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Blohm and Voss Ha 139

1937 WORLD WAR 2

History of Blohm and Voss Ha 139

The 1930s saw a resurgence of the re-established German aviation industry, which enabled long-suffering companies to engage in trade once considered a German specialty. The long-time shipbuilder Blohm & Voss (BV) was ripe for entry into aircraft construction (focusing on sheet metal forms), which led to the establishment of the "Hamburger Flugzeugbau" group in 1933 as a branch of the brand.

From a business standpoint, this was quite favorable to the rise of the Nazi Party, which attempted to rearm the beleaguered German army despite restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles after the First World War (1914-1918).

Blohm & Voss first flew its "Ha 139" seaplane in October 1933. The design features a streamlined fuselage with a stepped cockpit and a low-mounted inverted "gull-wing" main aircraft (inner and outer reverse sides). using a V-section) and a four-engine layout - two engines can be mounted on each wing.

Added double floats to enable the aircraft to live on water. The tail is in a split vertical tail arrangement, located on a common horizontal plane of the fuselage and supported by struts.

At the time of deployment, the Ha 139 is becoming one of the largest seaplanes in service in the world, demonstrating Blohm & Voss' expertise in all areas of water.

The program started with the "Project 15" design, which later evolved into the Ha 139 in the name. This resulted in the prototype Ha 139 V1, named "Norwind". Then there was the Ha 139 V2 known as "Nordmeer".

Eventually, the Ha 139 V3 product went live under the name "Nordstern", an entry that differed by having a larger wingspan and larger surface area as well as an improved engine mount. The V3 briefly served at Deutsche Luft Hansa as "Ha 139B".

The "Project 20" design was a reconnaissance bomber derivative proposed to the Luftwaffe before the war, but received little interest.

The Ha 139 was not developed for the military needs of the Luftwaffe at the time, but for long-distance transatlantic mail/cargo routes and was flown in this way for the Lufthansa Lufthansa between 1937 and 1939 - The official start of the Second World War (1939-1945). The company operates the aircraft under the name Ha 139B. However, everything changed with the outbreak of World War II and all types of aircraft entered service with the Luftwaffe in various roles - including the Ha 139. The same Ha 139B in service with the Luftwaffe Lufthansa, and also to military spec designation "Ha 139/Umbau", includes an all-glass nose for improved visibility and a 7.92mm machine gun and additional 7.92 above the fuselage Millimeter machine gun installations (one along the rear line of the fuselage and one on the sides of the tail) were used for self-defense.

The same aircraft was subsequently redesigned for mine clearance missions - with magnetic sensors for ground operations.

The completed Ha 139B/Umbau, carrying a crew of 4 to 5, measures 65.9 feet in length, 96.8 feet in span, and 15.8 feet in height. The kerb weight reaches 23,000 pounds and the MTOW is 42,000 pounds.

Power comes from 4 Junkers Jumo 205C 6-cylinder diesel-powered piston engines, each driving a three-bladed all-metal variable-pitch propeller unit, delivering up to 600 hp at takeoff. Performance specs include a top speed of 180 mph, a cruising speed of nearly 150 mph, a ferry range of up to 2,860 miles, and a climb rate of 560 feet per minute.

Before the end, only three Ha 139 aircraft were actually completed in prototype, modified prototype or full service form. Their service in the Luftwaffe appears to be short-lived, the line has developed into a land-based form - the Ha 142/Bv 142 (detailed elsewhere on this site) with little success - only four of which survived being made in 1940 year. [ /p]