Jetrader - Winter 2016 - 45

The Gigant
Messerschmitt's project, the Me 321 Gigant ("Giant"), went forward,
with the first ship being readied in just 100 days after the go-ahead.
Its wing span was just over 180 feet, within inches of the span of the
future Boeing B-52, making it then one of the largest aircraft ever
built. The nose was nothing but two clamshell doors that opened to
reveal a cargo space modeled on the standard German railway car,
so anything that could fit in a railway car would also fit inside the
Gigant. Vehicles could roll on and back off through the nose. In the
passenger mode it could carry 120 to 130 fully equipped troops.
The cockpit was in a small cupola atop the wing center section.
For maneuvering on the ground and taking off, it rode on a
wheeled dolly that was jettisoned after takeoff, and for landing,
it came in on extendable belly skids.
The first Gigant flight took place in February 1941. The prototype initially had a one-man cockpit, but was later expanded to
include a co-pilot and dual controls so as to have enough muscle
power on board to operate the ailerons and elevators, while
electric servo-motors were installed to work the huge wing flaps.
This configuration became the standard for the first 100 Gigants,
designated Me 321A-1.
A second batch of 100, designated Me 321B-2, were delivered;
these were fitted with four or five machine guns for self-protection.

Launching a Gigant
Getting a fully loaded Gigant glider off the ground was not
going to be easy. A Junkers Ju 90, the same type as used with
the Junkers prototype Mammut, was used as a towplane for the
first flights, but it had barely enough horsepower to get itself,
plus the Gigant, airborne, even from a long runway. To assist the
takeoff with heavy loads, up to eight booster rockets could be
mounted under the wings of the Gigant, four on each side, with
each rocket providing about 1,100 lbs. of thrust for 30 seconds.
In place of the single Ju 90 tow plane, one alternative was to
use three Messerschmitt Bf 110 twin-engine heavy fighters in V
formation towing the Gigant. Even in calm weather it would still be
a demanding task for the four pilots to maintain their tied-together
formation; at night it would be impossible.
The operation was dubbed the Troika-Schlepp, which could be
roughly translated as the "Triple-Tug," but it was a scheme that was
very dangerous, even with highly skilled pilots. On one takeoff, a
Gigant's rocket boosters failed to fire in unison, and the lumbering
craft suddenly veered after liftoff. In an instant, the three tow
planes turned into one another and the resulting mid-air collision
brought all three tugs, and the glider with its human cargo of
120 troops, crashing to earth. There were no survivors on the four
aircraft in what was one of the worst aircraft accidents in history.

A grainy film clip of three twin-engine fighters towing a
Messerschmitt Gigant glider, with rockets firing to help get it airborne.
Photo: Google Images.

A five-engined Heinkel He 111Z "Zwilling" towing a Gigant glider.
The wheeled dolly under the glider will be dropped after takeoff.
Photo: San Diego Air & Space Museum

A Heinkle He 111Z "Zwilling" towplane in flight. Just visible
under the belly of each fuselage is a pair of auxiliary fuel tanks.
Photo: Google Images.

The most creative launch solution was the Heinkel He 111Z
Zwilling ("Twins"), which was essentially a Siamese-twin version
of the He 111 bomber. Two of these bombers, each with their
two engines, were connected side-by-side via a new center wing
section, with a fifth engine added where the two wings were
joined. The power of these five engines and some rocket boost
were enough to get the unpowered Gigant up and flying.

The "Super" Gigant
As the war went on, the German army was fighting on three
fronts: in the west in France and the Low Countries, in the east in
Russia, and in the south in North Africa and the Mediterranean. To
keep up with the needs for heavy airlift, the Luftwaffe ordered 200
more Gigants from Messerschmitt for a cumulative total of 400, but
these second 200 were to be self-propelled - not gliders. For these,
the model designation was Me 323, but they kept the Gigant's name.
Six radial engines were mounted on a redesigned wing, and in place
of the takeoff dolly and landing skids, the newly powered Gigant had
its own multi-wheel landing gear, so it could taxi on the ground and
take off with no help from tractors and tow planes. Still, these aircraft
were underpowered, so when carrying especially heavy loads, booster
rockets were needed to assist takeoffs. To the relief of the pilots flying

Me 323 Gigant in flight. Engine #1 appears to be feathered.
Photo: San Diego Air & Space Museum.
Jetrader * Winter 2016 45

Jetrader - Winter 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jetrader - Winter 2016