943 with Erprobungskommando 188, a specialled service test unit, and with KG 6. I./KG 6 would be the first unit to go operational, on 20 October 1943, acting as a pathfinder unit. Only two bomber units (KG 2 and KG 6) would convert entirely to the Ju 188, which was also used by some elements of KG 26 and KG 66. Half of the 1,076 aircraft produced were reconnaissance aircraft, and the type was used by ten reconnaissance units.

The Ju 188 appeared too late to make any significant impact on the war. Of the total production, 283 were built in 1943 and 793 in 1944, by which time the German bomber forces were shrinking. From the summer of 1944 they almost completely disappeared in response to the fuel shortage caused by Allied heavy bombing. Allied control of the air meant that the Ju 188 was unable to achieve much as a reconnaissance aircraft either – the Luftwaffe would be essentially blind until the jet powered Arado Ar 234 entered service. In a somewhat unexpected twist, the Ju 188 was used by the French naval air arm (the Aéronavale) in the immediate post war era.


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## gekho (May 12, 2010)

The Junkers Ju 90 airliner and transport series descended directly from the Ju 89, a contender in the Ural bomber programme aimed at producing a long-range strategic bomber. This concept was abandoned by the RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium, Reich Aviation Ministry) in April 1937 in favour of smaller, faster bombers. In April 1939, the RLM asked Junkers for a further development of the Ju 90 for military transport purposes. The Ju 90V5 and V6 were the prototypes of this military design. They got a new wing with a straight inner section leading edge, of greater span (19%) and area (11%). The landing gear was strengthened with twin main-wheels and the fins were more rounded, lacking the characteristic horn balance nick of the earlier models. The windows were replaced by 10 small portholes a side. The Ju 90 V5 flew first on 5 December 1939. A special feature of both the V5 and V6 was a boarding ramp in the floor of the fuselage for loading cars and larger cargo freight[8][6]. This ramp, when lowered raised the fuselage to the horizontal flying position. Both aircraft were retrospectively fitted with the much more powerful 1,200 kW (1,600 hp) BMW 801MA radials.

The two last prototypes - the V7 and V8 - fed directly into the Ju 290 development programme. The former had a fuselage extension of 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) and the addition of dihedral to the tailplane to solve a yaw instability. A reconnaissance prototype aerodynamically similar to the V7, the V8 was armed, however,with two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons and up to nine 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns in two dorsal, one ventral and one tail position. Some of the Ju 90s were converted into prototypes of the bigger Ju 290 transport and reconnaissance aircraft. The more powerful engines and other modifications to the Ju 90V5 and V7 were steps in this direction and the latter was converted into the Ju 290V3. The Ju 290V8 became the second prototype Ju 290V2. An uncompleted 11th A-series machine was turned into the Ju 290 V1. The Ju 90V6 airframe was used in the construction of the Junkers Ju 390 V1.


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## gekho (May 12, 2010)

The Reich Air Ministry (RLM) first learned of the American B-29 Superfortress in late 1942, possibly from the sighting of a YB-29 Superfortress at RAF Bovingdon nicknamed the "Hobo Queen" that made a headline photo appearance in a news article in the Völkischer Beobachter newspaper. The performance estimates of this aircraft were cause for great concern in the Luftwaffe. The B-29 had a maximum speed around 560 km/h (348 mph), and would attack in a cruise at about 360 km/h (224 mph) at 8,000-10,000 m (26,247-32,810 ft), an altitude where no current Luftwaffe aircraft was effective.

To counter the B-29, the Luftwaffe would need new day fighters and bomber destroyers. The fighter chosen was the Focke-Wulf Ta 152H. This was based on the Fw 190D with longer wings and the new high-altitude "E" model of the Junkers Jumo 213 engine. An alternative was the Messerschmitt Me 155B, a long-winged development of the Bf 109 that had already undergone numerous developments, which would ultimately be built in prototype form by Blohm Voss.

For the bomber destroyer and night fighter needs, the Ta 154 and Heinkel He 219 had the performance needed to catch the bomber, but both designs only gained that performance by mounting short wings that were inadequate for flight at high-altitude. The Junkers Ju 88 had already been modified for high-altitude use as the S and T models, but these did not have the performance needed. Similar high-altitude modifications to the Ju 188 were being looked at as the projected Ju 188J, K and L models, which included a pressurized cockpit and wing and elevator deicing equipment for extended flights at very high altitude. These were selected for the role, and re-named Ju 388. Deliveries started in August 1944 but very few Ju 388s were delivered. About 47 L models seem to have been built, the majority as -1s with the BMW 801J engine, and only three -3s with the Jumo 213E. Fifteen K-1s were built, and only three J-1 models were produced.


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## gekho (Mar 17, 2013)

The Junkers G.38 was a large German four-engined transport aircraft which first flew in 1929. Two prototypes were constructed in Germany. Both aircraft flew as a commercial transport within Europe in the years leading up to World War II. During the 1930s, the design was licensed to Mitsubishi which constructed and flew a total of six aircraft, in a military bomber/transport configuration, designated Ki-20. The G.38 carried a crew of seven. On board mechanics were able to service the engines in flight due to the G.38's blended wing design which provided access to all four power plants.

On 1 July 1931 Lufthansa initiated regularly scheduled service between Berlin and London on flights carrying up to 13 passengers. This London-Berlin service was halted in October 1931 to retrofit the aircraft and expand the passenger cabin of the D-2000. Construction lasted from this time until the summer of 1932, during which a second deck was built within the D-2000's fuselage - enabling an increased cargo capacity and seating for up to 30 passengers. Additionally the D-2000's engine were again upgraded to four L88s, giving a combined power total of 2352 kW (3154 hp). Also at this time the D-2000's certificate number was changed to D-AZUR.

Meanwhile, a second G.38 - factory number 3302 and c/n D-2500, later changed to D-APIS - was built with a double deck fuselage and capacity for 34 passengers. Six passengers were carried in two compartments in the leading edge of each wing and the remaining 22, on two levels, in the fuselage. Lufthansa used D-APIS on a scheduled service covering the cities Berlin, Hanover, Amsterdam and London. This aircraft was named the General Feldmarschall von Hindenburg. In 1934 D-2000/D-AZUR had its engines upgraded, this time with Jumo 4 engines, giving a total power rating of 3000 kW (4023 hp). Both planes were in service simultaneously until 1936, when D-AZUR crashed in Dessau during a post-maintenance test flight. Lufthansa had to write off this aircraft due to the extensive damage, but test pilot Wilhelm Zimmermann survived the crash, and there were no other casualties.

The second G.38 - marked D-2500 and later D-APIS - flew successfully within the Lufthansa fleet for nearly a decade. With the outbreak of World War II the D-2500/D-APIS was pressed into military service as a transport craft by the Luftwaffe. It was destroyed on the ground during an RAF air raid on Athens on 17 May 1941.

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## vikingBerserker (Mar 17, 2013)

I always lived that aircraft, thanks for posting!


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## stug3 (Apr 7, 2013)

Me 323 Gigant, Tunisia 1943


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## stug3 (Apr 22, 2013)

The Illustrated London News overview of the Me 323, drawn by G H Davis, published in 1943. Allied fighter pilots would have been fully aware of where the fuel tanks were located within the wooden frame.










The Me 321 glider was used to transport heavy weapons during the invasion of Russia.






The Me 321 required three aircraft to pull it off the ground as well as assistance from rocket motors.






Eventually the LW wised up and put some engines on it.



A Me 323 delivers a Renault tracked vehicle to the Tunisian front.






German casualties from Tunisia arriving in Italy March 1943.






MG 131 13 mm (.51 in) wing gun positions






Glider footage

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OvyOeXnW0k_


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## stug3 (May 21, 2013)

Junkers Ju 88A-1






Heinkel He 111


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## stug3 (Sep 17, 2013)

The Messerschmitt 264 first flew in December 1942 but the programme fell victim to development problems and changing priorities. Only three were ever built.






Messerschmitt 264. It was intended that the Luftwaffe would bomb New York with it.


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## Wayne Little (Sep 20, 2013)

Some good shots...

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## stug3 (Jan 21, 2015)




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## stug3 (Feb 11, 2015)




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## vikingBerserker (Feb 12, 2015)

Beautiful!

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## stug3 (Feb 13, 2015)

Arado Ar 234 “Blitz” (Lightning)


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## Wurger (Feb 14, 2015)



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## Denniss (Feb 14, 2015)

The spanish He 111 is not really beatiful due to using the wrong engine. But the spanish Bf 109 is even worse, looking really ugly. But thanks to both we still have some German WW2 aircraft flying around.


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## Snautzer01 (Feb 15, 2015)

#76 last pic AM26 = Ar234B-2b, werk nr. 140476, ex 1(F)/33, 8H+DH at Grove


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## Denniss (Feb 16, 2015)

What does the small b denotes on the Ar 234? Doesn't look like a BMW 003 engine (if b used like on Me 262).


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## johnbr (Oct 1, 2016)




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## Old Wizard (Oct 1, 2016)




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## johnbr (Oct 15, 2016)




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## Capt. Vick (Oct 15, 2016)

Great shot of a rare plane.


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## Wurger (Oct 15, 2016)




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## Old Wizard (Oct 15, 2016)




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## johnbr (Aug 5, 2017)



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## Old Wizard (Aug 5, 2017)




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## Wayne Little (Aug 7, 2017)

Yep, like it..!


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## Gnomey (Aug 10, 2017)

Good shot!


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## johnbr (Aug 25, 2017)

1942, Tunisia Unloading a MAN truck from a Messerschmitt Me.323 Gigant The giant


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## johnbr (Aug 25, 2017)

Me-264 art


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## Old Wizard (Aug 25, 2017)




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## johnbr (Aug 25, 2017)




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## johnbr (Aug 25, 2017)

ju-290 Undoubtedly one of the most photographed machines of _Fern_a_ufklärungsgruppe 5 _wasthis Junkers Ju 290 A-7, W.Nr. 0191, _Verbandskennzeichen_ " 9V + AB " which had been assigned to the _Gruppenstab_ during May 1944 (_Kennzeichen_ KR+LV) and was probably the _Stabsflugzeug_ of the _Gruppenkommandeur_ Hptm. (later Major) Fischer. It was damaged during a strafing raid _(durch Tiefflieger)_ on its _Abstellplatz _(Brunnthal, south of Munich) the following September (probably 10 September) some time after FAGr. 5 had moved back to Germany from their Atlantic operations base on the French coast at Mont de Marsan. Thereafter the aircraft was apparently used as a source of spares as the photos show a number of fuselage parts are missing and the aircraft appears in no FAGr. 5 _Flugbücher _after this time. (p.189 Günther Ott, "_Die grossen Dessauer" _)At war's end an explosive charge was set off in the cockpit. Note the _Schräge Musik_- equipped Ju G-6 in the background. Another nice view of the front of this aircraft appears on p.193 of Günther Ott, "_Die grossen Dessauer" .._


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## johnbr (Aug 25, 2017)

ju-188e


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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)

Good one.!


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## johnbr (Aug 29, 2017)

photo album belonging to Austrian Herbert Rennecke, an airman who served with KG z.b.V.323 and _Transportgeschwader 5_ in Russia during 1943.captioned .." nach Russland..." (to Russia ) and depicts the aircraft coming into Kharkov (Charkow-Woitschenko) on 23 January 1943.


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## Old Wizard (Aug 29, 2017)




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## johnbr (Aug 31, 2017)

http://www.germanluftwaffe.com/archiv/Dokumente/ABC/a/Arado/Ar 232/Vergleichsstudie Ar 432.pdf 
http://www.germanluftwaffe.com/arch...r 232/Kurzbaubeschreibung Ar 232-B Ar 432.pdf


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## Wurger (Aug 31, 2017)




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## vikingBerserker (Aug 31, 2017)

That's a good looking aircraft

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## Old Wizard (Aug 31, 2017)




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## fubar57 (Sep 3, 2017)

New to me; the Ago AO 192 Kurier.....










​Found out about it here...




​...if anyone wants a copy, let me know where the appropriate place to post it would be
​

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## Old Wizard (Sep 3, 2017)




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## johnbr (Oct 3, 2017)



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## Wurger (Oct 3, 2017)




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## fubar57 (Oct 3, 2017)

For those of you keeping score at home, the bottom photo is a Ju 252


_View: https://youtu.be/fRZwFpOunOI_



_View: https://youtu.be/LdUJQVYPbUk_​


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## Crimea_River (Oct 3, 2017)

Yep.


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## Gnomey (Oct 3, 2017)

Cool shots!


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## johnbr (Oct 3, 2017)

Do 19

General characteristics

Crew:

Length: 25.4 m (83 ft 6 in)

Wingspan: 35.00 m (114 ft 10 in)

Height: 5.77 m (19 ft 0 in)

Wing area: 162 mâÂ² (1,744 ftâÂ²)

Empty: 11,865 kg (26,158 lb)

Loaded: 18,500 kg (40,785 lb)

Maximum takeoff: kg ( lb)

Powerplant: 4x BMW 132F radials, 604 kW (810 hp) each

Maximum speed: 315 km/h (196 mph)

Range: 1,600 km (994 miles)

Service ceiling: 5,600 m (18,370 ft)

Rate of climb: m/min ( ft/min)

Wing loading: 114 kg/mâÂ² (23 lb/ftâÂ²)

Power/Mass: 0.13 kW/kg (0.08 hp/lb)

These are specs for an aircraft that flew in October 1936. The Do 19 was slightly larger than the B17 and possessed great potential for further development.



Dornier Do 19


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## johnbr (Oct 3, 2017)

The Dornier Do 19 was a four-engined heavy bomber designed and flown for the Luftwaffe in 1936 as part of the "Ural Bomber" requirement, which called for a long-range strategic bomber aircraft that could attack Soviet factories east of Moscow from bases in Germany in case of war with the Soviet Union. It was of primarily metal construction, with a rectangular fuselage cross-section, a twin tail, and retractable landing gear. The aircraft could carry a bombload of up to 1,600kg of bombs and was defended from attack by four turrets, mounting single 7.92mm machine guns in the nose and tail turrets and hard-hitting 20mm cannons in the dorsal and ventral turrets. The Do 19 did well in flight testing, but lacked the required range for the Ural bomber project. The program suffered another blow when General Walther Wever, chief of staff of the Luftwaffe and primary proponent of a German strategic bomber program, died in an aircraft crash in 1936. Wever's successor decided to focus resources on designing and building twin-engined tactical bombers, such as the Do 17, Ju 88, and He 111. The program was cancelled and the prototypes were turned into transports or scrapped. 
Germany has a lack of heavy bomber aircraft at low tiers, and I think that the Ural bomber designs would be perfect additions to fill this gap!
Specifications: 
Engines: Four BMW 132F 9-cylinder radial engines, 810 hp each
Length: 25.4m
Wingspan: 35m
Height: 5.77m
Empty Weight: 11,865 kg (26,158 lb)
Loaded Weight: 18,500 kg (40,785 lb)
Maximum Speed: 315 kmh (196 mph)
Crew: 9 (Pilot, Copilot, Bombardier, Navigator, Radio Operator, Nose Gunner, Tail Gunner, Dorsal Gunner, Ventral Gunner)
Armament: One 7.92mm MG 15 machine gun each in nose and tail turrets, one 20mm MG FF cannon each in dorsal and ventral turrets (unknown rpg)
Bombload: Up to 1,600 kg
Number Built: 3

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## Old Wizard (Oct 5, 2017)




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## johnbr (Oct 5, 2017)



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## Gnomey (Oct 5, 2017)

Good stuff!


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## johnbr (Oct 9, 2017)

*Me-321/323*

*Me 321B* *Me 323V-1* *Me 323D* *Me 323E* *Me 323E/WT* *Me 323V-16*
Crew 6 8 10 12 17 12
*Dimensions*
Length, m 28.15 28.15 28.15 28.15 28.15 28.15
Wing span, m 55 55 55 55 55 55
Height, m 10.15 9.6 9.6 9.65 9.6 9.6
Wing area, m² 300 300 300 300 300 300
*Weight*
Empty weight, kg 1220 25400 27330 29000 32000 32000
Normal takeoff weight, kg 34400 34000 43000 48000 40000 48000
Maximum takeoff weigh, kg 39400 36000 45000 50500 42000 54000
Loaded weight, kg 22000 8000 12000 10000 - 18200
Wing loading, kg/m² 114,7 113,3 143,3 160 133,3 160
*Powerplant*
Engine - 6 x G-R 14N 6 x G-R 14N 6 x G-R 14N 6 x G-R 14N 6 x Jumo 211RN
Power, hp - 6 x 1140 6 x 1140 6 x 1140 6 x 1140 6 x 1140
*Performance*
Maximum speed, km/h (without loading) - 220 280 252 255 285
Cruise speed, km/h at altitude H=1500m - 170 186 208 225 220
Landing Speed, km/h 120 115 120 120 120 130
Ceiling, m - 2000 4500 4200 4500 5000
Range at altitude H=2000m, km - 1100 1100 1200 1100 1100
Take-off run, m 1200 900 850 800 800 900
Landing field length, m 400 500 600 700 600 700
Transported Soldiers 200 - 130 120 - 130
*Armament*
Pcs Cannon - - - 2 x 20 mm 11 x 20 mm 2 x 20 mm
Machine guns 2-4 x
7.92 mm - 4-6 x
7.92, 13 5 x
7.92 mm 4 x
7.92 mm 5 x

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## johnbr (Oct 9, 2017)



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## Wurger (Oct 9, 2017)




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## Old Wizard (Oct 9, 2017)




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## johnbr (May 19, 2018)

No I found it by luck.


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## johnbr (Jul 10, 2018)

Original

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## Wurger (Jul 10, 2018)




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## johnbr (Aug 17, 2018)

Junkers Ju.52 (diesel engines version

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## Gnomey (Aug 17, 2018)

Nice shots!


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## vikingBerserker (Aug 20, 2018)

I agree!


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## nuuumannn (Aug 21, 2018)

Gawd, with those engines, the Ju 52 looks even more like my corrugated shed out back...


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## nuuumannn (Aug 21, 2018)

> The Do 19 was slightly larger than the B17 and possessed great potential for further development.



The problem was that even for the late 1930s the Do 19 was painfully slow - the Germans recognised that at the time and thought that Heinkel's He 177 concept was too good to be true, so ordered it into production. Turns out that was what they thought at the end of the war, too!


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## johnbr (Aug 27, 2018)



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## Wurger (Aug 27, 2018)




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## johnbr (Sep 28, 2018)

me-264 flying

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## johnbr (Oct 13, 2018)

Do 215B-4 of 2./Ob.d.L having a Db 601 engine


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## vikingBerserker (Oct 13, 2018)

Excellent!


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## johnbr (Oct 14, 2018)

*Heinkel He111 showing the wing structure*

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## Wurger (Oct 14, 2018)




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## johnbr (Dec 13, 2018)

*Specifications (Ju 252A)*

*CVrew:* 3-4
*Length:* 25.11 m (82 ft 4¼ in)
*Wingspan:* 34.10 m (111 ft 10⅛ in)
*Height:* 5.75 m (18 ft 10⅓ in)
*Wing area:* 122.6 m² (1,320 ft²)
*Empty weight:* 13,127 kg (28,880 lb)
*Loaded weight:* 22,257 kg (49,560)
*Max. takeoff weight:* 24,050 kg (52,911 lb) (overload)
*Powerplant:* 3 × Junkers Jumo 211F liquid-cooled inverted V12 engines, 1,007 kW (1,350 hp) each




*Maximum speed:* 438 km/h (237 knots, 272 mph) at 5,800 m (19,030 ft)
*Cruise speed:* 335 km/h (181 knots, 208 mph) (econ cruise)
*Range:* 3,981 km (2,150 nmi, 2,473 mi) with maximum payload, 6,600 km (3,565 nmi, 4,100 mi) with 2,000 kg (4,400 lb ) payload
*Service ceiling:* 6,300 m (20,670 ft)
*Rate of climb:* 12.5 m/s (748 ft/min)
 

*Guns:*
1 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun in dorsal turret
2 x 7.92 mm MG 15 machine guns in side windows
lthough the Ju 252 was a vast improvement over the Junkers Ju 52/3m, the situation at that time did not permit any disruption of the existing production lines, and the Reich Air Ministry (RLM) was of the opinion that any replacement for the Junkers Ju 52/3m must make minimum demands on supplies of strategic materials and use power plants not required by combat aircraft. Junkers was then instructed to investigate the possibility of redesigning the Ju 252 in order that a considerable portion of wood could be included in its structure, simultaneously replacing the Junkers Jumo 211F engine with the BMW Bramo 323R engine of which surplus stocks existed. The result was the Junkers Ju 352. Production of the Ju 252 was restricted to already completed prototypes plus those for which major assemblies had already been semi-completed, thus only fifteen transports of this type were completed before production was switched to the Junkers Ju 352.

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## Gnomey (Dec 14, 2018)

Good stuff guys!


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## johnbr (Dec 29, 2018)

First prototype of iconic Junkers Ju 52 (1930) - it was a single-engine aircraft! On picture- first step to three-engine scheme -

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## johnbr (Dec 29, 2018)




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## johnbr (Aug 14, 2019)

Luftwaffe. Manchmal aus der Reihe tanzend!!


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## johnbr (Aug 14, 2019)

Prototype Dornier Do.317V-1 "VK+IY". Krul Antiquarian Books.







Luftwaffe. Manchmal aus der Reihe tanzend! - Pagina 36


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## johnbr (Aug 14, 2019)

Duikremkleppen Do-217. same site


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## fubar57 (Aug 14, 2019)




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## Gnomey (Aug 17, 2019)

Good shots!


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## johnbr (Oct 16, 2019)

WWII planes

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## johnbr (Oct 16, 2019)

Junkers Ju 188 WWII planes


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