source text below found at:
http://www.eagle19.freeserve.co.uk/aircraft.htmGotha Go 242 - Medium assault glider
The Gotha Go-242 medium assault glider development was approved as it offered three times the capacity of the DFS-230. It could carry a crew of two and up to 21 fully equipped troops or the equivalent weight in stores and equipment. The wings were made of wood with a fabric covering, twin booms extended from the rear of the wings to carry twin fins and rudders joined by a tail plane. The fuselage, which was positioned centrally, was made of tubular steel covered with fabric. Below the fuselage was a twin wheeled dolly, which was jettisoned on take off and two fixed skids for landing. Troops entered the aircraft by a door in the left side of the aircraft; cargo was put on board through the rear hinged fuselage door.
Prototypes were flown in 1941 and it went into production soon after, entering service in 1942. It saw service in the Mediterranean and North Africa and only participated in two Fallshirmjäger operations when men of the 1st Parachute Division used it as a ferry from southern France to Sicily in July 1943 and again when they were used to fly in re-inforcements and equipment to a small para force who were dealing with an FFI uprising in southern France in July 1944. The towing vehicle was normally a Heinkel 111. One variant employed rockets to assist in takeoff, which resulted in the tail boom having to be strengthened. Over 1500 of these gliders were produced during the war, but none of them took part in any of the well publicized operational paradrops.
The Gotha Go-244 was also produced which was a powered version of the 242 and came about when French Gnome-Rhone radial engines became available after the fall of France and the 242 was modified to a twin engine transport aircraft. They proved to be easy targets for allied fighters and they were withdrawn form front line service and used for training airborne troops. Both types a wing span of 80 ft and they were 51 ft long.
Wing span: 24.50m (80 ft. 4½ in.)
Length: 15.81m (51 ft. 10 in.)
Height: 4.40m (14 ft. 4½ in.)
Wing Surface Area: N/A
