The project named Bv P200 was originally conceived as an octomotor for the transport of passengers to the German airline of the interwar period Lufthansa. It was abandoned in 1941 in favor of an extended military version of the latter, the Bv 238. The request of the Reich Ministry of Aviation was intended to provide for the replacement of the Bv 222 Viking. Of course this could have served as a showcase for the ambitions and technological advances of the Third Reich. This is the case with the Bismarck battleship, the 800 mm dora gun or the prototype of the heavy tank "Maus".
Compared to the Bv 222, which was already one of the largest aircraft of the Second World War, the Bv 238 exceeded its predecessor on all facets: higher, longer, twice as heavy and a wingspan exceeding it by 15 meters. It appeared as a seaplane with high wings and a ventral hull with retractable floats in flight.
The Bv 238 was designed for maritime surveillance missions similar to its English counterpart Short Sunderland, which is strangely similar to it and which, like it, had to be equipped to defend it alone with its multiple machine guns and guns. Its offensive weapon consisted of bombs stored in bunkers located in the wings and could accommodate additional loads on racks under the wings such as torpedoes, bombs or the various German missile prototypes.
The development of the Bv 238 began at the beginning of 1942 and the various tests (such as aerodynamics) were carried out on a reduced version called FGP 227. Its development was often undermined by incessant allied bombardments and various sabotages, but also by The complexity of the project itself, which was much behind schedule.
Version V1 (disarmed) was completed in 1944 and followed its first draft on March 11th. It will be the only prototype version of the Bv 238 completed and stolen, as versions V2 and V3 were never completed before the end of the conflict. The war took an unfavorable turn in the Third Reich, and the Germans were forced to leave the giant at anchor on Lake Schaal north of Berlin. It was sunk by P-51 Mustang in September 1944 thus definitively ending the technological adventure of the Bv 238.
Specifications :
Dimensions :
Length: 43.36 m
Height: 13.40 m
Wingspan: 60.17 m; V1 only 57.75 m
Wing area: 362 m²
Max. Start weight: 85,000 kg
Leermasse: 54,700 kg
Power ;
Maximum speed: 446 km / h
Landing speed: 143 km / h
Cruising speed: 355 km / h
Height: 7300 m
Area load: 261 kg / m²
Range: 7200 km
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