Poll: Which was the best WWII transport?

[ShVAK]

Yeah wish I had included the Ju 252/352. I was just more familiar with the Arado.

 

[davebender]

Superficial resemblance but performance was very different.

Jumo 211 powered Ju-252 was a world class design.

IMO Bramo 323 powered Ju-352 was mediocre. Not enough engine power for a fuselage of that size. It doesn't help that the Ju-352 fuselage was made of inferior materials.

 

[parsifal]

With the majority...c-47. Just the best mix of cost, reliability, ruggedness, flexibility, simplicity and dependability. Pushes evrything else out of contention for those reasons

 

[wuzak]

IMO you need separate categories for tactical transports and long range transports.

Ju-52 was the best tactical transport during the early 1930s. It was eclipsed by C-47 during late 1930s but still a useful and effective aircraft throughout WWII and beyond. Ju-52 had better short / rough field performance and it was dirt cheap (162,00 RM with engines). During the 1930s and 1940s either aircraft would be an excellent choice.

Ar-232B gets the "might have been best" award. Only 10 built but it had all the desirable characteristics of a modern tactical transport aircraft.
View attachment 209857


Long Range Transports.
Expensive to purchase and operate but if you need to haul heavy / bulky cargo over long distances then you need the big boys. C-46 doesn't have any serious competition.

Ju-252 gets the "might have been best" award. Only 15 built but unlike C-46 the fuselage was optimized for loading / unloading cargo. That's a big deal when moving large / bulky cargo.
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What about the Junkers Ju 290?

 

[davebender]

It's my understanding the Ju-290 did not enter mass production. Otherwise it might be a contender in the very long range transport category, competing against aircraft such as the B-24 transport variant.

 

[wuzak]

It's my understanding the Ju-290 did not enter mass production. Otherwise it might be a contender in the very long range transport category, competing against aircraft such as the B-24 transport variant.

They built more Ju 290s than Ju 252s....unless Wiki is wrong! 65 Ju 290s built vs 15 Ju 252s. Not all the Ju 290s were in the transport configuration, though.

 

[davebender]

I agree but what does that prove? Neither aircraft was placed into mass production.

 

[tyrodtom]

Why do a lot of these polls state the best of whatever catagory we're talking about, but when you get to the poll, it's changed to favorite?
The "best" and someone's favorite are not neccessarily the same aircraft.

 

[Roostergod]

Does anyone know the cargo load of the ju 252 and ju 352?

 

[Thorlifter]

Wiki has the JU-252 empty weight at 29,000 lbs and loaded weight at 49,000 lbs. So that is about 20,000 lbs

Similarly, it shows the empty and loaded weight for the JU-352 at 27,000 and 43,000, so about 15,000 lbs

I'm positive someone has more exact weights that what wiki shows, but that will give you an idea.

 

[parsifal]

one aircraft that has been passed over in this poll is the Italian SM-82. I this aircraft was the best axis transport used in quantity of the war. . as such it deserves an honourable mention.

 

[pinehilljoe]

"Best", the C-47/R4D. General Eisenhower called it one of the most important weapons of the War. My favorite is the C-54. My runner up is the FW-200 Condor. I think the Condor was one of the most elegant transports of the era.

 

[aurora-7]

"Best", the C-47/R4D. General Eisenhower called it one of the most important weapons of the War. My favorite is the C-54. My runner up is the FW-200 Condor. I think the Condor was one of the most elegant transports of the era.

Definitely gets my vote for 'Best Looking' transport.

 

[yulzari]

An honourable mention to the Handley Page Harrow and Bristol Bombay (if I may conflate the two) as the biggest transport the Aliies could put into a small field. Capable bombers to boot. Still in front line use in 1944. Were a pair of Hercules fitted in place of the Pegasus they could drag themselves out of even smaller fields. The limit being set by the power to clear a field rather than to get in.

 

[KiwiBiggles]

An honourable mention to the Handley Page Harrow and Bristol Bombay (if I may conflate the two) as the biggest transport the Aliies could put into a small field. Capable bombers to boot. Still in front line use in 1944. Were a pair of Hercules fitted in place of the Pegasus they could drag themselves out of even smaller fields. The limit being set by the power to clear a field rather than to get in.

If you take the Bombay's wing, slap on a couple of Hercules instead of the Pegasus, and give it a much more useful transport fuselage, you have the Bristol Freighter. And a very nice bit of kit that would have been in 1944.

 

[fastmongrel]

An honourable mention to the Handley Page Harrow

Always thought the Harrow (or Sparrow as it was unoficially known when used as a transport) was quite a handsome beast in a very 30s way.

Interior when in use as a flying ambulance

 

[Thorlifter]

It's 2:00am, closing time at the bar, nothing else around, pretty. Not bad at the time, just don't look at it in the sun light!

 

[Shortround6]

As compared to the Ju-52 which would be the old broad at the end of the bar whose make up is falling off in chunks big enough to be trip hazards on the floor and wig with a 15 degree tilt.

 

[fastmongrel]

It's 2:00am, closing time at the bar, nothing else around, pretty. Not bad at the time, just don't look at it in the sun light!

Hey you talking about my girlfriend

 

[BiffF15]

Hey you talking about my girlfriend

Everybody likes a little love every now and then!