Combat aircraft. Viking who could fly

2024 Author: Matthew Elmers | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:49

A real "Viking", a controversial hulk, a jock on Teutonic steroids. Controversial, because it could well be called the largest aircraft - a flying boat, but bad luck, this title was retained in those years by Dornier-X. Although, in fact, the boat is a failure, which flew less than it cost to be repaired.

But the fact remains, and the Viking was slightly smaller. But by right, this aircraft took the title of the largest naval military aircraft.

It's a pity, but nowhere did I find information about how the guys from Hamburger Flyugzeugbau managed to work with Lufthansa in terms of building aircraft for the latter.

The firm was not only little-known, it was less than five years old. Apparently, there was enough ambition and something else. Either they worked it out with a liver, but it's a fact: Lufthansa, the state German carrier, agreed to order the Hamburger not just an airplane, not just a flying boat, but a transatlantic liner.

In the 30s, everyone's roofs were torn from the idea of flying from Europe to America by plane, and just in case the plane had to be able to splash down. Precisely because the case can be different.

And Lufthansa really wanted to fly to America, and Dornier-X was not very good at doing it.

That is why, probably, they bought in the air carrier for the offer of the company, which up to this point was marked by a not very successful dive bomber and quite a decent seaplane.

Not enough, don't you agree?

Therefore, Lufthansa rolled out proposals not only for Hamburger Flyugzeugbau, but also for Heinkel and Dornier, to everyone who knew about hydro-aviation.

Dornier offered the Do.20 flying boat, a "small" one, weighing 50 tons, equipped with twin diesel engines. "Heinkel" issued a more modest design of a seaplane weighing "only" 29 tons.

But the customers liked the Na.222 most of all. And according to the results of the competition, preference was given to the Hamburg company along with an order for three aircraft. The plane came out very luxurious, the cabin of the highest level of comfort for the carriage of 24 passengers during the day in seats and 16 berths for a flight at night.

In the design itself, there were quite a few innovations that customers liked. Chief designer Vogt, in order to reduce hydrodynamic and aerodynamic drag, chose the ratio of length to width of the hull, equal to 8, 4, while generally accepted in the world of 6.

The stabilizing wing floats were very ingeniously implemented. With the help of an electric drive, after takeoff, they were disengaged in two and retracted into the wing.

The control system of this rather large boat had a lot of servos, although manual control remained.

The power set was made of metal pipes, the engine mounts with six engines were tubular, and access doors were made in the main spar for access to the engines during flight.

The body was also all-metal, with two steps. Covered with anti-corrosion plating 5 mm thick. The hull had two decks, a lower passenger deck and an upper working deck.

The crew consisted of two pilots, two flight engineers, a navigator and a radio operator. During the war, with the addition of riflemen, the crew grew to 11.

The boats were built very slowly, with feeling, with sense, with an arrangement. And when the Second World War began, the aircraft were still under construction. Of course, the war made its own adjustments. Some of the people who worked on the aircraft were transferred to the revision of the BV.138, in which a real need arose, but work on three flying boats for Lufthansa continued.

In 1940, it already became clear that there would be no BV.222 transatlantic flights. And they began to think about what to do with the unfinished aircraft. Nevertheless, in August 1940, the BV.222 made its first flight, the results of which satisfied everyone. Not without flaws, but overall very strong and stable. A little "goat" when landing, but everyone considered it a fixable matter.

Flight tests continued unhurriedly throughout the fall and early winter. And then, in order not to just burn fuel, the Luftwaffe suggested that the manufacturers slightly alter the plane into a cargo plane. Hamburger Flyugzeugbau agreed with the proposal.

Cargo hatches were cut in the hull of the boat, the interior was made more Spartan, and, having applied the signs of the Luftwaffe, BV.222 was sent for testing in Kirkeness, where the Germans were just conquering Norway.

As a result, the plane flew over 30,000 km in seven flights, transported 65 tons of various cargo and removed 221 wounded from Norway.

Then the boat was sent to the Mediterranean Sea, where the development of North Africa by Germany began. From Greece, BV.222 made 17 flights to Africa, transporting 30 tons of cargo and evacuating 515 wounded.

During flights at an altitude of 4500 m, a maximum speed of 382 km / h was recorded. Not to say that the figure is great, but for such a hefty plane it is very decent. The maximum range was calculated at 7000 km. The plane accommodated up to 72 wounded people and up to 92 fully equipped soldiers.

All this time, the BV.222 flew without any weapons at all. In case of a meeting with the enemy, the boat was usually accompanied by a pair of Bf.110. But it happened that the fighters were late for the meeting point or did not arrive at the meeting at all. And the crew of the BV.222 flew at their own peril and risk.

In general, even in 1940, the 110s as a cover - well, not very much. And in 1941 … But better than nothing at all, of course …

However, during one of the unaccompanied flights in October 1941, the BV.222 was intercepted by two British Navy Beaufighters. In theory, the boat's career was supposed to end there, but not that it was lucky, the Germans behaved quite arrogantly, and the British simply did not know what kind of plane it was. Which was quite logical, BV.222 existed in a single copy at that time, so the Beaufighters turned around and … flew away.

Or they could have finished the history of the plane with their cannons.

After this flight, having changed underwear and uniforms, the Germans transferred the plane to the factory in order to supply weapons.

An MG.81 machine gun was placed in the bow of the boat, four of the same machine guns were placed on the sides in the windows, and MG.131 machine guns were installed in two shooting turrets on the hull.

The second aircraft received exactly the same armament, which by that time was completely ready. Since the boat was going to be used as a reconnaissance in the Atlantic, it was re-equipped with four MG-131 in two gondolas under the wings between the outer pair of engines. Machine guns were mounted in the nose and tail of each nacelle.

True, the tests showed that the resistance of the gondolas "eats up" almost 50 km / h, and they were eventually abandoned.

The use of the first three machines showed that the aircraft was quite decent, with good seaworthiness, so it was decided to order more. They laid down another 5 aircraft, which were built, armed and began to be used as transport aircraft, mainly in the Mediterranean, where they took an active part in supplying Rommel's corps in Africa.

The figures for the work of the Vikings were impressive. In 1942, constantly flying to Africa, ВV.222 transported 1,435 tons of cargo, delivered 17,778 reinforcements and removed 2,491 wounded. Good job for a small number of aircraft.

The planes flew from bases in Italy and Greece to Tobruk and Dern, delivering goods and picking up the wounded. With or without accompaniment. For which, in the end, they were punished by the British, who at the end of 1942 shot down two planes. Two more aircraft were fatally damaged, one in combat, one in an accident.

It was logical that the decision was made to strengthen the armament for the remaining four boats.

New defensive armament consisted in the installation of a 20 mm MG.151 cannon in the front upper turret. Two more MG.151 towers were placed behind the engine nacelles. An MG-131 was installed in the bow window, two MG-81 were left in the side windows.

The engines were equipped with a water-alcohol injection system that increased power to 1200 hp. By the end of the work, it became clear that the war in North Africa was coming to a natural end.

Therefore, it was decided to transfer all four ВV.222s to the Atlantic command to organize interaction with submarines. For this, the seaplanes were equipped with FuG-200 Hohentwil search locators, a FuG-16Z radio station with positioning capability, a FuG-25a and a FuG-101a radio altimeter. ETS 501 bomb holders could carry FuG-302s "Shvan" ("Swan") beacons.

It turned out to be a very decently stuffed sea scout-search engine. Very serious.

The aircraft were based on the Atlantic coast of France, at Biscarosse. Until 1944, BV.222 was constantly looking for enemy surface ships and guiding their submarines at them.

The most interesting thing is that the allies no longer managed to shoot down a single Viking. Two of the four planes were sunk (yes, they were sunk, these are boats, albeit flying) during a British air raid.

The two remaining ВV.222 were captured by the Americans, and another aircraft (which was being repaired at the factory) went to the British.

What can you say about the plane as a whole? The case when a small amount (13 units were produced) was accompanied by efficiency of use. The plane was good, the plane was actively used, the plane was useful.

The low speed was combined with quite a decent range and carrying capacity. But when BMW engines were modernized, equipped with an afterburner system, then the speed increased significantly and reached 390 km / h, which is more than worthy for such a chest, and the carrying capacity reached 8 tons, which is generally very decent.

Modern control on servo drives made life much easier for the crew, if it was necessary to take off with a hefty overload, it was easy to use powder boosters, in general, the best word that can be applied to the Viking is “comfortable”.

Plus a completely sane set of weapons, with which it was possible to create problems for any aircraft.

And, of course, a flying boat, capable of flying for a long time and keeping well on the water (and others were not built in Hamburg), is more than useful in naval aviation.