MESSERSCHMITT ME-323 GIGANT

The Messerschmitt Me-323 Gigant is a German, six-engine, heavy transport aircraft in a mixed high-wing structure with a classic tail. Waging war in huge areas covering all of Europe and northern Africa, the Third Reich experienced serious transport difficulties from the very beginning. There was still a lack of adequate equipment for transporting equipment and military units. Aviation had a large share in the transport effort, and during the war many more or less successful aircraft and glider constructions were created. Some structures were created through improvisation forced by war conditions, mainly the lack of aviation materials. An example was the transport system designed by Messerschmitt's design bureau in 1940. It was initially a giant glider designated Me-321, but lacked a suitable tug. The Ju-90, which was suitable for this, was not produced in large series, and the use of 3 Me-110 planes for towing one glider was, as it turned out, too risky a venture. The problem was temporarily solved by a specially built 5-engine He-111 Z tug, consisting of two serial He-111s connected by a new, middle section of the airfoil. However, work was underway to provide the giant airframe with its own propulsion. When 4 Jumo-211 engines turned out to be insufficient, 6 Gnome-Rhone-14N engines with 962KM each were used. These were air-cooled radial engines, manufactured in France, which were considered non-strategic engines because they were not used on fighters and bombers. In 1942, the first Me-323 Gigant aircraft were delivered. With a span of 55 m, it was then the largest (in terms of dimensions) aircraft in the world. In total, about 200 Me-321 and Me-323 airplanes were built, the most important versions of which were marked D and E. The plane could carry up to 10 tons of cargo or 130 soldiers. The Me-323s turned out to be very useful for supplying the front and evacuating German troops (e.g. from Africa), but they were low and very slow airplanes, easy prey for Allied fighters, including Polish fighters, as well as an effective target for ground fire of partisans. Technical data (Me-323D version): length: 28.2 m, wingspan: 55.2 m, height: 10.15 m, maximum speed: 285 km / h, speed of climb: 3.6 m / s, maximum range: 1100 km, ceiling maximum 4000m, armament: fixed - various combinations of MG15, MG 81 and MG131 machine guns.