| BV 238 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| The prototype BV 238 V1 in June 1944 | |
| Role | Flying boat |
| National origin | Nazi Germany |
| Manufacturer | Blohm & Voss |
| First flight | April 1944 [1] |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | Luftwaffe |
| Number built | 1 (with 2 incomplete prototypes) [1] |
The Blohm & Voss BV 238 was a German flying boat, built during World War II. It was the heaviest aircraft ever built when it first flew in 1944, and was the largest aircraft produced by any of the Axis powers during World War II. [2]
Development of the BV 238 giant flying boat began in 1941, following the success of the smaller but still enormous BV 222 Wiking.
An approximately quarter-scale model of the BV 238 was commissioned to test the new, long and slim hull design. Built by the Czechoslovakian Flugtechnische Fertigungsgemeinschaft Prag (FGP), the FGP 227 arrived too late to contribute any data to the program. [1] [3]
Although extensive defensive armament was planned the first prototype, the BV 238 V1, had none. Bearing the Stammkennzeichen alphabetic radio code of RO + EZ, it began flight trials in April 1944. [1] It was strafed and partially sunk while moored on Lake Schaal, some miles to the east of Hamburg. One wing remained above water and it was salvaged, but by this time the war had ended and the Allies refused to let it be restored so it was taken out to deeper water and sunk. [4]
The BV 238 was an extremely large flying boat of conventional aerodynamic design, but bearing the usual B&V structural hallmarks of all-metal construction with a tubular steel wing main spar which also acted as the armoured main fuel tank. Of the era, only the earlier Tupolev ANT-20, the Martin XPB2M-1 and the later Hughes H-4 had a bigger wing span. However it would be the heaviest yet flown, at 100 tonnes (220,000 lb) fully loaded.
The hull had an unusually long and slim planing bottom, of essentially two-step design but with a row of smaller auxiliary steps behind the main one. A large nose door opened onto its cavernous interior, with the main crew cabin immediately above and behind it.
The wing was of straight, constant-chord form with tapered outer sections. Auxiliary floats were integrated into underside panels of the outer sections and could be retracted to lie flush with the wing. A catwalk ran internally along the wing in front of the tubular steel main spar, providing access to the engines in flight. [5]
Power was provided by six 1,287 kW (1,750 hp) Daimler-Benz DB 603 liquid-cooled inverted V12 piston engines, arranged in nacelles along the leading edge of the centre section. [1]
A landplane version, initially called the BV 238-Land, was proposed, capable of carrying out transport, long-range bombing and transatlantic reconnaissance duties.
The lower hull was replaced by a plain fairing with retractable undercarriage comprising twelve main and two nose wheels. One bomb bay filled the space between the wheel bays, another lay behind the main undercarriage. The wing floats were similarly replaced with retractable outrigger stabilising wheels. The nose wheel could be folded up, making the aircraft "kneel" and allowing vehicles to drive directly on- and off-board via a loading ramp to the nose doorway. Alternatively, passenger seating could be fitted. A further, upper deck behind the crew cockpit accommodated further passengers, bringing the total capacity to 300 troops. [6]
Renamed the BV 250 in 1942, three prototypes were ordered but none were finished by the end of the war. [5]
Data from Aircraft of the Third Reich Vol.1, [1] Blohm & Voss Bv 222 "Wiking" – Bv 238 [7]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
| Authority control databases: National |
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The Blohm & Voss BV 155 was a German high-altitude interceptor aircraft intended to be used by the Luftwaffe against raids by USAAF Boeing B-29 Superfortresses. Work started on the design as the Messerschmitt Me 155 in 1942, but the project went through a protracted development period and change of ownership, and prototypes were still under test and development when World War II ended.
Hamburger Flugzeugbau (HFB) was an aircraft manufacturer, located primarily in the Finkenwerder quarter of Hamburg, Germany. Established in 1933 as an offshoot of Blohm & Voss shipbuilders, it later became an operating division within its parent company and was known as Abteilung Flugzeugbau der Schiffswerft Blohm & Voss from 1937 until it ceased operation at the end of World War II. In the postwar period it was revived as an independent company under its original name and subsequently joined several consortia before being merged to form Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB). It participates in the present day Airbus and European aerospace programs.
The Blohm & Voss BV 40 was a prototype armoured German glider initially designed in mid-1943 by Blohm & Voss to attack Allied bomber formations during World War II. The BV 40 would be towed to high altitude by single-engined fighters and then ram the bombers while in a dive, but this concept was rejected before its first flight in May 1944 in favour of using its guns. The Luftwaffe had lost interest in the BV 40's original mission the month prior; development continued as its mission changed to attacking ships with specialized bombs. Blohm & Voss discovered that the prototypes were significantly overweight and some of the armour and one gun had to be removed to conduct flight testing. The BV 40 was cancelled in August with only 6 gliders completed out of the 21 ordered. All of the aircraft were destroyed in a air raid in October.
The Blohm & Voss BV 138Seedrache was a trimotor flying boat designed and built by the German aircraft manufacturer Blohm & Voss. It served as the Luftwaffe's primary seaborne long-range maritime patrol and naval reconnaissance aircraft operated by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.
The Blohm & Voss Ha 139 was a German all-metal inverted gull wing floatplane. With its four engines it was at the time one of the largest float-equipped seaplanes that had been built. The inboard engines were mounted at the joint between the inboard anhedral and outboard dihedral wing sections, above the pylon-mounted floats.
The Blohm & Voss BV 141 was a World War II German tactical reconnaissance aircraft, notable for its uncommon structural asymmetry. Although the Blohm & Voss BV 141 performed well, it was never ordered into full-scale production, for reasons that included the unavailability of the preferred engine and competition from another tactical reconnaissance aircraft, the Focke-Wulf Fw 189.
The Hamburger Flugzeugbau Ha 137 was a German ground-attack aircraft of the 1930s. It was Blohm & Voss' entry into the contest to equip the re-forming Luftwaffe with its first purpose-built dive bomber. Although the contest would eventually be won by the Junkers Ju 87, the Ha 137 demonstrated that B&V's Hamburger Flugzeugbau, not even two years old at this point, had a truly capable design team of its own. One Ha 137 single-seat prototype competed against the Henschel Hs 123 at Rechlin.
The Blohm & Voss BV 222 Wiking was a large six-engined German flying boat designed and built by the German aircraft manufacturer Blohm & Voss. It was the largest flying boat to attain operational status during the Second World War.
The Blohm & Voss Ha 142 was a four-engined long-distance monoplane designed and built by the German aircraft manufacturer Blohm & Voss.
The Short Shetland was a British high-speed, long-range, four-engined flying boat built by Short Brothers at Rochester, Kent for use in the Second World War. It was designed to meet an Air Ministry requirement for a very-long range reconnaissance flying boat. The design used the company's experience with large scale production of the Short Sunderland. The end of World War II prevented the Shetland from entering production. It was the first aircraft designed with a 110 volt electrical system.
The Blohm & Voss BV 144 was an advanced twin-engined commercial airliner developed by Germany during World War II but intended for post-war service. It was unusual in having a variable-incidence wing. Two prototypes were built by Breguet in France.
The Blohm & Voss P 194 was a German design for a mixed-power Stuka or ground-attack aircraft and tactical bomber, during World War II.
The Blohm & Voss Ha 140 was a German multi-purpose seaplane first flown in 1937. It was intended for use as a torpedo bomber or long-range reconnaissance aircraft but did not enter production.
The FGP 227 was a scale flying model of the Blohm & Voss BV 238 flying boat, built to provide data for the development of the BV 238.
The Arado Ar 198 was a prototype reconnaissance aircraft, developed by Arado Flugzeugwerke, with backing from the Luftwaffe, who initially preferred it over the Blohm & Voss BV 141 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 189. However, when flight tests were carried out the aircraft performed poorly and did not impress the Luftwaffe. One aircraft was completed in 1938.
The Blohm & Voss Bv P 188 was a long-range, heavy jet bomber design project by the Blohm & Voss aircraft manufacturing division during the last years of the Third Reich. It featured a novel W-wing planform with variable incidence.
The Blohm & Voss BV 237 was a German proposed dive bomber with an unusual asymmetric design based on the Blohm & Voss BV 141.
The Blohm & Voss P 200 was a design project for a transatlantic transport flying boat during World War II. It was intended to go into production for Deutsche Lufthansa after the war.
The Blohm & Voss P 204 was one of several design studies by Blohm & Voss for asymmetric dive bombers during World War II. It was also unusual in having hybrid propulsion comprising both piston and jet engines.
