Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: angelsandair on July 16, 2008, 05:25:06 PM
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I've been reading up on this goliath, and I wonder if there's a good aireal photo of it flying or it compared to a 109 or a 190? Could somebody dig one up? :aok
p.s. was it ever at all worth anything during WW2?
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(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg3/Pannono/Gigant_italie_1943.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg3/Pannono/Messerschmitt_Me323.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg3/Pannono/Me-323-wheels.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg3/Pannono/Gigant-left.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg3/Pannono/Me-323-title-dwg.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg3/Pannono/Me-323-nose-guns.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg3/Pannono/me323-cows-on-runway.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg3/Pannono/me323-being-worked-on.jpg)
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Me 323:
Length: 92ft 4in
Wingspan: 181ft
Height: 33ft 3.5in
Fw 190A-8:
Length: 29ft
Wingspan: 34ft 5in
Height: 13ft
Bf 109G-6:
Length: 29ft 7in
Wingspan: 32ft 6in
Height: 8ft 2in
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From Wikipedia:
By September 1942 Me 323s were being delivered for use in the Tunisian campaign, and entered service in the Mediterranean theater in November 1942. The high rate of loss among Axis shipping had made necessary a huge airlift of equipment across the Mediterranean to keep Rommel's army supplied.
On April 22 1943 a formation of 27 fully laden Me 323s being escorted across the Sicilian Straits by Bf 109s from JG 27 was intercepted by seven squadrons of Spitfires and P-40s, with the loss of 21 Me 323s.Three of the P-40s were shot down by the escorts.
In terms of aircraft design, the Me 323 was actually very resilient, and could absorb a huge amount of enemy fire, unless loaded with barrels with fuel – the Afrika Korps' nicknames of Leukoplastbomber ("Elastoplast bomber") or even more derisively as the "adhesive tape bomber," were somewhat unfair. The Me 323 was something of a sitting duck, being so slow and large an aircraft. 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 summer 1944.
A total of 213 Me 323s 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 323s in service were an invaluable asset to the Germans, and saw intensive use.
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Perked Transport? :D
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Perked Transport? :D
i could see that, it hold like 30 troops so you can just cover the place
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I can actually kinda see this too...not with the troops, though, but maybe options to carry 2 x airfield supplies or 3 x VH supplies...It'd be an easy target, so I wouldn't give it a perk. (well, maybe just a li'l one)
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i could see that, it hold like 30 troops so you can just cover the place
probably about 50...
Just imagine NOEs with it :O :lol
I cant imagine it in the game, just curious what it looked like, I read up on it, but only saw some odd pics of only the nose and part of the side.
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It was worth 23 perkies in WW2.
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probably about 50...
Just imagine NOEs with it :O :lol
you could hide 109's and LA's under it
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Wasent that plane a glider before they added the engines, or was it other way around, or am I just plain rong.
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Wasent that plane a glider before they added the engines, or was it other way around, or aim I just plain rong.
It was the Me321 and when engines were added it became the Me323.
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Specifications (Me 323)
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× Gnome-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
Google is your friend.
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18 pea shooters? Dang.
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and almost the same speed as our goon!
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and almost the same speed as our goon!
BUT TWICE AS BIG AND TWICE AS EASY AS A TARGET!! :lol :O
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Specifications (Me 323)
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× Gnome-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
Google is your friend.
Is that right? Loaded weight is less than 5,000lb more than the empty weight?
(Or is that covered by MTO Weight?)
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Its probably saying that fuel and ammo weighs 5k
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Wasn't that plane a glider before they added the engines, or was it other way around, or am I just plain wrong.
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Yeah I know I'm a horrible speller.
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:D
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what was this thing used for?
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what was this thing used for?
troop transport
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what was this thing used for?
(http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/AC/aircraft/Opel-Blitztruck/IMAGES/Me-323-truck.jpg)
(http://www.axishistory.com/fileadmin/user_upload/m/me323-2.jpg)
(http://www.afrikakorps.org/_photos/Gigant/Me323WSpares.jpg)
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Couldn't they also transport armour with it?
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I believe Armoured cars, Light tanks (such as panzer I-II) Marder II could be carried but I subtracted Max Takeoff from Loaded weight and got 29,815lbs that can be carried and the panzer II is around 22,000lbs and the panzer III was 49,160lbs so limited to really light tanks.
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I've seen photos of P-38's killing these things over the Med.
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i really want this plane, it would make resupping and capturing bases much easier.
IT WOULD ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-NEARY PS: squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!! :D
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it was suposed to be used in operation sealion so as you know it never hapend they used it in rusia and mediteranian
it was designed to care some troops and a panzer III
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it was suposed to be used in operation sealion so as you know it never hapend they used it in rusia and mediteranian
it was designed to care some troops and a panzer III
Agh? Sealion was a 1940's operation.
First flight of the Me323, late 1941
First flight of the Me321, 25 February 1941
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Agh? Sealion was a 1940's operation.
First flight of the Me323, late 1941
First flight of the Me321, 25 February 1941
I think it was DESIGNED for Operation Sealion. :aok
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I think it was DESIGNED for Operation Sealion. :aok
The Me 321 glider (that later was developed into the 323 in 1941) was designed for Sealion (as was the Ju 322 Mammut).
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wiki
History, Me321
During the preparation for a possible invasion of Britain during World War II (Operation Sealion) it became obvious to the Luftwaffe's Transport Command that the distances involved and the amount of cargo that would have to be transported required better transport aircraft than its mainstay, the Ju 52.[1]
When the plans for Operation Sealion were shelved in December 1940, and planning began for the invasion of Russia (Operation Barbarossa), it was decided that the most cost-effective solution to the need for transport aircraft was to use gliders. Accordingly, the Technical Bureau of the Luftwaffe issued a tender for rapid development of a Grossraumlastensegler (large-capacity transport glider) to the aircraft manufacturers Junkers and Messerschmitt. The specification called for the glider to be capable of carrying either an 88 mm gun plus its tractor, or a medium tank. The codename Projekt Warschau (Project Warsaw) was used, with Junkers being given the codename Warschau-Ost and Messerschmitt Warschau-Sud.
However, the Junkers design, the Ju 322 Mammut was unsuccessful due to the company opting to use all-wood construction.
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Planes like the C-17 and C-5 probably have there roots from this aircraft.