Overview

This book is a rare examination of the Luftwaffe's greatest transport aircraft. The Messerschmitt ME 323 started out as the giant glider ME 321 before evolving as a 6-engined giant transport aircraft, capable of hauling up to 22 tonnes of cargo, including tanks. Its nickname Giganten was very accurate! Initially designed for the ill-fated planned invasion of Great Britain, Seelowe , it emerged in active service in time for the turning point in the war, Stalingrad 1942. It was widely used on both the Eastern front 1942 -44 and in the Mediterranean 1942-43. But as it was big, bulky and slow, it very often became an easy target for allied fighters. Nevertheless it played an important part in tactical movement of German forces during the latter part of the war. This book examines in detail the technical aspects of this aircraft, its origins, its design and operational service. It also describes the various versions of it, including the notorious Waffentrager that came into service in 1945. Me 323 might have been one of the most ugly looking aircraft of the Third Reich but it was a very effective transporter.Had it not been for the mess the Third Reich administration was in, the blunders the RLM (Reich Air Ministry) made, or the catastrophic fuel situation Germany faced late in the war, this advanced aircraft could have had a much bigger effect. Dinan tells the story of the design, development, production and operational use of one of World War II's most mysterious aircraft.

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