Nazi Germany (1942)
Transport Floatplane – 1 Built

With the success of the previous Blohm & Voss Bv 222 flying boat, Dr. Ing. Richard Vogt, chief designer at Blohm & Voss, began working on an even larger improved design in the form of the Blohm & Voss Bv 238. As the Bv 238 development began in the late stages of the war, only one aircraft was ever completed and used only briefly.

Dr. Ing. Richard Vogt’s Work

In 1937, Lufthansa opened a tender for a long-range passenger flying boat transport that would be able to reach New York in 20 hours. Blohm & Voss eventually would go on to win this tender. The chosen aircraft was the Blohm & Voss Bv 222, designed by Dr. Ing. Richard Vogt.

During 1941, Dr. Ing. Richard Vogt began working on a new aircraft larger even than the already huge Blohm & Voss Bv 222. In July the same year, he presented to the RLM, the German ministry of aviation (Reichsluftfahrtministerium), the plans for the new Blohm & Voss Bv 238. This aircraft was, in essence, a modified and enlarged version of the Bv 222 powered by six Daimler-Benz DB 603 engines. Three aircraft powered with this engine were to be built, belonging to the A-series. Six more aircraft were to be powered by six BMW 801 engines and these would be designated as B-series.

To speed up the development and avoid wasting resources if the project proved to be unsuccessful, the RLM officials asked for a smaller scale flying model to be built first instead of a working prototype. This scale model plane was named FG 227 (or FGP 227, depending on the source) and was to be built and tested at Flugtechnische Fertigungsgemeinschaft GmbH located in Prague.

The FG 227 scale flying model

The construction of this scale model was undertaken by a group of Czech students under the direction of well-known glider pilot Dipl.Ing. Ludwig Karch. It was to be powered by six ILO Fl 2/400 engines pushing 21 hp each. As it was meant to be tested on the ground and not in water, the FG 227 was provided with landing gear which consisted of two wheels in the nose and two more wheels placed on each side of the fuselage.

When the FG 227 was completed, it was to be flight tested. From the start, there were issues with it, as it was unable to takeoff under its own power. After the unsuccessful start, it was disassembled and transported to Travemünde for future testing. During transport, French prisoners of war deliberately damaged one of the wings. Once the damage was repaired, it was flight tested. But during the flight, made in September 1944, all six engines stopped working, which caused an accident where the FG 227 was damaged. After yet another major repair, a few more flights were carried out. The FG 227’s overall performance was disappointing and it didn’t play any major role in the Bv 238 development.

The Bv 238

Construction of the first Bv 238 parts began in early 1942. The final assembly was not possible until January 1944. Due to a shortage of materials and the increasing assaults by the Allied Air Forces, the Bv 238 V1 first prototype could not be completed until March of 1945. The first flight test we conducted immediately after its completion. However, sources do not agree on the exact year when this happened. This is the timeline of development and construction according to author  H. J. Nowarra.

Author M. Griehl states that the first flight test was made on the 11th of March 1944. Author C. R. G. Bain states, according to post war testimonies of Dr. Ing. Richard Vogt, that the first test flight was actually made in 1943. According to D. Nešić, the first flight was made in April 1944. The results of this test flight showed that the Bv 238 prototype had surprisingly excellent flying performance. For this reason, it was immediately put into operational service.

Throughout the Bv 238 development phase, it was often discussed precisely which role it could fulfill. While it was primarily designed as a transport plane, a new idea was proposed to act as a U-boat support aircraft. This would include carrying supplies, fuel, torpedos and men to the U-boats operating in the Atlantic. Of course, by the time the first prototype was near completion, the war was almost over, so this proposal was realistically not possible. Plans to use it as a long range bomber, carrying six 2,400 kg bombs, also never materialized.

Bv 238 V1 was meant to operate from Shaalsee, and for its service with the Luftwaffe, it received the RO+EZ designation. As the Allied bombing raids effectively destroyed the Blohm & Voss factory in Hamburg, orders came down to hide the Bv 238 from the Allied Air Force. The question was how to hide such a huge aircraft. The Germans did try to do so but the aircraft was eventually found by the Allies who managed to sink it. The circumstances are not clear to this day, as both Americans and the British pilots claimed the kill. According to the most well-known story, it was destroyed by a group of American P-51 Mustangs belonging to the 131st Fighter Group. The kill was made by the leading P-51 piloted by Lt. Urban Drew. According to the testimony of the Blohm & Voss workers, the British, in their advance discovered the hidden craft. Once spotted, the British sent attack aircraft to sink it. Its remains would finally be blown up during 1947 or 1948 to make the scrapping process easier. All the remaining Bv 238 that were under construction were also scrapped after the war.

Technical Characteristics

The Bv 238 was designed as a six-engined, high wing, flying transport floatplane. The Bv 238 fuselage was divided into two decks. On the upper deck, the crew and the inboard equipment were housed. The lower floor was designed as a storage area during transport flights. In theory, there was enough room for around 150 soldiers in the Bv 238. A huge front hatch door was provided for easy access to the fuselage interior.

The wings were constructed using large tubular main spars. The wings were used to provide additional room for spare fuel and oil tanks. The wings were provided with flaps  running along the trailing edge. The large size of the wing construction allowed passageways for the crew to be installed, in order to have easy access to the engines. Unlike the Bv 222, which had a pair of outboard stabilizing floats mounted on each side, the Bv 238 had only two. The Bv 238 was powered by six Daimler DB 603G engines.

For self defense, the Bv 238 was to be provided with two HD 151 twin-gun turrets with 20 mm (0.78 in) MG 151 cannons, two HL 131 V turrets with four 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131 machine-guns and two additional MG 131s mounted in the fuselage sides. Despite the plans to arm the V1 prototype, this was never done.

The crew number is mentioned as 11 or 12 depending on the source. The sources do not specify the role they performed. It can be assumed, based on what is known from Bv 222, that there were at least two pilots, two mechanics, a radio operator and machine gun operator.

Production

The production of the Bv 238 was carried out by Blohm & Voss factory at Hamburg. Only one completed prototype would be built during the war. There were also at least two to six more prototypes under construction (depending on the source), but due to the war ending, none were completed.

The small number under construction may be explained by the fact that, in the late stages of the war, the Luftwaffe was more in need of fighter planes than transports planes. In addition, there is a possibility that the Bv 238 project was actually canceled by the RLM officials.

Versions

• Bv 238 A – Powered by Daimler-Benz DB 603 engines, only one built
• Bv 238 B – Powered by six MW 801 engines, none built
• Bv 250 – Land based version, none built
• FG 227 – Scale test model of the Bv 238, used for testing

Land Based Version

There were plans to adapt the Bv 238 for land based operations by adding landing gear wheels. The project was designated Bv 250 but none were ever built. It was planned to provide this version with heavy defence armament consisting of twelve 20 mm (0.78 in) MG 151 cannons. The engine chosen for this model was the six Jumo 222. As this engine was never built in any large numbers, the DB 603 was meant to be used instead.

Escape Aircraft

There are some rumors that the Bv 238 was actually developed as an escape aircraft for high ranking Nazi officials. It was rumored that Martin Bormann had plans to use it to escape Germany in early 1945. Of course, due to Allied Air Force supremacy and the Bv 238’s large size, this may have not been a viable plan if ever attempted.

Conclusion

If it was put into production, the Bv 238 would have had the honor of being the largest flying boat that saw service during the war. While it only performed test flights and was never used operationally, it was nevertheless an astonishing engineering achievement.

Blohm & Voss BV 238 V1 Specifications
Wingspan	196 ft / 60 m
Length	145 ft / 43.4 m
Height	35 ft 9 in / 10.9 m
Wing Area	3,875 ft² / 360 m²
Engine	Six 2900 hp Daimler-Benz DB 603
Empty Weight	120,500 lb / 54,660 kg
Maximum Takeoff Weight	207,990 lb / 94,340 kg
Maximum Speed	220 mph / 355 km/h
Cruising Speed	210 mph / 335 km/h
Range	3,790 mi / 6,100 km
Maximum Service Ceiling	20,670 ft / 6,300 m
Crew	11-12 (2 pilots, 9 airmen)
Armament	none

Gallery

Credits

• Ferenc A. and P. Dancey (1998) German Aircraft Industry And Production 1933-1945. Airlife England.
• D. Nešić (2008), Naoružanje Drugog Svetskog Rata Nemačka Beograd
• M. Griehl (2012) X-Planes German Luftwaffe Prototypes 1930-1945, Frontline Book.
• D.Mondey (2006) Guide To Axis Aircraft Of World War II, Aerospace Publishing
• H. J. Nowarra (1997) Blohm and Voss Bv 222, Schiffer Military History
• C. R. G. Bain (2019) High Hulls: Flying Boats Of The 1930s And 1940s, Fonthill Media
• Images: Warbirdphotographs.com
• Images: Histaviation.com
• Written by Marko P.
• Edited by Stan Lucian & Ed Jackson
• Illustrations by Ed Jackson – artbyedo.com
• Colorized Photography by Michael Jucan