Blohm & Voss Bv 238

During the Second World War, the German Reich Army was known for constructing war machineries that were either the heaviest or the largest to have domination over the skies. One of these machineries is the Blohm & Voss Bv 238 which was considered to be the largest aircraft ever to be produced by any of the Axis powers of World War Two.

The BV 238 was designed as a floatplane and it was intended to be the so huge to provide the German Army with additional loading capacity during WW2. Weighing at 54,000 kilograms, this WW2 German aircraft used six 1750 HP piston engines that were produced by the Daimler-Benz company. The engines, which were face forwarding, were installed on a high monoplane wing design. Each wing was mounted with three engines each.

The first prototype of the BV 238 saw flight in 1944 and had shown great potential as a floatplane. This WW2 aircraft showed excellent performance because it carried a large payload and had tremendous range and speed for an aircraft of that size.

Had the BV 238 been produced in full-scale, the German Army would have had an excellent floatplane in their arsenal of aircrafts. However, only one BV 238 was ever completed during WW2 and this prototype was sunk while it was being docked and repaired on Lake Schaal in 1944. The planes responsible for the sinking of the only mammoth BV2 238 were three P-51 Mustangs belonging to Allied Forces and which were led by Lt. Urban Drew. It was later found out that the BV 238 was still undergoing flight testing when it was destroyed and sunk. Besides being the largest aircraft to be produced during WW2, the BV 238 is also recognized as being the largest aircraft to be destroyed by an Allied Force pilot.

SPECIFICATIONS

Type: Floatplane
Design: Blohm and Voss Aircraft Firm
Engine(s): 6 x 1750 HP Daimler-Benz DB603 V-12 Engines
Max Speed: 446 kilometers per hour
Max Range: 7,200 kilometers
Ceiling: 23,950 feet
Length: 142.26 feet
Wingspan: 197.41 feet
Height: 43.96 feet
Empty Weight: 54,700 kilograms
Loaded Weight: 85,000 kilograms