Warplanes of Germany: Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant

Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant

(Luftwaffe Photo)

The Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant("Giant") was a German military transport aircraft of the Second World War. It was a powered variant of the Me 321 military glider and was the largest land-based transport aircraft to fly during the war. In total, 213 were made, with 15 being converted from the Me 321.

The Me 323 was the result of a 1940 German requirement for a large assault glider in preparation for Operation Sea Lion, the projected invasion of GreatBritain. The DFS 230 light glider had already proven its worth in the Battle of Fort Eben-Emael in Belgium (the first ever assault by gliderborne troops), and would later be used in the invasion of Crete in 1941.

However, in order to mount an invasion across the English Channel, the Germans would need to be able to airlift vehicles and other heavy equipment as part of an initial assault wave. Although Operation Sea Lion was cancelled, the requirement for a heavy air transport capability remained, with the focus shifting to the forthcoming Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union.

On 18 October 1940, Junkers and Messerschmitt were given just 14 days to submita proposal for a large transport glider. The emphasis was still very much onthe assault role; the ambitious requirement was to be able to carry either an88 mm gun and its half-track tractor, or a Panzer IV medium tank. The Junkers Ju 322 Mammut reached prototype form, but was eventually scrapped due todifficulties in procuring the necessary high-grade timber for its all-woodconstruction, and as was discovered during the Mammut's first test flight, an unacceptably high degree of instability inherent in the design.

Me 321 glider

The proposed Messerschmitt aircraft was originally designated Me 261w—partly borrowing thedesignation of the long-range Messerschmitt Me 261—then changed to Me 263 (later reused for Messerschmitt's improved rocket fighter design), and eventually became the Me 321. Although the Me 321 saw considerable service on the Eastern Front as a transport, it was never used for its intended role as an assault glider.

Me 323
Early in 1941, as a result of feedback from Transport Command pilots in Russia,the decision was taken to produce a motorized variant of the Me 321, to bedesignated Me 323. French Gnome et Rhône GR14N radial engines, rated at 1,180PS (1,164 hp, 868 kW) for take-off as used in the Bloch MB.175 aircraft were chosen for use. This would reduce the burden on Germany's strained industry.

Initial tests were conducted with four Gnome engines attached to a strengthenedMe 321 wing, giving modest speed of 210 km/h (130 mph) – 80 km/h (50 mph)slower than the Ju 52 transport aircraft. A fixed undercarriage was fitted,with four small wheels in a bogie at the front of the aircraft and six largerwheels in two lines of three at each side of the fuselage, partly covered by an aerodynamic fairing. The rear wheels were fitted with pneumatic brakes that could stop the aircraft within 200 m (660 ft).

The four-engined Me 323C was considered a stepping-stone to the six-engined D series. It still required the five-engined Heinkel He 111Z Zwilling or thehighly dangerous "vic-style" Troika-Schlepp formation of threeMesserschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters and underwing-mounted Walter HWK 109-500Starthilfe rocket-assisted take-off units to get airborne when fully loaded,but it could return to base under its own power when empty. This was little better than the Me 321, so the V2 prototype became the first to have six engines and flew for the first time in early 1942, becoming the prototype for the D-series aircraft.

To reduce torque, the aircraft was fitted with three counterclockwise rotation engines on the port wing and three clockwise rotation engines on the starboard wing, as seen looking forward from behind each engine - resulting in the propellers rotating "away" from each other at the tops of their arcs.

Like the Me 321, the Me 323 had massive, semicantilever, high-mounted wings, which were braced from the fuselage out to the middle of the wing. To reduce weight and save 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, with heavy bracing in the floor to support the payload.

The "D" series had a crew of five - two pilots, two flight engineers, and a radio operator. Two gunners could also be carried. The flight engineers occupied two small cabins, one in each wing between the inboard and centre engines. The engineers were intended to monitor engine synchronisation and allow the pilot to fly without worrying about engine status, although the pilot could override the engineers' decisions on engine and propeller control.

Maximum payload was around 12 tonnes, although at that weight, the Walter HWK109-500 Starthilfe rocket-assisted takeoff units used on the Me 321 were required for takeoff. These were mounted beneath the wings outboard of the engines, with the wings having underside fittings to take up to four units. Thecargo hold was 11 m (36 ft) long, 3 m (10 ft) wide and 3.4 m (11 ft) high.Typical loads were one 15 cm sFH 18 heavy field howitzer (5.5 ton) accompaniedby its Sd.Kfz. 7 half-track artillery tractor vehicle (11 ton), two 3.6 tonne(4 ton) trucks, 8,700 loaves of bread, an 88 mm Flak gun and accessories, 52drums of fuel (252 L/45 US gal), 130 men, or 60 stretchers.

Some Me 321s were converted to Me 323s, but most were built as six-engined aircraft from the beginning. Early models were fitted with wooden, two-blade propellers, while later versions had metal, three-blade, variable-pitch versions.

The Me 323 had a maximum speed of only 219 km/h (136 mph) at sea level. It was armed with six 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns firing from a dorsal position behind the wings and from the fuselage. They were manned by the extra gunners, radio operator, and engineers.

By September 1942, Me 323s were being delivered for use in the Tunisiancampaign. They entered service in the Mediterranean theatre in November 1942.High losses among Axis shipping required a huge airlift of equipment across the Mediterranean to keep Rommel's Afrika Korps supplied.

On 22 April 1943, a formation of 27 fully loaded Me 323s was being escortedacross the Sicilian Straits by Messerschmitt Bf 109s of Jagdgeschwader 27 whenit was intercepted by seven squadrons — Supermarine Spitfires (No. 1 Squadron SAAF) and Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks (No. 7 South African Wing). Of the 27transports, 16 or 17 were shot down. Three or four P-40s were shot down by the escorts.

A total of 198 Me 323s were built before production ceased in April 1944.Several production versions were built, beginning with the D-1. Later D- and E-versions differed in the choice of power plant and in defensive armament, with improvements in structural strength, total cargo load, and fuel capacity also being implemented. Nonetheless, the Me 323 remained underpowered. A proposal toinstall six BMW 801 radials did not occur. The Me 323 was also a short-rangeaircraft, with a typical range (loaded) of 1,000–1,200 km (620–750 mi). Despitethis, the limited numbers of Me 323s in service were an asset to the Germans,and saw extensive use.

Variants
Messerschmitt Me 323D
Me 323 V1
First prototype, powered by four Gnome-Rhône 14N-48/49 engines
Me 323C
Interim production version based on the V1 prototype with four engines.
Me 323 V2
Prototype, powered by six Gnome-Rhône 14N engines, became the standard for Dproduction series.
Me 323D-1
First production series, powered by six Gnome-Rhône 14N engines originallyintended for use in the Bloch 175, two 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine guns incockpit fittings provided, field modifications increased defensive armament,variable-pitch Ratier propellers with three blades.
Me 323D-2
Same as D-1 but with engine installation originally intended for use in the LeO451, fixed-pitch wooden Heine propellers with two blades.
Me 323D-6
Same as D-2, but with variable-pitch Ratier propellers with three blades.
Me 323 V13
Prototype, powered by six Gnome-Rhône 14N engines, served as a master for theMe 323E production series
Me 323 V14
Prototype, powered by six 1,340 PS Kraftei (unitized) Junkers Jumo 211Fengines, not proceeded with.
Me 323E-1
Second production series, two gun turrets incorporated in the wings.
Me 323E-2
Proposed version with heavier armament.
Me 323E-2 WT
Proposed 'escort' gunship version, based on the E-1. Classified as aWaffenträger ("weapons carrier") by the RLM, which the WT suffixdenoted, in a similar role to that of the American Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress"gunship" conversion for the USAAF. Primary mission was to providenormal 323 cargo formations with heavy defensive protection. No cargo carryingability. "Solid" nose with 20mm cannon turret, two additional wingturrets plus up to ten other machine guns and cannon of varying calibres firingfrom standard and new waist/beam positions. 1.3 tonnes of armour plating wasadded across the entire airframe. To operate the weapons the crew increased totwenty-one. Two prototypes built and tested, but series was cancelled after itwas judged that normal single-engined fighters were more effective in thetransport escort role. One of the prototypes was briefly assigned to KG 200 foroperational evaluation, where it flew armed escort for the small number ofcaptured B-17 Flying Fortresses operated by the Geschwader.
Me 323 V16
Prototype, powered by six unitized 1,340 PS Jumo 211R engines, intended toserve as a master for the Me 323F production series.
Me 323F
Projected production version of the V16 prototype, instead produced byLuftschiffbau Zeppelin as the ZMe 323F.
Me 323 V17
Prototype (unfinished), powered by six 1,600 PS (1,578 hp, 1,177 kW)Gnome-Rhône 14R engines, intended to serve as a master for the Me 323G.
Me 323G
Projected production version of the V17 prototype.
Me 323H
Projected version with a load capacity of 18 tons and a range of about 600miles.
Me 323Z
Zwilling ("Twin") variant with two fuselages joined at the wing, onebuilt but lost in an accident.
ZMe 423
Proposed six-engined heavy transport aircraft based on the Me 323.
No complete aircraft survives, but the Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr (AirForce Museum of the German Federal Armed Forces) in Berlin has a Me 323 mainwing spar in its collection.

A ruined but complete wreck was found in 2012, in the sea near La Maddalena, anisland near Sardinia, Italy. The aircraft lies in around 60 m (200 ft) ofwater, around 8 nautical miles (15 km) from the coast. It was shot down by aBritish Bristol Beaufighter long-range fighter on 26 July 1943, while flyingfrom Sardinia to Pistoia in Italy. (Wikipedia)