As with many other famous aircraft of the Second World War, such as the Hcinkcl He 70 and He 111, the six-engine Bv 222 and 238 flying boats owe their existence to an initiative of the Deutsche Lufthansa. Lufthansa's technical branch published the basic requirements for a large flying boat which would be used for commercial transatlantic routes.
This requirement was passed to the firms of Hcinkcl, Dornier and Blohm & Voss (formerly the Hamburger Flugzcugbau). Hcinkcl had considerable experience in building maritime aircraft, as did Dornier with flying boats, and Blohm & Voss had paved a new path in seaplane construction with their Ha 139. With the Do X from 1929, Dornier had shown how such "flying ships" could be build. At the time, however, there was still a lack of suitable engines.
Hcinkcl believed it could manage with four engines and offered the He 120, later designated the He 220. Dornier leaned toward the design of the Do X with its Do 20 proposal, but wanted to fit paired engines. Eight dicscl motors would provide the power to four airscrews. Dr. Vogt, the chief of design at Blohm & Voss, wanted to install six engines from the beginning, using the reliable BMW 132.
Lufthansa considered Vogt's proposal to have the most merit. A contract was issued on 19 August 1937 for three of the flying boats, designated the Ha (later Bv) 222. Comprehensive tow basin testing got underway at the Deutsche Schiffsbau Vcrsuchsanstalt (German Shipbuilding Test Facility).
Название: Blohm & Voss Bv 222
Издательство: Shiffer Publishing
Серия Military History
Год издания: August 22, 1997
Автор: Heinz J. Nowarra
ISBN: 0-7643-0295-7
Язык: english
Страниц: 51 pages
Формат: pdf
Размер 19,0 Mb
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