Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant (Giant)

History

As soon as the engineless Messerschmitt Me 321 glider entered service, the Luftwaffe requested a powered version. Messerschmitt responded with two different prototypes, both based on the early Me 321 prototype glider.

The new aircraft was named "Me 323" and the first prototype, the Me 323 V1, had four French Gnome Rhone GR14N radial piston engines, each with 990 hp, mounted on the leading edges of the wings. The second prototype - the Me 323 V2 - received six such Gnome Rhone engines.

The use of six engines in the latter prototype (and rocket-assisted launch - now called "RATO") meant that the Me 323 no longer needed to use a towed aircraft to lift off. On the other hand, the Me 323 V1 continued to require the use of towed aircraft, or in the case of a dangerous "troika" arrangement, 3 x tethered Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters. As a result, the German authorities chose the Me 323 V2 for serial production and ten pre-production forms under the designation Me 323 D-1 Offset. The Me 323 "Giant" officially entered service in 1943, and some early forms were modifications of existing Me 321 gliders, some even fitted with two-bladed propellers instead of the more traditional three-bladed propellers.

Production spanned from 1942 to 1944 until about 200 were produced.

Messerschmitt I 323 walking around

The lines of the Me 323 closely follow those of the previous Me 321 glider, with the main recognizable feature being the use of six engines, three per wing, for its own propulsion. In order to prevent the Germans from needing operational aircraft engines to arm their fighters and bombers, it made sense to opt for French-made engines in the production process, since these French facilities were now under German control.

This type still exhibits a slow and bulky nature, but its wheeled landing system is now fixed (Me 321 uses a disposable cart and landed on skids), its defensive armament has been further addressed, Its internal carrying capacity is still greater than that offered by the older three-engine workhorse Junkers Ju 52. It can transport more than 100 soldiers, a tank, an armoured vehicle, a large-caliber field gun or medical patients with support staff as needed. The structure remains the same as the previous Me 321steel steel for the fuselage and fabric-covered wood for the wingsthe latter to save weight. Defensive armament consisted of 5 x 7.92mm machine guns and the aircraft was operated by two crews, specialists and gunners.

The Me 323 remained a large, heavy airframe that lacked any form of defensive agility, ultimately making it fodder for Allied guns.

The changing German situation in Africa

At this point in the war, German general Erwin Rommel faced the changing situation of British and Commonwealth troops in North Africa. Its supply line runs from Italy across the Mediterranean, through nearby Malta, and finally to the port of Tunisia. However, the British maintained control of Malta and took every opportunity to attack the German fleet - meaning that sometimes only a quarter of the ships reached Tunisia.

Ultimately, despite a massive Luftwaffe bombing campaign, Malta claimed to never fall under Hitler's sphere of influence throughout World War II.

Me 323 in action

Considering the use of Me 323s to resupply Rommel troops with failed convoys due to the situation in North Africa requiring attention. The first Me 323s were used to do this in November 1942. Unfortunately, like the Me 321 glider that preceded it, the slow Me 323 proved to be no match for the British fighter patrol, even when used with the mighty fighter escort protection itself.

An inherent advantage of the Me 323 is that, thanks to its large wooden structure, it can withstand a lot of punishment from machine gun fire - only the engines, cockpit and fuel storage are large critical areas that could render the aircraft uncontrollable. However, the Me 323's lack of agility meant that pilots were unable to make useful defensive maneuvers to evade enemy attack. Airborne defensive machine guns and (later) cannons certainly helped keep enemy fighters at bay, but they had limited range. Defensive weapons continued to be addressed in future brands (including larger caliber machine guns and cannons), but that didn't stop the many Me 323s trying to cross the Mediterranean skies from being eliminated.

Me 323 losses in the Mediterranean increased, eventually forcing them to retreat to the Eastern Front in time to support the Germans against the Soviet Union. Africa ultimately lost to the Allies, setting the stage for Allied invasions of Italy and France in the near future.

Me 323 Production

Sources vary on the exact number of completed Me 323s, as the conversion of ex-Me 321 gliders to Me 323 motor transports confuses the numbers. Nonetheless, at least 200 prototypes of this type were temporarily in service, and interestingly, none of them survived the war unscathed.

Me 323 production mark

The original production model was the Me 323 D-1 with six Gnome-Rhone 14N series radial engines. The Me 323 E-1 is a continuation of the series, which introduced 2 x HDL 151 series armed turrets (each with 20mm MG 151/20 cannons) on the upper wing surface for enhanced defense.

The Me 323 E-2 came online next, but their turret is now an EDL 151 model with a low drag design for better aerodynamics and 6 x Junkers Jumo 21 1R engines installed. The Me 323 E-2WT received an additional turret at the front of the fuselage to further improve the defense network.

Me 323 Prototype and Proposal

In addition to the production model, the Me 323 was tested in various prototype forms. These include Me 323 V-13 with 6 x Gnome-Rhone 14N 48/49 series engines (base for Me 323 E series models), Me 323 V-14 with 6 x Junkers Jumo 211F series engines, Me 323 V-16 Proposal for heavy transport/heavy bomber with 6 x Junkers Jumo 211R engines and Me 323Z "Zwilling" ("twin"), two Me 323 airframes mounted on central wing attachments - similar in scope to Heinkel He 111Z" Twins" development is detailed elsewhere on this page.

A Me 323Z prototype was completed, but was lost in an accident in July 1944.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes