Messerschmitt Me 323 "Gigant" Heavy transport First flight Fall 1941 Entered service 1943
Manufacturer Messerschmitt A.G.
Dimensions: Length 28.2 m 92 ft 4 in Wingspan 55.2 m 181 ft 0 in
Height 10.15 m 33 ft3.5 in
Weights Empty 27,330 kg 60,260 lb Loaded 29,500 kg 65,000 lb Maximum takeoff 43,000 kg 94,815 lb
Performance Maximum speed 270 km/h 170 mph Combat range 800 km 500 mile Service ceiling 4,000 m 13,100 ft Rate of climb 216 m/min 710 ft/min
Armament Guns 18 - 7.92 mm MG81 machine-guns (in one loadout example)
1. it was developed from a glider, the Me-321 transport glider
2. it was among the largest of aircraft to fly in WWII
3. it loaded through 11-foot high doors in the front of the fuselage
4. it was powered wholly by French engines
5. it could use Jet Assisted Take Off (JATO).
The Me-323 transport had a crew of five consisting of two pilots, two flight engineers and a radio operator. Two additional gunners could be carried as well
"the Me 323 was used in 1943 to ferry supplies and reserve troops from Italy and Sicily to the German Afrika Korps in Tunis and the area of North Africa. However, from Ultra intelligence, the transport formations' flight schedules were known to the Allies who used this information to send fighter squadron to ambush the aerial convoys and shoot down the transports.
For example, on 22 April 1943 near Cape Bon, several squadrons of Spitfires and P-40 Kittyhawks attacked a unit of 14 petrol-carrying Me 323s and their fighter escorts. All 14 were shot down with the loss of about 120 crew and 700 drums of fuel.
The Me 323 was also a short-range aircraft, with a typical range (loaded) of 1,000 - 1,200 km. Despite this, the limited numbers of Me 323's in service were an invaluable asset to the Germans, and saw intensive use. The Me 323 was something of a 'sitting duck', being so slow and large an aircraft. In the final weeks of the North African campaign in April/May 1943, 43 Gigants were lost, along with much greater numbers of Ju 52's. In terms of aircraft design, the Me 323 was actually very resilient, and could absorb a huge amount of enemy fire - the Afrika Korps' nickname of Leukoplastbomber (Elastoplast Bomber) was somewhat unfair. However, no transport aircraft can ever be expected to survive without air superiority or at least, comprehensive local air cover, and it is believed that no Me 323's survived in service beyond the summer of 1944."
Just under 200 Me 323's were built before production ceased in April 1944
Could carry and drop 100 troops or 15 tons of equipment.
We could include that in a superior re-supply role!
If the C-47 shaves 15 mins off the repair time of a field, perhaps this monster could shave 30 minutes off or something like that.
--- Xasthur
It's the supply crate, not the C-47 that reduces repair time, so it would come down to how many base supplies a Gigant could carry compared to a Goon.
Who wants a slow, armed goon that can carry a jeep, M3, M8, or drop 100 troops, dozens of vehicle supplies, or several field supplies at once?
We definitely DON'T need those.
Of the few the Germans produced most caught fire and burned due to engine overheating and synch problems.
The idea was scrapped.
ROX
Best I can figure, Ball is right, and you are thinking about the He-177, especially early models before the engine re-design, and the reason production stopped had more to do with the
Fighter Emergency Program, which cancelled bomber production and operations and gave priority to defensive fighters in the final stages of the war.
Very large, very slow transport, but at least you can shoot back.
