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| Consequently Junkers and Messerschmitt competed in 1940 to design and develop a very large transport glider suitable for the delivery of men or materials. Junkers' Ju 322 Mammut (Mammoth) spanned 62.0m and would have accommodated more than 100 fully equipped troops, but when tested proved to be unstable and was cancelled by the Reichsluftfahrtministeriurn. On the other hand Messerschmitt's Me 321 was a most successful design of braced high-wing configuration and with construction of welded steel tube, wood and fabric. The pilot was perched high on the fuselage in a single-seat cockpit, adjacent to the wing's leading edge. Access to the main cabin was via large clamshell doors in the nose or by doors on each side of the rear fuselage. A payload of 22,000kg could be carried.
The Me 321 VI prototype flew first in March 1941 and Me 321A-1 production aircraft entered service in May of that year. The later Me 321B-1 had a crew of three and defensive armament of four 7.9mm MG 15 machine-guns. Me 321 (some 200 built) were towed usually by a trio of Bf 110C or by the unusual five-engined Heinkel He 111Z. Rocket units could be used to assist take-off from rough fields.
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| Fardad Izadi, e-mail, 20.06.2015 10:09 The base of technology of the modern heavy weight cargo aircraft design. reply | | FUCKFART, 16.12.2012 06:30 1 surviveor ....your mom reply | | gooda, 20.06.2011 09:48 swung in on the other two with disasterous results of all four aircraft plumiting to earth with no survivors. Clarification would be appreciated.. reply | | Jonathan Chizever, e-mail, 29.10.2010 22:24 Either three Heinkel 111 or one Heinkel 111 Zwilling(two merged together). reply | |
| | Peter, e-mail, 01.03.2008 13:16 This Messershmitt Me-323 is one of most famous aircraft of Vily Messershmutt reply | | BRI'AN, e-mail, 24.10.2007 05:57 DAMKE FUR ME-321,NAZI LUFTWAFFE! reply | | Colonel Cool, e-mail, 08.08.2007 07:07 I'm afraid the accident in mention was not caused by a Bf 110 engine failure as Mr Lloyd suggests. According to David Monday: "Axis Aircraft of World War II", Temple Press 1984, - the worst of "a number of accidents..." (quote:) "...occurred during trials with 120 troops on board, when the booster rockets beneath one wing of the glider failed to ignite; the Me 321 swerved, causing the three Bf 110s to collide and the whole group to crash with the loss of 129 lives." (unquote) reply | | Tim, e-mail, 08.08.2007 04:05 Yes, this horrific crash did occur. reply | | dennis denton, e-mail, 10.11.2006 15:56 when used as a glider what plane was used to tow it? reply | | Mr A.J.Lloyd, e-mail, 30.03.2007 09:01 Whenever I see or read anything related to this incredible feat, an aeronautical phenomenon. I reflect on somthing I once read or was told of a tradgic event which befell one of the glider versions during WWII. I may be wrong but my memory is that during sustained flight, in towe with three 110s, one 110 had engine failure, swung in on the other two with disasterous results of all four aircraft plumiting to earth with no survivors. Clarification would be appreciated.. reply |
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