V3 was next online, flying first on November 28th, 1941 and entering service in on December 9th. She directly replaced the sunk V1 but was destroyed herself at the hands of the RAF at Biscarrosse in Southwest France in June of 1943. V4 followed and sported a slightly revised (taller) vertical tail unit. V5 was also lost in June of 1943 at Biscarrosse, France. V6 was lost to enemy fire on August 21st, 1942 along the all-important Taranto-to-Tripoli supply route. V7 achieved first flight on April 1st, 1943 and fitted 6 x Junkers Jumo 207C diesel engines of 1,000 horsepower each. V8 was lost on December 10th, 1942 along the same Taranto-to-Tripoli route as the V6.
Ultimately, the Bv 222 V7 prototype was selected as the official production model for the military Bv 222 and appeared with the definitive "Bv 222C" model designation form. The earlier prototypes (V2, V3, V4 and V5) pressed into military service became maritime reconnaissance platforms, differing mainly in defensive armament and some mounting FuG 200 series search radar systems while flying for Fliegerfuhrer Atlantik. Bv 222B was a proposed variant to fit Junkers Jumo 208 series engines but never materialized.
Bv 222 Walk-Around
At its core, the Bv 222C was a dedicated long-range transport. It could carry a full complement of 92 soldiers along with its base 11- to 14-person crew. The pilot and co-pilot sat in a raised flight deck with excellent overhead, side and forward views. All six engines could be accounted for between the two pilots by a simple glance outside. The deep fuselage proved a massive structure and was streamlined from the conical nose assembly to the tapered tail end. The wide-span wing assemblies were shoulder-mounted monoplanes with three Junkers Jumo 12-cylinder engines underslung, three engine nacelles to a wing. Wingtips were rounded edges. The empennage was made up of a single rounded vertical tail fin of large area and complemented by a pair of horizontal planes, also rounded. Crew access doors were found along the fuselage sides near the water line, a pair forward and a pair aft. The cargo hold was accessible via a large square cargo door fitted to the starboard side just aft of the wing assemblies. Including general wartime supplies and soldiers, the cargo hold could also take on wounded personnel in medical litters.
As the forte of any flying boat was its uncanny ability to land on water, the Bv 222 design featured the traditional boat-like hull for cutting and displacing such surfaces. This allowed the Bv 222 the capability to land or take-off from water surfaces with relative ease, provided there was enough straight line distance to do so. Having no undercarriage meant that the Bv 222 was limited to waterborne activities.
The production Bv 222C model maintained a wingspan of nearly 151 feet with a wing area of 2,744.8 square feet. Her height measured in at upwards of 36 feet while her length came in at over 121 feet. When empty, the beast still weighed 67,572lbs and displaced 100,503lbs when loaded. Her maximum take-off weight (MTOW) topped 108,030lbs. Maximum speed was a reported 242 miles per hour at 16,400 feet while she could cruise at 189 miles per hour at sea level. Range was an impressive 3,790 miles. Her service ceiling was limited to just 23,950 feet with a rate-of-climb equal to 473 feet per minute.
The Hammer Ultimately Falls
The Bv 222 fought on through to the end of the war to which several complete examples were taken as prizes by the Allies. The United States retained two of the completed aircraft whilst the United Kingdom brought one home for herself. The RAF actually operated their Bv 222 up until 1947 while the US studied the design and implemented a similar hull on their upcoming Convair R3Y "Tradewind" flying boat transport. Two further remaining Bv 222 examples were scuttled by their German crews prior to the end of the war.
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