Blohm & Voss BV238 Flying Boat

The Blohm & Voss BV 238 was a German flying boat constructed in World War II. It was the heaviest aircraft ever flown when it first flew in 1944, and physically was the largest aircraft produced by any of the Axis powers in World War II. The BV 238 V1 prototype, bearing the four-letter Stammkennzeichen (factory radio code] of RO EZ, first flew on March 11, 1944 after a first jump on March 10th, 1944. Six 1750 hp ( MW) Daimler-Benz DB 603 inverted V12 piston engines were used in total, arranged in three forward-facing engine nacelles on each wing. The sole completed BV 238 was strafed and sunk while docked on Schaal Lake in September 1944 by three P-51 Mustangs of the 361st Fighter Group. Named “Detroit Miss“, the lead Mustang was piloted by World War II ace Lt. Urban “Ben“ Drew, and another was piloted by William D. Rogers. This represents the largest single aircraft to be destroyed during the war. Drew was told after the raid that he had destroyed a BV 222 Wiking (another large flying boat). He continued to believe this was the case until he was contacted by the BBC in 1974 for a documentary, and told that their research had determined that the aircraft he destroyed was actually the BV 238, undergoing flight tests at the seaplane base at Schaal Lake. Production of two other prototypes was begun but neither was finished. A quarter-scale model of the BV 238 was made during the plane’s development for testing. Known as the FGP 227, it made a forced landing during its first flight and did not provide any data to the program.