11/17/2023 0 Comments German anti tank weapons modernThe 321 was originally towed by three BF 110’s fighters in concert, the “troika” tow. Loading was via a pair of huge clamshell doors in the nose. ![]() Two-hundred troops could be accommodated in place of cargo. It weighed 12 tons and could carry about 20 tons. It had a 55-meter wingspan, was 28.15 meters long, and nearly 6 meters deep. The Messerschmitt 321, the Gigant, was the largest glider ever used on operations. Either the JU 52 or the He 111 was used for towing. The total output was about 1,500 and most were used for resupply on the Russian front. Unlike the DFS 230, the Go 242 was not much of a glider and had to be landed rather quickly after being cast off from the tow. Over twenty troops or a light field gun and a towing vehicle could be carried. Construction was tube steel, fabric, and wood and it carried up to four tons. There were two doors, one on each side, at the front of the cabin. Freight was loaded via an upward hinging door at the rear of the fuselage. rather like the later American Fairchild C-119, the Go 242 had a central nacelle and twin booms. ![]() It was first placed in service in summer 1941, by which time the great days of German Airborne assaults were over. The Go 242 (GOTHAER WAGGONFABRIK AG) was designed to be a better load carrier than the DFS 230.
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