AVIATION ARCHIVE : no. 48. 9781913295110, 1913295117

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LUFTWAFFE 85th Anniversary: Special Edition

32

FAMOUS

COMBAT AIRCRAFT

G

DIN U L C N

I

1935-1945

Stuka l Bf 109 l He 111 l Fw 190 l Me 262

1956-2020

Sabre l Starfighter l Phantom l Tornado l Eurofighter

EXCLUSIVE CUTAWAYS AND PROFILES AA48_p1.indd 1

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INTRODUCTION

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LUFTWAFFE

Famous Combat Aircraft 85th Anniversary Special

T

he Luftwaffe. Literally translated it means ‘air weapon’, but for those on the receiving end of its brutal power during World War Two, it represented ‘fear and terror’. In the air it was starkly symbolised by the Iron Cross and was treated with a grudging respect by its foes. As powerful as its Eagle figurehead implied, the air force of the Third Reich became the shining sword of Hitler’s Nazi forces. Aviation was emerging as a war-changing weapon, and the weapons of the Luftwaffe were some of the most devastating and ingenious machines the world had ever seen. The existence of the Luftwaffe was officially announced in 1935, though it soon became evident that the machinations of the German air ministry stretched back many years before then. Thus, the rest of Europe was shocked by the emergence of such advanced aircraft as the agile Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, the futuristic-looking Heinkel He 111 bomber and the spine-chilling Stuka, complete with ‘Jericho trumpet’. The Nazi propaganda machine hailed their supremacy, and for once the hype was well founded. With lessons honed from combat in the Spanish Civil War, the Luftwaffe and its crews were already battle-hardened when World War Two began. The soaring Eagle swatted opposition aside with merciless contempt as it swept through mainland Europe. The Luftwaffe famously faced its first real challenge during the Battle of Britain, where limitations in its capability began to be exposed. As the war progressed, the battle for air dominance became a battle for technological superiority. Backed by slave labour, the German war machine churned out notorious aircraft from the likes of Dornier, Junkers, Messerschmitt, Heinkel and Focke-Wulf, the latter famous for the predatory Fw 190. When the tide of war changed, an increasingly desperate Hitler turned to his so-called ‘wonder weapons’ to stem the flow. He unleashed thunderous gods of war, rocket and jet fighters that tore the skies asunder and which rewrote the laws of aerial engagement. But for Hitler and the Third Reich it was too little too late and when Berlin fell, so did the Luftwaffe. That is until 9 January 1956... At the height of the Cold War, the Federal Republic of Germany was embraced into NATO to counter the increasing threat posed by the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact Allies. To fulfil its duties on the front-line of Europe, a new Luftwaffe was formed under the aegis of the Bundeswehr and jets bearing the Iron Cross once again streaked over German skies, this time flying alongside former foes.

Throughout its 85-year history, the Luftwaffe has heavily influenced the development of military aviation and in so doing shaped the world we live in. Today it is spearheaded by the Tornado and Eurofighter, significantly both products of European co-operation and unification. AVIATION ARCHIVE SERIES In this 48th issue of ‘Aviation Archive’, we salute the 85th anniversary of one of the most powerful air forces the world has ever seen, the Luftwaffe. We have selected 32 of its most famous combat aircraft and examined how they have changed the history of aerial warfare. The types are listed chronologically under date of entry into service. ‘The Luftwaffe’ features stunning photographic coverage, including exclusive and rare shots, and many contemporary cutaway profiles. Side views by Pete West and Rolando Ugolini/Airlinerart, [email protected]

Cover: The menacing shape of the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the most famous Luftwaffe fighter of World War Two. John Dibbs/The Plane Picture Co Above: Luftwaffe ace Lt Gottfried Weiroster relaxes between sorties with his Bf 109G-5/R6. Weiroster was credited with six victories in 19 missions, including three B-17s. He was shot down and killed on 26 November 1943.

Aviation Archive Series

Luftwaffe: Famous Combat Aircraft • Editor: Allan Burney • Design: Philip Hempell • Group CEO: Adrian Cox • Chief Customer Officer: Gaynor Hemingway-Gibbs • Chief Publishing Officer: Jonathan Jackson • Senior Editor, Bookazines: Roger Mortimer • Publisher: Mark Elliott • Distribution: Seymour Distribution Ltd +44 (0)20 7429 4000 • Printing: Acorn Web Offset Ltd, Normanton, UK. All rights reserved. The entire content of Aviation Archive is © Key Publishing 2020. Reproduction in whole or in part and in any form whatsoever is strictly prohibited without the prior permission of the Publisher. We are unable to guarantee the bona fides of any of our advertisers. Readers are strongly recommended to take their own precautions before parting with any information or item of value, including, but not limited to, money, manuscripts, photographs or personal information in response to any advertisements within this publication. Published by Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs PE19 1XQ. Tel: +44 (0) 1780 755131. Fax: +44 (0) 1780 757261. Website: www.keypublishing.com ISBN: 9781913295110

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CONTENTS

LUFTWAFFE

Famous Combat Aircraft 85th Anniversary Special PART 1: 1935-1945 INTRODUCTION 8

JUNKERS JU 52

12 HEINKEL HE 111 16 JUNKERS JU 87 21 MESSERSCHMITT BF 109 28 FIESELER FI 156 STORCH 30 DORNIER DO 17 34 MESSERSCHMITT BF 110 41 JUNKERS JU 88 46 DORNIER DO 24 47 BLOHM & VOSS BV 138 48 FOCKE-WULF FW 200 CONDOR 50 DORNIER DO 217 52 FOCKE-WULF FW 190 56 HENSCHEL HS 129 57 HEINKEL HE 177 58 MESSERSCHMITT ME 210/410 61 MESSERSCHMITT ME 323 GIGANT 64 HEINKEL HE 219 UHU 66 BLOHM & VOSS BV 222 WIKING 68 MESSERSCHMITT ME 163 72 MESSERSCHMITT ME 262 76 DORNIER DO 335 78 ARADO AR 234 81 HEINKEL HE 162

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PART 2: 1956-2020 84 INTRODUCTION 86 REPUBLIC F-84F THUNDERSTREAK 87 CANADAIR SABRE 88 LOCKHEED F-104G STARFIGHTER 90 FIAT G.91 91 F-4 PHANTOM 92 PANAVIA TORNADO 94 MIG-29 ‘FULCRUM’ 95 EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON Above: The chilling sight of a mass formation of Heinkel He 111 bombers droning their way towards a target.

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CONTENTS

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1935-1945

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1935-1945

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LUFTWAFFE COMBAT AIRCRAFT Part 1: 1935-1945

W

hen Hitler invaded Poland and precipitated the start of World War Two, he did so in the knowledge that the most powerful air force in the world would be spearheading his ‘Blitzkrieg’. And yet, officially, the Luftwaffe had only been in existence for three years! Clearly its foundations lay deeper… ‘We shall not abandon hope of one day seeing the Flying Corps come to life again. The fame of the Flying Corps engraved in the history of the German armed forces will never fade. It is not dead, its spirit lives on!’ So said Army Commander Gen Hans von Seeckt following the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which forbade Germany to have an air force. While his words could be viewed as prophetic, they could also be interpreted as an act of defiance, for in many ways military flying did not end with the Allied order to disband the Flying Corps and prohibit the construction of military aircraft in Germany. Aircraft were built, often abroad, or under the guise of civilian or sports machines, and rigorous training took place, including at a secret base in the Soviet Union. The German government provided subsidies during the 1920s for a successful civilian aircraft industry. Knowledge gained in the Great War was put to good use in the development of new and advanced designs, many of which could easily be converted for the purposes of fighting. The German airline Lufthansa was also founded in 1926 and provided the perfect ‘cover’ to train many of the men who would later become Luftwaffe pilots. After coming to power in 1933, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler began to secretly develop a stateof-the-art military air force and appointed Hermann Göring, a German ace from World War One and high-ranking Nazi, as National Kommissar for aviation, along with former Lufthansa director Erhard Milch as his deputy. On 26 February 1935, the Reich Luftwaffe was officially unveiled as a third German military service to join the Reich army and navy. By Left: Two legends of World War Two, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and German fighter ace Adolf Galland.

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then it already had over 1,800 aircraft and 20,000 personnel. The Luftwaffe enjoyed a rapid expansion in its first five years, in large measure due to Göring’s considerable political influence. As German rearmament moved forward at an alarming rate, Britain and France protested but failed to keep up with German war production. By 1936 many of the German aircraft which would participate in the Battle of Britain four years later were in prototype form and undergoing testing. During the Spanish Civil War, Germany supported the Nationalist forces against the Republican government and used the opportunity to gain experience and try out new equipment and tactics. The German ‘Condor Legion’ initially comprised six squadrons and carried out its first operation on 15 November 1936. Among the German aircraft which were bloodied in this conflict were the Messerschmitt Bf 109, Heinkel He 111, Dornier Do 17 and Junkers Ju 87. The German pilots were also able to hone their fighting skills and tactics under battle conditions. Thus, by 1939 the Luftwaffe was the largest, most technically advanced, most battle-experienced and most formidable air force in Europe…

At war When World War Two broke out in 1939, Nazi Germany’s Panzer-tipped blitzkrieg campaigns that overran Poland in September 1939 and France in May-June 1940, owed much to the tactical air support and fighter cover provided by the Luftwaffe. Ju 87 Stuka dive-bombers acted as flying artillery for the fast-moving ground mechanised units, while swarms of Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters swept Allied aircraft from the skies. After France fell and British forces were driven from the Continent, the Luftwaffe reigned the skies of mainland Europe. However, this early dominance began to wane following the Battle of Britain of JulyOctober 1940. Although the Luftwaffe inflicted severe damage to the RAF, it did not achieve the air superiority that Hitler demanded for the proposed invasion of Britain, which was postponed and then cancelled in December 1940. The Luftwaffe continued to ravage British cities during ‘The Blitz’, but failed to break

British morale. With its capabilities brought into question for the first time, and the loss of many of its most experienced fighter pilots, the myth of the Luftwaffe as an invincible war machine was broken. Hitler turned his attention to other battle grounds. In the spring of 1941, the Luftwaffe helped its Axis partner, Italy, secure victory in the Balkans Campaign and continued to support Italy in the Mediterranean, Middle East and African theatres. Then, in June 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The Luftwaffe destroyed thousands of Soviet aircraft, yet it failed to destroy the Red Air Force altogether. Lacking strategic bombers, the Luftwaffe could not strike at Soviet production centres regularly or with the needed force. As the war dragged on, the Luftwaffe was eroded in strength, its aircraft resources stretched to breaking point by the simultaneous campaigns. In particular, the vast distances, primitive conditions and incredible weather extremes along the East Front proved daunting – as did the resurgent Soviet Red Air Force with its steadily increasing numbers of aircraft and greatly improving pilot skill. Meanwhile, the Luftwaffe continued to defend German-occupied Europe against the growing offensive power of RAF Bomber Command and, starting in the summer of 1942, the steadily building strength of the United States Army Air Forces. The mounting demands of the Defence of the Reich campaign gradually destroyed the Luftwaffe’s fighter arm. Despite its belated use of advanced turbojet and rocket propelled aircraft for bomber destroyer duties, it was overwhelmed by Allied numbers and a lack of trained pilots and fuel. The once mighty Luftwaffe had become a beaten remnant, battered into exhaustion and final defeat. But in its defeat, the Luftwaffe left a legacy, a legacy that resulted in some of the most famous aircraft to ever take to the skies. The machines featured over the following pages not only shaped the events of World War Two, but also shaped the future of aviation, a future that eventually would see the Eagle of a new Luftwaffe once again soaring high over the skies of Europe.

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1935-1945

JUNKERS JU 52

The legend of ‘Iron Annie’ Left: A Luftwaffe Ju 52/3m dropping supplies during the Russian campaign in 1943.

T

he inimitable Junkers Ju 52 is one of those aircraft that looks Germanic. It might have started out in life as a ground-breaking airliner, but the emerging Luftwaffe recognised its potential and was quick to adorn it with military camouflage. Its vital importance to Germany throughout World War Two resulted in over 3,000 being built by the end of the conflict. One of the world’s most famous transport aircraft, the tri-motor Junkers Ju 52/3m ‘Iron Annie’ brought new standards of comfort to passengers when Deutsche Lufthansa introduced it on its European network in 1932. The design highlighted Junkers’ experience in metal airframes, most notably through the corrugated skinning which was a hallmark of the type. Designed by Dipl Ing Ernst Zindel,

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the Ju 52/3m was a tri-motor version of the single-engined Ju 52 freighter, powered by a 660hp BMW 132 (a licence-manufactured Pratt & Whitney Hornet) and attracted a number of commercial customers. While the Ju 52/3m continued to spread its wings as a commercial airliner, Nazi Germany was busy re-establishing a military air arm, which had been outlawed under the post-war treaty restrictions imposed in 1919. A dedicated military version of the Junkers tri-motor was first flown in 1934 as the Ju 52/3mg3e. This initial military model was configured as a bomber and was intended as a minimum-change adaptation of the existing airliner, in order to speed production. Under the power of its BMW engines, the Ju 52/3mg3e could carry a bomb load of 1,321lb (600kg) and

was also equipped with defensive gun turrets. By 1936, the Ju 52/3m equipped two-thirds of the new Luftwaffe’s bomber arm, the aircraft accommodating its bomb load in fuselage bays with defensive machine guns in dorsal and ventral positions. When 20 bombers took part in the Spanish Civil War, the Ju 52 finally shook off its coat of commercial respectability, yet its initial role was air-lifting Spanish Nationalist troops from Morocco to Seville. As a bomber, the Junkers tri-motor was little more than a stopgap, and it was soon relieved from these duties in favour of the purpose-designed Do 17 and He 111. However, with production of the aircraft in full swing at Dessau with 1,600 completed by the beginning of the war, the dependable tri-motor was joining the Luftwaffe’s Transportgruppen at a steady rate. Meanwhile, updated variants were also in production at Leipzig and Bernburg. The Ju 52/3m g5e with optional floats or skis and powered by 830hp BMW 132T-2s soon made its appearance, followed by the g6e with changed radio equipment which, among a number of specialised machines, became the platform for a specialised Minensuche (mine-search) variant. Widely known as Tante Ju (Auntie Ju) or ‘Iron Annie’, the Ju 52 took part in the invasion of Poland in September 1939, carrying troops, spares, fuel, oil and ammunition in the wake of the Blitzkrieg advance. The following assault on Norway saw the Nazis assemble the largest airborne force to date, with over

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JUNKERS JU 52 500 Ju 52/3ms. Some of these aircraft were soon redirected to the Western Front, where around 420 examples were employed in ambitious air-landing and paratroop operations during the invasion of Belgium and the Netherlands in May 1940. At the opening of this campaign, the Ju 52/3m fleet was mainly used for delivering airborne forces, with key objectives secured in this fashion. When the Afrika Korps set foot in North Africa, the Ju 52/3m was again on hand to bear the brunt of transport missions. Ferrying troops and materiel from Italy and Sicily, the tri-motors were among the first Luftwaffe aircraft in Africa in February 1941. For Operation ‘Merkur’, which aimed to take Crete, an air transport force was assembled that included almost 500 Ju 52/3ms, concentrated in southern Greece in May 1941. The operation aimed first to capture the island’s airfields using glider-borne troops and paratroopers delivered by three waves of Ju 52/3ms and gliders. Despite concerted resistance, heavy fire from the ground, delays and general confusion, Below: For much of the African campaign, there were barely sufficient fighters available to escort the Ju 52/3ms, so they had to rely on their low altitude and combined defensive firepower. Note the barrel deflector in the foreground, which prevented the gunner from damaging his own machine. The Ju 52/3m was primarily covered in a corrugated skin made from duralumin, of a design inherited from earlier Junkers designs. As the skin was load-bearing the corrugations provided added strength without adding considerable weight.

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and dust clouds that led to collisions, the Ju 52/3ms were soon landing on the island to bring reinforcements, forcing the Allies to evacuate. The battle had been very costly, with 174 Ju 52/3ms lost, and Hitler resolved never again to embark on a mass airborne operation of this kind. After the disaster of Crete, the last great effort for the Ju 52/3m was Operation ‘Barbarossa’, the invasion of the USSR in May 1941. With the Transportgruppen already hard-pressed, Hitler’s attack on Russia a month later called for the Ju 52 force to transfer to the new Eastern Front and operate in support of the Wehrmacht in what Hitler expected would be a short six-week battle. It turned out to be the graveyard of the ‘Thousand-year Reich’, less than four years later. The fast-paced warfare on the Eastern Front meant that the Ju 52/3m was in constant demand to deliver supplies to ground forces who were frequently cut off. Typical of such actions was the relief of the Demyansk pocket in February 1942, when 100,000 troops were sustained, and some 24,300 tons of supplies flown in over a three-month period. Over 15,000 personnel were flown in to Demyansk, and an even greater number evacuated. The cost to the Luftwaffe: over 260 aircraft and many of their crews. The situation at Stalingrad was even more desperate. Here, the hardpressed transport groups were thrown into action in November 1942, and up until the end of January 1943 these lost a total of slightly fewer than 500 aircraft to all causes. So heavy was this blow that the Luftwaffe’s transport arm would never recover. Such was the importance of the Junker Ju 52 throughout the many campaigns of World War Two that production was only phased out in mid-1944. With post-war production in France and Spain, the final figure of 4,845 Ju 52s is often quoted as the total number produced. An incredible achievement for an aircraft that was already viewed as outdated before the start of the conflict.

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Hitler and the Ju 52 Adolf Hitler used a Deutsche Lufthansa Ju 52 for campaigning in the 1932 German election, preferring flying to train travel. After he became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, Hans Baur became his personal pilot, and Hitler was provided with his own Ju 52. Named Immelmann II after the World War One ace Max Immelmann, it carried the registration D-2600. As his power and importance grew, Hitler’s personal air force grew to nearly 50 aircraft, based at Berlin Tempelhof Airport and made up mainly of Ju 52s, which also flew other members of his cabinet and war staff. In September 1939 at Baur’s suggestion, Immelmann II was replaced by a four-engine Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, although the Junkers remained his back-up aircraft for the rest of World War Two. Below left: Junkers Ju 52/3m4e, SE+XX, Luftwaffe, Balkan campaign,1941. Rolando Ugolini/Airlinerart Below: Junkers Ju 52/3m, RJ+OP, Luftwaffe, Eastern Front, winter 1942/43. Rolando Ugolini/Airlinerart

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10 1935-1945

Junkers Ju 52/3m g7e 1. Rear navigation light 2. Rudder tab 3. Corrugated rudder skin 4. Rudder post 5. Rudder control linkage 6. Fin structure 7. Fin front spar 8. Elevator, port 9. Multi-spar tailplane construction 10. Fin/fuselage attachment point 11. Control linkage 12. Tailwheel shock-absorber 13. Tailwheel 14. Starboard elevator 15. Tailplane spar 16. Alternative tail-ski attachment 17. Aft fuselage frame 18. Control lines 19. Lower fuselage longeron 20. Inspection walkway 21. Fuselage frame 22. Corrugated fuselage skin 23. Dorsal gunner’s raised station 24. Ring-mounted 7.9mm MG 81 (or 13mm MG 131) 25. Open dorsal gun position 26. Windscreen 27. Aerial 28. Toilet 29. Steps 30. Side-gunner’s step 31. Beam-mounted 7.9mm MG 15, starboard station 32. Ammunition magazines 33. Beam-mounted 7.9mm MG 15, port station 34. Cabin hot-air 35. Rear cabin bulkhead 36. Port entry door 37. Enlarged (two-part) cargo-loading hatch 38. Underfloor strengthening structure 39. Corrugated floor 40. Canvas seats (stowed) 41. Corrugated fuselage skin 42. Fuselage frames 43. Rectangular windows 44. Wind-driven generator 45. Radio equipment

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46. Aerial mast 47. Twin-loop DF 48. Inner section trailing-edge flap 49. Outer section flap control linkage 50. Outer section trailing-edge flap 51. Flap hinge fairings 52. Wing spars 53. Port navigation light 54. Pitot head 55. Corrugated wing skin 56. Underwing inspection panels 57. Port oil filler 58. ‘Condor-Haube’ gun position 59. 7.9mm MG 15 machine gun 60. Port engine cowling (NACA design) 61. Pilot’s seat 62. Radio-operator/gunner’s jump-seat 63. Co-pilot’s seat 64. Raised cockpit floor 65. Control column 66. Rudder pedals 67. Bulkhead 68. Centre-engine oil tank 69. Oil filler cap 70. Enlarged cockpit glazing 71. Junkers metal two-blade propeller 72. Engine fairing 73. Centre BMW 132T-2 radial engine (in Townend ring) 74. Engine bearers 75. Exhaust 76. Filter intakes 77. Control linkage 78. Starboard BMW 132T-2 radial engine (NACA cowling) 79. Bulkhead 80. Engine bearers 81. Undercarriage main strut 82. Starboard engine oil tank 83. Oil filler cap 84. Fuel filler cap 85. Starboard wing fuel in seven tanks, total 264 Imp gal 86. Fuselage/wing ball-and-socket attachment points

87. Wing control linkage 88. Control runs 89. Inner section trailing-edge flap 90. Trim tab 91. Tab control 92. Corrugated wing skin 93. Outer section control linkage 94. Multi-spar wing structure 95. Diagonal cross-brace members 96. Outer section hinge fairings 97. Outer section trailing-edge flap 98. Starboard navigation light 99. Ground-handling grip, optional 100. Leading-edge skin 101. Alternative ski-undercarriage attachment 102. Starboard mainwheel 103. Engine auxiliary intake

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Junkers Ju 52/3m g3e

JUNKERS JU 52 11

Crew: 2 Capacity: 17 passengers Length: 62ft (18.90m) Wingspan: 95ft 11in (29.25m) Height: 18ft 2in (5.50m) Loaded Weight: 20,944lb (9,500kg) Powerplant: 3 x BMW 132A-3 radials of 830hp each Max Speed: 165mph (265km/h) Range: 620 miles (998km) Armament: 1 x 7.9mm MG 15 machine gun in dorsal position

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HEINKEL HE 111 Iconic bomber

Heinkel He 111P

T

he most famous German bomber of World War Two, the Heinkel He 111 was immediately distinguished by its futuristic bullet-shaped glazed nose and streamlined body. It symbolised German bomber strength in the early war years and will forever be linked with the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. Although increasingly obsolescent, it served the Luftwaffe reliably to the end of the conflict. Officially, the Heinkel He 111 was designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter as ‘the world’s fastest mail and passenger aeroplane for Deutsche Lufthansa’, but tellingly the first prototype had three provisional gun positions and the ability to carry a bombload. First flown on 24 February 1935 in the hands of chief test pilot Gerhard Nitschke, the key features of the He 111 were its elliptical inverted gull wing and streamlined fuselage. It was quickly ushered into service with the fledgling Luftwaffe as a medium bomber. Following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, Hitler’s Germany was quick to side with General Franco. The Luftwaffe saw the conflict in Spain as a unique opportunity to test the capabilities of its various fighter and bomber types in battle, forming the Legion Condor to oversee operations. Consequently, the Heinkel He 111 made its operational debut on 9 March 1937, bombing Republican airfields around Madrid in support of the Nationalist attack on the Spanish capital.

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The bomber acquitted itself well during the conflict, allowing its crews to assess its strengths and weaknesses. In the meantime, the design was being constantly updated. The He 111F incorporated upgraded Daimler-Benz DB601 engines and, most notably, also replaced the elliptical wing to one with straight leading and trailing edges. However, the ‘legend was born’ with the He 111P that turned the Heinkel into one of World War Two’s most instantly recognisable aircraft. Early variants had featured a conventional stepped cockpit, but to rectify poor pilot visibility, the He 111P introduced a fully-glazed asymmetric nose. With the pilot seated on the left, his instruments located in the roof, and a nose gun offset to starboard, the new ‘glasshouse’ incorporated the bomb aiming position and sight in the lower section. The pilot was sat six feet from the nose of the aeroplane, but at night or in some direct light conditions his vision could be adversely affected by reflections and glare in the heavily glazed cockpit. When faced with such conditions, and keen to get a better forward view for take-off or landing, the pilot could slide back a roof panel and elevate his seat so that his eyes were above the level of the upper glazing. Behind the cockpit, the bomb-bay was situated between the forward and rear bulkheads, with the bombs accommodated in eight vertical cells, four on either side of a central gangway. Each cell was capable of carrying a single 250kg

Type: Medium bomber Crew: 5 Length: 53ft 10in (16.40m) Wingspan: 74ft 2in (22.60m) Height: 13ft 2in (4m) Loaded Weight: 29,762lb (13,500kg) Powerplant: 2 x Daimler-Benz DB 601A-1s of 2,200hp each Max Speed: 200mph (322km/h) Range: 1,224 miles (1,970km) Armament: Guns: 6-7 x MG 15 7.92mm machine guns in nose, beam, dorsal, ventral and (optional) tail positions. Bombs: Max load of 4,410lb (2,000kg) in bomb-bay bomb. The space between the bomb-bay and rear bulkhead contained radio equipment and the dorsal and flexible casemate ventral gunner positions. The rear-facing dorsal gun position was enclosed by a sliding, near-clear view canopy, while the ventral rear-facing gun position, immediately aft of the bomb-bay, was another innovation of the He 111P. The first production examples of the He 111P reached the Luftwaffe in the autumn of 1938, with the near-identical H-model making its service debut shortly thereafter. The He 111H was fitted with 1,100hp Junkers Jumo 211 inline engines, Heinkel making the switch after Right: Early Heinkel variants, such as this He 111E of the Legion Condor, featured a conventional ‘stepped’ windscreen profile, giving the aircraft a very different look to its famous bullet nose.

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Left: A menacing formation of Heinkel He 111s drones its way towards a target during the campaign in the Mediterranean. Forming the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s bomber arm during World War Two, the He 111’s greatest weakness was its lack of defensive armament, the aircraft typically having five 7.92mm MG 15s firing through beam hatches, a dorsal turret, the rear of the ventral gondola and from the Ikaria spherical mounting in the nose. Right: Heinkel production, with He 111s on the final assembly line.

it feared that there would be a shortage in supply of DB 601 engines – the favoured powerplant for Messerschmitt’s family of single- and twin-engined fighters. As early as September 1939, 749 of the 808 He 111s in service with the Luftwaffe were He 111P/Hs. When Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, the Luftwaffe had 21 gruppen and one staffel equipped with the He 111. The bomber was therefore in the vanguard of operations during this campaign, as well as during the Phoney War in the West and the occupation of Norway in the spring of 1940. For the onslaught on the Low Countries, launched

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on 10 May 1940, Luftflotten 2 and 3 possessed a total of 1,120 twin-engined bombers, of which approximately half were He 111s. Carrying a heavier bomb load than any of its contemporaries then in front-line service, the Heinkels worked closely with mechanised units on the ground racing for the Channel, helping to defeat French forces at Sedan and the Allied counter-offensive at Arras. Losses during the Battle of France were light, considering the bomber’s widespread use. This was not to be the case during the ensuing Battle of Britain, where the Heinkel’s reputation for soaking up heavy battle damage was put fully to the test.

After initially targeting convoys, ports, coastal airfields and radar sites, the first large-scale raid mounted by the He 111 force took place when 72 examples hit targets in northern England from airfields in Norway. Pinpoint attacks on tactical targets continued for the next three weeks, with rising attrition taking its toll on the bombers. Fighter Command, which was well organised and well equipped, quickly showed up the He 111 for what it was – an ageing medium bomber with too small a bomb load that was vulnerable to monoplane fighters conducting co-ordinated attacks in large numbers. The advantages won by the

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14 1935-1945

Above: Heinkel He 111H, A1+ZD of Stab III KG53. On 9 September 1940, this aircraft collided with the Hurricane of Plt Off George Forrester of No 605 Squadron and crashed near Chawton in Hampshire. Only two of the He 111 crew survived the incident.

Above: An outstanding view greeted pilots as they took their seat in the Heinkel’s multi-faceted glazed nose. Above and in front of the pilot was a shallow panel containing six blind-flying instruments and principal engine indicators, while to the pilot’s left was the engine throttle quadrant. The spectacle control column could be swung over for use by a second crew member.

Luftwaffe in July and August of 1940, when its campaign against Fighter Command saw the RAF lose significant numbers of aircraft and pilots defending airfields that were routinely bombed, were lost by the switch of strategy to targeting British cities and industrial centres from 7 September 1940. The He 111 was now tasked with performing in the role of strategic bomber, despite the fact that it lacked the load-carrying capacity to perform this mission effectively. Nevertheless, the He 111 carried

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enough destructive power to cause severe damage to strategic targets. Such had been the losses suffered by the Kampfgeschwader during daylight attacks, the Luftwaffe was forced to restricting surviving He 111s to nocturnal sorties from 16 September. Far less vulnerable operating under the cloak of darkness, Heinkel units would roam all over Britain during the night Blitz that lasted well into the spring of 1941. Meanwhile, the He 111P gave way to the ‘H’ series, the Jumo 211 becoming the

standard engine for the type over the next five years, operating on all Fronts. Upgrades were introduced into service as the Jumo gained more power, heavier armament was fitted, more protective armour was added and roles changed. The ‘standard’ He 111H-6 took on the task of torpedo-bombing and, as the war turned against the Axis, the familiar outline of the He 111 was seen tugging gliders, transporting troops and finally, launching V1 Flying Bombs. Variants included the He 111H-8 fitted with a balloon-cable fender, the H-14 Pathfinder fitted with additional radio equipment, the H-16 with a 13mm MG 131 machine gun in an electricallyoperated dorsal turret, the H-21 with 1,750hp Jumo 213s which increased the bomb load to 6,615lb, and finally the H-23 saboteur transport. Mention should be made of the He 111Z Zwilling or twin-Heinkel designed as a tug for the large Messerschmitt Me 321 heavy transport glider. The Zwilling comprised two He 111 fuselages mated by a new wing centre section fitted with a fifth Jumo 211F engine. The combination was controlled from the port cockpit with pilot, engineer, radio operator and gunner in the port fuselage, with observer, second engineer and gunner in the starboard fuselage. Two prototypes flew in 1941 and ten production examples were delivered in 1942. Remarkably, production of the Heinkel He 111 ended in 1944 after 6,472 had been built. Right: Battle of Britain casualty. A policeman and soldier inspect a downed Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111K that crash-landed in a Surrey field during the Battle of Britain on 30 August 1940. No fewer than 246 He 111s were lost to enemy action during the campaign.

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JUNKERS JU 87 STUKA Blitzkrieg bomber

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tuka is the short form of the word Sturzkamphfflugzeug, which simply means dive-bomber. But the term is inextricably linked to one aircraft, the Junkers Ju 87. No other weapon of war was dreaded so much as the Stuka. With its bent wings, fixed spatted undercarriage and eerie Jericho-Trompete (Jericho Trumpet) wind-powered siren letting out a banshee scream that symbolised German air power, the Stuka was both a bomber and a psychological weapon. Influential First War ace Ernst Udet was a high-profile champion of the dive-bomber concept. His enthusiasm for such a piece of ‘flying artillery’ was engendered from seeing the Curtiss Hawk biplane dive-bomber during a visit to the USA in the early 1930s. He returned to Europe and with others encouraged German companies to develop this type of warplane. Design work on what was to become the Junkers Ju 87 was commenced by Hermann Pohlmann in 1933. His brief was to create an aeroplane with dive brakes, accommodating two crewmen and possessing a performance more closely comparable with those of contemporary fighters of the period. He wanted an aircraft that he called ‘simple and robust.’ Retractable landing gear was still a

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Above: A formation of Ju 87Bs wings its way over Europe in May 1940. The Stuka’s design included several innovative features, including automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings to ensure that the aircraft recovered from its attack dive even if the pilot blacked out from the high g-forces. Right: An infamous weapon and one that remains synonymous with Germany’s Blitzkrieg across Northern Europe in 1940, the crank-winged Junkers Ju 87 dive-bomber proved brutally efficient in its role of supporting ground troops. The sight and sound of a dive-bombing Ju 87 struck fear into the hearts of those on the receiving end. The centre weapon was mounted in a trapeze carrier which swung the bomb down to clear the propeller before its release.

new concept and Pohlmann didn’t believe the Stuka needed it. Work on the first of three prototypes commenced in the summer of 1934, the aircraft featuring all-metal stressed-skin construction. The Ju 87 had an oval-section fuselage built in two halves and joined along the centreline. The wing was basically a two-spar structure, the centre section being built integral with the fuselage and set at a coarse anhedral angle which, with sharp dihedral angle adopted for the outer wing panels, resulted in a characteristic inverted gull configuration. The entire wing trailing

edge was hinged on the Junkers ‘doublewing’ principle, the outer portions acting as ailerons and the inner portions as flaps. These features would be carried over into series production aircraft. The official requirement for a dive-bomber was issued by the German Air Ministry in January 1935. Although the desired specification was delivered to Arado, Heinkel and Junkers simultaneously, effectively it had been drawn up around the Ju 87. Udet’s self-described ‘growing love affair’ with the Stuka pushed it to the forefront of German aviation development. The prototype Ju 87

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JUNKERS JU 87 STUKA

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Above: Junkers Ju 87B-2 Stuka, T6-JK, Luftwaffe, 2/St.G 2, Operation ‘Barbarossa’, late summer 1941. Rolando Ugolini/Airlinerart Left: With bomb-racks empty, a trio of Stukas return from a mission over Britain. The inverted gull-wing of the Ju 87 and its fixed spatted undercarriage are well shown. Upon the leading edges of the Ju 87’s faired main gear legs were mounted the Jericho-Trompete (‘Jericho trumpet’) wailing sirens, becoming the propaganda symbol of German air power and the Blitzkrieg victories.

flew from Dessau on 17 September 1935, piloted by Willi Neuenhofen and powered by a 640hp Rolls-Royce Kestrel V engine. After redesign and installation of a 640hp Jumo 210 engine, the first production Ju 87A or ‘Anton’ models began rolling out of Junkers’ factory doors in 1937. It was every inch a dive-bomber, featuring a heavy bomb crutch that swung the weapon clear of the fuselage before it was released. Capable of diving at angles of up to 80 degrees, the aircraft could deliver over 1,500lb of ordnance with great accuracy. First blooded in Spain by the Condor Legion in 1937,

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the A-model was quickly superseded by the Ju 87B. By comparison with the Ju 87A, only the wings and horizontal tail surfaces of the B-model remained unchanged, the rest of the dive-bomber incorporating both aerodynamic and structural improvements. The entire fuselage was recontoured; the cockpit canopy was redesigned, with sliding sections replacing the folding hatches; the vertical surfaces were further enlarged and the trousered mainwheel housings braced to the fuselage were replaced with cantilevered units with streamlined ‘spats’. A substantial increase in power was provided

by the fitment of a Jumo 211Da engine rated at 1,200hp, which enabled a 500kg bomb to be lifted. Five early-production Ju 87B-1s were sent to Spain in October 1938, where they proved to be even more successful than the trio of Ju 87As that had given the aeroplane its combat debut the previous year. By mid-1939 Junkers was delivering more than 60 Ju 87Bs to the Luftwaffe per month from its Berlin-Tempelhof factory – total production for the year totalled 557 aircraft. All nine Stukagruppen in the Luftwaffe’s order of battle had re-equipped with the Ju 87B-1 by 1 September 1939, these units possessing 336 aircraft. The Stuka was ideal for the opening days of the war, when German forces held air superiority. In Poland and the West, the Ju 87 soon became a feared aircraft. Under conditions of almost complete air supremacy, the Stukageschwader roamed ahead of the panzer columns as long-range artillery. Once a target had been found, they would drop one after another in near-vertical dives over roads, railways, strongpoints and troop concentrations. Flown by handpicked crews, the Ju 87 was an exceptionally clinical weapon of war. Early wartime propaganda portrayed the Stuka as the invincible cutting edge of Blitzkrieg (‘lightning war’), yet the Ju 87 was in many ways an outdated design, obsolescent on its first day in battle, and dangerously vulnerable whenever the enemy could put fighters into the air. The Stuka finally began

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20 1935-1945 Left: Later models of the Stuka, such as these Junkers Ju 87Ds seen in December 1943, played an important role over the Eastern Front.

Junkers Ju 87B

to suffer more serious losses over Dunkirk as the Stukageschwader targeted the evacuation beaches and ships offshore. Despite being responsible for a good number of the 89 merchantmen and 29 destroyers that were sunk, the Ju 87 units had 120 aircraft destroyed or damaged to all causes. Although most of the Ju 87s fell to ground fire, the dive-bomber had shown itself to be effectively helpless once separated from its Messerschmitt escorts. Nevertheless, the Stukas were heavily involved in the Kanalkampf offensive against Channel convoys and coastal ports that lasted for much of July 1940. As with Dunkirk, they enjoyed some success during these attacks, sinking six warships and 14 merchantmen. It was during the Battle of Britain, when the Luftwaffe had its first prolonged experience with a powerful foe in the air, that the Stuka began to fall from grace. It was slow and sluggish compared to air-to-air fighters and although Ju 87s badly

damaged seven airfields and three Chain Home radar stations and destroyed 49 aircraft, more often than not formations of Stukas would lose up to half their number or be forced to turn back before reaching their target. In just six days of combat from 12 to 18 August, 41 Ju 87s were destroyed and the type was effectively withdrawn from the battle. The Stuka had effectively ‘launched’ World War Two and although it was no longer the tip of the spear, it was still an effective weapon against troops and tanks, and became a tool for low-altitude support in theatres where allied fighters posed no threat. New versions of the Stuka began to emerge. The Ju 87D or ‘Dora’ version was a dive bomber and ground attack model fitted with a 1,410hp Jumo 211J engine, a revised canopy and engine cowling, increased vertical tail surfacing, improved armament and redesigned landing gear. The Ju 87D-1 began to replace the Ju 87B-2 in production in mid-1942

Below: The reverse in German military fortunes after 1943 and the appearance of huge numbers of well-armoured Soviet tanks, caused Junkers to adapt the existing design to combat this new threat. With the ‘Gustav’ variant, the ageing airframe of the Ju 87 found new life as an anti-tank aircraft. The two 37mm Bordkanone cannons were mounted in under-wing gun pods, each loaded with two sixround magazines of armour-piercing tungsten carbide-cored ammunition. With these weapons, the Kanonenvogel (cannon-bird), as it was nicknamed, proved very successful in the hands of Stuka aces such as Oblt Rudel.

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Type: Dive-bomber 2 Crew: Length: 36ft 5in (11.10m) Wingspan: 45ft 4in (13.80m) Height: 13ft 2in (4.01m) Loaded weight: 9,369lb (4,250kg) Powerplant: Junkers Jumo 211Da of 1,100hp (820kW) Max Speed: 211mph (33km/h) Range: 490 miles (788km) Armament: Guns: 2 x fixed MG 17 7.92mm machine guns in wings and 1 x MG 15 7.92mm machine gun on flexible mounting in rear cockpit. Bombs: max load of 1,102lb (500kg) on centreline and 4 x 110lb (50kg) bombs under wings and was put to use in combat in the East and in North Africa (in the form of the ‘Ju 87D-1/Trop’ modification). A similar variant, the ‘Ju 87D-2’, was built in parallel, differing only in having a strengthened rear fuselage and a stronger tailwheel with a glider tow attachment, to be used in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Subsequent aircraft in the Stuka series were ‘rebuilds’ of existing ‘Dora’ models. To many, the most important version of the Stuka was the Ju 87G or ‘Gustav’, optimised for ground attack duty and made famous by the heroism of its crews on the Soviet front. The Ju 87G ‘Gustav’ arrived in the summer of 1943 to answer the urgent need for a heavily-armed tank destroyer for use in Russia where some 85% of Stukas were now operating. It carried two powerful 37mm Flak 18 cannon, each with 12 rounds of tungsten cored shells which could punch through the thick armour of Soviet T-34s. Lacking agility with the tank-busting guns, the ‘Gustav’ hunted targets under the protection of escorting Fw 190 fighters and Luftwaffe ace Oberleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the supreme user of the type, knocking out 519 Soviet tanks during his time on the Russian Front. Even during the final dying months of the Third Reich’s short 12-year existence, Ju 87s continued to exact heavy losses on the Soviet armies heading for Berlin as Stukagruppen 1 and 2 flew their last close-support missions to aid the Wehrmacht’s crumbling units.

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MESSERSCHMITT BF 109 21

MESSERSCHMITT BF 109 Deadly masterpiece

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ombining power and fierce aesthetics, the Bf 109 was born a true gladiator. Spitting lead and explosive shells, the Bf 109 was the Luftwaffe’s mainstay fighter during World War Two, characterising the eagle figurehead of the Third Reich. The Bf 109 might have been the fighter that never was. Owing to a long-running feud between Willy Messerschmitt and Erhard Milch, the German Secretary of State for Aviation, in the early 1930s, the Bf 109 was threatened with extinction before taking to the air. However, Messerschmitt had a penchant for producing small fast touring aircraft, so when the German Air Ministry announced a 1933 requirement for a compact powerful single-seat fighter, it was Overleaf: The menacing shape of the Messerschmitt Bf 109. This restored Bf 109E-4 is a Battle of Britain combat veteran and carries the markings it wore when legendary Jagdwaffe ace Hans-Joachim Marseille flew it with I/JG-2 during 1940. John Dibbs/The Plane Picture Co Below: Low and fast. With its powerful 20mm cannon, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 excelled at straffing missions.

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able to draw on its sleek Bf 108 touring aircraft for inspiration. In the event the Bayerische Flugeugwerke was awarded a contract by the German Air Ministry (RLM) in 1934 for a monoplane fighter to be equipped with MG‑17 machine guns and the new liquid-cooled engines under development by Junkers and Daimler-Benz. The fighter needed to have a top speed of 250mph at 19,690ft (6,000m), which it could maintain for 20 minutes, while staying in the air for a total of 90 minutes. The result was one of the first true modern fighters of the era, including such features as an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. Messerschmitt test pilot Hans-Dietrich ‘Bubi’ Knoetzsch made the fighter’s first flight on 28 May 1935 from Augsburg-Haunstetten airfield, though ironically the prototype was initially fitted with a Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine because of delays to German powerplants. The Bf 109 proved to be considerably faster and more manoeuvrable than any of its rivals and Messerschmitt was awarded the fighter contract. The initial production models of the A, B, C and D series

were powered by the relatively low-powered Junkers Jumo 210 engine, though in a sign of things to come, a handful of prototypes were converted to use the more powerful DB600. A two-blade variable-pitch prop soon replaced the fixed wooden propeller and one of its three machine guns was replaced by a cannon firing through the propeller hub. The Bf 109 was sent to the Spanish Civil War to be bloodied, thereby gaining valuable front-line service (and combat experience for its pilots). Over 136 Bf 109B-1s and B-2s were sent to aid Gen Franco, and the type quickly earned a fearsome reputation as the Republicans discovered that their ageing Soviet Polikarpovs were no match for the modern German fighter. During the early years of World War Two, the Bf 109 was a fighter of pedigree. The Bf 109E, or ‘Emil’, was the first mass production model and it was this variant that saw most action in the Battle of Britain. The Bf 109E V14-15 used the 1,050hp DB601 engine, three-blade variable prop pitch, Revi reflector gunsight and was fuel-injected. This provided an advantage that maintained positive fuel flow during

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24 1935-1945

Above: The business end of a Bf 109, all engine and guns. Two synchronized machine guns were mounted in the cowling, firing over the top of the engine and through the propeller arc, while a deadly 20mm cannon fired through the propeller hub. Below: Powerful and built for the kill, the angular Bf 109 presented a menacing sight. The claustrophobic cockpit was narrow and a tight squeeze, especially for those with broad shoulders. The visibility forward was not good with the heavy frame canopy marring the view.

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negative-g manoeuvres, a tactic that favoured the Luftwaffe as the Rolls-Royce Merlin that powered the Spitfire and Hurricane was gravityfed and would be starved of fuel. Despite being slower, the Hurricane could out-turn the Bf 109 whereas the Spitfire was marginally superior, especially in the turning circle and vertical spiral climb. However, both British fighters lacked the awesome killing power of the Bf 109’s cannon. As Nazi Germany found itself on the defensive in Europe, a more refined and lightlyarmed version of the fighter was produced with the DB601N engine. The Bf 109F, or ‘Friedrich’, was despised by many pilots who complained that it lacked punch as it abandoned the wing cannon and concentrated all armament in the forward fuselage: a pair of machine guns above and a single 15 or 20mm cannon behind the engine, the latter firing between the cylinder banks and through the propeller hub and spinner. Adolf Galland hated the Bf 109F and Maj Walter Oesau refused to the fly the ‘F’ as long as spare parts could keep his ‘E’ in the air. Over 2,000 Bf 109Fs were produced before the more heavily-armed ‘G’ saw action. Built in large numbers, the Bf 109G or ‘Gustav’ was the variant in which Erich Hartmann, the ace of aces with 352 aerial kills, flew in action. Powered by a DB605D engine at 1,800hp with water-methanol injection, the Bf 109G could reach 428mph and was the major version of the fighter up to the end of hostilities in May 1945. However, Allied test pilots who flew captured

examples of the Bf 109 were surprised by its limitations as a combat aircraft, claiming that the Bf 109G was obsolete when it rolled off the production line. Admittedly a powerful beast with a fantastic Daimler-Benz engine, the ‘Gustav’ was aerodynamically one of the most inefficient fighters of its time. Its angular airframe continued to be developed with a hopeless collection of lumps and bumps, armour, stiff controls and a pilot who was forced to endure a cramped and uncomfortable cockpit. As the war escalated and German industry was hammered by RAF and US bomber streams, the Bf 109 was to be encumbered by additional armour for which it was not designed. Underwing gondolas with 20mm cannon reduced performance further and the mutated Bf 109 was seriously handicapped when faced by marauding Mustangs. The German war machine that benefited from the Blitzkrieg

Messerschmitt Bf 109E Type: Fighter Crew: 1 Length: 28ft (8.55m) Wingspan: 32ft 5in (9.87m) Height: 8ft 2in (2.49m) Loaded weight: 5,875lb (2,665kg) Powerplant: Daimler-Benz DB 601Aa of 1,175hp Max Speed: 348mph (560km/h) Armament: 2 x 7.9mm machine guns in upper cowling, two 20mm cannon in wings; some E-3s additional 20mm cannon in propeller hub

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MESSERSCHMITT BF 109

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Below: Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 ‘Yellow 12’ of 1./JG 27

Below: Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 ‘Yellow 3’ of 2./JG 27

Below: Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 ‘Yellow 10’ of 9./JG 26

Below: Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 of 2./JG 51

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26 1935-1945 offensive was now on the defensive and the Bf 109 was not intended for such actions. The final production version was the Bf 109K powered by the DB605D. Introduced in autumn 1944, the ‘K’ was aerodynamically improved, clean and packed a punch with its Mk108 cannon. Possessing an impressive climb rate, the Bf 109K was to be overshadowed by superior Allied aircraft, a lack of pilots and fuel, finally succumbing to the Third Reich’s surrender on 7 May 1945. In combat, the Bf 109 had become the Luftwaffe’s main fighter by the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939. Thereafter, it played a key role in the Germans gaining air superiority during the Blitzkrieg. Although not intended for the role, the type was employed as an escort fighter during the Battle of Britain, and it was utilised a great deal as a fighterbomber and a photo reconnaissance aircraft. Once in combat, the strengths and weaknesses of the Bf 109E, the Hurricane and the Spitfire largely cancelled each other out, as surprise, altitude advantage and formation tactics came to the fore. The Bf 109 and Spitfire were evenly matched between 12,000ft and 17,000ft, but above 20,000ft the ‘Emil’ held the advantage. The Messerschmitt was an extremely sturdy and stable gun platform, could be thrown into high-g turns and bunt-dived faster than either RAF fighter thanks to its fuel injection. The Bf 109 also packed a heavier punch owing to its 20mm cannon. Yet despite these advantages, the Bf 109E was hamstrung by its lack of range. Nevertheless, by the end of the Battle of Britain Jagdflieger flying the Bf 109 claimed around 770 kills for a loss of 610 aircraft. With the introduction of the improved Bf 109F into widespread service in the spring of 1941, the type again demonstrated its effectiveness in the

invasions of Yugoslavia and the USSR, and the Crete and Malta campaigns. In 1942, it began to be partially replaced by the new Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in western Europe, but the Bf 109 remained a mainstay elsewhere, such as on the Eastern Front, in the Mediterranean theatre and in the defence of the Reich. Bf 109s were also supplied to several of Germany’s allies, including Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovakia. Hitler’s gambit was that his war was a Blitzkrieg and would be won quickly – losses were acceptable so long as victory was

achieved. But when the Third Reich was on the defensive, the limitations of the Bf 109 were profound. Even in the early years of the war, the Bf 109 had been in development for several years and had reached its zenith without a major change in engine or aerodynamics. But despite its faults, the Bf 109, was a fast and agile killer when flown by an experienced pilot. The Bf 109 left a lasting legacy. It was credited with shooting down more enemy aircraft and producing more aces than any single fighter in the annals of aerial warfare. By the war’s end, Germany has built over 30,000 Bf 109s and over 100 aces had over 100 kills to their credit. Left: Thumbs Up. A British soldier poses with Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 ‘Yellow 10’ of 6./JG 51 ‘Molders’, which was shot down by Lewis gun fire and crash landed at East Langdon in Kent on 24 August 1940. The pilot, Oberfeldwebel Beeck, was captured unhurt. Right: Bf 109Es of JG26 heading out to cause mischief. Major Adolf Galland was given command of JG 26 on 22 August 1940. During the Battle of Britain, the Geschwader claimed 285 fighters shot down, for losses of 76 aircraft and 45 pilots killed, and 29 prisoners of war.

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MESSERSCHMITT BF 109 27

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28 1935-1945

FIESELER FI 156 STORCH Unlikely hero

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t was not exactly difficult to come up with a name for Fieseler’s long-legged Fi-156. The Storch might not have been the mostgainly aircraft to fly with the Luftwaffe, but it did have a unique ability. It could take-off and land in places that other aircraft could not reach. The Fieseler Storch (Stork in English), grew from a 1935 Luftwaffe design specification for a short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft. Although built for communication and liaison duties, its unique abilities meant that it was soon called upon for many other tasks, including reconnaissance, artillery spotting, aircrew recovery, air ambulance missions, and even light bombing. It proved its worth throughout World War Two, and over 4,000 were ultimately built, a testimony to its design. The Fi 156 Storch was a surprisingly conventional aircraft. It was a three-seat highwinged monoplane, with two passengers sitting in tandem behind the pilot. The fuselage had a welded steel tube framework and a tight fabric covering. The strongly built cabin had a glazed area wider than the fuselage, giving an excellent view straight down. But the truly

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remarkable aspect of the Storch was its ability to take-off in less than 200ft flying at 25mph and land within 50ft of touchdown. Such performance was made possible through the employment of large slats that were fixed to the leading edge of the wing and extending trailing edge flaps. The slats covered 55 percent of the wing’s leading edge, while the flaps added nearly 40 percent to the total wing area. Another design feature rare for land-based aircraft, enabled the wings on the Storch to be folded back along the fuselage, allowing the aircraft to be carried on a trailer or even towed slowly behind a vehicle. The Fi 156 was powered by the air-cooled Argus As 10, a very reliable engine that was able to cope with the extreme cold found on the Eastern Front, and with the difficult conditions in North Africa. Apart from inspiring its name, the undercarriage played an important part in the success of the aircraft. The two main wheels were mounted on strong, very long, energy absorbing oleos which were attached to the wing roots, and were braced to the lower fuselage. This meant that the undercarriage was

able to cope with the shock of the very steep landings performed by the aircraft. With its very low landing speed, the Storch often appeared to land vertically, or even backwards in strong winds from directly ahead.The only flaw with the undercarriage was that the small wheels were often damaged by ruts or large stones. The Fi 156A-1 began to enter Luftwaffe service in 1937, and almost immediately a number were sent to Spain to serve with the Condor Legion. As production began to speed up, one or two Fi 156C-1s were issued to every Gruppe in the Luftwaffe, and to most units in the Army and frontline elements of the SS. The Storch was also used as transport aircraft by senior members of the General Staff and by commanders in the field, most famously Kesselring and Rommel (and eventually by Montgomery on the Allied side!). The Storch saw service on every front where the German Army fought, from the Arctic and Norway, through the Russian Front and down into the Western Desert, as well as in Western Europe. Perversely, because of its slow speed,

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FIESELER STORCH

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Fieseler Fi 156 Storch Type: Crew: Capacity: Length: Wingspan: Height: Loaded weight: Powerplant: Max Speed: Armament: it was actually quite a difficult aircraft for fast modern fighters to shoot down and each Storch was said to have had a combat life ten times longer than the average Bf 109! The Storch was involved in many significant events during World War Two, perhaps the most famous being the ‘rescue’ of Benito Mussolini. The deposed dictator of Fascist Italy had been captured by the new allied government forces and was held in a remote ski lodge built atop a mountain that could only be reached by a narrow cable railway. Hitler had issued a Below: It might not have looked pretty, but the unique abilities of the Fieseler Fi 156 Storch made it a valuable component of the German war machine. This Fi 156C, V7+1N, is seen during operations in Finland.

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Above: The Storch doing what it did best... flying from areas of the battlefield that other aircraft could not reach.

personal command that Mussolini was to be recaptured and it was up to SS officer Otto Skorzeny to accomplish this task. After an airborne assault, commandos wrenched Mussolini from his captors. The planned landing zone for the Fieseler FI-156 Storch sent to rescue the dictator had been overrun, so the only option available to its pilot Walter Gerlach, was to land on the rock-studded mountaintop that only had a flat surface of about 250ft in any direction. Gerlach landed successfully and then Mussolini and Skorzeny

Utility 1 2 passengers 32ft 6in (9.9m) 46ft 11in (14.3m) 10ft 2in (3.1m) 2,778lb (1,260kg) Argus As 10 of 240hp 109mph (175km/h) 1 x MG 15 machine gun

were loaded in the aircraft. Grossly overloaded, the Storch struggled to take off amongst the boulders on the mountaintop, one of which smashed its left main landing gear on the take-off roll. Once in the air, the Fi-156 and its notorious occupants headed for the safety of German-held territory. During the final days of war in Europe, the Storch was also one of the last German aircraft to land into the heart of besieged Berlin when famous German female test-pilot Hanna Reitsch landed near the Brandenburg Gate, flying Generalfeldmarschall Robert Ritter von Greim from Munich to answer a summons from Hitler.

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30 1935-1945

DORNIER DO 17 The Flying Pencil

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ften referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift (Flying Pencil), the sleek Dornier Do 17 was so fast that when it first entered service it could outrun many contemporary fighters. That did not last long, but the type remained popular with its crews due to its manoeuvrability, which made it harder to hit than other German bombers. Initially designed as a commercial mailplane to meet a Deutsche Lufthansa specification of 1933, the high-speed, six-seat landplane was a departure for the Dornier Werke GmbH, the company having gained most of its experience in the field of flying boats. When it appeared in prototype form in mid-1934, the Do 17’s clean lines exuded speed, but it was not considered suitable as a transport. Nevertheless, its slick performance prompted the Luftwaffe to adopt it for the fast bomber role. Replacing its single fin and rudder with a twin unit to reduce yaw, and incorporating an internal bomb-bay behind the main wing spar, the fourth prototype was trialled by the air force and production commenced. The initial bomber version of the

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Above: Dornier Do 17s drone their way towards a target over England during 1940.

‘Flying Pencil’ emerged as the Do 17E-1, which entered production in 1936 powered by 750hp BMW VI engines, other differences over the previous prototypes including the shortened

glazed nose for bomb-aiming, and armament in the form of defensive guns, together with offensive weapons in the internal bomb bay. Deliveries to Luftwaffe units began early in 1937 and soon after examples were despatched for combat operations with the Condor Legion fighting in the Spanish Civil War.

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DORNIER DO 17

Development continued and the Do 17M was unveiled in 1937, displayed sparkling performance powered by Bramo 323A-1 Fafnir nine-cylinder air-cooled radials. The Do 17P was the parallel reconnaissance version to the Do 17M, albeit with different engines in the form of the BMW 132N, offering slightly

Above: A pilot’s eye view of flying the Dornier Do 17, with a colleague hanging off his wingtip, providing protective firepower for one another. Left: The Dornier Do 17Z/215 family shared the same compact crew compartment. The forward fuselage was redesigned from earlier models, with the cockpit area being ‘dropped’, or extended further to enable a rear firing gunner position to be installed, and the canopy extended aft. Although conditions were cramped, communication between the crew was excellent. Nevertheless defensive armament was still light making the aircraft extremely vulnerable to fast enemy fighters.

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reduced power but improved efficiency for long-range missions. By late 1937, therefore, production of the Do 17 had switched from the inline-engined versions to those with radials. In other respects, however, the airframes of the Do 17M/P were generally unchanged from those of the previous Do 17E/F. Combat experience in Spain was reflected in the definitive Do 17Z version. This utilised an entirely redesigned forward fuselage that was developed in late 1937 and first tested in early 1938. The revised forward fuselage allowed for extra crew and improved firing arcs for the defensive guns. In particular, it was intended that the bomber would be less vulnerable to attacks from below, with its belly having been a noted weak point during aerial combat in the Spanish campaign. The Do 17Z featured a raised cockpit roof, now fully glazed, and the nose (containing the bombardier’s position) was now also fully glazed, using an array of faceted panels. The underside of the nose was bulged and extended aft, terminating in a defensive gun position, armed with an MG 15 that could be fired downwards and to the rear. The Bramo 323A-1 Fafnir-powered Do 17Z became the major production version, and spawned bombers, reconnaissance aircraft and night-fighter derivatives. By the beginning of September 1939 the Luftwaffe had an operational strength of nine Kampfgruppen equipped with Do 17s, a majority of the 370 aircraft being Do 17Z

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Above: The ominous sight of a large formation of Dornier Do 17s during a raid over Britain in 1940.

versions. In addition there were 23 long-range reconnaissance Staffeln, with 262 aircraft, the bulk of these being Do 17Ps. As soon as war broke out, the Do 17 found itself thrown into the fray, with some of the first raids being mounted against Polish lines of communication and airfields. With KG 2 and 3 operating in the north of the country, and KG 76 and 77 in the south, the Do 17 bombers continued to harass the Poles until the successful conclusion of that campaign. The Do 17 played its role in the Battle of Britain from the very start, beginning with attacks on Channel convoys in July 1940. This phase of the battle saw Do 17Zs of KG 2 operate alongside Ju 87s and Bf 110s in a bid to clear the Channel of Allied shipping, the first action seeing an attack on a convoy off the coast of Dover on 10 July. Adlertag, or ‘day of eagles’, fell on 13 August and saw the Luftwaffe launch its most sustained effort over the UK, in an attempt to finally destroy the Royal Air Force. Despite Göring announcing a postponement order as a result of bad weather, the message arrived too late for KG 2, and the unit’s Do 17Zs duly headed for Eastchurch airfield unescorted, losing five aircraft in the process. On 15 August the Do 17s hit Eastchurch again, together with Rochester, almost the entire strength of KG 3

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32 1935-1945

Dornier Do 17Z Type: Bomber Crew: 4 Length: 51ft 10in (15.8m) Wingspan: 59ft 1in (18m) Height: 15ft (4.56m) Loaded weight: 19,482lb (8,837kg) Powerplant: 2 x BMW-Bramo 323P Fafnirs of 1,972hp (1,472kW) Max Speed: 255mph (410km/h) Range: 628 miles (1,010km) Armament: Guns: Up to 8 x MG 15 7.92mm machine guns in nose, rear upper cockpit, cockpit sides and ventral gondola. Bombs: Max load of 2,205lb (1,000kg) being committed, and follow-up raids were mounted in the next days against West Malling and Biggin Hill. With the mauling the German bomber crews took during 1940, it was clear that while a popular aircraft to fly with few technical problems in service, the Do 17Z was outclassed in performance by the Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Ju 88. While the latter replaced most of the Dorniers, those that remained were transferred from France in early 1941 to take part in attacks in the Balkans in April and against Russia in June. By then, the first examples of Dornier’s new Do 217 were entering service and the earlier type was relegated to second-line use. Do 17Z production reached 500 aircraft.

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Above: Dornier Do 17Z-2 5K+AR. On 26 August 1940, 5K+AR was taking part in a raid by KG 2 and KG 3, targeting the RAF stations Debden and Hornchurch. While flying over clouds, the aircraft became separated from the bomber formation and lost its bearings; it was then attacked by Defiant fighters of No 264 Squadron. One of the Dornier’s engines was disabled and the other damaged, so the wounded pilot, Willi Effmert, made a crash landing on the Goodwin Sands. He and another crew member survived and were taken prisoner, but the other two crew members were killed.

Above: A Dornier Do 17Z releases its deadly payload during the Battle of Britain. The 2,205lb (1,000kg) bomb load was contained within a lower fuselage bay. A typical weapons load included four 250kg SD 250 bombs. Left: Two German Dornier Do 17 bombers over the West Ham docklands area of East London on the first day of the Blitz, 7 September 1940. The prominent white bar on the starboard wing-tips indicates that the aircraft were attached to I Gruppe of the Kampfgeschwader.

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DORNIER DO 17 33

Right: Although the Dornier Do 17 was successful throughout the early stages of World War Two, during the Battle of Britain it was easy prey for the fighters of the RAF. Its limited range and payload saw the Do 17 being withdrawn from front-line service in late 1941, to be replaced by the more capable Ju 88. Bottom right: During the Battle of Britain, southern England was littered with the wrecks of downed Luftwaffe aircraft. This Dornier Do 17 of 9/KG76 was shot down on 18 August by Hurricanes of No 111 Squadron and it crashed at Leaves Green near Biggin Hill in Kent.

Dornier Do 215 The Do 215 was an export model of the Do 17Z, but differed in having 1,100hp Daimler-Benz DB 601 in-line engines in place of the Bramo radials. The type was considered for purchase by Yugoslavia, but Sweden was the only firm customer with a contract for 18 Do 215A-1s placed in the autumn of 1939. However, before delivery, war was declared and the aircraft already built were modified for reconnaissance as Do 215Bs and diverted for use by the Luftwaffe. While capable of operating in the bomber role, Do 215s in German service were not deployed as such. Instead, Rb 20/30 and Rb 50/30 cameras were fitted in the lower fuselage for long-range photographic reconnaissance missions. The only other version was the Do 215B-5 night-fighter known as the Kauz III fitted with Lichtenstein radar and forward-firing cannon in a solid nose. Only 101 Do 215s were built.

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19/02/2020 11:56

34 1935-1945

MESSERSCHMITT BF 110 The Luftwaffe’s Zerstörer

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esigned in 1934-35 to fill the perceived need for a high-speed, long-range, heavily-armed twinengined fighter, Messerschmitt’s Bf 110 Zerstörer (destroyer) was always going to divide opinion. Its lack of agility made it easy prey for Allied single-seat fighters, but its strength was its versatility and ultimately it evolved into a formidable and feared radarequipped night fighter.

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Many senior figures within the Luftwaffe opposed the concept of a high-speed, longrange, heavily-armed twin-engined fighter, on the grounds that the resulting aeroplane would be too large and heavy to perform effectively. However, the Luftwaffe’s commanding officer, Hermann Göring, was convinced that Germany needed a long-range fighter, and a directive was duly released stating that the development of the Kampfzerstörer should proceed with great

haste. The original specification called for a twin-engined all-metal three-seat monoplane that was armed with flexibly mounted cannon and featured an internal bomb-bay. Willy Messerschmitt and his chief engineer, Walter Rethel, chose to ignore many of the requirements and focused instead on ultimate performance. This move proved decisive as the specification was eventually changed into a ‘bomber destroyer’ and the Bf 110 was well

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Above: The angular but well-proportioned lines of the twin-engined fighter are well portrayed by this Bf 110C-2 undergoing manufacturer’s trials before delivery. Left: Messerschmitt’s heavy fighter was vilified and praised in equal amounts. Although the Bf 110 looked ‘mean and lean’, it was easy prey for the agile single-seat fighters of the RAF. By mid 1941, the Zerstörers (including this trio of Bf 110F-1s) had been transferred to the Middle East. Later in the war the type would gain notoriety as a formidable night fighter.

placed to fill the role, its lean, sleek design giving the proposed fighter an impressive top speed. The prototype Bf 110 V1 performed its first flight on 12 May 1936, with Rudolf Opitz at the controls. Although the poor reliability of the aeroplane’s twin Daimler-Benz 600A engines hampered flight testing, Messerschmitt pilots were able to report that the fighter had a marginal stability problem at low to medium speeds, and essentially good handling at higher speeds. Also noted was the Bf 110’s weak acceleration and poor manoeuvrability, although its top speed of 314mph in level flight offset these drawbacks somewhat. Plans to evaluate the Bf 110B operationally in the Spanish Civil War were halted when

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the campaign was resolved, but the early machines allowed crews to evaluate equipment and armament and develop operational techniques. By late 1938 the problems with the 1,100hp DB 601A-1 had at last been ironed out, allowing Messerschmitt to commence production of the Bf 110C-1 model. Aside from the new motors, this variant differed from the B-model through the deletion of the deep radiator bath beneath each engine and the addition of a shallow glycol radiator outboard of the powerplant on the underside of each wing. The Bf 110C entered service in 1939, with production underway at Messerschmitt, Focke-Wulf, Gothaer Waggonfabrik and MIAG. Keen to prove the worth of the Bf 110, Göring ordered the Luftwaffe to throw its entire Zerstörer force (totalling just 90 serviceable aircraft) into the assault on Poland. Primarily they flew in ground-attack missions, so it was not until the Battle of Britain that the Bf 110’s true vulnerability against single-seat fighters became apparent. Although the German fighter’s armament was undeniably lethal, pilots had trouble getting onto the tails of their more agile opponents. Furthermore, the Below: Messerschmitt Bf 110C-4, M8+EP, of 6./ZG76 circa 1940.

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36 1935-1945

Above: Messerschmitt Bf 110C-1, U8+GL, 3./ZG26 circa 1940.

solitary 7.9mm machine gun wielded by the radio operator/ gunner in the rear cockpit offered the crew little protection against an attack from astern. Lacking speed and acceleration to flee from their attackers, the Bf 110 suffered terrible losses against Spitfires and Hurricanes. However, a shortage of Bf 109s, coupled with their inadequate range, meant the Bf 110s struggled on. Eventually the improved Bf 110D was produced both as a fighter and fighter-bomber, but by mid-1941 most were only operational in the Middle East or on the Eastern Front. In the latter campaign, the Bf 110 rendered valuable

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support to the German Army by carrying out strike missions in the face of very heavy antiaircraft artillery defences. A huge number of ground kills were achieved by Bf 110 pilots, Oberleutnant Johannes Kiel alone was credited with 62 aircraft destroyed on the ground, plus nine tanks and 20 artillery pieces. Eventually withdrawn from daylight fighting, the Bf 110 enjoyed later success as a night fighter, where its range and firepower stood it in good stead for the remainder of the war. Indeed, the Bf 110G would become the backbone of the Nachtjagdgeschwader, the airframe allowing for a powerful radar to be installed, together with a dedicated operator. Often armed with the surprisingly effective Schräge Musik upward-firing twin autocannon offensive armament installation, the Bf 110

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MESSERSCHMITT BF 110 37

Messerschmitt Bf 110C Type: Heavy fighter Crew: 2-3 Length: 39ft 9in (12.10m) Wingspan: 53ft 5in (16.27m) Height: 11ft 6in (3.50m) Loaded weight: 15,300lb (6,940kg) Powerplant: 2 x Daimler-Benz DB 601A-1 engines of 2,200hp in total Max Speed: 349mph (561km/h) Range: 565 miles (909km) Armament: Guns: 2 x 20mm cannon and 4 x 7.9mm machine guns in nose cowling, 1 x 7.9mm gun in rear cockpit. Bombs: C-4/B variant, underwing max load of 1,102lb (500kg)

Above: The German propaganda machine cloaked the Bf 110 with an aura of invincibility, but when the big twin was pitched against an agile singleseat fighter, this was often the outcome. A gun camera sequence records the instant that a Bf 110 erupts in a ball of fire as an RAF fighter hits its mark during the Battle of Britain. Right: The cockpit of the Bf 110 was extremely ergonomic and spacious compared to that of a single-seat fighter. Below: Looking down the barrel. The heavy fire power of the Bf 110 was concentrated in its nose with four 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns in the upper cowling and a pair of 20mm cannons (or 30mm in some later ‘G’ variants) fitted in the lower part of the nose. Below right: A Bf 110 rear gunner and his flexibly mounted 7.92mm MG 15 machine gun. Late F-series and prototype G-series were upgraded to the MG 81 machine gun with a higher rate of fire, while the G-series was equipped with the twinbarrelled MG 81Z.

and its pilots went on to achieve great success. Legendary Luftwaffe night fighter ace HeinzWolfgang Schnaufer was the highest scorer in the Defence of the Reich campaign, ending the war with 121 aerial victories, virtually all of them achieved while flying examples of the Messerschmitt Bf 110. The Bf 110H was the last model of the type and when the final example rolled off the production lines in early 1945, an estimated 6,150 had been built in all versions. Göring’s faith in the Bf 110 would appear to have been at last vindicated.

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40 1935-1945 Left: Bf 110 of 2.(H)/14 which was one of the first Luftwaffe units to transfer to Libya in February and March 1941, and provided vital support to the ‘Desert Fox’, Erwin Rommel, during his early desert campaigns. As can be seen, the unit’s primary duty was photographic reconnaissance, for which the Bf 110’s long-range was ideal. Below: Bf 110G-4 B4+KA Werk No 110087 of 4./NJG3 at Kjevik in 1945. The unit was formed in March 1945 out of Nachtjagdstaffel Norwegen, which operated independently from Norway to intercept allied aircraft over Scandinavia. Bottom: The Bf 110 reinvented itself as a night fighter, a role that suited its deadly talents, guided by the aerial array of the FuG 202 Lichtenstein BC radar fitted to the nose of the Bf 110G-4/R1.

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17/02/2020 11:28

JUNKERS JU 88 41

JUNKERS JU 88 Multi-role master

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t started out in life as a bomber, but the Junkers Ju 88 could perform just about any other mission asked of it, including escort fighter, night-fighter, tank buster, torpedo-bomber and even, during the closing stages of the conflict in Europe, flying bomb. It is considered by many to be the Luftwaffe’s most important, and versatile, combat aircraft of World War Two. The DNA of the Junkers Ju 88 came from an unexpected source. When Germany’s Air Ministry issued a specification for a fast medium bomber (Schnellbomber) in 1935, Junkers turned to a pair of American designers, W.H. Evers and

Junkers Ju 88A-1 Type: Medium bomber Crew: 4 Length: 47ft 2in (8.43m) Wingspan: 65ft 10.50in (20.08m) Height: 15ft 11in (4.85m) Loaded weight: 22,840lb (10,360 kg) Powerplant: 2 x Junkers Jumo 211Bs of 2,400hp (1790 kW) 292mph (470km/h) Max Speed: Range: 1,696 miles (2,730km) Armament: Guns: 6 x MG 15 7.92mm machine guns in nose, rear cockpit and ventral gondola. Bombs: 4,409lb (2,000kg) in bomb-bay and underwing racks

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Alfred Gassner, who had pioneered advanced stressed-skin structures in the USA. They were given a mere nine months to design and build the first prototype. Powered by a pair of Daimler-Benz DB600 engines, the Ju 88V1 made its maiden flight on 21 December 1936 in the hands of Junkers test pilot Karlheinz Kindermann. Prototypes V3 to V5 were fitted with Junkers Jumo 211 Vee 12 engines, which subsequently became the powerplants of choice for production examples. In terms of its structure, the Ju 88 was essentially conventional by the standards of the day, being a low-wing cantilever monoplane of all-metal construction. The fuselage was of oval monocoque structure covered with a flushriveted stressed skin. In line with contemporary German design philosophy, the crew of the Ju 88 was grouped together in the somewhat cramped cockpit, although the three-seat fighter variants suffered less in this regard than the four-seat bomber versions. Boasting a formidable bomb load and good performance, the only down

side of the early Ju 88 was its poor defensive armament. Production Ju 88A-1s would have a fixed forward-firing 7.9mm weapon operated by the pilot, with two similar weapons firing aft through limited arcs of fire, one in the cockpit roof and one in a Bola undernose ventral gondola. A second gun was quickly added to the cockpit roof, as were two more lateral-firing weapons and additional armour protection. By 1938 the Schnellbomber had evolved from being a light, unarmed aircraft that relied on speed to keep it safe, to a reasonably well-armed medium bomber that could also be used as a precision dive-bomber following the addition of dive brakes beneath each wing. In parallel with the Ju 88A bomber series, Junkers pursued the development of the basic airframe as a ‘heavy’ fighter, for which its speed and sturdy construction rendered it particularly suitable. The Ju 88C was intended as a fighterbomber and heavy fighter by adding a ‘solid’ nose mounting three MG17 machine guns and a 20mm cannon, and a single aft-firing MG15

Below: The crew of this Ju 88A-4 belonging to 9./KG 51 Edelweiss are preparing for a mission over the Eastern Front during the spring of 1942. The crew entered the cockpit up a ladder through a door in the rearmost part of the gondola, the pilot climbing aboard first. The last man in, usually the radio operator/machine-gunner, would then pull in the ladder, which would be collapsed and stored in the gondola. EN-Archive

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44 1935-1945

Above: Junkers Ju 88A-4, V4+BS, of 8/KG1, which crashed into a hill on 1 April 1941 after becoming lost in poor weather during a raid on Birmingham. Following the impact, the bomb load detonated totally destroying the bomber and killing its four crew.

gun. It entered entered service in Zerstörerstaffel of KG 30, the unit being renamed II./NJG 1 (Nachtjagdgeschwader) in July 1940. Entering frontline service on the eve of World War Two, the Ju 88 was present in only small numbers during the first nine months of the conflict. By the time the Blitzkrieg commenced in the west on 10 May 1940, just 133 Ju 88s were available for the campaign. Although it Below: At the end of March 1941, III./KG 51 ‘Edelweiss’ was transferred from Brètigny in France to Wiener Naustadt in Austria. These two Ju 88A-4s can be seen flying over the Austrian Alps. Crews liked the Ju 88 not just because of its speed and agility, but also because of the innate strength of the airframe. EN-Archive

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proved its worth as a dive-bomber, conducting precision attacks on the French railway network and targeting Allied shipping during the Dunkirk evacuation, it suffered high combat and operational losses during the Battle of France. Over 80 aircraft were destroyed, with many of these being written off in operational accidents as crews struggled to come to terms with its high-performance. Mechanical and structural failures also took their toll. During the Battle of Britain the large-scale daylight formation attacks on London quickly revealed the vulnerability of the Ju 88 to fighter attack and losses over Britain totalled 303 aircraft between July and October 1940. Despite its high attrition rate, the Ju 88 still proved to be the toughest of the German bombers to crack, with many combat reports submitted by Fighter Command pilots stating that the aeroplane could escape by diving away at very high speed. The aircraft went on to play a major role in the night Blitz against Britain.

As a bomber, the Ju 88 was to prove particularly valuable during the campaign on the Eastern Front, attacking Russian airfields and positions at low level and causing enormous losses for little damage in return. Ju 88 units operating over the Baltic states during the battle for Estonia also inflicted severe losses on

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JUNKERS JU 88

Soviet shipping, with the same dive-bombing tactics gained from experience over Norway, France and Britain. While the Ju 88 was to become a mainstay of the German bombing campaigns throughout World War Two, it became equally famous for its versatility as a heavy fighter, night fighter, torpedo bomber

and ground attack aircraft, tasks for which it proved eminently suitable. During 1942, torpedo-armed Ju 88s of KG 30 and He 111s of KG 26 were attacking the UK-Russia convoys with unerring success, while other units were bombing Malta and the supply convoys fighting to get through to the beleaguered island.

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Above: Junkers Ju 88C-6 R4+XM, representing the aircraft that Maj Heinrich Prinz zu SaynWittgenstein of Stab IV NJG5 was flying on the night of 21 January 1944. At the time he was the highest scoring night fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe with 83 victories to his credit. After bringing down five Lancasters, the Ju 88 came under attack and its left wing caught fire. SaynWittgenstein ordered his crew to jump and they parachuted to safety. Sadly, Sayn-Wittgenstein’s body was found the next day near the wreckage of the Ju 88. His parachute was discovered unopened and it was assumed that he may have hit his head on the vertical stabiliser of his aircraft when trying to escape. Left: The specialised Ju 88C-6 night fighter was a formidable beast and was the scourge of RAF bombing command during its night raids over Europe. Too often they were not even aware of their deadly foe’s presence until they were hit.

Above: Desperate times called for desperate measures. The Mistel (mistletoe) concept comprised a small piloted control aircraft mounted above a large explosive-packed drone, often ‘tired’ Ju 88 airframes. The combination would be flown to its target by its pilot in the fighter (in this case a Bf 109), before the unmanned bomber was released and guided to its target by remote control.

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As the war turned against Germany, urgent requirements were formulated for new versions of the Ju 88, one of which was for a ‘tank-buster’ to combat Soviet armour on the Eastern Front. Various heavy weapons were trialled, including 37mm, 50mm and even a 75mm anti-tank gun, each carried in large ventral gondolas which culminated in the Ju 88P series. Deployed in small numbers from late 1943, the addition of such heavy weapons made the aircraft slow and vulnerable resulting in the type’s withdrawal from use. Desperate measures were called for in the last few months of the war, and, a number of G-1 airframes were converted to act as the warhead portion of the Mistel flying bomb. A fighter was mounted above a pilotless Ju 88 packed with explosives and guided it towards the target, before releasing it at the last moment. Some isolated successes were scored in attacking bridges. The ubiquitous Ju 88 fought throughout the war and the assembly line ran constantly from 1936 to 1945. Numerous variants and sub-variants were built, the type being fitted with both Junkers and BMW engines during its remarkable production run of more than 15,000 examples, more than that of all other German medium bombers combined.

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46 DORNIER DO 24

DORNIER DO 24 Life saver Dornier Do 24T Type: Maritime reconnaissance and transport/air sea rescue Crew: 5-6 Length: 72ft 2in (22m) Wingspan: 88ft 7in (27m) Height: 18ft 10in (5.75m) Loaded weight: 40,565lb (18,400kg) Powerplants: 3 x BMW/Bramo Fafnir 323R-2 of 1,000hp each Max speed: 211mph (340km/h) Range: 1,800miles (2,900km) Armament: Guns: 1 x 7.9mm MG15 machine gun in bow and tail positions and 1 x 20mm MG151 cannon in dorsal turret. Bombs: 12 x 110lb Below: The distinctive Dornier Do 24, a sight that was welcomed by many downed aircrew during World War Two, no matter what side they were fighting for.

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robably the most efficient German flying-boat produced during World War Two, the Dornier Do 24 also has the distinction of serving both Allied and Axis forces during the conflict. The excellence of the basic aircraft was such that the Do 24 remained in production into mid1944 with a total of 279 being built. Dornier launched design work on the Do 24 flying boat in 1935 with development being funded by the Dutch government. The result was an all-metal parasol monoplane with a broad-beamed hull and stabilising sponsons. Twin tails were mounted on the upswept rear of the hull, while three wing-mounted engines powered the aircraft. Up to (2,600lb) 1,200kg of bombs could be carried under the aircraft’s wings, while defensive armament consisted of three gun turrets, one each in nose, dorsal and tail positions. The first of three prototypes flew from Dornier’s factory on the Bodensee (Lake Constance) in mid 1937, and following acceptance trials orders were placed for 11

production Do 24Ks to be built by Weser Flugzeugbau with a further 25 produced under licence in Holland. Deliveries to the Dutch Navy were underway when the war began, but with the occupation of Holland all semi-completed Do 24Ks were transferred to Germany as Do 24N-1s for use as air-sea rescue aircraft. Under German control, the Dutch production line continued to turn out aircraft, most under the designation Do 24T-1, while another production line for the Do 24 was established in the old CAMS factory at Sartrouville, France. This line was operated by SNCAN and was able to produce another 48 Do 24s for the Luftwaffe. Powered by Bramo Fafnir 323 engines, the Do 24T-1s and later T-2s were flown almost exclusively in the air-sea rescue role with 1., 2. and 3./Seenotstaffeln operating principally from Berre near Marseilles and Biscarosse, with others assigned to the Black Sea, 2. and 3./KG 200 and ASR units in France and Norway. It is believed that at least 11,000 personnel were rescued by Do 24s during the course of World War Two, of which 5,000 were Allied.

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BLOHM & VOSS BV 138

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BLOHM & VOSS BV 138 The Flying Clog

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fficially it was called the Seedrache (Sea Dragon), but it was more often referred to as the ‘Flying Clog’ owing to its unorthodox design. The BV 138 was the Luftwaffe’s main longrange maritime patrol aircraft and served a pivotal role in supporting the U-boats prowling the Atlantic and Mediterranean. The BV 138 was a ‘scaled-up’ version of the similarly configured but inferior HP138. First flown in February 1939, the initial production version, BV 138B-1, was powered by three 868hp Junkers Jumo 205D diesel engines, one mounted high above the centreline and the other two on each wing extending into the twin tail booms. The standard armament included two 20mm MG 151/20 cannons (one each in power-operated bow and stern turret), and a 13mm MG 131 machine gun high in the aft centre engine nacelle. All of this contributed to the aircraft’s distinctive but rather ungainly appearance.

Owing to the acute shortage of seaplanes experienced by the Luftwaffe during the invasion of Norway, the aircraft were immediately pressed into service. During 1941 it was employed flying shipping reconnaissance missions over the North Sea and into the Atlantic, the type even accounting for a Blenheim and Catalina. The first of the 227 standard BV 138C-1variant began service in March 1941 and differed in having a four-bladed propeller on its central engine and a modified radiator. The flying-boat proved itself as a robust maritime reconnaissance aircraft and by 1943 BV 138Cs were deployed in the Baltic, the Black Sea, North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, playing a major role in tracking and co-ordinating submarine attacks on heavily-laden convoys. However, flying-boat operations reduced as Allied air superiority took command of areas around mainland Europe and by mid-1944, far fewer BV 138s were encountered. Production of the BV 138 reached 276 aircraft.

Blohm & Voss BV 138C-1 Type: Long-range maritime reconnaissance and transport Crew: 6 65ft 1in (19.85m) Length: Wingspan: 88ft 4in (26.94m) 19ft 4in (5.9m) Height: Loaded weight: 31,967lb (14,500kg) Powerplants: 3 x Junkers Jumo 250D diesels (880hp) Max speed: 177mph (285km/h) Range: 760 miles (1,220km) Armament: One 20mm MG 151 cannon in each of bow and rear turrets, and one 13mm MG 131 machine gun (aft of central fuselage). Up to 6 x 50kg bombs or 4 x 150kg depth charges

Below: Photographed at Hemnesfjorden, Norway, in May 1940, is this early production aircraft featuring the three-bladed propeller on the middle engine.

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48 1935-1945

Focke-Wulf Fw 200C-3 Condor Type: Maritime patrol Crew: 7 Length: 77ft 0in (21.33m) Wingspan: 107ft 10in (32.64m) Height: 20ft 8in (6.37m) Loaded Weight: 50,045lb (22,700kg) Powerplant: Four 1,200hp BMWBramo 323 Fafnir radials Max Speed: 224mph (360km/h) Range: 2,200 miles (3,540km) Armament: Guns: 1 x 7.9mm MG 15 in dorsal turret and aft ventral position, 1 x 13mm MG 131 in aft dorsal, 2 x in aft beam positions, and 1 x 20mm MG 151 cannon in forward ventral position. Bombs: Max load of 4,626lb (2,098kg)

Above: The graceful Condor was aptly named. This Fw 200 C-3, WNr 0043 with the factory code SG+KS was extensively photographed for propaganda purposes and published in many publications and was often re-touched to obliterate guns and bomb carriers etc. Below: Focke-Wulf Fw 200V3 Condor 26+00 Immelmann III circa 1939. This aircraft was destined to become Hitler’s personal transport. Rolando Ugolini/Airlinerart

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FOCKE-WULF FW 200 CONDOR

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FOCKE-WULF FW 200 CONDOR Scourge of the Atlantic

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here is no denying the sleek airliner origins of the four-engined Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, but with the onset of war it traded its commercial colours for military camouflage and became a long-range maritime patrol bomber. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill dubbed it the ‘scourge of the Atlantic’, and for good reason… The Fw 200 became Germany’s pre-eminent wartime maritime reconnaissance platform quite by accident, as the aircraft had originally been designed by Focke-Wulf to be Europe’s premier long-range airliner. It was developed following discussions between Dipl Ing Kurt Tank, technical director of Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau of Bremen and the board of Lufthansa, Germany’s state airline, in the spring of 1936. The designer’s objective was to build an aeroplane that was capable of flying across the North Atlantic non-stop, thus proving the superiority of German aeronautical engineering. To achieve this, the Fw 200 would need to be powered by four engines. Aerodynamically, the aircraft was also outstanding, with no drag-inducing excrescences and a cantilever wing of high aspect ratio for long-range efficiency. Tank himself made the first flight in the Fw 200 V1 prototype on 27 July 1937, the aircraft initially being powered by four 875hp Pratt & Whitney Hornets. Two further prototypes were constructed in rapid succession, followed by nine productionstandard Fw 200A-0s. The latter aircraft featured minor modifications, including slight sweepback to the wings, revision

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of the tail surfaces and the replacement of the American radials with licence-built versions of the Hornet in the form of the BMW132. The second prototype was delivered to Lufthansa, while four of the Fw 200A-0s were sold to civilian airlines in Denmark and Brazil. However, with war clouds gathering in Europe, success in the commercial market was short-lived and further exports were cancelled. Two aircraft were ordered by the German government, the third prototype becoming the official Fuhrermaschine for Hitler (registered D-2600), and the other for the staff that accompanied him on his travels. So what was to have been Lufthansa’s most important long-range airliner, became instead the Fw 200C Condor. Early examples came off the production line in 1940 and equipped Kampfgeschwader KG 40, initially in Denmark to attack British targets, but after the fall of France the unit was established at the French coastal airfield of Bordeaux-Merignac. The Fw 200C-0 in its original form had a simple armament of three MG15 machine guns, one in a small turret behind the flightdeck, one in a rear dorsal cockpit with a fold-over hood and the third fired from a ventral hatch. Bombs could be carried under the enlarged engine nacelles, on wing racks and in a longer ventral gondola. The Condor would be blooded in action during Germany’s invasion of Norway in April 1940. However, equipping the Condor for war operations brought problems which served to highlight its unsuitability for the job. Its structure was light-weight having been designed for commercial use and the addition

of heavy military equipment and the rigours demanded on combat operations resulted in rear wing spar failures and the fuselage breaking its back. An urgent strengthening of the airframe saw the more robust Fw 200C-3 emerge as a heavier aircraft, but now powered by four more powerful 1,200hp BMW-Bramo 323R-2 radial engines and incorporating improved defensive armament and a bomb load increased to 4,626lb. Typical operations during the latter half of 1940 saw solitary Fw 200s fly out across the Bay of Biscay and follow an arc around Eire’s Atlantic coastline, attacking targets of opportunity, before landing at Trondheim-Vaernes or Stavanger-Sola, in Norway. By September, with numbers having reached 15 aircraft, I./KG 40 had started to have an impact on Allied shipping. The type’s early success can be measured by the loss of 85 Allied vessels totalling 363,000 tons between August 1940 and February 1941. So began the Battle of the Atlantic. With Britain relying heavily on goods shipped in from across the globe, the Luftwaffe set up Fliegerführer Atlantik in March 1941 in an effort to isolate its enemy from North America in particular. I./KG 40 was duly increased in strength (three full staffeln, each with an operational strength of 12 Fw 200s). Britain could not sustain such losses so Churchill ordered urgent attacks by the RAF against the Condor bases and, by the end of 1941, the Allies introduced CAM-ships – merchant vessels equipped with a catapult and a single fighter – to help protect the convoys. By 1943, the Allies had almost overcome the Condor in its anti-shipping role. The last serious Fw 200 attack against a convoy was made from Trondheim by 3./KG 40 on 31 March 1944, when a trio of aircraft targeted the vessels bound for Murmansk. Wildcats from the escorts carriers HMS Activity and HMS Tracker downed all three aircraft before they got anywhere near the convoy. From mid 1944 all surviving Condors were increasingly employed as transports. Attrition within these units was high, and included the loss of an early-build Fw 200B that hit high ground on 21 April 1945 while trying to escape Berlin, overloaded with high-ranking Nazi Party officials. Condor production totalled some 263 aircraft.

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50 1935-1945

DORNIER DO 217 History maker

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he Dornier Do 217 was a true multirole aircraft, but it excelled best as a bomber. It earned its place in history when it became the first aircraft to deploy precision-guided munition in combat. As its designation suggests, the Dornier Do 217 was a direct development of the Do 17, which first flew in 1934. Dornier began work on the improved version of the aircraft in 1937. Engines were mounted on a high-wing monoplane and the vertical tail surface was split in a traditional ‘T’ design. Again, the cockpit and crew areas were situated towards the front of the aircraft retaining the notable pencil-type fuselage shape. Its crew of four comprised a pilot, an observer/bomb aimer/forward gunner, dorsal gunner/radio operator and a flight engineer/ventral gunner. The pilot sat on the port side, with a spectacletype control column mounted on a swinging arm centred in the instrument panel. The Do 217 V1 prototype first flew on 4 October 1938, but handling was not good

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and it crashed a week later killing test pilot Rolf Koeppe. However, development continued and in early 1940 the Do 217A-0 reconnaissance variant became the first version to enter service with the Luftwaffe. The first production bomber to become operational was the Do 217E-1, powered by a pair of BMW 801 air-cooled 14-cylinder radial engines. Capable of carrying an external and internal bomb load not exceeding 7,700lb, it featured a deeper fuselage that housed an enlarged bomb bay. Two additional doors at the aft end covered a 6ft extension that permitted a torpedo to be carried completely inside the fuselage for the aircraft’s anti-shipping role. The bomb bay could hold either eight 550lb, four 1,102lb, or two 2,205lb bombs. Defensive armament varied, but for the bomber version it invariably comprised a single 15mm MG151 cannon mounted in the nose, and five 7.9mm machine guns in the cockpit and ventral gondola. Production aircraft rolled off the lines and by

the end of 1941, more than 300 had arrived with bomber units along the Channel coast for operations against Britain. The first bomber unit to receive the Dornier Do 217 was two Gruppen of Kampfgeschwader 40 (II./KG 40) in March 1941 and it was soon joined by KG 2. In its anti-shipping role it carried out relatively successful attacks on British coastal convoys from bases in Holland at Eindhoven and Gilze Rijen. As a conventional bomber, the Dornier Do 217’s first major raid was on the city of Exeter on 24/25 April 1942, the start of what was to become known as the Baedeker Blitz. For the rest of 1942 KG 2 was restricted to nuisance raids. These involved one or two Do 217s making low level attacks on coastal targets. These raids increased in intensity in early 1943, with the arrival of the Do 217K and M, now sporting a revised stepless glass nose, which afforded increased visibility for the four crew, particularly the pilot. Despite the increase in

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DORNIER DO 217

speed offered by these new aircraft, losses were still heavy and results low. The Do 217 served on all fronts in all roles. On the Eastern Front and Western Front it operated as a strategic bomber, torpedo bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. It also performed tactical operations, either direct ground assault or anti-shipping strikes during the Battle of the Atlantic and Battle of Normandy. The type also served in anti-shipping units in the Mediterranean, attacking Allied convoys and naval units. It was here that the Do 217 became the first aircraft in military aviation history to deploy a form of precision-guided munition in combat, in the form of the Fritz-X radio-guided, free-fall bomb, which led to the sinking of the Italian battleship Roma in 1943. The final actions of Do 217-equipped units over Western Europe were against the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944, when the remaining Do 217 equipped bomber units were thrown into action against the landings

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Above: The Dornier Do 17 lineage of the Do 217 is apparent in its basic layout, but the aircraft has more bulk than its predecessor. This is the Do 217E-2 variant that featured a rearward facing gun turret. Top: Dornier Do 217 E-4, U5+GP. of 6./K2. On the night of 7 February 1943 this aircraft took off from Eindhoven on mine laying operations between Selsey Bill and the Isle of Wight, England. For reasons unknown, the aircraft flew very low over Cowes, heading in a south-easterly direction across the island before eventually crashing into St Martin’s Down near Wroxall. The bodies of the four crew were found near the wreckage.

suffering heavy losses. Meanwhile, the Do 217 was also converted to become a night fighter and saw considerable action in the Defence of the Reich campaign until the very last days of the war. The production life of the Do 217 yielded 1,925 aircraft with manufacture peaking in 1943 when over 500 alone were built.

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Dornier Do 217M-1 Type: Medium bomber Crew: 4 Length: 55ft 9in (17m) Wingspan: 62ft 4in (19m) 16ft 3in (4.96m) Height: Loaded weight: 36,817lb (16,700kg) Powerplant: 2 x Daimler-Benz DB603 of 1,726hp each Max Speed: 347mph (557km/h) 1,332 miles (2,145km) Range: Armament: Guns: 4 x MG 81 7.92mm machine guns in nose and lateral positions, 2 x 13mm MG 131 machine guns in dorsal and ventral positions Bombs: 8,800lb (4,000kg) in bomb-bay and externally

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52 1935-1945

FOCKE-WULF FW 190 Butcher Bird

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don’t call it my deadly little horsefly for nothing!’ So said Hermann Göring, Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe. When the formidable Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter entered service in 1941, it could outfly any aircraft in the RAF, including the Spitfire. Not only did the Fw 190 have staggering performance, but it had terrifying firepower to match. It demanded immediate respect… Widely regarded as Germany’s best fighter aircraft of World War Two, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 evolved from a 1938 German Air Ministry (RLM) specification for a new machine to supplement the Bf 109. Designed by the legendary Kurt Tank, the layout of the Fw 190 was entirely conventional, featuring a lowwinged monoplane with a nose-mounted engine driving a tractor airscrew. The low wing and large frameless bubble canopy offered excellent vision, and the wide undercarriage provided a less demanding take-off and landing than the Bf 109. An air-cooled engine was chosen for its reliability, ruggedness and ability for absorbing punishment. Manoeuvrability was key and the Fw 190 was to use rigid rods between the control column and flying control surfaces instead of the more usual wires and pulleys, giving the new fighter an excellent rate

of roll. First flown on 1 June 1939 by test pilot Hans Sander, it was immediately obvious that the Fw 190 was a fighter pilot’s dream, though its BMW 139 engine was prone to overheating and was eventually replaced by the BMW 801. When the Fw 190 was first blooded in the summer of 1941, the Allies were shocked as it was clearly superior to any other fighter of the time. The Focke-Wulf machine made a significant impact as a fighter and fighter-

bomber, German pilots claiming that it was just as capable as the Bf 109 in aerial combat. However, unlike the Bf 109, the Fw 190 was well suited to performance upgrades and various weapon layouts and was to prove adept at a variety of roles, including as a divebomber, where it superseded the slow and vulnerable Ju 87 Stuka. Dubbed the ‘Butcher bird’ (a common name for the shrike, a small carnivorous bird known

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8 Type: Multi-role fighter Crew: 1 Length: 29ft (8.84m) Wingspan: 34ft 5in (10.49m) Height: 13ft (3.96m) Loaded weight: 10,800lb (4,900kg) Powerplant: BMW 801D-2 14-cylinder radial of 1,700hp Max speed: 408mph (653km/h) Range: 560 miles (900km) Armament: 2 x 6.92mm machine guns in nose, 4 x 20mm MG151 cannons in wings. Plus range of underwing/underfuselage bombs, guns and rockets

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FOCKE-WULF FW 190

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for impaling its prey on spikes), the Fw 190 came into its own during mid-1942 when it played a vital part in Operation ‘Cerberus’, the ‘Channel Dash’ when German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen darted through the English Channel. Fw 190s provided continuous daylight cover and slaughtered RAF opposition with near-impunity. The type was then to scream low and fast over shipping and port towns over southern England, bombing at will and returning to France before Spitfires could intercept. The ill-fated Allied invasion of Dieppe on 19 August 1942 was overwhelmed by Fw 190s of JG 2 and JG 26. Once again, RAF defence was pulverised. However, as a fighter the Fw 190 had an achilles heel… it was plagued by inferior performance at altitudes over 25,000ft. A Above: Muscular and powerful, the Fw 190 was designed by Kurt Tank to be a purposeful ‘cavalry horse’ rather than a fine-tuned ‘racehorse’. This allowed it to be very versatile and apart from excelling at air-to-air combat, the Fw 190 was equally at home flying low-level ground attack missions, as this pair demonstrate. via Aviation-images.com Left: Luftwaffe Fw 190A-3s of 7/JG 2 Richthofen at Morait, France, in the summer of 1942. via Aviation-images.com

new engine was desperately needed, but German officials did not foresee the demand for high-altitude fighting and over a year of development was lost. To engage the increasing Allied bomber streams, the Fw 190D, or ‘Dora’, was introduced. It was arguably one of the best fighters of World War Two. With its graceful lines, its nose packing a mighty Junkers Jumo 213 12-cylinder liquid-cooled engine, and bristling with cannon, the ‘Dora’ was virtually untouchable. It could out-climb and out-dive its predecessor with ease and possessed an excellent turning rate at speed. German pilots realised that they had their finest fighter in their hands and boasted that it was more capable than the P-51D Mustang in all areas. Delivery of the Fw 190D-9 began in August 1944, and it is estimated that some 650 to 700 ‘Doras’ were built. But it was all too late, its introduction being curtailed by small numbers of airframes and a lack of fuel and trained pilots. The ‘Dora’ led to the definitive development of the Fw 190, the Ta 152. The wingspan was lengthened and the airframe powered by a Jumo 213E engine with a two-stage supercharger that could operate at an incredible 41,000ft at 472mph. It was to be the final legacy of Kurt Tank’s iconic design.

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54 1935-1945 Left: The hunter becomes the hunted. While stalking its heavy bomber prey, this Fw 190 comes under attack from an RAF Mustang over Cologne on 23 December 1944, its pilot bailing out. via Aviation-images.com Right: Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-6 D5+XV of 10/NJG 3, Aalborg-West (Denmark), January 1944. Bottom left: The Allies were always grateful to get their hands on Fw 190s for evaluation. The pilot of A-3 of 11./JG 2 was taken prisoner after landing in the UK by mistake in June 1942.

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FOCKE-WULF FW 190 55

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56 HENSCHEL HS 129

HENSCHEL HS 129 Tank buster

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he only aircraft of World War Two to be designed as a dedicated ground attack and tank killer, the aggressivelooking Henschel Hs 129 was hampered by lack of power and unreliable engines. In the event it was never available in sufficient numbers to have any significant impact. The Henschel Hs 129 was born out of a 1938 specification for a twin-engine ground-attack aircraft. It was to be heavily armed and to have extensive armour plating protection for crew and engines. Since the aircraft was expected to be attacking its targets directly in low-level strafing runs, the cockpit had to be located as close as possible to the nose in order to see the ground. Henschel’s resulting tank-killer was built around a single large ‘bathtub’ of steel that made up the entire nose area, completely enclosing the pilot up to head level. Even the canopy was steel, with only tiny windows on the side to see out of and two angled blocks of glass for the windscreen. In order to improve the armour’s ability to stop bullets, the fuselage sides were angled to form a triangular shape, resulting in almost no room for the pilot to move at shoulder level. There was so little room in the cockpit that the gunsight was mounted outside on the nose. The prototype flew in the spring of 1939 and eight pre-production Hs 129As were sent to

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Above: To keep the risk of damage by small arms fire to a minimum, the Hs 129 was designed to have a small cross-sectional area, giving its fuselage a very angular appearance. Captured in North Africa, this Hs 129B was flown to the US for evaluation.

Henschel Hs 129B-2 Type: Ground attack/anti-tank Crew: One Length: 32ft (9.75m) Wingspan: 46ft 7in (14.20m) Height: 10ft 8in (3.25m) Loaded weight: 11,574lb (5,250kg) Powerplant: Two Gnôme-Rhone twin-row radial engines Max Speed: 220mph (407km/h) Range: 428 miles (690km) Armament: 2 x 20mm cannon and 2 x MG 17 machine guns a Luftwaffe trials unit for evaluation, but pilot reports were damming because of a lack of power from its twin Argus AS410 engines. Consequently, Henschel modified its design to be fitted with captured French Gnome-Rhône 14M radial engines. The production Hs 192B-1 series went into service in April 1942 and became operational on the Eastern front, where it was to see most of its success employed primarily as an

anti-tank aircraft. However, on-going engine unreliability would continue to haunt the design. This became even more of an issue when the aircraft was sent to North Africa and it encountered sand ingestion. By the end of 1942, the growing capability of Soviet tank battalions made it essential to develop a version of the aircraft with greater fire-power, leading to the Hs 129B-2 series, which incorporated two 20mm cannon and two 13mm machine-guns. The lethal capability of the Hs 129 was amply demonstrated on the Eastern Front in the summer of 1943 when the Luftwaffe claimed the destruction of 1,100 tanks, many of which had fallen to the guns of the Henschel. The Hs 129B-3 was the last version of the aircraft to enter production, and was armed with a massive 7.5cm anti-tank gun that projected 3ft ahead of the nose. While this new variant was capable of destroying any tank in the world, the cannon was too powerful for the aircraft. Quite apart from the severe muzzle blast and recoil, the sheer weight of the gun made the aircraft almost unmanageable. Only 25 examples of the Hs 129B-3 arrived at frontline units before the production line was shut down in August 1944 when the Allies captured the French factories producing components for the Hs 129. By then, total production had amounted to only 879, including prototypes.

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HEINKEL HE 177

HEINKEL HE 177 Four into two

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he Heinkel He 177 was essentially a four-engined bomber, that embraced the aerodynamic qualities of two. The logic was sound, but the engineering wasn’t and the revolutionary bomber was plagued with technical problems throughout its short operational career. With the pedigree of Heinkel behind it, much was expected of the large He 177 Grief (Griffin) long-range bomber. Designed by the talented engineer Siegfried Gunter, one of its most radical innovations was the use of coupled powerplants, each having two 12-cylinder liquid-cooled engines mounted side-by-side with a single airscrew shaft driving a fourbladed propeller. Despite the unconventional arrangement, few could envisage the painful development programme that was to ensue Below: Newly-delivered He 177A-1s operated with KG 50 from Zaporozhye-Sud in Ukraine in mid-January 1943. Notably, this aircraft is armed with a 20mm cannon in the lower nose position, a single 13mm gun in the remote barbette, and carries a Russian Front yellow identity band round the rear fuselage.

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when test pilot Leutnant Carl Francke flew the prototype on 19 November 1939. As the prototypes were tested, so the problems emerged and by June 1941, four of the first six aircraft had crashed, two during dive-bombing trials over the Baltic. Heinkel persevered and production of 35 He 177A-0s began at Heinkel Oranienburg and Arado Warnemunde plants. Hitler’s predilection for the bomber prompted its first missions on the Russian Front with Kampfgeschwader 50 in 1942. Anti-shipping operations were next when II/KG 40 equipped with A-3s and higherpowered A-5s deployed to Bordeaux-Merignac armed with the Hs 293 guided missile. The first mission took place on 21 November 1943 when 20 He 177A-5s attacked an Atlantic convoy, but with only modest results and the loss of three aircraft. More attacks followed, but success remained limited. At the beginning of 1944, Hitler urgently ordered the gathering of a bomber force with which to mount attacks on London in reprisal for the Allied bombing campaign against Germany and He 177s were transferred from

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Heinkel He 177A-3 Type: Heavy bomber Crew: Five Wingspan: 103ft 0in (31.39m) Length: 72ft 2in (22m) Height: 21ft 10in (6.43m) Loaded Weight: 65,698lb (29,800kg) Powerplant: Two 2,700hp DaimlerBenz DB 606 engines each formed of two DB 601s in ‘coupled’ arrangement driving a single four-blade airscrew Max Speed: 298mph (479km/h) Range: 3,480 miles (5,600km) Armament: Guns: 2 x MG 131 machine guns in upper forward turret with 1 x MG 131 in upper rear, ventral and tail positions; 1 x MG FF cannon in lower nose, 1 x MG 81 in upper nose. Bombs: Max load 4,850lb (2,200kg) anti-shipping use to participate in what became known as the ‘Little Blitz’, but operations were less than spectacular. Meanwhile, factory output now involved the improved He 177A-5 with 261 delivered in 1943 and a further 565 in 1944. When production ceased in September 1944, some 1,146 He 177s had been built.

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58 1935-1945

MESSERSCHMITT ME 210/410 Sting in the tail

Left: Designed as a successor to the Bf 110, the Messerschmitt Me 210 was essentially a failure, hounded throughout its short life by problems of instability and performance. However, with a bit of modification and new engines, the design evolved into the impressive Me 410.

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he Hornisse was Hitler’s favourite bomber destroyer and for a short period was the scourge of US heavy bombers raiding Germany. But it did not start out that way. It evolved from the deeply flawed Messerschmitt Me 210, an aircraft renowned for all the wrong reasons. The origins of Messerschmitt’s notorious bomber killer can be traced back to late 1937 when it was designing a successor to the Bf 110. Utilising components of its predecessor, the resulting Messerschmitt Me 210 first flew on 5 September 1939, powered by two DaimlerBenz DB 601A engines. It proved to be extremely unsatisfactory, being difficult to handle and suffering from extreme instability. The design was improved by deleting the original twin tail vertical surfaces, similar to those of the Bf 110, and fitting a large traditional vertical stabiliser and rudder. An order for 1,000 Me 210As was placed in mid-1940, but the aircraft continued to handle badly and the programme was plagued by a number of crashes. By April 1942 about 200 Me 210s had been delivered, but it was still patently obvious that only major design changes would have any chance of correcting its faults and construction was halted. However, phoenix-like, the Messerschmitt Me 410 rose out of the ashes. A visual comparison of the two aircraft would suggest that there were very few differences, and this was indeed the case. Though essentially a straightforward

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modification of the Me 210, the ‘new’ machine was designated the Me 410 to avoid association with its predecessor. What made the Me 410 ‘special’ was the introduction of the new Daimler-Benz DB 603A which offered up 1,750hp each through a twin-engine arrangement. These powerplants were mounted to lengthened, streamlined nacelles at each wing, extending significantly over the leading edges. The new version also included a lengthened fuselage and new, automatic leading-edge slats. The Hornisse (Hornet), as it became known, was crewed by two (pilot and dedicated gunner) and as a heavy fighter was fitted with two 20mm MG151 cannons along with two 7.92mm MG17 machine guns (mounted in the nose). Additionally, a pair of 13mm MG131 type machine guns were used in side blister mounts (remotecontrolled operation) as a defensive measure against trailing, intercepting enemy aircraft. The bomb load carried could total up to 2,200lb of conventional drop stores held in an internal bomb bay. The first prototypes of the Me 410 flew towards the end of 1942 and production began in January 1943. The Me 410 proved faster than just about every other heavy fighter available to the Luftwaffe in 1944. One of the strengths of the Me 410 was its impressive range of 1,400 miles and the Luftwaffe utilised this to mount some night raids over southern England in the ‘Baby Blitz’ in late 1943 and early 1944. They were

also moderately successful against unescorted bombers through 1943, with a considerable number of kills against USAAF day bomber formations being achieved. However, the Me 410 was no match in a dogfight with the lighter Allied single-engine fighters such as the North American P-51 Mustang and Supermarine Spitfire. In early 1944, the Me 410 formations encountered swarms of Allied fighters protecting the bomber streams, resulting in the Me 410s previous successes against escorted bombers now often being offset by their losses. From mid-1944, despite being Hitler’s favourite bomber destroyer, the Me 410 units were taken from Defence of the Reich duties and production was phased out in favour of heavily armed single-engine fighters as dedicated bomber destroyers, with the Me 410s remaining in service flying on reconnaissance duties only. Total Me 410 production numbered 1,189 units before war’s end.

Messerschmitt Me 410A-1 Type: Twin-engined, heavy fighter Crew: Two Length: 40ft 8in (12.4m) 53ft 9in (16.39m) Wingspan: Height: 12ft 3in (3.7m) Loaded weight: 23,721lb (10,760kg) Powerplant: 2 × Daimler-Benz DB 603A liquid-cooled inverted V12 engines Max Speed: 388mph (624km/h) Range: 1,400 miles (2,300km) Armament: Guns: 2× 20mm MG151 cannons, 2 × 7.92mm MG17 machine guns and 2 x 13mm MG131 machine guns firing rearward from remote-operated turret either side. Bombs: Max 2,200lb

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MESSERSCHMITT ME 323 GIGANT 59

MESSERSCHMITT ME 323 GIGANT

Six-engined monster

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he Messerschmitt Me 323 was the world’s first true heavy transport, its gaping mouth swallowing huge payloads for the time, including up to 130 fully-equipped troops. Inevitably, though, its immense hulk meant it was slow and ponderous, making it easy prey. Living up to its name, the Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant was essentially a powered variant of the Me 321 assault glider, an aircraft originally developed for Hitler’s planned invasion of Great Britain. Recognising the obvious limitations of the Me 321, Messerschmitt was awarded a contract in March 1941 for a four-engined version. Trials showed it was underpowered, so two more engines – all French 1,140hp Gnôme-Rhone 14N radials – were fitted to the strengthened wing resulting in the six-engined behemoth that became the Me 323D. The transport had massive high-mounted wings which were braced from the fuselage out to the middle. To reduce weight and to save on aluminium, much of the wing was made of plywood and fabric, while the fuselage was of metal tube construction with wooden spars and covered with doped fabric. Perhaps not surprisingly, the result was a rather ungainly machine, with function ruling over aesthetics. The bulbous

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nose was fitted with clamshell doors, which allowed easy access to the large cargo hold that could typically accommodate loads including two medium trucks, an 88mm Flak gun and tractor plus ammunition, more than 50 barrels of fuel, up to 60 wounded personnel or, with a middle deck fitted, 130 equipped troops. When heavily loaded, underwing rockets could be used to assist take-off, but once airborne it was not easy to fly, being slow and cumbersome. The engines were constantly in need of having to be equalised to improve control loads, for which two flight engineers were seated between the two inner engines. Initial examples from a contract for 453 machines reached the Luftwaffe in September 1942 and soon proved invaluable in transporting all types of equipment for the Wehrmacht fighting on the Eastern Front and in North Africa, the latter operating extensively between Sicily and Libya supplying Rommel’s Afrika Korps with oil and petrol. But losses mounted as Allied air forces hunted these ‘fuel carriers’. Although it was heavily armed and could withstand a great deal Below: The Messerschmitt Me 323 remained the largest land-based transport aircraft of World War Two. Although the Me 323 had an unrivalled lifting capability, once in the air it was slow and ponderous and easy to shoot down.

Messerschmitt Me 323D Gigant Type: Heavy transport Crew: 7 Wingspan: 180ft 5in (55m) 93ft 6in (28.5m) Length: Height: 31ft 6in (9.6m) Loaded Weight: 99,210lb (45,000kg) Powerplant: 6 x Gnôme-Rhone 14N radial engines of 1,140hp each Max Speed: 138mph (222km/h) Armament: 10 x 7.9mm MG 34 machine guns in fuselage sides and 20mm MG 151 cannon in upper wing turrets and in dorsal position aft of cockpit, depending on unit and version of punishment, its lack of agility made it easy prey. A black day for the fleet was 22 April 1943, when 14 out of 16 fully loaded Me 323Ds of Transportgeschwader 5 (TG 5) were shot down, and a further one destroyed later on the ground at Tunis. Remaining examples were transferred to the Eastern Front in support of the German Army’s battle against the Soviets. In 1943, the Me 323E series appeared, armed with additional gun turrets, a crew of seven and 1,200hp Gnôme-Rhone 14R engines. However, in early 1944, production of the transport was moved to the Zeppelin works at Friedrichshafen where a small number of Me 323F-1s with 1,350hp Junkers Jumo 211R engines were built and delivered. With many of the 198 or so aircraft delivered now destroyed or damaged, the type virtually disappeared from the war fronts.

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64 1935-1945

HEINKEL HE 219 UHU Night hunter

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ike its Eagle Owl namesake, the Heinkel He 219 was a stealthy and deadly hunter, its prey often unaware of its presence until it was too late. Described by many as the best night fighter of World War Two, it was certainly one of the fastest. The aircraft that was to become the He 219 began life in 1940 as a high-speed, highaltitude bomber project under the designation of P1055. It was to have ejection seats for the crew (a first for any aircraft), a fully-retractable tricycle undercarriage landing gear system (a first for any German aircraft) and a cockpit

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pressurisation system for high-altitude work. Additionally, the type was to be defended by remotely-controlled defensive gun turrets. Although the design was rebuffed as being too complex, Heinkel revised it into the P1060 when Josef Kammhuber, commander of the German night fighter forces, wanted a fleet of dedicated night-fighters for his new defence group. However, this time the design was rejected by Erhard Milch, who was responsible for aircraft construction within the air ministry. Nevertheless, Heinkel continued private development of the P1060 and the prototype

made its maiden flight on 6 November 1942. The Luftwaffe was impressed and immediately ordered 300 of the type, now designated He 219 Uhu (Eagle Owl). Power for the principle He 219A-7 model was derived from a pair of Daimler-Benz DB 603E liquid-cooled inverted V12 inline engines delivering 1,900hp each. A maximum speed of 385mph was reported, while its operating ceiling was near 30,500ft, justifying the use of the pressurised cockpit. Heinkel’s faith in the He 129 appeared to be justified on its first operational mission, on the night of 11/12 June 1943, when an

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HEINKEL HE 219 UHU aircraft, flown by Maj Werner Streib and his radio operator, downed five British bombers, four Halifax and one Lancaster. The eyes of the night fighter were soon improved with the longer-wavelength Telefunken FuG-220 ‘Lichtenstein’ SN-2 radar, which provided detection out to 4,000m. However, any nightfighter was essentially only as good as its armament and the He 219 did not disappoint. Its armament suite centred around four 20mm MG151 cannons situated in a ventral fairing. An additional two 20mm MG151 cannons were fitted into the wing roots. Later versions also had a Schräge Musik (Jazz Music) gun installation, with two MK108 cannon firing obliquely upward from behind the cockpit. This 30mm cannon was so powerful that three of its explosive rounds were enough to bring down a heavy bomber like the Lancaster. The oblique installation allowed attacks to be made on bombers from their vulnerable undersides

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while avoiding defensive gunfire. Schräge Musik proved so effective that it became the preferred armament of the night fighter aces. Though a capable aircraft and proven in combat, many factors worked against this fine machine, keeping the He 219 from achieving any level of quantitative usefulness. Its impact on the RAF night-time bombing campaigns was minimal at best, but offered a glimpse of what could have been possible. Below: The Heinkel He 219 Uhu was one of the more distinct Luftwaffe aircraft of the war, with its two-man pressurised cockpit being situated at the extreme forward end of the fuselage allowing for excellent vision of the oncoming terrain. The nose was dominated by a collection of antennae giving the Uhu something of a fragile appearance, though there was nothing fragile about its firepower. This captured He 219A‑7 (D5+CL) WrkN310189 of NJG3 wears RAF roundels for evaluation.

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Heinkel He 219A-7 Type: Twin-engined, night fighter Crew: Two Length: 51ft (15.5m) 60ft 8in (18.5m) Wingspan: Height: 14ft 5in (4.4m) Loaded weight: 29,900lb (13,580kg) Powerplant: 2 × Daimler-Benz DB 603E liquid-cooled inverted V12 engines Max Speed: 385mph (616km/h) Range: 960 miles (1,540km) Armament: 4 × 20mm MG151 cannons in a detachable fairing under the fuselage, 2 × 20mm MG151s in wing roots, 2 × 30mm MK108 cannons, Schräge Musik (oriented 65° above horizontal)

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BLOHM & VOSS BV 222 WIKING Legendary flying boat

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BLOHM & VOSS BV 222 WIKING

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he BV 222 Wiking (Viking) was big. Yet it had a looming, suggestive presence that made it seem even bigger than it really was. The aircraft was remarkable, too, for being one of the very few of its era with six engines. A flying boat designed with commercial aviation in mind, the Blohm & Voss BV 222 Wiking was the result of a design team headed by Dr Ing Richard Vogt. The goal was to produce a flying boat for Deutsche Lufthansa to transport up to 24 passengers at great leisure across the North and South Atlantic. However, delays in construction of the aircraft and the outbreak of war in Europe altered plans by the time Helmut ‘Wasa’ Rodig piloted the seaplane on its maiden flight on 7 September 1940. The first Wiking, the BV 222 V1 began life with the civil registration D-ANTE and was powered by BMW-Bramo 323R Fafnir radial engines. With the onset of war it became a military freight hauler, carrying supplies for the Afrika Corps, and was re-registered as X4+AH. After many months of yeoman duty, in mid-February 1943 this aircraft sank after a collision with a submerged shipwreck while landing at Piraeus harbour in German-occupied Greece. During their initial casualty-prone operations as transports in North Africa and the Mediterranean theatre, BV 222 flying boats served with Lufttransportstaffel See 222 and carried 1,453 tons of supplies, 19,750 fully equipped troops and 2,491 wounded soldiers. After returning to Germany to be retrofitted with armament, surviving BV 222s transferred to the control of the Fliegerfuhrer Atlantik. Flying far out over the Atlantic on U-boat co-operation tasks, the five aircraft continued flying sorties from Biscarosse, France until shortly before the Allies liberated that port.

Top left: Blohm & Voss BV 222 A-0 (V8), X4+HH, 222LTS, Luftwaffe, 1943. This aircraft had a brief service life before being shot down by Beaufighters on 10 December 1943. Rolando Ugolini/Airlinerart Left: BV 222 V3, coded DM+SD, was used on shipping reconnaissance over the Mediterranean during 1942. Not so much a miracle of mass production as the result of painstaking, handcrafted labour, the BV 222 was a solidlybuilt and remarkably conventional flying-boat design constructed almost entirely of metal alloys. The deep fuselage of the BV 222 was a massive structure and was streamlined from its conical nose assembly to the tapered tail. The Wiking featured the traditional two-step, boatlike hull for slicing into and displacing sea water when taxying, taking off and landing.

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Blohm & Voss BV 222C Wiking Type: Long-range maritime reconnaissance and transport Crew: 11-14 Length: 121ft 5in (37m) 150ft 11in (46m) Wingspan: Height: 35ft 9in (10.9m) Loaded weight: 100,503lb (45,587kg) Powerplants: 6 x Junkers Jumo 207C diesels of 1,000hp each Max speed: 205mph (330km/h) Armament: 3 x 20mm MG 151 cannon (1 x each in forward dorsal and two over-wing turrets), 5 x .51-calibre (13mm) MG 131 machine guns (1 x each in bow position and four beam hatches) Just 13 BV 222s were produced, most of which would not see out the end of the war. The last of the initial trio of prototypes, BV 222 V3, first flew on 28 November 1941 and was destroyed in an air battle in France in June 1943, apparently shot down by an RAF Bristol Beaufighter. The BV 222 V6 operated in the Mediterranean theatre, but not for long. On 21 August 1942, Malta-based Bristol Beaufighters engaged it near the island of Pantelleria and shot it down. The BV 222 V8 was the second to use diesel engines and had a brief service life before also being shot down by Beaufighters in late 1943. The final series of five flying boats out of the total of 13 wore the generic label of BV 222 C-0 (BV 222 V9 to BV 222 V13). These had in common the Jumo 207C diesel engine, revised defensive armament, and rocket devices for power-boosted take-offs. The BV 222 V9 was destroyed at its mooring in Travemünde (on Germany’s northern Baltic coast) by British Hawker Typhoons in 1945 and BV 222 V10 was shot down by de Havilland Mosquitos in 1944. The BV 222 V12 was captured by the British and served in the Royal Air Force (with serial VP501) with No 201 Squadron for two years before being scrapped in 1947. Slow in its development, built in limited numbers, used only infrequently for reconnaissance and other duties while serving primarily as a transport, the BV 222 was useful only so long as the Luftwaffe controlled the skies. Once the Allies took command of the air, the BV 222 became a large, slow, and very inviting target for roving Allied fighters.

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MESSERSCHMITT ME 163 Pocket rocket

Above: The Me 163 was largely constructed out of light alloy. Behind the compact cockpit was the tank for the T-Stoff rocket fuel, which had a capacity of 1,040 litres. Additional T-Stoff reserves were carried in a series of smaller tanks, which were found either side of the cockpit. Meanwhile, the C-Stoff reserve was located in a pair of 173-litre tanks between the wing spars as well as in two 73-litre tanks in the leading edges of the wing.

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MESSERSCHMITT ME 163

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he demonic Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet was arguably the most radical fighter to appear during World War Two. When the diminutive rocket fighter first tore through Allied bomber formations during the latter stages of the conflict, it was simply terrifying. It was terrifying for its pilots too, though for different reasons. The Komet might have been the fastest fighter around, but this ‘wonder weapon’ would always be hampered by its limited endurance, its explosive powerplant and its makeshift landing gear. Shrieking across the skies at blistering speeds, the Messerschmitt Me 163 was an apparition that could have been summoned by the gods of war. This ultra-short-range fighter was designed to make devastating slashing attacks against the Allied bomber streams that were wreaking daily havoc upon Germany’s industrial heartlands and its population centres. But its thunderous roar was born from more tranquil beginnings. Visionary Dr Alexander Lippisch had accumulated many years of experience in the design of tailless sailplanes, and it was from this peaceful background that he drew

the inspiration for something altogether different… a rocket-propelled fighter. In 1937 the research section of the German air ministry commissioned Lippisch to draft a design for an aircraft that would serve as a testbed for a new type of rocket engine, the Walter R I-203 with a rating of 400kg thrust. This engine worked on the principle of a steam generator into which two different fuel types (T-Stoff, which consisted mainly of concentrated hydrogen peroxide, and Z-Stoff, based on a solution of calcium permanganate in water), were sprayed using compressed air. This in turn drove a turbine, which powered a pump to deliver T-Stoff to the combustion chamber. Lippisch and his design team were brought within the fold of Messerschmitt in January 1939 and began on an existing tailless research glider to receive the rocket propulsion. In this configuration, the aircraft was flown in summer 1940. After completing a successful test campaign an order was received for six prototypes of an aircraft to be designated Me 163A. By this time a new motor was available, Walter having improved upon its I-203 to create the II-203b. By the summer of 1941, the initial Me 163A V1 entered testing

Below: The differences between the Me 163A (left) and the more-familiar production Me 163B are readily apparent in this photograph taken just after delivery of the latter to Bad Zwischenahn in January 1944. Below right: Siegfried Schubert, the most successful Me 163 pilot, had just three successes to his credit, though he scored two B-17 kills in a single Komet mission. Original armament of the Me 163B was a pair of Mauser 20mm cannon of the MG 151 type.

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at Peenemünde and proved itself capable of attaining speeds of 310mph (500km/h) on its maiden flight. After the experience gained with the six Me 163A prototypes, Messerschmitt was authorised to complete an initial preproduction run of 10 Me 163A-0 fighters. These were intended for use as pilot trainers, to allow the Luftwaffe to gain experience on what was an entirely new type of interceptor. After a significant redesign, the Me 163B production fighter emerged, powered by the definitive II-211 rocket motor, which was fully controllable and now used C-Stoff in place of the previous Z-Stoff. That the new fuel was no less hazardous than its predecessor was made clear when two engines exploded during testing. Dubbed Komet (Comet), the first of the preproduction Me 163Bs was flown in summer 1942 and by early 1943 a test squadron was

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Type: Rocket fighter Crew: 1 19ft 2in (5.84m) Length: Height: 9ft 1in (2.77m) Wingspan: 30ft 6in (9.32m) Loaded weight: 9,061lb (4,110kg) Powerplant: 1 x Walter HWK 509A-2 Max speed: 596mph (960km/h) Endurance : 7min 30sec of powered flight Armament: 2 x MK108 cannon

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Above: Trail blazer – an Me 163A gaining speed soon after taking off at Peenemünde and before making its characteristic almost vertical climb. Propelled by its rocket engine, the Me 163 offered only around six minutes of powered flight, but was capable of climbing to a height of over 30,000ft in just 2.5min. Above right: One of the groundcrew of Me 163 BV47, PK+QR, C1+06, carefully refuels the tank with C-Stoff propellant.

established within the Luftwaffe, based at Peenemünde, the home of German rocket development. It was the summer of 1944 before the Me 163 was finally thrown into combat. I./ Jagdgeschwader 400 was created in May 1944, and began to receive aircraft from late July. On the 28th of that month, the Komet saw action for the first time in the first-ever operational use of a rocket-powered manned fighter. On that occasion five Me 163s were launched against a formation of B-17s. It was an inauspicious debut. The Komet pilots very quickly became aware of the inherent difficulties in engaging the enemy in such a fast-flying fighter. In its attacking dive, the Me 163 pilots had to get the target in the crosshairs at a combined closing velocity of some 800mph (1,300km/h), giving them a window of attack of barely three seconds. After having broken from combat, the pilot of the Komet now faced the challenging task of getting his mount back on terra firma. The undercarriage of the Me 163 was a hangover from its sailplane origins, and was poorly suited to a rocket-propelled fighter. After take-off the pilot jettisoned the wheeled

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MESSERSCHMITT ME 163 71 dolly, which meant that landing had to be achieved using a sprung skid. For a successful recovery, the Komet had to be dead into wind. If not, the aircraft would slew violently, and the pilot ran the risk of overturning, since the rudder provided no control at slow speeds. The bumps of an uneven airfield could also run the risk of shaking up the propellants and creating a devastating explosion. Ultimately, the two operational squadrons of Me 163s claimed just nine bomber kills, while 14 of their own number fell to enemy fighters and bombers. However, these combat losses represented a

relatively moderate toll of just 5 per cent, and a staggering 80 per cent of attrition was as a result of take-off or landing accidents. By the time production of the Komet was wound up in February 1945, almost 400 examples of all versions had been completed, perhaps 300 of which made it as far as frontline service. Despite its shortcomings, this small rocket fighter represented a milestone in aviation history. Never before, had attempts been made to conceive a fighter that offered such levels of straight-line speed and highaltitude performance. Left: Once its rocket fuel had been used up, the Me 163 glided back to earth and this is when the hunter became the hunted as it fell within the gunsights of Allied fighters. Below: Captured Komet. This Messerschmitt Me 163B, was brought to the UK after the war and given the number VF241 at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, England. The diminutive size of the rocket fighter is apparent.

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MESSERSCHMITT ME 262 Game-changer

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he Messerschmitt Me 262 was an aircraft so far ahead of its time that it could have been a war-changing weapon. Had it not been delayed by bureaucracy and a lack of resources, it would have dominated the skies over Europe and wreaked havoc on the Allied bomber streams. When it was finally released from its shackles, it was too little too late for the Third Reich. The world’s first operational jet fighter, the Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow), was more than 120mph faster than any other Allied fighter aircraft. Featuring sleekly swept wings and a powerful armament of four 30mm cannons, its screeching jet engines heralded the dawning of a new era in aviation. But it was not all smoothflying for Messerschmitt’s masterpiece. There were not enough resources to build the aircraft and not all of its battles took place in the air. The iconic Messerschmitt Me 262 was born from German turbojet engine development in the mid-1930s, conceived by engineer Hans-Joachim Pabst von Ohain. By 1938, a Messerschmitt design team had drawn up concepts for an interceptor fighter with two jet engines as ‘Project 1065’. The design went through a long gestation period owing to its

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revolutionary powerplant. Although jet engine development was more advanced in Germany than elsewhere, it was still in a primitive state and the turbine engines intended for the sleek fighter delayed the project. Finally, on 19 July 1942, Flugkapitän Fritz Wendel made the first jet-powered flight of the fighter. From that point on, the Messerschmitt Me 262 became a ray of hope in the increasingly dark skies of the German Luftwaffe. The new fighter had a pair of Junkers Jumo 004 turbojets in nacelles under the middle of the wings. The futuristic wing-sweep was the result of a need to place the centre of gravity aft to compensate for heavier-than-expected engines. It was only later that the speed benefits of swept wings were fully appreciated. The shark-like nose housed the ‘weapons pod’ with armament including four 30mm MK108 cannon. The aircraft could also be fitted with 24 2.2in (55mm) R4M air-to-air rockets, two 551lb (250kg) bombs or two 1,102lb (500kg) bombs. Despite early promise, the Me 262’s future was threatened by a number of influential Below: Willy Messerschmitt’s revolutionary masterpiece. The menacing shark-like shape of the Me 262 terrorised Allied bomber crews in the latter stages of World War 2.

figures who favoured the advancement of proven piston aircraft. An order was placed for 100 jet fighters in 1943, but even then the Me 262 was plagued by bureaucratic obstacles, with many high-ranking officials not wanting to risk precious resources on an unproven concept. For a time, historians also believed that Adolf Hitler’s order to build the Me 262 solely as a bomber delayed its introduction into combat as a fighter interceptor. This is not the case. Rather jet engine development proved lengthy and difficult. Hitler’s order did divert some 30 percent of production airframes to the Me 262A-2a Sturmvogel (Stormbird) bomber type, but when this version achieved little in

Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a Type: Jet fighter Crew: 1 Length: 34ft 9in (10.6m) Wingspan: 41ft 6in (12.6m) Height: 11ft 6in (3.5m) Loaded weight: 14,272lb (6,473kg) Powerplant: 2 x Junkers Jumo 004 B-1 turbojets Max speed: 559mph (900km/h) Range: 652 miles (1,050km) Armament: Guns: 4 × 30mm MK 108 cannon. Rockets: 24 × 55mm (2.2in) R4M rockets. Bombs: 2 × 250kg (550lb) or 2 × 500kg (1,100lb) bombs

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MESSERSCHMITT ME 262 France, he reluctantly reversed his order to return full production to the fighter variant. Too late, the chaotic bureaucracy of the Luftwaffe came to realise that the Me 262 was Germany’s only salvation and the project was given top priority. With resources stretched to the limit, Nazi Germany turned to forced labour to build the Messerschmitt Me 262. An example of this was at the Gusen II concentration camp, where prisoners built the fuselages for the aircraft. Gusen II was known as the ‘Hell of Hell’, and records estimate that 8,000 to 20,000 people died there. The first experimental fighter unit to receive the Me 262 was Erprobungskommando 262, and the jet was bloodied on 26 July 1944 when a Mosquito was shot down. The first active unit to fly the Me 262 in anger was Kommando Nowotny, formed by Maj Walter Nowotny in September 1944, and its first confirmed kill was a B-24. As the Me 262 was so advanced and untested in war, there was much debate from pilots on how to employ tactics against the heavies. Piston fighters enjoyed head-on attacks, but the high speed of the Me 262 made this impossible. Therefore, a traditional rear attack was employed, the jets using their incredible speed and cannons to devastating effect. This, of course, meant that the Me 262 had to withstand concentrated gunfire from the bombers. Whatever the tactics used, the sheer number of Allied aircraft made the jet attacks almost irrelevant. On 18 March 1945, 37 Me 262s engaged 1,221 American bombers and 636 escorting fighters. In the frantic engagement,

12 bombers and a fighter were shot down for the loss of three jets. Even on their biggest day, when JG 7 flew 38 sorties and knocked down 14 bombers and two fighters for the loss of four Me 262s, the Luftwaffe ‘Wolf Packs’ could only shoot down enough aircraft to represent a one per cent loss for the Allies. Perhaps the most famous of Me 262 units, JV 44, ‘the squadron of experts’, was established on 5 February 1945 and was commanded by Adolf Galland under the direct order of Hitler. Despite its late entry into the war and facing radically superior Below: Captured Me 262s were extensively studied by the Allies, aiding development of early post war US and Soviet jet fighters. The F-86 Sabre used an airfoil and slat design similar to that of the Me 262.

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numbers, JV 44 went on to claim 56 kills before Germany surrendered. The vastly superior performance of the Me 262 gave confidence to the fortunate pilots who flew it, but the Allied dominance of the air was so complete that the Schwalbe never reached its full potential. The airfields from which it flew were under constant attack, and in the last days of the war, the remaining Me 262 units were forced to operate from makeshift bases constructed along Germany’s famous autobahns. Although 1,443 Me 262s were completed, it is estimated that only about 300 saw combat. However, in its brief yet brilliant career, the Me 262 changed air warfare forever and dictated the future of jet fighter design.

Left: Me 262s of Erprobungskommando 262 lined up at Lechfield in September 1944. The futuristic shape of the Me 262 was far in advance of any other aircraft of its time. The pilot sat high in a canopy offering all-round visibility that tilted open to the right. The front window glass was bullet-proofed and the seat (non ejection) was armoured. Below: Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a W.Nr.501232 ‘Yellow 5’, of 3./KG(J) 6. Rolando Ugolini/Airlinerart

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Messerschmitt Me 262A-la 1. Flettner-type geared trim tab 2. Mass-balanced rudder 3. Rudder post 4. Tail fin structure 5. Tailplane structure 6. Rudder tab mechanism 7. Flettner-type servo tab 8. Starboard elevator 9. Rear navigation light 10. Rudder linkage 11. Elevator linkage 12. Tailplane adjustment mechanism 13. Fuselage break point 14. Fuselage construction 15. Control runs 16. FuG 25a loop antenna (IFF) 17. Automatic compass 18. Aft auxiliary self-sealing fuel tank (132 Imp gal/600L capacity) 19. FuG 16zy R/T 20. Fuel filler cap 21. Aft cockpit glazing 22. Armoured aft main fuel tank (198 Imp gal/900L capacity) 23. Inner cockpit shell 24. Pilot’s seat 25. Canopy jettison lever 26. Armoured (15mm) head rest 27. Canopy (hinged to starboard) 28. Canopy lock 29. Bar-mounted Revi 16B sight (for both cannon and R4M missiles) 30. Armourglass windscreen (90mm) 31. Instrument panel 32. Rudder pedal 33. Armoured forward main fuel tank (198 Imp gall/900L capacity) 34. Fuel filler cap 35. Underwing wooden rack for 12 R4M 55mm rockets 36. Port outer flap section 37. Frise-type aileron 38. Aileron control linkage 39. Port navigation light 40. Pitot head 41. Automatic leading-edge slats 42. Port engine cowling 43. Electrical firing mechanism

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44. Firewall 45. Spent cartridge ejector chutes 46. Four 30mm Rheinmetall Borsig MK 108 cannon (100rpg belt-fed ammunition for upper pair and 80rpg for lower pair) 47. Cannon muzzles 48. Combat camera 49. Camera aperture 50. Nosewheel fairing 51. Nosewheel leg 52. Nosewheel 53. Torque scissors 54. Retraction jack 55. Hydraulic lines 56. Main nosewheel door (starboard) 57. Compressed air bottles 58. Forward auxiliary fuel tank (37 Imp gal/170L capacity) 59. Mainwheel well 60. Torque box 61. Main spar 62. Mainwheel leg pivot point 63. Mainwheel door 64. Mainwheel retraction rod 65. Engine support arch 66. Leading-edge slat structure 67. Auxiliaries gearbox 68. Annular oil tank 69. Riedel starter motor housing 70. Engine air intake 71. Hinged cowling section 72. Junkers Jumo 004B-2 axialflow turbojet 73. Starboard main wheel

74. Wing structure 75. Automatic leading-edge slats 76. Mainspar 77. Starboard navigation light 78. Frise-type ailerons 79. Trim tab 80. Flettner-type geared tab 81. Starboard outer flap section 82. Engine exhaust 83. Engine support bearer 84. Starboard inner flap structure 85. Faired wing root

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DORNIER DO 335 Double trouble

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he challenge for any aircraft designer is to maximise engine power and minimise drag. This was especially crucial during World War Two when aircraft performance meant the difference between life and death. Prof Claude Dornier came up with an innovative solution and it was unlike anything Allied pilots had ever encountered before… the Dornier Do 335, the fastest piston-engined aircraft of its time. What made the Dornier Do 335 fighter unique amongst its twin-engined peers, was its low-drag push-pull engine configuration. The obvious benefits of this layout included reduced frontal area, an aerodynamically clean wing and the elimination of the asymmetry problems associated with engine failure. This configuration had always appealed to Prof Claude Dornier and could be tracked back to his early designs. Although originally conceived as a bomber, in the autumn of 1942 Dornier was informed that the Do 335 was to

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be redesigned as a multi-role aircraft capable of duties as a single-seat fighter bomber, high speed reconnaissance, heavy fighter, and two seat night and all-weather interceptor. Dornier set to work and the prototype Do 335 V-1 was completed by September 1943. The presence of the rear pusher propeller required the provision for an ejection seat for safe escape from a damaged aircraft, and designing the rear propeller and dorsal fin mounts to use explosive bolts to jettison them before an ejection was attempted. For a fighter, the Do 335 was big and very heavy being powered by two Daimler-Benz DB-603 V-12 cylinder engines. It was armed with one 30mm MK103 cannon (70 rounds were carried) firing through the propeller hub and two 15mm MG151/15 cannon (200 rounds per gun) firing from the top cowling of the forward engine. The aircraft was also equipped to carry an internal bomb load of 1,100lb (500kg). On 23 May 1944, Hitler ordered maximum priority to be given to Do 335 production. The

Above: Powered by a pair of liquid-cooled engines of 1,750hp, one in the nose and the other in the tail, Germany claimed that a pilot flew a Do 335 at a speed of 474mph (846km/h) in level flight, at a time when the official world piston speed record was 469mph (755 km/h). Pilots reported exceptional flight performance in acceleration and turning radius, and docile handling with no dangerous spin characteristics. However, they criticised its lack of rearward vision.

main production line was intended to be at Manzell, but a bombing raid destroyed the tooling and forced Dornier to set up a new line at Oberpfaffenhofen. By the time the war ended, Dornier had finished building just 48 Do 335s and another nine or so were well under construction. Plagued by mechanical unreliability and lack of aviation fuel, the operational career of the Do 335 is rather obscure. Do 335A-0 and A-1 aircraft are thought to have flown a number of operational missions with EK335. Some were also used by III/KG2 in the Spring of 1945.

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DORNIER DO 335

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Dornier Do 335A-1

French fighter ace Pierre Clostermann related an encounter with a Do 335 in April 1945, during which the revolutionary German aircraft easily outpaced the pursuing Hawker Tempests and escaped. Technically innovative, heavily armed and possessing a performance which no other piston-engined aircraft had ever achieved, the

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Above: Because of the obvious dangers of bailing out of the Dornier Do 335, the aircraft was one of the first to be equipped with an ejection seat to propel the pilot away from the rear propeller.

Do 335 possessed great potential as a combat aircraft, but never got the chance to prove itself. Delayed by high-ranking indecision and Allied bombing raids, it simply ran out of time.

Type: Twin-engined, heavy fighter Crew: One Length: 45ft 5in (13.85m) 45ft (13.8m) Wingspan: Height: 15ft (4.55m) Loaded weight: 21,164lb (9,600kg) Powerplant: 2 × Daimler-Benz DB 603A 12-cylinder inverted engines Max Speed: 474mph (765km/h) Armament: Guns: 1 × 30mm (1.18in) MK103 cannon (as forward enginemounted Motorkanone), 2 × 20mm MG151/20 cowl-mount, synchronised cannons. Bombs: Up to 2,200lb (1,000kg) capacity

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ARADO AR 234 First jet bomber

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he remarkable Arado Ar 234 B Blitz (Lightning) was the world’s first operational jet bomber. Propelled by two Junkers Jumo 004 B turbojets, this graceful aircraft had a top speed of 456mph (735km/h), making it virtually immune to attacks from piston-engined Allied fighters. Arado began development on what was to become the Ar 234 in 1940 when the German air ministry issued an order to design and build a high-speed, high-flying reconnaissance aircraft propelled by the turbojet engines then under development. The result was one of the most recognisable of all of the wartime jet designs. The entire nose was made up of the single-seat cockpit which provided excellent visibility of the oncoming action with only light framing being involved. The fuselage was pencil-like in its approach with a rounded nose cone and welltapered rear. Engines were held in streamlined nacelles, hung under the straight high-mounted wing. To reduce weight and free space for larger fuselage fuel tanks, the initial prototype series dispensed with a conventional landing gear in favour of retractable skids mounted beneath the fuselage and nacelles. The aircraft would taxi and take off atop a wheeled trolley that the pilot jettisoned as the jet left the runway. Engine problems repeatedly delayed the flight testing of the first Ar 234. BMW and Junkers both experienced trouble building jet engines in quantities sufficient for both the Me 262 and Ar 234 programmes. Although Arado completed the Ar 234 V1 airframe in late 1942, the Messerschmitt aircraft took priority

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and claimed the trickle of flight-ready engines that Junkers managed to turn out. Thus, the first Ar 234 turbojet-powered prototype finally achieved its maiden flight on 30 July 1943. The programme suffered a setback when the second prototype, Arado Ar 234 V2, crashed on 2 October 1943 after suffering a fire in its port wing. However, development continued and a Luftwaffe pilot flew the first Ar 234 combat mission on 2 August 1944, when Erich Sommer took the V5 prototype on a highly successful reconnaissance sortie over the Allied beachhead in Normandy. Meanwhile, the Air Ministry directed Arado to redesign the landing gear and give the jet a bombing capability. The fuselage was enlarged slightly to accommodate a conventional tricycle landing gear and include a semi-recessed bomb bay. The Air Ministry ordered 200 Ar 234Bs and Arado built them at a new Luftwaffe airfield factory at Alt Lönnewitz in Saxony. The Ar 234B included an ejection seat, Patin PDS autopilot system and, due to the thirsty nature of early turbojet engines, were given optional external auxiliary fuel tanks for improved range. As a bomber, the Ar 234B-2 was capable of delivering 3,300lb (1,497kg) of stores and entered operation in late 1944, remaining active into 1945. Meanwhile, further plans called for more advanced versions of the Arado jet, including the Ar 234C powered by four BMW 003 A-1 engines. However, only 14 Ar 234Cs left the Arado factory before Soviet forces overran the area. The four-engine Ar 234 was, however, the fastest jet aircraft of World War 2.

Arado Ar 234B-2 Type: Jet bomber Crew: 1 Length: 41ft 6in (12.64m) Wingspan: 47ft 3in (14.4m) Height: 14ft 1in (4.29m) Loaded weight: 21,605lb (9,800kg) Powerplant: 2 × Junkers Jumo 004B-1 axial flow turbojet engines of 1,990lb thrust each Max Speed: 461mph (742km/h) Range: 967 miles (1,556km) Payload: Up to 3,309lb (1,500kg) external bombs Only one Luftwaffe unit, Kampfgeschwader 76 (Bomber Wing 76), was equipped with Ar 234 bombers before Germany’s surrender. The unit flew its first operations during December 1944 in support of the Ardennes Offensive. Typical missions consisted of pinpoint attacks conducted by less than 20 aircraft, each carrying a single 1,100lb (500kg) bomb. The deteriorating war situation, coupled with shortages of fuel and spare parts, prevented KG 76 from flying more than a handful of sorties from late March to the end of the war. During the first week of May, the unit’s few surviving aircraft were either dispersed to airfields still in German hands or destroyed to prevent their capture by the Allies. Below: The sleek lines of the world’s first operational jet bomber, the Arado Ar 234. To allow the pilot to act as a bombardier, it was fitted with a Lotfe 7K bombsight in the fuselage floor ahead of the control column, which the pilot swung out of his way to use the sight. A Patin PDS autopilot guided the aircraft during the bombing run. The pilot-bombardier used another periscope sight during shallow-angle, glide bombing.

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HEINKEL HE 162 81

HEINKEL HE 162

The ‘People’s Fighter’

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he Volksjäger, or ‘People’s Fighter’, was born out of desperation. With the tide of war turning against Germany, there were calls for a new jet fighter, one that could be built rapidly and in quantity, using cheap materials and unskilled labour. Perhaps most tellingly, it was designed to be flown by novice pilots. The result was the Heinkel He 162. In June 1944 Hitler outlined an Emergency Fighter Programme (Jäger-Notprogramm), which was to yield no fewer than 5,000 fighter aircraft each month. The specification included a single BMW 003 turbojet engine, a loaded weight of no more than 2,000kg, 30mm cannon armament, a maximum speed of at least 750km/h, an endurance of 30 minutes at sea level, and a take-off run of no more than 500m… and the fighter was to be taken into combat by Hitler Youth! In keeping with the frantic nature of the ‘People’s Fighter’ project, the first prototype Heinkel He 162 made its maiden flight on 6 December 1944 in the hands of Heinkel test pilot Gotthold Peter. The He 162’s sleek, streamlined fuselage employed light-alloy materials and a semimonocoque structure. The fuselage crosssection was circular, and the nose was a separate component made from moulded plywood. The single-piece wing was fabricated primarily from wood, with a plywood skin,

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although it was fitted with flaps of light alloy and the detachable tips were made of metal. The pilot of the He 162 was seated beneath an upward-hinging blown canopy that provided an excellent view forward. While the jettisonable ‘bubble’ canopy was a forwardthinking feature, the use of a cartridgeactivated ejection seat was even more radical. The narrow-track tricycle landing gear was fully retractable, with all three units being housed within the fuselage. A pair of 30mm MK108 cannon were mounted in the sides of the fuselage below the cockpit. Looking like an afterthought, the BMW 003 turbojet was mounted above the high-mounted wing, immediately aft of the cockpit. The Luftwaffe had always been sceptical of the ‘People’s Fighter’, and the first aircraft issued to Jagdgeschwader 1 were not welcomed by the pilots. After a nine-week period of training at Parchim, I/JG1 took its He 162s to nearby Ludwigslust on 8 April, and began final working up for combat. By the middle of April, however, the Red Army was approaching dangerously close to Ludwigslust, and the decision was taken to move on once again, this time heading north to Husum, and then to Leck, not far from the border with Denmark. With little in the way of on-site maintenance facilities, I/JG1 was hamstrung. Things were also looking bad for II/JG1,

which lost its commander on 24 April, when Hauptmann Dähne crashed his He 162 into the Baltic Sea. With the Soviets pushing ever closer to Marienehe, the training programme at the facility had to be abandoned. Hitler put all jet fighter units into the hands of the SS, and Göring responded by establishing his own ‘Jet and Rocket Aircraft Special Plenipotentiary’. The surviving He 162s were reorganised to create the Einsatz-Gruppe I/JG1. The unit had around 50 He 162s available, but with fuel supplies dwindling, there was no opportunity to engage the enemy, other than in sporadic encounters during the course of training flights. Clearly the project was doomed. In the event, less than 180 He 162s were produced, and of these just 116 were delivered to the Luftwaffe – officially, at least. Ultimately, the He 162 was a waste of valuable resources. It was never the ‘People’s Fighter’ that was promised, and the dreams of the Allied air forces being held at bay by ranks of jet fighters flown by Hitler Youth never materialised. Below: Despite this impressive rank of Heinkel He 162s at Leck, the aircraft failed to have any impact on the war whatsoever. Dubbed the ‘People’s Fighter’, cover names assigned early on in the project included Schildkröte (tortoise) and Salamander (as it often called today), although Heinkel referred to the He 162 internally as the Spatz (sparrow).

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1956-2020

85

LUFTWAFFE COMBAT AIRCRAFT Part 2: 1956-2020

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ome 10 years after the end of World War Two, the political situation in Europe had changed dramatically. Now it was ‘The Bear from the East’ that had become the threat… and a divided Germany was on the front-line. A new Luftwaffe was needed and aces from World War Two answered the call. Following the end of World War Two, the Soviet Union occupied the Eastern European countries it had ‘liberated’ from the Germans, imposing Communist governments on them. In response, the Western Allies formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in 1949, with a unified military command structure. The Soviets countered in 1955 by signing the Warsaw Pact defence treaty with seven of its satellite states. The Cold War was getting colder and the threat of an all-out nuclear war became a chilling reality. In the heart of Europe, NATO forces were vastly outnumbered, and it was decided that the only way to redress the balance was to embrace its former foe as an ally. Thus, in 1955 NATO authorised the establishment of the Bundeswehr, the new armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. However, there was a problem. When the Wehrmacht surrendered unconditionally to the Western Allies on 7 May 1945, Germany was completely disarmed, and its forces dismantled. With no infrastructure remaining, a new air force had to be built from scratch. It had no current personnel of any experience, so it turned to the past for a solution. Many well-known fighter pilots of the Wehrmacht’s World War Two Luftwaffe joined the new postwar air force and underwent refresher training in the US before returning to West Germany to upgrade on the latest US-supplied hardware. Volunteers included Erich Hartmann, Gerhard Barkhorn, Günther Rall and Johannes Steinhoff. Steinhoff became commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, with Rall as his immediate successor. The force was under strict NATO control and it was determined that there should be no organisational continuity between the new German Air Force and the former Luftwaffe of the Wehrmacht. As such, the term Luftwaffe was

Left: Luftwaffe Tornado 46+45 at Incirlik, Turkey in 2016.

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used solely as the German-language generic designation of any air force. The first pilots of the new Luftwaffe arrived at Nörvenich AB in January 1956 to fly the US-made Republic F-84 Thunderstreak. All the aircraft sported the Iron Cross on the fuselage, harking back to the pre-March 1918 days of World War One, while the national flag of West Germany was displayed on the tail. This tradition continues to this day. The capabilities of the new Luftwaffe took a big step forward in 1959 when Canadair CL-13 Sabres became operational at Ahlhorner Heide AB. Although pilot training and experience was gathering apace, it could be argued that the Luftwaffe was not yet ready to handle the challenges of its next acquisition, the infamous Lockheed F-104G Starfighter. Although the Mach 2 aircraft represented a massive leap in capabilities, it was a notoriously unforgiving hotship and claimed the lives of many young fighter pilots in Germany, earning it the unwanted epithet of ‘widowmaker’. Consequently, to improve low level training the Luftwaffe set up two tactical training centres overseas, one at the remote Royal Canadian Air Force base at Goose Bay and the second, in a unique partnership with the US Air Force, at Holloman AFB in New Mexico. Both facilities continue to be used to this day and provide access to large unpopulated areas, where tactical and combat training can take place without danger to large populations.

Reunification As Germany’s standing in Europe grew, so did that of the Luftwaffe. The controversial Starfighter eventually ceded to the heavy metal might of the Phantom, before one aircraft in particular signified the healing of alliances… the Multi Role Combat Aircraft, or more precisely the Panavia Tornado. This joint venture between the UK, Germany and Italy might have been protracted in development, but when it entered service in the early 1980s it was an aircraft that excelled in the low-level strike role demanded by the European theatre. And then the Wall came down. After German reunification in October 1990, the Luftwaffe was faced with a new set of challenges when it inherited the remnants of the East German Air Force. Of

the Eastern Bloc-produced aircraft, only the virtually brand new MiG-29 ‘Fulcrums’ wore the Iron Cross for any length of time. One of their primary duties was to serve as ‘aggressors’, training other pilots in dissimilar combat tactics. However, with the introduction of the Eurofighter Typhoon imminent, the decision was taken to withdraw the MiG-29 in 2004. Like the Tornado, the Eurofighter Typhoon was the product of a European consortium and was designed specifically for the needs of its partner nations. The Luftwaffe assigned its Eurofighter Typhoons to QRA on 3 June 2008, taking over from the F-4F Phantom.

In combat Some 50 years after the end of World War Two, Luftwaffe aircraft were once again involved in combat when six IDS Tornado fighter-bombers, escorted by eight ECR Tornados, supported NATO’s artillery missions on positions of the Bosnian Serbs around Sarajevo, in 1995. Four years later, the Luftwaffe also took part in the Kosovo War, fighting alongside other NATO powers, when its ECR Tornados flew missions to suppress enemy air defences. Since then Luftwaffe Tornados have supported military operations in Afghanistan in 2006, and F-4F Phantoms took part in NATO Baltic Air Policing operations in 2005 and 2008. More recently, Luftwaffe Eurofighters have played a significant part in NATO operations and were first called into action on 28 October 2014, while deployed to Ämari Air Base in Estonia.

The future The German Eurofighter programme has not been without its controversy, and recently has come under fire following highly publicised reports criticising combat capability owing to servicing and budgetary constraints. But many more new Typhoons could be in the air arm’s future as it eyes replacements for the 1980s-vintage Tornados. It is entirely possible that in a decade or so the Luftwaffe could operate more than 250 Typhoons. What is certain, however, is that the Iron Cross of the Luftwaffe will continue to be seen in the skies for many years to come…

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86 REPUBLIC F-84F THUNDERSTREAK

REPUBLIC F-84F THUNDERSTREAK Cold-war fighter

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he Republic F-84F Thunderstreak might not have been the fastest or most powerful of the Cold War jets, but it was the first fighter of the newly reformed Luftwaffe of West Germany. As such, the type represented one of the most significant aircraft to be flown by the service when it entered service in 1957. Republic Aviation’s chief designer, Alexander Kartveli, began to develop a jet-powered replacement for his own world-famous P-47

Republic F-84F Thunderstreak Type: Fighter/bomber Crew: 1 Length: 43ft 5in (13.23m) Wingspan: 33ft 7in (10.25m) Height: 14ft 5in (4.39m) Loaded weight: 28,000lb (12,701kg) Powerplant: 1 × Wright J65-W-3 turbojet of 7,220lb thrust Max speed: 695mph (1,119km/h) Range: 810 miles (1,304 km) Armament: Guns: 6× 0.50in (12.7mm) Browning M3 machine guns. Bombs: Up to 6,000lb

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Thunderbolt in 1944. The resulting fighter had a streamlined fuselage largely occupied by an axial compressor turbojet engine and fuel stored in thick unswept wings. Because it was muscular and weighty, American pilots called the new aircraft the ‘Hog’, a perverse way of showing affection, but to the US Air Force Kartveli’s heavy-metal machine was the P-84 Thunderjet, redesignated F-84 in 1948. The Thunderjet appeared in a time of rapid changes in the aviation world. Military forces were changing from props to jets and from straight to swept wings. Consequently, the F-84 was soon rebuilt with swept wings, improved engine, and reconfigured air intake and canopy. Heavy, subsonic, but capable and versatile, it was designated the F-84F Thunderstreak. Still in their infancy, jet engines were temperamental and trouble-prone when Curtiss-Wright built a licenced British Sapphire engine for the F-84F. Early hopes that the Thunderstreak might prove a MiG killer were forlorn: the F-84F introduced new standards of flexibility,

potency and precision as a fighter-bomber, but its performance was lame on take-off and it was an average dogfighter. However, it was equipped with six 12.7mm Browning M3 machine guns and carried up to 2,722kg of ordnance, including tactical nuclear weapons. The first production-standard F-84F flew on 14 February 1951 but engine delays kept the Thunderstreak from service until 1955. Of the 2,713 F-84Fs built, no less than 450 F-84Fs were delivered to the Luftwaffe (the new West German AF) commencing in 1956 with assignments to the Fighter Training School and Weapons School at Fürstenfeldbrück and Erding respectively. The first operational Wing was formed in 1957, being Jagdbombergeschwader 31 (JBG31) at Büchel, later Nörvenich, followed by five more during the period 1958 to 1961 – JBG32 (Lechfeld), 33 (Büchel), 34 (Memmingen), 35 (Husum) and 36 (Rheine-Hopsten). The F-84F gave its pilot a roomy cockpit with fair visibility, but was a little heavy on the controls. Although the

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EAK type had the capability to deliver nuclear munitions, most F-84F outfits in NATO had a conventional mission. Operationally, the F-84F made its most significant contribution to history when two Luftwaffe F-84Fs wandered into communist controlled East German airspace in September 1961, one month after the construction of the Berlin Wall. A quick-thinking USAF Radar Controller at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport ordered the F-84Fs to divert directly to West Berlin, allowing the Thunderstreaks to evade pursuing Soviet MiG fighters thereby avoiding an armed confrontation. The last Thunderstreaks went out of service in December 1966, although from 1961 the F-104 Starfighter had gradually taken over its role. More than 230 Luftwaffe Thunderstreaks were transferred to Turkey and Greece. Below: Luftwaffe Republic F-84F Thunderstreaks in finger-four formation, circa 1960.

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CANADAIR SABRE Cutting-edge fighter

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he Luftwaffe’s first world-class fighter in the post-World War Two era was the Canadair Sabre. A licence-built version of the immortal North American F-86 Sabre, it became an important weapon on the front-line of the Cold War. The main air threats to NATO in the 1950s in Central Europe were the early variants of the Soviet MiG – the MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19 and MiG-21. Their greatest adversary was the North American Sabre, and the greatest Sabre was widely accepted as the Canadair Sabre Mk6. It was equipped with a two-stage Avro Canada Orenda engine developing 7,275lb (3,302kg) of static thrust. Its altitude performance and climb rate was enhanced over the earlier Mk 5 and the reinstatement of a wing leading edge slat gave it excellent low-speed characteristics. The first production model was completed on 2 November 1954 and ultimately 655 were built with production terminating towards the end of 1958. When the post-war Luftwaffe of the German Federal Republic was formed in September of 1956, plans called for the formation of several air defence day-fighter wings. The choice of a suitable aircraft was one of the lesser problems facing the new Luftwaffe. The best available type to provide an effective opposition to the MiG threat was clearly the Canadian-built Canadair Sabre Mk 6, so 225 brand new examples were ordered in December 1956. These would be complemented by 75 Sabre Mk5s drawn from the Canadian Air Division as the RCAF upgraded

Above: Canadair Mk6s of the Luftwaffe’s JG 73.

Canadair Sabre Mk6 Type: Fighter Crew: One Length: 37ft 6in (11.44m) Wingspan: 37ft 2in (11.31m) 14ft 8in (4.49m) Height: Loaded weight: 14,613lb (6,628kg) Powerplant: 1 × Avro Canada Orenda 14 turbojet of 7,275lb thrust Max speed: 697mph (1,122km/h) Range: 1,481 miles (2,384km) with 2 x 200 gallon drop tanks Armament: Guns: 6 × 0.50in Browning M3 machine guns. Rockets and bombs: Up to 5,300lb (2,404kg) Missiles: 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinders its squadrons to the later variant. Under the terms of an intergovernmental agreement, Canada also undertook to train 360 pilots on the Sabre for the fledgling new Luftwaffe. The Sabre was flown by JG 71, JG 72, and JG 73 from 1957-1964, providing a vital element of the NATO force countering the threat posed by Soviet forces on the Eastern side of the Iron Curtain. The last Canadair Mk6 used for training was retired in 1983.

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88 1956-2020

LOCKHEED F-104G STARFIGHTER Fast and dangerous

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t looked every inch the futuristic fighter it was meant to be. But although Lockheed designer C. L. ‘Kelly’ Johnson and his ‘Skunk Works’ are often lauded for the spectacular aircraft they produced, the F-104 was not one of them. Lockheed dubbed it the ‘missile with a man in it’. The Luftwaffe crews were not so forgiving. They called it Witwenmacher (widow-maker) or Fliegender Saag (flying coffin).

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The Lockheed F-104 first flew in early 1956 and with its long circular fuselage, sharply pointed nose, and tiny thin wings, it carried its Starfighter name well. However, the sleek looks hid a multitude of flaws. The small wings meant the Starfighter had excellent acceleration, rate of climb and top speed, but its sustained turn performance was poor. The wings were so small they could hold neither the landing gear nor fuel, which all had to be stowed in the fuselage.

There was no useful radar, and its only armament was a cannon and heat-seeking missiles, making it a day, clear weather-only short-range fighter. It quickly became obvious that it was not really what the US Air Force wanted, and it was quietly shunted to the sidelines. But at the same time, several NATO nations needed a new fighter to replace their old firstgeneration jets, and they chose the F-104 under what was called the ‘Deal of the Century’. It has

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LOCKHEED F-104G STARFIGHTER

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Above: Synchronicity, Luftwaffe-style. An impressive complement of a dozen then-new F-104Gs, lined up on the Neuburg runway.

also been described as a confidence trick, but that would be an oversimplification. So too was the suggestion that it was entirely down to what might be described euphemistically as ‘financial inducements’. Most – more than 900 – went to the Luftwaffe and the German Navy. At its peak in the mid-1970s, the

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Luftwaffe and Navy operated 11 F-104 wings. The model delivered to Germany was not the simple daylight fighter, but an all-weather, ground attack version, the F-104G, which was 2,000lb heavier than the original F-104 with the same engine. The Starfighter got off to a very bad start when, in June 1962, four F-104s were practicing for the type’s ‘introductioninto-service’ display and crashed in formation, killing all four pilots. To avoid the European bad weather, the Germans sent their pilots to learn to fly the F-104 at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Arizona. With almost 300 days of sunshine a year, it was an excellent place to train. But when the pilots returned to the harsh German weather, two problems immediately arose. First, the speeds that the F-104 had to fly for approach and landing were very high, especially for an inexperienced pilot flying in seriously bad weather. Second, the Luftwaffe Starfighters’ mission was low-level attack, and the aircraft was sensitive to control-input and extremely unforgiving to pilot error. The result was a horrific number of accidents. By mid-1966, 61 German F-104s had crashed, with a loss of 35 pilots. The Commander of the Luftwaffe, Gen Wernher Panitzki, was forced to resign when he said that the Starfighter purchase was politically motivated. His successor was the Luftwaffe World War Two ace Lt Gen Johannes Steinhoff, who immediately grounded the F-104Gs. Despite a variety of fixes, the crashes continued. Between 15 and 20 German F-104s crashed every year between 1968 and 1972 and continued at a rate of about 10 Starfighters per year until it was replaced. The final tally in Germany was the loss of 292 of the 916 Starfighters and the tragice death of 115 pilots. That said, the F-104G met a pressing need. The type’s high wing loading made tight turns in air combat an impossibility, but the same feature proved an advantage in the attack (air-ground with conventional weapons) or strike (nuclear) roles in which most NATO Starfighters were employed. Pilots talked of it cutting through turbulence ‘like a hot knife through butter’ and the type excelled in flight at low level and high speed. This was exactly what was required of German Starfighters operating from bases in West Germany, whose

Above: Starfighter built for two – Luftwaffe Lockheed TF-104F 28+27 of JBG 34. Rolando Ugolini/Airlinerart

F-104G Starfighter Type: Attack Crew: 1 Length: 54ft 8in (16.66m) 21ft 9in (6.63m) Wingspan: Height: 13ft 6in (4.11m) Loaded weight: 29,027lb (13,166kg) Powerplant: General Electric J79GE-11 turbojet of 10,000lb thrust ‘dry’, 15,600lb with afterburner Max Speed: Mach 2.0+ Range: 1,630miles (2,623km) with tanks Armament: General Electric M61 six-barrelled 20mm rotary cannon plus a variety of air-air or air-ground weaponry (including nuclear) on under-wing and underfuselage stations purpose was to fly an essentially one-way mission to targets in Eastern Europe, carrying a single under-fuselage nuclear store. The Starfighter’s internal fuel capacity was less than generous, but this could be supplemented by a pair of 283-gallon/1,287-litre tip tanks and two underwing 163-gallon/740-litre drop tanks, and with these the Starfighter could go a long way. ‘Fast and low’ was the Starfighter pilot’s motto for survival over Central Europe, where the surface-to-air missile (SAM) threat continued to develop in both sophistication and effectiveness. The Starfighter’s major contribution to the stability of Europe was the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) force of F-104Gs, each equipped with a single US-controlled B43 nuclear store. The West German Luftwaffe alone had 30 aircraft so assigned in 1965, each fuelled and ready to launch in minutes to attack a pre-allocated target in Eastern Europe. The Starfighter continued in front-line German service until October 1987, when JBG 34 at Memmingen finally retired the type.

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90 FIAT G.91

FIAT G.91

Fiat G.91R

Rebuilding an industry

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ven its most ardent supporters would admit that the Fiat G.91 was not a great success. However, most notably the aircraft represented the first German fighter production since the end of World War Two. The Fiat G.91 had its origins in the NATOorganised NBMR-1 competition in 1953, which sought a ‘Lightweight Strike Fighter’ to be adopted as standard equipment across the air forces of the various NATO nations. After reviewing multiple submissions, the G.91 was picked as the winning design. The standard mission of the G.91 was the attack of targets within a 170-mile radius of its base with a typical loiter time of ten minutes, travelling at maximum speed in the combat area and traversing at cruise speeds. As such it was a subsonic aircraft, powered by a single Bristol Siddeley Orpheus turbojet engine. Fiat constructed 174 G.91s for Italy, along with an additional 144 G.91 R/3s for West Germany. Further production involved 294

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G.91s that were domestically constructed in Germany under a licence arrangement by Flugzeug-Union Süd, a consortium of former competitors Messerschmitt, Heinkel and Dornier. Consequently, the G.91 holds the distinction of being the first combat aircraft to be manufactured in Germany since World War Two. Orders included a mix of strike variants, reconnaissance versions and trainer models. Deliveries of the indigenouslyproduced West German models began after 1960. However, once in operational service the G.91 really failed to deliver in terms of the performance the Luftwaffe sought for its light fighter squadrons. Changes instituted in the German G.91s included an additional pair of underwing weapons pylons along with cannon armament, which added considerable weight. All this worked to deteriorating performance somewhat. As a result, the West German government curtailed its expected orders. Despite the drawbacks, the German G.91

Type: Strike fighter Crew: 1 Length: 33ft 10in (10.3m) Wingspan: 28ft 1in (8.56m) Height: 13ft 1in (4m) Loaded weight: 11,993lb (5,440kg) Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Siddeley Orpheus 803 turbojet of 5,000lb thrust 668mph (1,075km/h) Max speed: Range: 710 miles (1,150km) Armament: Guns: 2 × 30mm DEFA cannons. Rockets: 2 × Matra rocket pods. Bombs: A wide variety of air-to-ground ordnance proved to be an affordable solution and, in some ways, was a better combat aircraft than its Italian counterpart. During the early 1980s, the G.91 began to be replaced in German service by the Dornier Alpha Jet with the final G.91s being officially retired in 1982. Below: Although its pilots were never fully convinced, the G.91 was a purposeful machine that performed the tasks asked of it.

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F-4 PHANTOM

F-4 PHANTOM Heavy metal

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rguably the most successful fighter programme of the post-war period, the F-4 Phantom got involved in more wars, saw more front-line action and lasted longer in front-line service than any of its rivals. It became the ‘go to’ fighter for the Luftwaffe when it needed to supplement its close air support force and replace the Starfighter in the reconnaissance and air superiority roles. In the mid-1950s, McDonnell set out to design a twin-engined carrier-borne fighter for the US Navy, which eventually led to a two-crew aircraft with an all-missile armament and Mach 2 performance. But even they didn’t appreciate the ‘monster’ they were creating. The resulting F-4 Phantom was no beauty, but what it did have was a top speed of Mach 2.23 and an initial climb rate of over 41,000ft/min. Equally impressive, its nine external hardpoints had a capability of up to 18,650lb (8,480kg) of weapons, including air-to-air and air-tosurface missiles, and unguided, guided, and thermonuclear weapons. While designed as an interceptor to defend the fleet, the aircraft was equally suitable for ground attack, delivery of a nuclear weapon and for reconnaissance.

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Above: Luftwaffe F-4F Phantom, 37+09, from JG 72, based at Hopsten AB, Westfalen in 1997.

Proving highly versatile, the Phantom was quickly adopted by air forces around the world with over 5,000 eventually being produced. Outside the US, one of the biggest users was the Luftwaffe, which procured 263 Phantoms between 1971 and 1976, comprising 88 reconnaissance RF-4Es and 175 F-4Fs. Together they formed the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s reconnaissance, conventional ground attack and airborne air defence force, operating with six Wings. The first F-4 model to enter German service was the RF-4E. By 1972, eight Phantoms per month were being delivered, initially to Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 ‘Immelmann’, followed by AG 52, based at Leck. The RF-4Es were employed as day/night reconnaissance aircraft, equipped with four cameras covering 180 degrees. Missions were generally flown at low level and high speed, using the installed APQ-99 radar for navigation. Deliveries were completed in May 1972 and the previously employed RF-104Gs were modified to serve in strike or fighter units.

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F-4F Phantom Type: Air-to-air/strike fighter Crew: 2 Length: 63ft 0in (19.2m) Wingspan: 38ft 4in (11.7m) Height: 16ft 5in (5.02m) Loaded weight: 61,729lb (28,000kg) Powerplant: 2 × General Electric J79-GE-17 of 17,900lb thrust each with afterburner Max speed: Mach 2.2 (1,300km/h) Range: 710 miles (1,150km) Armament: Guns: 1 x M61A1 Vulcan Gatling gun. Missiles: Up to 4 x AIM-9L AAM, up to 4 x AIM-120 AMRAAM. Bombs: A wide variety of air-to-ground ordnance The Phantom F-4F became operational with the Luftwaffe in 1974 with initial deliveries to JG 71 ‘Richthofen’ and JG 74 ‘Mölders, in the airto-air role, followed the next year to JaboG 36, and JaboG 35 in the air-to-ground mission. The ‘ICE’ (Improved Combat Efficiency) programme commenced in 1983 to upgrade the F-4F’s air-to-air capabilities. This involved the APG-65 radar and AIM-120 AMRAAM as the main elements. After two decades of sterling service, the RF-4E’s reconnaissance mission was taken over in 1994 by the Tornado, and 10 years later the F-4F Phantoms were replaced with the Eurofighter Typhoon.

18/02/2020 14:37

92 1956-2020

PANAVIA TORNADO Back into combat

O

riginally designed as a Cold War warrior, the swing-wing Panavia Tornado became the first Luftwaffe aircraft to fly in combat since the end of World War Two. The Panavia Tornado was the product of a study initiated in 1968 for a common multinational strike attack aircraft to meet NATO Cold War requirements. Development started in 1970 under the Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) initiative for an aircraft that was initially designed as a nuclear-capable strike platform, able to sweep into hostile territory and deliver a devastating blow. The Interdictor Strike (IDS) variant was the first of the Tornado family to

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take shape, and it was eventually built under a tri-national agreement for the UK, Germany, and Italy. The Tornado IDS was designed to be able to penetrate Soviet airspace at ultra-lowlevel to deliver its deadly payload with pinpoint accuracy. It featured an advanced autopilot to allow hands-off flying at low level, at night or in foul weather, and a variable-geometry ‘swing-wing’ design for high speed at low level, combined with agility at lower speeds. The Tornado prototype made its first flight on 14 August 1974 from Manching AB in what was then West Germany. Deliveries of production Tornados for the Luftwaffe began on 27 July 1979, including 247 IDS variants

and 35 Electronic Combat and Reconnaissance (ECR) models, the latter designed to detect and attack surface radars and surface-to-air missile launchers. Originally the Tornados equipped five fighter-bomber wings, replacing the outdated F-104 Starfighter. As many as 15 German Tornados undertook combat operations as a part of NATO’s campaign during the Bosnian War, representing the first combat operation for the Luftwaffe since World War Two. The Tornados operated from Piacenza, Italy, and flew reconnaissance missions to survey damage inflicted by previous strikes and to scout targets for other aircraft to strike. In 1999, German Tornados

17/02/2020 11:49

PANAVIA TORNADO

93

Panavia Tornado IDS Type: Multi-role Crew: 2 Length: 54ft 10in (16.72m) Wingspan: 45ft 7in (13.9m) fully extended, 28ft 2in (8.60m) fully swept Height: 19ft 6in (5.95m) Loaded weight: 61,620lb (27,951kg) Powerplant: 2 × Turbo-Union RB199-34R Mk103 turbofans each rated at 8,650lb dry and 16,075lb afterburner Max speed: 1,453 mph, (2,338km/h) Range: Combat radius 863 miles, (1,390km) Armament: 2 x 27mm Mauser cannon plus a warload of 19,841lb (9,000kg). Weapons include 1 x 500kt nuclear weapon, 8 x 1,000lb (454kg) bombs, Paveway laserguided bombs, 2 x AIM-9 Sidewinder SRAAMs or up to 7 x ALARMs

Above: A German Tornado IDS 44+79 of JBG 33 separates from a US Air Force KC-10 Extender after receiving fuel during a mission in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation ‘Inherent Resolve’ over Iraq, on 22 February 2017. Top left: German AF Tornado IDS 44+79 of JBG 33 in early dark green camouflage. Rolando Ugolini/Airlinerart

also participated in Operation ‘Allied Force’, NATO’s military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The ECR aircraft escorted various allies’ aircraft while carrying several AGM-88 HARM missiles to counter attempted use of radar against the force. During the course of the conflict, German

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Tornado ECRs flew 2,108 hours in 446 sorties and launched 236 HARM missiles. Also, during the Kosovo hostilities, Germany’s IDS Tornados would routinely conduct reconnaissance flights to identify both enemy ground forces and civilian refugees. Beginning in 2000, German IDS, ECR and reconnaissance Tornados received an ASSTA 1 upgrade programme, but defence cuts announced in March 2003 resulted in the decision to retire 90 Tornados from service with the Luftwaffe. Two wings were disbanded in 2003 and 2005 and a third was re-equipped with the Tornado ECR. Subsequent cuts have further reduced the German Tornado force to

just 85 aircraft with a projected retirement date of 2025, though this is looking optimistic. In the meantime, Luftwaffe Tornados have continued to be involved in numerous detachments in support of NATO forces, including to Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan and, more recently, in Combined Joint Task Force-Operation ‘Inherent Resolve’ over Iraq. As the Luftwaffe enters the 2020s, it is close to making a decision on a replacement type for its fleet of Tornados. It plans to replace all 85 of its remaining Tornados with a new fighter. Just two designs are in the running: the Typhoon and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet...

17/02/2020 11:49

94 MIG-29 ‘FULCRUM’

MIG-29 ‘FULCRUM’ Aggressive nature

A

fter the reunification of Germany in 1990, the Luftwaffe inherited one of the most feared Soviet fighters in the world, the MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum’. It was not long before this old foe was carrying the Iron Cross and was flying for NATO. Prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany ordered 24 MiG-29 ‘Fulcrums’ (20 MiG29As, four MiG-29UBs), which entered service in 1988-1989 with 1./JG3 ‘Wladimir Komarow’ in Preschen in Brandenburg. Following the German reunification in October 1990, the remnants of the East German Air Force were eventually placed under the control of the newly formed 3. Luftwaffendivision, and moved to Gatow in Berlin and assigned to NATO in 1995. This was the first time that Soviet-built aircraft had served in a NATO air force, but most of the machines, such as the Sukhoi Su-17, MiG‑21 and MiG-23 fighters, were not compatible with West German equipment. Therefore, most were taken out of service and

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Above: Once a feared enemy, the MiG-29 enjoyed a brief but ‘aggressive’ career with the Luftwaffe.

given to new members of NATO from Eastern Europe, such as Poland and the Baltic states. An exception to this were the practically brand new MiG-29 fighters, which were fully integrated into the Luftwaffe’s air defence structure and assigned to JG 73 ‘Steinhoff’ at Laage Air Base. The pilots of JG 73 were some of the most experienced MiG-29 pilots in the world, so inevitably one of their primary duties was to serve in the ‘aggressor’ role, training other pilots in dissimilar combat tactics. However the MiG-29 pilots admitted that while the ‘Fulcrum’ was more manoeuvrable at slow speeds than the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon and F/A-18 Hornet and its Vympel R-73 dogfight missile system was superior to the AIM-9 Sidewinder of the time, all of the American-made fighters had superior avionics, radar, and beyond visual range missiles. The Germans also stated that the American fighters had the advantage in both

MiG-29A ‘Fulcrum’ Type: Fighter Crew: 1 Length: 56ft 10in (17.32m) 37ft 3in (11.36m) Wingspan: Height: 15ft 6in (4.73m) Loaded weight: 39,683lb (18,000kg) Powerplant: 2 × Klimov RD-33 afterburning turbofans, of 18,340lb each with afterburner Maximum speed: 1,500mph (2,400km/h) Range: 890 miles (1,430km) Armament: 1 × 30mm GryazevShipunov GSh-30-1 autocannon. 7 × hardpoints with a capacity of up to 8,800lb (4,000kg) including rockets, missiles and bombs night and bad weather combat conditions. The Luftwaffe’s assessment of the MiG-29 was that the ‘Fulcrum’ was best used as a point defence interceptor over cities and military installations; not for fighter sweeps over victim airspace. Thus, with the introduction of the Eurofighter imminent, the decision was taken to withdraw the MiG-29. All German MiG-29s, save one, were sold to Poland in 2004.

18/02/2020 14:37

EUROFIGHTER

95

EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON Present and future

I

t appears likely that the future of the Luftwaffe’s combat capability rests in the hands of one aircraft, the Eurofighter Typhoon. The service has just received the last of 143 from its initial order, but many more could be in the offing as it eyes replacements for its Tornados. The Eurofighter programme dates back to a 1983 requirement issued by France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK for a common combat aircraft, although various studies can actually trace the lineage back further still. Following France’s withdrawal from the project, the Eurofighter GmbH consortium came together under the Eurofighter Partner Companies, BAE Systems from the UK, Alenia from Italy (now Leonardo), Cassidian from Spain and EADS from Germany (the latter two now under the aegis of Airbus). The Typhoon order book was agreed in 2002: Spain finalised its requirement at 87 aircraft, while Germany wanted 180, Italy 121 and the UK 232. Development continued apace,

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Above: Seven Eurofighter development aircraft (DA) were built with varying equipment fits and flight test roles. DA1’s main role was handling characteristics and engine performance. It was assembled in 1992 and first flew on 27 March 1994 with Luftwaffe serial 98+29.

although order books were cleverly trimmed following budgetary constraints. Some of the European partner nations and customers chose to limit their Typhoons to Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duties, but others, such as the UK and Germany turned the Typhoon into a true multirole fighter aircraft. Eurofighter Typhoon pilots are unanimous when it comes to eulogising about their aircraft. The twin Eurojet EJ200 afterburning engines and canard delta airframe design deliver astonishing raw performance. Typhoon’s thrustto-weight ratio is impressive. It is a strong close-in dogfighter, but it was also designed as an all-rounder. Eurofighter started delivering Typhoons for operational service in 2003. German acceptance of squadron aircraft (all two-seaters initially) began on 4 August 2003. The Luftwaffe

received the last Tranche 1 aircraft in 2008, and these are all tasked with the air-policing mission. Tranche 2 aircraft onwards have taken on multi-role duties. With the training unit JG 73 ‘Steinhoff’ well established at Laage, JG 74 at Neuburg became the first front-line wing equipped with the EF2000, as Germany still refers to the type. The Luftwaffe assigned its Eurofighter Typhoons to QRA on 3 June 2008, taking over from the F-4F Phantom. The first attack wing to receive Eurofighters was JBG 31 at Nörvenich from 2007. Luftwaffe Eurofighters have played a significant part in NATO operations and were first called into action on 28 October 2014, while deployed to Ämari Air Base in Estonia, as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, scrambling to intercept seven Russian aircraft.

17/02/2020 11:50

96 1956-2020

Above: The business end of the Eurofighter fitted with IRIS-T missiles and one centreline drop tank. Eurofighters from JG 74 carried out their first operational deployment when they were used to police the skies over the Baltic States as part of NATO’s commitment in 2014. Right: A pair of Luftwaffe Eurofighters patrolling the skies.

Eurofighter Typhoon Type: Fighter/attack Crew: 1-2 Length: 48ft 10in (14.89m) Wingspan: 36ft 4in (11.09m) Height: 17ft 4in (5.28m) Loaded weight: 46,297lb (21,000kg) Powerplant: 2 × Eurojet EJ200 engines (each with 20,250lb of thrust with afterburning) Max speed: Mach 2.0 Range: 750nm (1,389km) Armament: Guns: 1 x 27mm Mauser BK-27. Missiles: Air-to-air – AIM-120 AMRAAM, ASRAAM, IRIS-T, MBDA Meteor. Air-to-ground – EPW2, GBU-16, Litening III LDP Brimstone, Paveway IV, EGBU-16, Storm Shadow. Bombs: Paveway II/III/Enhanced Paveway series of laserguided bombs (LGBs)

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The German Eurofighter programme has not been without its controversy, with highlypublicised reports criticising combat capability owing to servicing and budgetary restrictions. But many more new Typhoons could be in the air arm’s future as it eyes replacements for the 1980s-vintage Tornados. Versions of the Typhoon could fit the bill. And new Typhoons might also replace some of the older Typhoons in German service. If Berlin orders new Typhoons for all possible requirements, the German air force in a decade or so could operate more than 250 Typhoons. To replace Below: Luftwaffe EF2000 Eurofighter GT 30+27 of JG 74, Neuburg AB. Rolando Ugolini/Airlinerart

the Tornados, the Luftwaffe is seeking 85 aircraft to be delivered from 2030. Airbus is proposing two batches of Typhoons that will be capable of taking over all of the Tornado’s roles. The first batch of 45 aircraft would have what Airbus describes as ‘strategic capabilities’ – in other words, the ability to carry nuclear weapons. Luftwaffe Tornados have a NATO nuclear tasking using US-owned B61 tactical weapons. A second batch of 40 Typhoons would be equipped to perform the defence-suppression/escortjammer (SEAD), role, replacing the capability currently offered by the Tornado ECR.

19/02/2020 11:57

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