Difference between revisions of "BV 238"
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* 5 mm Steel plate behind pilot. | * 5 mm Steel plate behind pilot. | ||
| − | Though the BV 238 almost entire lacks armour, it is a highly survivable plane. Massive areas of empty space within the fuselage as well as the iconic ''six'' engines of this behemoth cause the bomber to be an incredibly tough target to take down. With smart use of Manual Engine Controls to disable engines and manipulate radiators, a BV 238 pilot can nurse even a critically damaged bomber several | + | Though the BV 238 almost entire lacks armour, it is a highly survivable plane. Massive areas of empty space within the fuselage as well as the iconic ''six'' engines of this behemoth cause the bomber to be an incredibly tough target to take down. With smart use of Manual Engine Controls to disable engines and manipulate radiators, a BV 238 pilot can nurse even a critically damaged bomber several kilometres home safely. Due to the plane's role as a flying boat, the belly of the bomber is unusually durable, and can easily survive landings on land-based runways in spite of the BV 238's lack of a wheeled landing gear. |
| − | In terms of crew, the BV 238 houses an impressive ten crew members, with two crew members in the flight deck and five more each manning various gunner positions around the aircraft, and three more | + | In terms of crew, the BV 238 houses an impressive ten crew members, with two crew members in the flight deck and five more each manning various gunner positions around the aircraft, and three more miscellaneous crew. This makes the BV 238 very hard to neuter, as the crew members are spaced '''very''' far apart, with one gunner on each wing past the third engine, two near the flight deck, and one in the tail of the aircraft, altogether making it nigh-impossible to prevent return fire from the bomber. |
== Armaments == | == Armaments == | ||
=== Suspended armament === | === Suspended armament === | ||
<!--''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.''--> | <!--''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.''--> | ||
| + | {{main|SC250 (250 kg)}} | ||
The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance: | The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance: | ||
| Line 143: | Line 144: | ||
* 20 x 250 kg SC250 bombs | * 20 x 250 kg SC250 bombs | ||
| − | With only one ordnance option, the BV 238 does not spoil the pilot with | + | With only one ordnance option, the BV 238 does not spoil the pilot with choices. However, this bombload is exceptional for the BV 238's battle rating, allowing a single bomber to destroy three bombing points with no allied aid. The BV 238's bombload is entirely contained within a bomb bay located within the belly of the aircraft, which must be opened prior to ordnance drop. |
=== Defensive armament === | === Defensive armament === | ||
<!--''Defensive armament with turret machine guns or cannons, crewed by gunners. Examine the number of gunners and what belts or drums are better to use. If defensive weaponry is not available remove this subsection.''--> | <!--''Defensive armament with turret machine guns or cannons, crewed by gunners. Examine the number of gunners and what belts or drums are better to use. If defensive weaponry is not available remove this subsection.''--> | ||
| + | {{main|MG 131 (13 mm)|MG 151/20 (20 mm)}} | ||
| − | The BV 238 is equipped with an excellent selection of defensive positions. On the roof of the aircraft sits a deadly dual-20 mm turret, containing two [[MG 151/20 (20 mm)|MG 151]] cannons that are capable of inflicting critical damage to aircraft with few hits. This turret mainly covers the port and starboard sides of the boat, as well as directly in front of the nose, with the BV 238's massive tail section blocking a considerable amount of the turret's rear view. To cover for this | + | The BV 238 is equipped with an excellent selection of defensive positions. On the roof of the aircraft sits a deadly dual-20 mm turret, containing two [[MG 151/20 (20 mm)|MG 151]] cannons that are capable of inflicting critical damage to aircraft with few hits. This turret mainly covers the port and starboard sides of the boat, as well as directly in front of the nose, with the BV 238's massive tail section blocking a considerable amount of the turret's rear view. To cover for this blind spot, the BV 238 also has three rear-facing turrets each equipped with quad [[MG 131 (13mm)|MG 131]] 13 mm machine guns, with high fire rates and large ammo counts for sustained fire. As a bonus, the bomber also has an additional quad MG 131 turret within the nose. |
Unlike most bombers, and especially unlike those comparable in battle rating to it, the BV 238 is '''very''' well defended, which combines with the plane's excellent survivability to make the bomber into an incredible lethal platform, in spite of the plane's extremely poor flight performance. There are very few blind spots not a single gunner can reach, and those that end up on the tail of the BV 238 can potentially end up facing down not only twelve 13 mm machine guns, but also two 20 mm cannons. | Unlike most bombers, and especially unlike those comparable in battle rating to it, the BV 238 is '''very''' well defended, which combines with the plane's excellent survivability to make the bomber into an incredible lethal platform, in spite of the plane's extremely poor flight performance. There are very few blind spots not a single gunner can reach, and those that end up on the tail of the BV 238 can potentially end up facing down not only twelve 13 mm machine guns, but also two 20 mm cannons. | ||
== Usage in battles == | == Usage in battles == | ||
| − | <!--''Describe the tactics of playing in an aircraft, the features of using vehicles in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''--> | + | <!--''Describe the tactics of playing in an aircraft, the features of using vehicles in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''--> |
Though slightly unusual in design, the BV 238 is a strategic bomber through and through. It carries a massive bombload allowing the bomber to decimate several bombing points and deliver more ordnance yet to the enemy airfield, has incredible endurance allowing it to stay airborne far longer than most other aircraft could and through far more damage than its contemporaries could bear. | Though slightly unusual in design, the BV 238 is a strategic bomber through and through. It carries a massive bombload allowing the bomber to decimate several bombing points and deliver more ordnance yet to the enemy airfield, has incredible endurance allowing it to stay airborne far longer than most other aircraft could and through far more damage than its contemporaries could bear. | ||
| − | The BV 238's main job in battle will be to deliver its payload to the strategic objectives found around the map | + | The BV 238's main job in battle will be to deliver its payload to the strategic objectives found around the map and has a secondary use as a gunship with its impressive 'defensive' armament. BV 238 pilots should seek to bait enemy fighters, who typically have poor high altitude performance at the BV 238's battle rating, into following the behemoth before mowing them down with an unrelenting and lethal cloud of lead. |
| − | BV 238 pilots should avoid head-ons where possible; the only true way to | + | BV 238 pilots should avoid head-ons where possible; the only true way to guarantee an easy kill on a BV 238 is to instantly knock the pilot out, thus causing immediate target destruction. However, in the event of an unavoidable head-on, manually man the forward turrets and unleash fire and fury on whoever is attempting to bring you down; you have plenty of ammo to spare. |
===Manual Engine Control=== | ===Manual Engine Control=== | ||
| Line 220: | Line 222: | ||
'''Pros:''' | '''Pros:''' | ||
| − | * Impressive bomb load (2.5 tons of TNT over 20 bombs) | + | * Impressive bomb load (2.5 tons of TNT in over 20 bombs) |
| − | * Extremely durable airframe, with a large | + | * Extremely durable airframe, with a large crew compliment |
* Excellent defensive armament in most-all directions | * Excellent defensive armament in most-all directions | ||
* Ability to land on water, and rearm/repair from nearby carriers | * Ability to land on water, and rearm/repair from nearby carriers | ||
| + | * Handles well for such a large aircraft | ||
'''Cons:''' | '''Cons:''' | ||
* The largest aircraft in War Thunder, thus an easy target | * The largest aircraft in War Thunder, thus an easy target | ||
| − | * | + | * Large aircraft with a large payload equals challenge to fly |
| − | * No access to | + | * No access to landing gear, must belly land or land on water |
== History == | == History == | ||
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's devblog entry (if applicable) and the ingame encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== Encyclopedia Info ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''--> | <!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's devblog entry (if applicable) and the ingame encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== Encyclopedia Info ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''--> | ||
| − | The Blohm and Voss BV 238 was an experimental flying boat that saw development and flight trials in 1944. With a | + | The Blohm and Voss BV 238 was an experimental flying boat that saw development and flight trials in 1944. With a wingspan of just over 60 metres and a length of 43.5 metres, the BV 238 was a truly gargantuan aircraft, being, in fact, the heaviest aircraft in existence at the time. Powered by six DB.603V 12-cylinder radial engines, the BV 238 could reach 424 km/h at 6 kilometres altitude, with a range of over 10,000 kilometres.<ref name="Yenne" /> |
| − | However, the BV 238 prototype met an unfortunate end before | + | Blohm & Voss Flugzeugbau designer and leader of the flying boat project, Hans H. Amtmann stated in an autobiography, "''The RLM issued a request for a large flying boat. In spite of the fact that Erhard Milch, the powerful secretary to the Air Minister Göring, wanted this flying boat developed and built by the Dornier company, the technical staff of the Air Ministry selected our design and the contract went to our company.''"<ref name="Harrison" /> |
| + | |||
| + | {{quote | ||
| + | |Little known fact: Blohm & Voss arranged for students to build a manned flyable 1:4 scale model of the BV 238 for early testing.<ref name="Harrison" /> | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | However, the sole flyable BV 238 prototype met an unfortunate end before the series could enter production, as only four days before the end of the war, Allied Fighters discovered and destroyed the BV 238 V1 as it sat hidden near the town of Lübeck in a side arm of the large lake Schaalsee.<ref name="Allward" /><ref name="Harrison" /> | ||
== Media == | == Media == | ||
| Line 260: | Line 270: | ||
<references> | <references> | ||
<ref name="Yenne">Yenne, Bill. Seaplanes of the World. Cobb: First Glance Books, 1997. ISBN 9781885440075. </ref> | <ref name="Yenne">Yenne, Bill. Seaplanes of the World. Cobb: First Glance Books, 1997. ISBN 9781885440075. </ref> | ||
| − | <ref name="Allward">Allward, Maurice. An Illustrated History of Seaplanes and Flying Boats. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1993. ISBN 9780880292863 </ref> | + | <ref name="Allward">Allward, Maurice. An Illustrated History of Seaplanes and Flying Boats. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1993. ISBN 9780880292863</ref> |
| + | <ref name="Harrison">Harrison, J. (Ed.). (2016). Hitler's 'Wonder Weapon' Bomber Project - Luftwaffe - Secret Bombers of the Third Reich. (38-40), Lincolnshire, UK: Mortons Media Group. ISBN: 978-1-911276-06-7</ref> | ||
</references> | </references> | ||
Revision as of 00:43, 13 July 2019
Contents
Description
The BV 238 is a Rank II German heavy bomber
with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB/RB) and 4.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters".
General info
Flight Performance
The BV 238, as expected of an aircraft of its size and class, is a very sluggish plane. With slow acceleration, poor climb rate, agonisingly slow roll rate, a low top speed, and a pitiful turn rate, the BV 238 will not find itself able to out-perform anything it faces. While using combat flaps, the bomber's turn rate does increase significantly, but it will still not be able to out-manoeuvre any plane it finds itself near. The only notably good flight characteristic of the BV 238 is the low stall speed, allowing it to glide long distances at low speeds as well as allowing the plane to enjoy incredibly slow and smooth landings.
| Characteristics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | |||||||
| Max Speed (km/h at ?,000 m) |
Max altitude (meters) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
| 401 | 390 | 9000 | 31.4 | 33.2 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 3000 |
| Upgraded | |||||||
| Max Speed (km/h at ?,000 m) |
Max altitude (meters) | Turn time (seconds) | Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
| 443 | 421 | 9000 | 28.7 | 30.0 | 4.6 | 3 | 3000 |
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flap | Take-off flap | Landing flap | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
| Limits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wing-break speed (km/h) |
Gear limit (km/h) |
Combat flap (km/h) |
Max Static G | |
| + | - | |||
| 546 | 250 | ??? | ~?? | ~? |
| Optimal velocities | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons (km/h) |
Rudder (km/h) |
Elevators (km/h) |
Radiator (km/h) |
| < ??? | < ??? | < ??? | > ??? |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| ?,??? m | ??? hp | ?,??? hp |
Survivability and armour
- 5 mm Steel plate behind pilot.
Though the BV 238 almost entire lacks armour, it is a highly survivable plane. Massive areas of empty space within the fuselage as well as the iconic six engines of this behemoth cause the bomber to be an incredibly tough target to take down. With smart use of Manual Engine Controls to disable engines and manipulate radiators, a BV 238 pilot can nurse even a critically damaged bomber several kilometres home safely. Due to the plane's role as a flying boat, the belly of the bomber is unusually durable, and can easily survive landings on land-based runways in spite of the BV 238's lack of a wheeled landing gear.
In terms of crew, the BV 238 houses an impressive ten crew members, with two crew members in the flight deck and five more each manning various gunner positions around the aircraft, and three more miscellaneous crew. This makes the BV 238 very hard to neuter, as the crew members are spaced very far apart, with one gunner on each wing past the third engine, two near the flight deck, and one in the tail of the aircraft, altogether making it nigh-impossible to prevent return fire from the bomber.
Armaments
Suspended armament
The BV 238 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- 20 x 250 kg SC250 bombs
With only one ordnance option, the BV 238 does not spoil the pilot with choices. However, this bombload is exceptional for the BV 238's battle rating, allowing a single bomber to destroy three bombing points with no allied aid. The BV 238's bombload is entirely contained within a bomb bay located within the belly of the aircraft, which must be opened prior to ordnance drop.
Defensive armament
The BV 238 is equipped with an excellent selection of defensive positions. On the roof of the aircraft sits a deadly dual-20 mm turret, containing two MG 151 cannons that are capable of inflicting critical damage to aircraft with few hits. This turret mainly covers the port and starboard sides of the boat, as well as directly in front of the nose, with the BV 238's massive tail section blocking a considerable amount of the turret's rear view. To cover for this blind spot, the BV 238 also has three rear-facing turrets each equipped with quad MG 131 13 mm machine guns, with high fire rates and large ammo counts for sustained fire. As a bonus, the bomber also has an additional quad MG 131 turret within the nose.
Unlike most bombers, and especially unlike those comparable in battle rating to it, the BV 238 is very well defended, which combines with the plane's excellent survivability to make the bomber into an incredible lethal platform, in spite of the plane's extremely poor flight performance. There are very few blind spots not a single gunner can reach, and those that end up on the tail of the BV 238 can potentially end up facing down not only twelve 13 mm machine guns, but also two 20 mm cannons.
Usage in battles
Though slightly unusual in design, the BV 238 is a strategic bomber through and through. It carries a massive bombload allowing the bomber to decimate several bombing points and deliver more ordnance yet to the enemy airfield, has incredible endurance allowing it to stay airborne far longer than most other aircraft could and through far more damage than its contemporaries could bear.
The BV 238's main job in battle will be to deliver its payload to the strategic objectives found around the map and has a secondary use as a gunship with its impressive 'defensive' armament. BV 238 pilots should seek to bait enemy fighters, who typically have poor high altitude performance at the BV 238's battle rating, into following the behemoth before mowing them down with an unrelenting and lethal cloud of lead.
BV 238 pilots should avoid head-ons where possible; the only true way to guarantee an easy kill on a BV 238 is to instantly knock the pilot out, thus causing immediate target destruction. However, in the event of an unavoidable head-on, manually man the forward turrets and unleash fire and fury on whoever is attempting to bring you down; you have plenty of ammo to spare.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Controllable | Not controllable | Not controllable | Not controllable | Separate | Not controllable | Not controllable |
Modules
| Tier | Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Fuselage Repair | Radiator | |||
| II | Compressor | Airframe | |||
| III | Wings Repair | Engine | |||
| IV | Engine Injection | Cover | |||
- As a premium aircraft, the BV 238's modifications are automatically unlocked upon purchase of the aircraft.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Impressive bomb load (2.5 tons of TNT in over 20 bombs)
- Extremely durable airframe, with a large crew compliment
- Excellent defensive armament in most-all directions
- Ability to land on water, and rearm/repair from nearby carriers
- Handles well for such a large aircraft
Cons:
- The largest aircraft in War Thunder, thus an easy target
- Large aircraft with a large payload equals challenge to fly
- No access to landing gear, must belly land or land on water
History
The Blohm and Voss BV 238 was an experimental flying boat that saw development and flight trials in 1944. With a wingspan of just over 60 metres and a length of 43.5 metres, the BV 238 was a truly gargantuan aircraft, being, in fact, the heaviest aircraft in existence at the time. Powered by six DB.603V 12-cylinder radial engines, the BV 238 could reach 424 km/h at 6 kilometres altitude, with a range of over 10,000 kilometres.[1]
Blohm & Voss Flugzeugbau designer and leader of the flying boat project, Hans H. Amtmann stated in an autobiography, "The RLM issued a request for a large flying boat. In spite of the fact that Erhard Milch, the powerful secretary to the Air Minister Göring, wanted this flying boat developed and built by the Dornier company, the technical staff of the Air Ministry selected our design and the contract went to our company."[2]
|
Little known fact: Blohm & Voss arranged for students to build a manned flyable 1:4 scale model of the BV 238 for early testing.[2] |
However, the sole flyable BV 238 prototype met an unfortunate end before the series could enter production, as only four days before the end of the war, Allied Fighters discovered and destroyed the BV 238 V1 as it sat hidden near the town of Lübeck in a side arm of the large lake Schaalsee.[3][2]
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
[Development] BV 238: The Largest Aircraft
| Germany bombers | |
|---|---|
| Arado | Ar 196 A-3 |
| Blohm & Voss | BV 138 C-1 · BV 238 |
| Dornier | Do 17 E-1 · Do 17 Z-2 · Do 217 E-2 · Do 217 E-4 · Do 217 K-1 · Do 217 M-1 |
| Focke-Wulf | Fw 189 A-1 · Fw 200 C-1 |
| Henschel | Hs 123 A-1 |
| Heinkel | He 111 H-3 · He 111 H-6 · He 111 H-16 · He 115 C-1 · He 177 A-3 · He 177 A-5 |
| Junkers | Ju 87 B-2 · Ju 87 R-2 · Ju 87 R-2 Libya · Ju 87 D-3 · Ju 87 D-5 · Ju 88 A-1 · Ju 88 A-4 · Ju 188 A-2 · Ju 288 C |
| Messerschmitt | Me 264 |
| Savoia-Marchetti | ▀S.M.79 serie 1 · ▀S.M.79 B · ▀S.M.79 serie 4 · ▀S.M.79 serie 8 |
| ▀S.M.79 AS · ▀S.M.79 bis/N · ▀S.M.79 bis/T.M | |
| Trophies | ▀Wellington Mk Ic |
References
- ↑ Yenne, Bill. Seaplanes of the World. Cobb: First Glance Books, 1997. ISBN 9781885440075.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Harrison, J. (Ed.). (2016). Hitler's 'Wonder Weapon' Bomber Project - Luftwaffe - Secret Bombers of the Third Reich. (38-40), Lincolnshire, UK: Mortons Media Group. ISBN: 978-1-911276-06-7
- ↑ Allward, Maurice. An Illustrated History of Seaplanes and Flying Boats. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1993. ISBN 9780880292863
