Messerschmitt Me 323 - The Largest Land Based Transport Aircraft of WW2

[Laughter] during World War two the German military created an aircraft unlike anything seen before the Messerschmitt me-262 [Music] propellers and a wingspan of over 180 feet they could airlift 130 troops or over 25,000 pounds of payload including tanks the mea 323 primarily served the Duchesse Africa Corps and the German Eastern Front until each and every last one of them fell to enemy fire today only one complete wreck exists but it is in a place few can reach operation sea lion while preparing for the proposed invasion of the United Kingdom codenamed Operation Sea Lion German military planners believed that they needed a large assault glider to ferry troops and suppliers across the English Channel although the existing German DFS 230 glider had been useful for the battle for even a mile in Belgium it was considered too light and small to play a role in the desired attack on the British Isles the design could only accommodate 2600 pounds of cargo to launch the invasion from France across the English Channel the Third Reich needed aircraft that could carry vehicles and heavy equipment onto the British coast due to the extensive damage that the German Navy received during the invasion of Norway and the loss of aircraft during the Battle of Britain operation sea lion was postponed in September of 1940 however the Germans were almost entirely settled on invading the Soviet Union by then with plans for Operation Barbarossa being drawn therefore the need for heavy transport aircraft remained prototypes on October 18th the German military ordered the Yonkers and Messerschmitt companies to submit their respective proposals for an enormous transport glider within 14 days aside from the transport role the aircraft also needed to be assault ready the Germans expected this new vehicle to be able to carry 88 millimeter guns and they're half tractor or a plunger Comfort Vagan for a medium tank Yonkers created the ju 322 Mahmut which was developed all the way to the prototype phase that aircraft project was cancelled because it was made entirely of wood and used high-grade timber that was difficult to obtain the prototype had a single flight where it underperformed and revealed it was too unstable Messerschmitt proposed a more capable aircraft that designers initially designated me2 61 W during development it was eventually renamed the Messerschmitt any three to one the massive glider would be used for transport in Africa and along the Eastern Front but it would never be used as an assault craft 200 airframes were built but the unpowered design proved insanely impractical to fly the M a321 had to be towed by three BF 110 twin-engine fighters and even then still needed to be assisted by rocket boosters for take-off the flight configuration was incredibly dangerous and resulted in the worst aviation disaster in history at the time the me3 2/3 the design patterns for the me3 2/3 were rooted in its predecessor glider the me3 2 1 what are the recognizable features that carried over was the installation of six engines based on the experience of the BF 110 low planes three of these went under each wing an important decision during the development of the plane was the focus on limiting dependency on the strings from an military industry since German factories were already busy with piling engine orders for bombers and fighters the engines for the MEA three-two-three were sourced from France by then the French for under German governance so the aircraft was fitted with kinome a horn radial engines the first any three to three aircraft were slow and not as responsive as intended work had to be carried out on the Weald landing system and on the defensive armament without significantly affecting the fuselage the original me3 - one glider design had only incorporated a disposable undercarriage that dropped off the plane as it climbed airborne once completed the Messerschmitt three to three could be compared to a flying whale which to carry a hundred soldiers inside or a tank or a giant caliber cannon or even medical patients with staff and machinery the payload could go up to 12 tonnes however carrying this maximum weight required the use of the vaulter hwk 109 504 star tier VII rocket assistant takeoff the fuselage was held up by steel tubes while the wings were made of fabric lined wood the wood was used to reduce the overall weight the aircraft counted on multiple 7.92 millimeter caliber guns or 13 millimeter mg 131 machine guns depending on the model despite this defensive armament the plane was not agile at all and was therefore vulnerable to enemy attacks throughout production several different models were developed after the initial me3 - 3 d 1 an e 1 version was introduced was to HDL 151 turrets with powerful 20 millimeter cannons on the upper wing services subsequent designs saw improvements to aerodynamics and a change to Yonkers new o21 1 our engines no official production account for the me3 two-threes exists but sources contradicting each other most of it is several Emmy three-two-one gliders were refitted into power Demi's reaching threes estimates range from around 198 to 210 aircraft most astonishing fact however is that none of these planes survived World War two the Deutsche Africa core the Messerschmitt three-two-one and now the M III two three gave Germany the feeling that they could command the skies forever well this was not true the largest land-based transport aircraft ever made did provide them with exceptional service during the war the two main fronts were it was used with the Soviet Union and Tunisia the battlefront in North Africa seemed ever-changing with axis forces and Commonwealth armies constantly slipping in victories the German supply lines went from Italy to Malta and ended in Tunisia this route was particularly challenging because Malta was still a British colony and served as a take-off point for attacks and German air or water convoys in response the Luftwaffe regularly bombed Malta but the resilient territory never failed Germany as Germany's efforts in North Africa began to fall apart any three to threes were sent in swarms with manpower and munitions from Sicily their introduction to the Tunisian campaign started in September of 1942 and their role in the Mediterranean theater followed in November the deutsches Africa Corps came to rely on the equipment delivered by the me3 to threes since access ships kept falling to Allied attacks Adolphe Hitler insisted on reinforcing and supporting his African army despite clear signs that Tunisia campaign would mark an allied victory unfortunately for the Germans the Glacial speed of the me3 2/3 led them to the same bitter fate of their me3 to one clatters British fighters took them down like flies even when the me3 to threes were protected by escorts the massive size of the aircraft led to its eventual downfall as an impeded pilots from carrying out maneuvers to avoid enemy fire although the large wardens steel combination made for a sturdy body that could withstand considerable enemy fire the long travel times meant that the aircraft was exposed for too long the aircraft machine guns and cannons were effective countermeasures to a certain degree they were limited to short range and aiming was not always the easiest thing to do the mediterranean sea absorbed many of the human miss German transport planes that tried to cross it even though vessels had proven to be too vulnerable to British and allied fire the me3 2/3 proved to be even more at risk of defeat from air-to-air fire estimates point out that around fifteen thousand metric tons of military equipment were delivered to tunis and the desert airport between the end of 1942 and April of 1943 with approximately 1,200 trips from Italy to Tunisia some of the machinery delivered include over 300 trucks more than 200 medium-sized guns over 300 light guns and around 100 ground combat vehicles the destruction of the North Africa fleet the Holy Thursday Massacre came soon after the Palm Sunday massacre are the Axis powers lost between 123 and 157 yonkers Ju 52s the sequence of events marked a significant loss of Messerschmitt me-262 27 of these land-based transport planes were successfully intercepted by Allied fighter planes the German air force was trying to resupply the Tunisia effort by sending fuel loaded transports in a few fighter planes across the Mediterranean the formation of M III 2 3 s was in the company of Ju 52s and some other aircraft but halfway through the journey from Sicily the M III to 3 is set a course for Cape bond against the original orders they received to this day if son known why exactly the group leader opted for the change in route the majority of the escort in fighting aircraft remained by the side of the Ju 52s rather than the initial 104 protectors the large group of M III two-threes was left with only 36 fighter companions despite there's 36 protectors the choice to separate from the central air convoy made the transport planes easy targets and they learned of the incoming enemy the South African Air Force sent 38 p-40 Warhawk fighters along with the spitfire squadron some British and Polish Spitfires also joined the chase the opposing aircraft met over the gulf of Tunis and the Allied fighter is almost wholly obliterated the German transport aircraft 22 Messerschmitt me-262 the Mediterranean Sea most of the me2 three to Fleet on that front was gone in a matter of hours these losses were even more significant when paired with the constant downing of enemy three to threes ultimately the Luftwaffe would through the Messerschmitt me-262 move considering that northern Africa which soon entirely be claimed by the Allies it was perhaps done too late and with much of their aircraft force depleted by the end of the war not a single one of these planes survived the Luftwaffe museum del Bundeswehr hosts only a wing spar from one of them in his permanent collection the most complete wreck known to exist was found in 2012 in the Mediterranean Sea by La Maddalena the rusting giant had been downed by a British brow fighter in July of 1943 well on its way to peace toya now covered in algae in coral the last Messerschmitt me-262 [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Dark Skies

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Keywords: aviation, aircraft, airplane, ww2, wwii, me323, me 323, history, history channel, documentary, documentary channel, world war ii, messerschmitt me 323, world war 2, airplanes, largest, biggest, plane, military, transport, german, germany, luftwaffe

Id: VEOL73jwfs4

Length: 10min 27sec (627 seconds)

Published: Thu May 14 2020