DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
IL2 Air Combat!
HTML https://il2freemodding.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: IL2 Aircraft Articles
*****************************************************
#Post#: 11638--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant ("Giant"
;)
By: vonofterdingen Date: June 22, 2020, 10:42 am
---------------------------------------------------------
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/PqLPh0df/Screen-Hunter-298.png
I chose a rather offbeat aircraft for this week’s Plane of the
Week: a huge transport. The Messerschmitt Me 323 is a forerunner
of today’s C-5 and C-17 transports, whose mission was and is to
carry large amounts of men and material to battle fronts far
away. In WW2 however, such a large and slow aircraft is
vulnerable to enemy fighters no matter how well armed it may be.
From Wikipedia:
The Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant ("Giant") was the result of a
1940 German requirement for a large assault glider in
preparation for Operation Sea Lion, the projected invasion of
Great Britain. The DFS 230 light glider had already proven its
worth in the Battle of Fort Eben-Emael in Belgium (the first
ever assault by gliderborne troops), and would later be used
successfully in the invasion of Crete in 1941.
However, in order to mount an invasion across the English
Channel, the Germans would need to be able to airlift vehicles
and other heavy equipment as part of an initial assault wave.
Although Operation Sea Lion was cancelled, the requirement for a
heavy air transport capability still existed, with the focus now
on the forthcoming Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the
Soviet Union.
On 18 October 1940, Junkers and Messerschmitt were given just
14 days to submit a proposal for a large transport glider. The
emphasis was still very much on the assault role: the ambitious
requirement was to be able to carry either an 88 mm gun and its
half-track tractor, or a Panzer IV medium tank. The Junkers Ju
322 Mammut reached prototype form but was eventually scrapped
due to difficulties in procuring the necessary high-grade timber
for its all-wood construction and, as was discovered during the
Mammut's only test flight, an unacceptably high degree of
instability inherent in the design. The proposed Messerschmitt
aircraft was originally designated Me 261w — partly borrowing
the designation of the long-range Messerschmitt Me 261, then
changed to Me 263 (later re-used for Messerschmitt's improved
rocket fighter design) and eventually became the Me 321.
Although the Me 321 saw considerable service in Russia as a
transport, it was never used for its intended role as an assault
glider.
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/J08nNnZt/Screen-Hunter-300.png
Early in 1941, as a result of feedback from Transport Command
pilots in Russia, the decision was taken to produce a motorized
variant of the Me 321, to be designated Me 323. It was decided
to use French Gnome et Rhône GR14N radial engines rated at 1,180
PS (1,164 hp, 868 kW) for take-off as used in the Bloch MB.175
aircraft; using French engines was thought to place no burden on
Germany's overstrained industry.
Initial tests were conducted using four Gnome engines
attached to a strengthened Me 321 wing, which gave a modest
speed of 210 km/h (130 mph) – 80 km/h (50 mph) slower than the
Ju 52 transport aircraft. A fixed undercarriage was fitted,
which comprised four small wheels in a bogie at the front of the
aircraft with six larger wheels in two lines of three at each
side of the fuselage, partly covered by an aerodynamic fairing.
The rear wheels were fitted with pneumatic brakes, and could
stop the aircraft within 200 m (660 ft).
The four-engined Me 323C was considered merely a stepping
stone to the six-engined D series; it still required the
five-engined Heinkel He 111Z Zwilling or the highly dangerous,
"vic-style" Troika-Schlepp formation of three Messerschmitt Bf
110 heavy fighters and underwing-mounted Walter HWK 109-500
Starthilfe rocket assisted takeoff units to get airborne when
fully loaded, but it could return to base under its own power
when empty. This was clearly not much better than the Me 321, so
the V2 prototype became the first to have six engines and flew
for the first time in early 1942, becoming the prototype for the
D series aircraft.
The selection of the six engines, and their specific
placement on the wing's leading edge, were fitted to reduce
torque – a trio of counterclockwise rotation engines mounted on
the port wing, and a trio of clockwise rotation engines on the
starboard wing as seen forward from behind each engine,
resulting in the props rotating "away" from each other at the
tops of their arcs.
By September 1942, Me 323s were being delivered for use in
the Tunisian campaign, and entered service in the Mediterranean
theater in November 1942. The high rate of loss among Axis
shipping had made necessary a huge airlift of equipment across
the Mediterranean to keep Rommel's Afrika Korps supplied.
On 22 April 1943, a formation of 27 fully loaded Me 323s was
being escorted across the Sicilian Straits by Bf 109s of JG 27
when it was intercepted by seven squadrons of Spitfires and
P-40s. Of the 27 transports, only six reached their destination;
the remaining 21 of the Me 323s were lost while three of the
P-40s were shot down by the escorts.
A total of 198 Me 323s were built before production ceased in
April 1944. There were several production versions, beginning
with the D-1. Later D- and E- versions differed in the choice of
power plant and in defensive armament, with improvements in
structural strength, total cargo load and fuel capacity also
being implemented. Nonetheless, the Me 323 remained
significantly underpowered. There was a proposal to install six
BMW 801 radials, but this never came to pass. The Me 323 was
also a short-range aircraft, with a typical range (loaded) of
1,000–1,200 km (620–750 mi). Despite this, the limited numbers
of Me 323s in service were an asset to the Germans, and saw
extensive use.
[img width=1024
height=545]
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/tJzg2jNk/Screen-Hunter-297.png[/img]
In game…
The Messerschmitt Me 323 is not a plane that I want to fly in
game, but I sure like to meet up with them. There is a
particular excitement in the game when I encounter an aircraft
for the first time, especially an aircraft as unique as this
one. I remember long ago I was playing a DCG desert campaign. I
was flying a US P-39 when I came across two Md-323s in the
distance. I had not seen one before and had not known we had an
enemy plane that large. It was a very exciting attack, and
thanks to the P-39’s cannon the Messerschmitt went down
somewhere near Mareth.
#Post#: 11639--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant ("Giant&
quot;)
By: JG51_Ruski Date: June 22, 2020, 11:36 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Holy crapper Von it's sure a beast and interesting
reading,,Thank You for the fine work
#Post#: 11672--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant ("Giant&
quot;)
By: ben_wh Date: June 25, 2020, 10:58 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Thank you, von, for another great write-up.
RE. In-game
Me-323 is an extreme (large) example of the 'transport' class of
aircraft which we have had as flyable for a while but the
gameplay has yet to catch up.
When launched, IL-2 shone in, non-surprisingly, low-level ground
attack and fighter combat. Gameplay for level bomber has been
improving over the years, and to a lesser degree game play for
recon.
However as the portfolio of aircraft class expands (largely due
to mods) the game can benefit from expanded gameplay mechanics
in different areas as well: transport, trainer, artillery
spotting, search-and-rescue among others. Modders have made
some progress here (e.g. Command and Control mod) but there is
still potential.
It looks like that transport (at least the Li-2/ C-47 and the
Ju-52) will be a focus in the next official patch. would love
to see whether there is related gameplay enhancement there as
well.
Cheers,
#Post#: 11679--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant ("Giant&
quot;)
By: Beowolff Date: June 27, 2020, 4:21 am
---------------------------------------------------------
This thing is so big and knarly looking that it's actually sort
of scary...like a monster sort of. :o Wonderful write up,
Von! Thank you!
S!
Beo
*****************************************************