Arado Ar 234C-2 (Dragon) with Focke-Wulf “Rammer” (Unicraft, Resin)
Category Archives: Luftwaffe
Deutschland / Germany
Blohm & Voss Bv. 237 (Unicraft, Resin)
TYPE: Dive bomber, ground attack fighter. Project
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only
POWER PLANT: One BMW 801D radial engine, rated at 1,700 hp
PERFORMANCE: 360 mph
COMMENT: The Blohm & Voss Bv 237 was a proposed dive bomber with an unusual asymmetric design based on the Blohm & Voss Bv 141, as well as other projects like Bv P.194 and Bv P.204. In 1942 the Luftwaffe was interested in replacing the venerable but ageing Junkers Ju 87, and Dr. Richard Vogt’s design team at Blohm & Voss began work on project P 177. The dive bomber version would have had a one man crew and was heavily armed with cannon, machine gun and bombs. A two seat ground attack version was also proposed. A final B-1 type was to incorporate a Junkers Jumo 004B turbojet engine in a third nacelle slung underneath the wing, between the piston engine and the cockpit. In early 1943 a production order was issued for the P 177 now called the Bv 237. In the summer that year the RLM ordered all developmental work stopped. Work continued later and it was determined that construction could begin in mid 1945, but plans for a pre-production A-0 series were abandoned, leaving the project at the pre-production stage near the end of 1944, with only a wooden mock-up completed (Ref.: 23).
Blohm & Voss Bv P.211.01 (Unicraft, Resin)
TYPE: Interceptor fighter. Project
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot only
POWER PLANT: BMW 003A-1 turbojet, rated at 800 kp
PERFORMANCE: 536 mph at 26,250 ft (estimated)
COMMENT: Design of an interceptor fighter from mid 1944, forerunner of the Bv P.211.02, that was submitted for the “Volksjäger” (Peoples fighter) competition. Winner was the Heinkel He 162 “Spatz”.
Heinkel He 343B-1 (Airmodel, Vacu)
TYPE: Heavy fighter, medium bomber. Project.
ACCOMMODATION: Pilot and observer
POWER PLANT: Four Heinkel/Hirth HeS 011 turbojet engines, rated at 1,300 kp each
PERFORMANCE: 565 mph
COMMENT: The Heinkel He 343 was a four-engine jet bomber project by Heinkel Aircraft Company in the last years of WW II. In 1944 a total of 20 of these aircraft were ordered. For shortening the development time and for re-use of existing parts, its general design was envisioned along the lines of an enlarged Arado Ar 234 “Blitz” (“Lightning”). For a choice of engines, the Junkers Jumo 004 and the Heinkel HeS 011 were planned. The DFS (Deutsche Forschungsinstitut für Segelflug), (German Research Institute for Gliding Flight) was involved in the project and created the project known as P.1068. By the end of 1944, work was nearly finished by the Heinkel engineers, with parts for the He 343 prototype aircraft either under construction or in a finished state, when the order was cancelled due to the “Jägernotprogramm (Emergency Fighter Program). Four versions were planned: the He 343A-1 bomber, the He 343A-2 reconnaissance aircraft, and the He 343A-3 and He 343B-1 Zerstörer (“Destroyer”) heavy fighters.
The Heinkel He 343B-1 differed from the He 343A-1 bomber version especially in the tail unit. Instead of the two fixed rear firing guns in the fuselage rear, a FHL 151Z remote controlled turret was installed in the extreme rear fuselage. This necessitated a tail redesign to a twin fin and rudder set up. A rear facing periscope in the cockpit was used to aim the FHL 151Z turret, which was armed with two MG 151 20mm cannon. The twin tail would have made for extended flight testing, plus would have added additional weight and drag (Ref.: 17, 24).
Junkers Ju 388J-1V4 (Airmodel, Vacu, Parts from Italeri)
TYPE: Night and All-weather Interceptor
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of four
POWER PLANT: Two BMW 801TJ, rated at 1,410 h.p. at 40,300 ft each
PERFORMANCE: 362 m.p.h. at 40,300 ft
COMMENT: With the Ju 388J-1V4 the FuG 220 “Lichtenstein SN-2” radar with “Hirschgeweih” aerial array was replaced by FuG 218 “Neptun” with a pointed wooden nose cone enclosing much of the “Morgenstern”-type antennae. Also, the FuG 350 “Naxos Z” was built into the “Morgenstern” compartment to receive H2S emissions. A “schräge Musik” arrangement of two 20-mm MG 151 cannon was introduced in the aft fuselage. These weapons fired obliquely upward at an angle of 70° from the horizontal.
Junkers Ju 388K-1 (Airmodel, Vacu, Parts from Italeri)
TYPE: High-altitude bomber
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of three
POWER PLANT: Two BMW 801TJ engines, rated at 1,410 h.p. at 40,300 ft each
PERFORMANCE: 370 m.ph. at 40,300 ft
COMMENT: As the Ju 388L-1 the bomber variant Ju 388K-1 was fitted with a wooden ventral panner and it was intended to install the FA 15 tail barbette for defence. But neither the prototype Ju 388 V3 nor the 10 pre-production Ju 399K-0 bombers were equipped with the tail barbette. It was intended to replace the BMW 801TJ engines by BMW 801TM engines with ratings of 1,820 h.p. at 33,400 ft. Apart from e few sorties by the Ju 388L-1 reconnaissance model, the Ju 388 failed to see combat
Junkers Ju 388J-3 (Airmodel, Vacu, Parts from Italeri)
Junkers Ju 388J-1V2 “Störtebecker” (Airmodel, Vacu, Parts from Italeri)
TYPE: High Altitude Night and Bad-weather Fighter
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of four
POWER PLANT: Two BMW 801TJ rated at 1,890 h.p. at 9,840 ft each
PERFORMANCE: 362 m.p.h. at 40,300 ft
COMMENT: This prototype was converted from a Ju 188T and carried a FuG 220 “Lichtenstein SN-2” radar with “Hirschgeweih” (Stag’s Antlers) aerial array and an assymetrically mounted “Waffentropfen” (Weapon Drops) under portside mid-fuselage. This held two forward-firing 20-mm MG 151 cannons and two 30-mm MK 108 cannons. A remotely-controlled twin-gun tail barbette with MG 131Z cannons was aimed by means of a PVE 11 double periscopic sight. The code name “Störtebecker” is a reminiscent of a legendary German pirate of the 14th century
Junkers Ju 388L-1 (Airmodel, Vacu, Parts from Italeri)
TYPE: Photographic-Reconnaissance Aircraft
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of three
POWER PLANT: Two BMW 801TJ rated at 1,890 h.p. each
PERFORMANCE: 383 m.p.h at 40,300 ft
COMMENT: The production Ju 388L-1 differed from the pre-production version Ju 388L-0 in several aspects. The wooden three-blade airscrews were replaced by VDM-Dural four-bladers, a FuG 217 “Neptun” tail-warning radar was installed and the “Waffentropfen WT81Z” (Weapon Drop), housing two fixed aft-firing MG 81 machine guns, were replaced by a large wooden ventral pannier to accommodate both cameras and a jettisonable auxiliary fuel tank. A total of 47 Ju 388L reconnaissance aircraft were delivered
Junkers Ju 388L-0 (Airmodel, Vacu, parts from Italeri)
TYPE: Photographic Reconnaissance Aircraft
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of three
POWER PLANT: Two BMW 801TJ rated at 1,800 h.p. each
PERFORMANCE: 407 m.p.h. at 29,800 ft
COMMENT: This first version of the Ju 388 was derived from a Junkers Ju 188T-1. In all 10 pre-production examples were finished. These were followed by the Ju 388L-1
