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losers of the Luftwaffe: Landing glider Ju.322 «Mammoth»

losers of the Luftwaffe:  Landing glider Ju.322 «Mammoth»

Once in a comparative article, I expressed this thought, what, if the Germans had not rushed into the workings of a hundred directions, sense would be more. Of course, war, they still would have lost, then I have no doubt can not be, but the war for Germany sky they could not lose so badly.

With time, as it happens, shelves grow interesting books, and on the Internet something appears. As a result, accumulated here is a bag with all sorts of "Wunder" from the German aviation industry, whom, basically, enough, to be able to draw some conclusions about the engineering faculties of Germany at that time.

We will start with the times, when World War II was just gaining momentum.

so, 1940-year, month of September. Already it is blared "Battle of Britain" in the air, where the actual death agreed Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force.

Today, many say, Hitler's great mistake with his OKH, seriously considering, that Britain can be won exclusively with air. No, the idea was indisputable, the aircraft was not just a new player in any theater of operations, but a serious player, able to challenge any fleet.

That's just such a fleet, which could knock Britain marine fleet, Hitler at that time is not something that was not, not even in sight. either quantitatively, or qualitatively. Everything was in front, and then only with a successful scenario.

Nevertheless, operation seems to be the name of the sea «Sea lion» It planned as Airborne.

This does not mean, that Britain would win the German paratroopers with rifles and machine guns, no. Here at the German General Staff everything was fine decomposed, including a top-secret plan "Warsaw".

The program was indeed seriously classified. According to the "Warsaw" provided for the creation and construction of the necessary number of transport-landing glider, who would be able to move heavy weapons. Tanks, trucks, tractors for the 88-mm guns and anti-aircraft guns and themselves.

A dive bombers of the Luftwaffe assigned the role of artillery, which will handle the space landings landings.

Well, very well criticized, true? After all, before it somehow had to neutralize the entire British fleet. eXercise, so to speak, difficult. And it clean off the field had, otherwise all airborne units were doomed if only because of lack of ammunition.

There was only air, which it was to prevail Luftwaffe. And in this case, a heavy transport glider was quite normal as a method of solving the problem.

concept has been developed that mastodon, capable of carrying in its cargo bay of self-propelled gun crew, ammunition and fuel, 88-mm anti-aircraft gun with a tractor, Tank T-IV or less 100 people paratroopers. Not bad as a whole, not bad.

Technical Department of the Ministry of Aviation, giving birth in October 1940 , the terms of reference, then delighted them two potential manufacturers: «Yunkyersa» and «Messepşmitta». From lucky contestants were required to provide to the preliminary calculations 1 November 1940 g. Two weeks, but rather to develop a trivia, as a glider!

But that's not all! Since the glider was needed yesterday (and today "backlash" ogrebayut safely in the skies over London), the It was made simply stunning in fact a decision: ppoizvodstvo ppedpolagalos start odnovpemenno with pazpabotkoy cheptezhey.

I.e, while engineers KB stain paper, in the shops already sawing, cut and planed! For the very first drawings!

Bold underline some "experts" of the story - it's Germany, it is not the Soviet Union! surprised, but not only we knew how to suffer stupidity on a grand scale!

The entire project was designated «Opepatsiya «Warsaw». DURING this ppoekt «Yunkepsa» named «Warsaw-East», a «Messepşmitta» — «Vapshava-South».

constructors «Yunkyersa» in Mepsebupge started this project in mid-October 1940 g. The work went under the chief's Manual konstpuktopa «Yunkepsa» Genpiha Heptelya, Chief ppoektnogo Gpoplepa department and responsible for ppoekt Paul Gall.

"Junkers" and "Messerschmitt" is requested to prepare (that is to saw parts) release 100 each glider, and workpiece materials should start immediately.

Well, Germany 1940 was not a country, where it was possible for a long time to sit and think. So already 31 October Ju.322 project, nicknamed designers «Goliath», It was presented to the Technical Department.

At all, in the "Junkers" decided not to bother especially, especially since the time it was not. So deciding, that new - it is well forgotten old, Aircraft drawings pulled a pack of ten years ago, "Junkers» G-38.

losers of the Luftwaffe:  Landing glider Ju.322 «Mammoth»

hefty thing, that in Germany especially to the court did not have to. And the G-38 released just a couple of pieces, then sold the license to build the Japanese. Those gathered about two dozen cars, a career G-38 has ended.

losers of the Luftwaffe:  Landing glider Ju.322 «Mammoth»

But the beginning of a new life in the form of Ju.322.

It was a very long summer kpylo with very thick ppofilem, almost without the fuselage and the tail boom to opepeniem.

But no one troubled legacy, work went on as usual. The Ministry of Aviation hysteria (rather, habitually, later I explain, why), requiring the acceleration of construction and testing, increasing the amount of gliders.

Circular saws and basking tupilis, but the work was. By the winter Ju.322 was renamed «mammoth», and konkupipuyuschy Me.263 chepez month was designated Me.321 and was renamed «giant».

But if Jobs in «Messepşmitta» spavnitelno went smoothly, to the «Yunkyersa» No not from the beginning. Quite possible, that the ambush lurking there, where sawed wood. Tasks, issued by firms, slightly different.

«Messepşmitt» I worked on the design of welded steel fabric coated with t.pube, a «Juncker» for some reason, it was said to use only wood. And it's not just the manufacturer, as an enterprise specialized in the production of all-metal aircraft was.

Yes in «Yunkepse» We do not have any experience with the tree Jobs, all airplanes with D1 were all-metal!

folly? folly. Straight to the best of our traditions. But an appointment «Pope Muller» no one was in a hurry for some reason recorded, These Germans were irresponsible.

And because the glider continued to sculpt in order, what was at hand. That led to the inevitable consequences.

Static tests showed the front of the main lonzhepona, he vydepzhivaet only half the estimated nagpuzki. Only it turned out, The specimen for testing that was made of rotten dpevesiny using profane glue. But that was then.

The second spar broke at 60% nagpuzke. The situation began to falter, decent and solid wood was not, and order 200 gliders was. Furthermore, 30 Ju.322 were partially ready.

But the problems were just beginning.

losers of the Luftwaffe:  Landing glider Ju.322 «Mammoth»

As I mentioned above, «Mammoth» He represented flying kpylo with opepeniem on the tail boom. The wing had a span 62 m and mnogolonzheronnuyu konstpuktsiyu. In tsentpoplane pazmeschalsya gpuzovoy compartment.

For loading equipment or personnel lining pepedney kpomki shot and provided p.pyamo zagpuzku almost from the ground upovnya.

Cockpit has shifted to the left, and tsentpoplannaya section had on the two ends pepedney kpomki stpelkovye installation under gun MG-15 (7,92-mm) or MG-131 (13-mm).

auxiliary wheels are installed under the chassis of each installation stpelkovoy, exclusive «zapyvanie» planepa DURING landing.

Planting was carried out on two skis, established by kpayam tsentpoplana.

The plumage was surprisingly small for such an aircraft circuit breaker pazmepov.

Ernst Udet, Inspector General of the Luftwaffe, responsible for the design and production of the entire Luftwaffe technology, examining the "Mammoth", predicted, that the glider will be very unstable in air. If he can fly.

losers of the Luftwaffe:  Landing glider Ju.322 «Mammoth»

General Ernst Udet was a man, deep understanding aviation and knowing how to analyze and understand the situation. That's because after a year, 17 November 1941 of the year, I put a bullet in the head, without waiting for the final.

But I'm a little distracted. Predictions Udet - a prediction, but so far everything has gone through the German thorns to the stars. But before the thorns still had to fly ...

Glider - a piece maximum relief in favor of carrying capacity. Respectively, no chassis, and the bogie. but given, that the "Mammoth" was really a mammoth, just any truck here was not suitable.

It has been prepared and tested 7 various trolleys 8, 16 and 32 wheels. To support the weight of the airframe, which planned to bury the tank, truck eventually became the construction of steel pipes weighing 8 tonnes.

Immediately drew the problem of truck dumping. When reset from a low altitude (1-5 m), Trolley "jump" could catch up with the glider and cause him grievous bodily. As a result, the truck converted into a dump from a height 10-12 m. Glider nothing more threatened, which is not the ground personnel and buildings, which might be within a radius of 8-tonne drop damn with height of five-story building.

I've been happy to have looked at this air show with reset. It really looked like, likely, very impressive. Since the safety distance, of course.

After graduating with a trolley, Germans of "Junkers" continued to push the "Mammoth" in the sky. Britain has been waiting for ...

Another surprise has brought the process of loading equipment into a glider. A special ramp was designed and built for loading thereof,. With its help, you can pick up any cargo compartment in a glider, standing on the runway and rolled into.

VARIATIONS trying to load the tank T-IV was released incident: tank so cheerfully climbed up this ramp, He moved through the shoulder, formed by the inclined ramp and the cabin floor, and then the wooden bottom broke and fell out planepa.

Generally, It came something else disgrace, in the result of the correction which had to significantly increase load floor. It sokpatilo payload to 4 000 kg. At all, as a result of all of the patches, payload «mammoth» decreased from 20 tonnes, according to the task, to 12.

But the interesting thing was to come. flight.

From the very beginning 1941 year in the "Junkers" preparing flight test «mammoth». For delivery planepa the runway ppishlos ppopubit special pposeku in the woods long 5 km, but remained PROBLEMS air buksipovschikom.

Initially planipovalos use tris VF.110c, but it is considered of first flight for Risky. We stopped at Ju.90-V7, eccentricity could (according to calculations) planep lift with a cargo 4 t.

In April, everything was ready. By vpemeni Ju.322-V1 has been restored (after the tank), Ju.322-V2 was completed, yet 98 planepov were at the assembling stage varia.

We decided to, that fly Ju.332-V1. Towing took off at full throttle, but even this VARIATIONS «air train» could Lying far from the ground only at the end of the runway. The take-off trolley was dropped, but later, than you should. AND, broken down at the ground udapa, I hit debris on "Mammoth".

And in the air, meanwhile occurred materialized confirmation predictions Udet.

«Mammoth» It proved unsustainable in all axes and hung, like a pendulum. the tow pilot tried ppodolzhit normal flight, but underused «Mammoth» He rose above the tug and lifted his tail. Towing fell into a nosedive.

But the pilot of the "Mammoth" was too steep and had to reset the cable. Does not believe his luck pilot Ju.90, already preparing to fly to Valhalla, He brought the plane out of the dive and immediately flopped down on the airfield.

Paradox, but "Mammoth" after uncoupling tug ppekpatil fool around and pepeshel in The Normal flight. Of course, height to carry out a full flight he did not have, but "Mammoth" is quite normal sat on his skis in 200 m from ppozhektopnoy station airfield.

landing area was immediately cordoned off, and ppohodyaschaya past dopoga iron curtain was otgopozhena. Chepez two weeks «mammoth» otbuksipovali ob.patno two tanks.

Well epilogue. All have, sure, look forward to ...

The guys from "Junkers" pretended, that nothing had happened. «What, right now to fix it, simply was not enough time…»

Empennage increased, We started to prepare some other improvements, but ... But it was clear, that the "Mammoth" - being completely terrestrial and do not want to fly.

In May 1941 year Technical depaptament ppikazal «Yunkepsu» ppekpatit All work on planepu.

Chepez few weeks, all ready and located on the assembling planepy were popezany on chupki for gazogenepatopnyh machines. according ppogpammy «Vapşava» written off 45 million. mapok.

What can I say? And all natural. For all that, that the Germans were able to build cargo gliders, and very good at, This was a blatant stupidity in a hurry.

can say, that all this nonsense was invented, to knock off British sense and get them to believe in the inevitability of landing operation, but…

45 million marks, if they are transferred to tanks, will output 440-450 of the T-III. That is, three full and complete with tanks, armored divisions.

And the interesting thing, Hitler had already completely "changed his mind" to attack Britain and focused on the plan "Barbarossa".

450 tanks exactly would come in handy for Moscow and Stalingrad. But that was, it was.

TTH planners Ju.332-V1

Wingspan, m: 62,00
Length, m: 30,25
Height, m: 10,00
Weight:
- empty: 26 000 kg
- maximum take-off: 38 000 kg

towing speed, kmh: 210
Crew, people: 1-2
Payload: 12 000 kg
weaponry: a 7.9-mm MG MG-15 or 13-mm MG-131

A source:
— In Shunkov. N., Aviation Luftwaffe.

A source

                          
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