You mean this sucker???
Capable of carrying 100 combat-equipped troops or a similar freight load of about 15 tons, 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.
Just under 200 Me 323's 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. 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 323s survived in service beyond the summer of 1944.
General characteristics
Crew: 5
Capacity: 130 troops or 10–12 tonnes equipment
Length: 28.2 m (92 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 55.2 m (181 ft 0 in)
Height: 10.15 m (33 ft 3.5 in)
Empty weight: 27,330 kg (60,260 lb)
Loaded weight: 29,500 kg (65,000 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 43,000 kg (94,815 lb)
Powerplant: 6× Gnôme-Rhône 14N , 700 kW (950 hp) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 270 km/h (170 mph)
Range: 800 km (500 miles)
Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,100 ft)
Rate of climb: 216 m/min (710 ft/min)
Ferry range: 1,100 km (684 miles)
Armament
18 × 7.92 mm MG 81 machine guns
