DFS 230

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DFS 230
DFS 230 in tow, Italy 1943
Type: Glider
Design country:

German Reich NSGerman Reich (Nazi era) German Empire

Manufacturer:

German research institute for gliding

First flight:

1937

Commissioning:

1940

Production time:

1939-1944

Number of pieces:

1603

The DFS 230 was developed as a cargo glider for one pilot and with a transport capacity of nine soldiers and was used several times for air landings by German troops ( army and air force ) during World War II .

history

The aircraft was designed by Hans Jacobs and his colleagues Heinrich Voepel , Adolf Wanner (both aerodynamics), Ludwig Pieler (statics) and Herbert Lück at the German Research Institute for Glider Flight (DFS) in Darmstadt . In October 1936 a dummy was completed; by 1937 a prototype was developed. This type went into series production as the DFS 230 A-1 after it had been tested by Hanna Reitsch , among others .

construction

DFS 230 landing at an airfield in Italy, 1943
DFS 230 after landing, North Africa 1942
DFS-230 replica in Gatow

The DFS 230 was a braced shoulder- wing aircraft with a rectangular fuselage cross-section. The fuselage consisted of a welded tubular steel framework with fabric covering. The single-spar trapezoidal wings had rounded tips and were planked with plywood at the wing leading edge; the back part was covered with fabric. For the start, the DFS 230 had a removable wheeled undercarriage; The landing was on a triple-sprung wooden skid.

The pilot sat under a folding hood, nine more soldiers, one behind the other, on a padded bench with handles.

production

Series production of the DFS 230 started in July 1939 at Robert Hartwig's factory in Sonneberg , a toy factory. By June 30, 1940, the first 109 sailors had been delivered there. The A-2 and A-3 series were delivered from the A version, although it is not clear from the documents whether A-1 was also built. The A version expired in April 1941 after production of the Gotha Go 242 had started successfully at the Gothaer Waggonfabrik in Gotha . Most of the DFS 230s were built by the Sonneberg Hartwig factory until 1941, Bücker in Rangsdorf produced the B-2 version from January to September 1941, as was the Gothaer Waggonfabrik (GWF) until June 1941; Until September 1941 the Erla machine works in Leipzig manufactured the A and B variants. Erla built wings and fuselages in his Plant IV in Johanngeorgenstadt , which were transported to Plant I (Wodanstrasse) in Leipzig and assembled there. The Bohemian-Moravian Machine Factory (BMM, Prague ) was also involved in production in 1941/42 . Mráz in Chotzen ( Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ) produced some DFS 230 C-1s as the last version between April and July 1943.

Construction figures for the DFS 230 up to November 30, 1944 :

version Hartwig Erla GWF Bucker BMM Mráz TOTAL
A. 622 32         654
B-2 214 138 23 170 391   936
C-1           13 13
TOTAL 836 170 23 170 391 13 1603

commitment

In 1937 there was a preparatory gliding course in Griesheim with 60 participants under the direction of Fritz Stamer . On April 1, 1938, the first training command for cargo gliding was set up in Fürstenwalde . The flight tests took place with the participation of well-known glider pilots such as Otto Bräutigam, Richard Kraft, Bernhard Flinsch, Heinz Lange, Heinz Scheidhauer , Rudolf Opitz , Karl Schieferstein, Hermann Zitter, Erwin Ziller and Erich Meyer.

This new type of weapon was used for the first time on May 10, 1940 : To capture the Belgian Fort Eben-Emael at dawn, nine gliders landed on the fortress, which surrendered a day later.

The largest use of this type took place one year later when the Mediterranean island of Crete was invaded by German mountain and paratroopers . The DFS 230s of Group I of Airborne Squadron 1 suffered such high losses that an operation of this magnitude was never attempted again.

Next up was the DFS 230 B-1; it was identical to the previous model except for a braking parachute and devices for attaching defensive weapons.

DFS 230 cargo gliders were also used for replenishment missions in North Africa and on the Eastern Front . A daring action in September 1943 was the " Operation Eiche ", the liberation of the dictator Benito Mussolini from the Hotel Campo Imperatore on Gran Sasso in Abruzzo , whereby only ten of the twelve DFS sailors originally planned could be used. In order to shorten the landing distance, the DFS 230 C-1 version with brake rockets in the nose of the fuselage was used. DFS 230s were also used in the air landing operation on the Vercors mountain plateau near Grenoble on July 21, 1944 in the fight against forces of the French Resistance (more details here ).

During the final battle in Budapest until the beginning of February 1945 cargo gliders (type?) Landed with supplies for the trapped troops.

Some mistletoe combinations were also tested with either Fw-56 , Kl-35 or Bf-109E machines mounted on the fuselage ; However, none was ready for use. For the gyroplane Fa 225 , the fuselage of the DFS 230 was used together with the rotor of the helicopter Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 .

Junkers Ju 52 / 3m or other multi-engine aircraft such as Dornier Do 17 , Heinkel He 111 and Messerschmitt Bf 110 were mainly used as tow planes . Depending on the operating conditions, single-engine models such as Arado Ar 65 , Avia B-534 , Heinkel He 46 , Henschel Hs 126 or Junkers Ju 87 were also used.

Versions

  • DFS 230 A-1 : first series version
  • DFS 230 A-2 : like A-1 , but with double control
  • DFS 230 B-1 : variant with braking parachute
  • DFS 230 B-2 : like B-1 , but with double control
  • DFS 230 C-1 : B-1 with redesigned bow to accommodate three brake rockets
  • DFS 230 D-1 : C-1 with a new nose for the brake rockets, only a prototype (probably V6)
  • DFS 230 F-1 : New design with larger capacity to accommodate up to 15 people, only one prototype (DFS 230 V7, DV + AV) built.

Technical specifications

Three-sided tear
Parameter Data DFS 230 A-1
crew 1 pilot + 9 soldiers
length 11.24 m
span 21.98 m
height 2.74 m
Wing area 41.3 m²
Wing extension 11.7
Glide ratio about 12 (loaded)
Empty mass 860 kg
Max. Takeoff mass 2100 kg
Max. Towing speed 210 km / h

See also

literature

  • Peter Ocker: Hans Jacobs - pioneering life in aircraft construction . Self-published, Heidenheim 2012, ISBN 978-3-00-039539-0 .

Web links

Commons : DFS 230  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Gerhard Fölz: From the DFS 230 to the Me 321 "Gigant" . In: aerokurier . No. 6 , 1987, pp. 670 f .
  2. ^ Federal Archives / Military Archives Freiburg: Production programs.