World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe thirteen BV 222 Wiking ("Viking") flying boats were originally ordered by the German airline company Deutsche Lufthansa in Sep 1937 to be used in civilian capacities, but were quickly taken over as a military transport as Germany geared for war. A dorsal gun turret was added behind the cockpit and a rear-facing machine gun turret were added under each wing. They were given individual designations of V1 through V8 and C-09 through C-13. The aircraft in the "V" series were of the earlier BV 222A variant equipped with Bramo 323 Fafnir radial engines; the "C" series were the BV 222C production variant with Jumo 207C inline diesel engines. Some of the BV 222 flying boats were deployed to the Mediterranean Sea to supply Axis forces in North Africa, mainly in the Tripoli region, while others operated in the Bay of Biscay in western France.

ww2dbaseThe V1 aircraft was destroyed in a landing accident at the harbor in Piraeus, Greece. The V2 and C-12 aircraft were captured at Sørreisa Norway after the war, and it was later discovered that, as Germany was on the verge of defeat, these two aircraft were readied to evacuate Adolf Hitler to Japan via Greenland should Hitler choose to do so; the V2 aircraft were later taken by the Americans and ultimately scuttled by the British. In Jun 1943, V3 and V5 aircraft were destroyed in their moorings during a British Royal Air Force Mosquito aircraft raid on the French coast. Near the end of the war, V4 and V7 were scuttled at Holtenau, Kiel, Germany and Travemünde, Lübeck, Germany, respectively. V6 and V8 aircraft were shot down in the Mediterranean Sea during the course of the war. The C-09 aircraft was destroyed at its moorings at Travemünde, Lübeck, Germany by American P-51 Mustang fighters. The C-10 aircraft was shot down by RAF nightfighters in late 1943. The C-12 aircraft was captured by the British and scrapped in 1947. The fate of C-11 and C-13 aircraft remains unknown today.

SPECIFICATIONS

C

Machinery	Six Jumo 207C inline diesel engines rated at 1,000hp each
Armament	3x20mm MG 151 cannons, 4x13mm MG 131 machine guns
Crew	14
Span	46.00 m
Length	37.00 m
Height	10.90 m
Wing Area	255.00 m²
Weight, Empty	30,650 kg
Weight, Maximum	49,000 kg
Speed, Maximum	390 km/h
Speed, Cruising	257 km/h
Service Ceiling	7,300 m
Range, Normal	6,095 km

Photographs