DFS 230

DFS 230A-1

Luftwaffe soldiers loading the DFS 230 in preparation for deployment.
Role	Troop glider
Manufacturer	DFS
Designer	Hans Jacobs
First flight	1937
Introduction	1938
Primary user	Luftwaffe
Number built	1,600+

DFS 230-A at Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr

The DFS 230 was a German transport glider operated by the Luftwaffe in World War II. It was developed in 1933 by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - "German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight") with Hans Jacobs as the head designer. The glider was the German inspiration for the British Hotspur glider and was intended for paratrooper assault operations.

In addition to the pilot, the DFS-230 glider had room for nine men who sat close together on a narrow bench located in the middle of the fuselage (half facing port, half facing starboard). Entry and exit to the cramped interior was by a single side door. The front passenger could operate its only armament, a machine gun. It was an assault glider, designed to land directly on top of its target, so it was equipped with a parachute brake. This allowed the glider to approach its target in a dive at an angle of eighty degrees and land within 20 metres (60 ft) of its target. It carried a freight cargo of about 1,200 kg.

It played significant roles in the operations at Fort Eben-Emael, the Battle of Crete, and in the rescue of Benito Mussolini. It was also used in North Africa. However, it was used chiefly in supplying encircled forces on the Eastern Front such as supplying the Demyansk Pocket, the Kholm Pocket, Stalingrad, and the defenders of Festung Budapest (until February 12, 1945). Although production ceased in 1941, it was used right up to the end of the war, for instance, supplying Berlin and Breslau until May 1945.

By means of a cable running along the tow rope the pilots of the tow-plane and of the freight glider were able to communicate with each other which made blind flying possible, when necessary. The towing speed of the DFS-230 was approximately 190 km/h (116 mph). It dropped its landing gear as soon as it was safely in the air, and landed by means of a landing skid. The DFS-230 could be towed by a Ju-52 (which could tow two with difficulty), a He-111, a Ju-87, He 126, a Bf 110, or a Bf 109. The Ju 52 towed the glider using a 40 metres (131 ft) cable or, in bad weather, a much shorter rigid bar connected by an articulated joint to the tow aircraft. The DFS-230 had the highest glide ratio (18) of any World War 2 military glider other than the Antonov A-7. This was because it was thought that the glider had to be capable of a long approach during landing, so that it could be released a considerable distance from the target so the sound of the towing aircraft did not alert the enemy

Variants

DFS 230 A-1: Initial production version

DFS 230 A-2: A-1 with dual-controls

DFS 230 B-1: Braking parachute added, able to carry defensive armament (MG 34 machine gun)

DFS 230 B-2: B-1 with dual-controls

DFS 230 C-1: Late production version; B-1 with nose braking rockets

DFS 230 D-1: C-1 with improved nose braking rocket design, one prototype (DFS 230 V6)

DFS 230 F-1: Larger version with capacity for 15 soldiers, one prototype (DFS 230 V7, DV+AV)

Specifications (DFS 230 B-1)

Data from Aircraft of the Third Reich,^[1] German Aircraft of the Second World War^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Capacity: 9 equipped troops + 270 kg
Length: 11.24 m (36 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 21.98 m (72 ft 1 in)
Height: 2.74 m (9 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 41.3 m² (445 sq ft)
Empty weight: 860 kg (1,896 lb)
Gross weight: 2,040 kg (4,497 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 2,100 kg (4,630 lb)

Performance

Never exceed speed: 290 km/h (180 mph; 157 kn)
Maximum towing speed: 209 km/h (130 mph)
Normal towing speed: 180 km/h (112 mph)
Maximum glide ratio: 1:11 (empty), 1:18 (fully loaded)

Armament

Guns:
1 x 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 15 machine gun on a manually aimed mounting aft of the cockpit
2 x 7.92 mm MG 34 fixed forward firing machine guns attached to the forward fuselage sides.

Notes

↑ Green, William (2010). Aircraft of the Third Reich (1st ed.). London: Aerospace Publishing Limited. pp. 136–144. ISBN 978-1-900732-06-2.
↑ Smith, J.R.; Anthony L. Kay (1990). German Aircraft of the Second World War (7th impression ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 978-0-85177-836-5.

Bibliography

Smith, J.R.; Anthony L. Kay (1990). German Aircraft of the Second World War (7th impression ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 978-0-85177-836-5.
Lynch, Tim Slient Skies, Gliders at War 1939-45, Barnesly: Pen & Sword, 2008. ISBN 978-1844157365
Morzik, GeneralMajor Fritz, German Air Force Air Lift Operation, USAF Historical Division, 1961

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to DFS 230.

Aircraft designed by Hans Jacobs

Hols der Teufel Poppenhausen Rhönadler Rhönbussard Rhönsperber Kranich Sperber Senior Sperber Junior Habicht Seeadler Reiher DFS 230 Weihe Meise (Olympia) DFS 331 Kranich 3

Aircraft designed by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug

Aircraft Fafnir Ente B6 Ha III Habicht Kranich Meise (Olympia) Präsident Reiher Rhönadler Seeadler Rhönbussard Rhönsperber Sperber Senior Sperber Junior Fafnir 2 "Sao Paulo" SG 38 Weihe DFS 228 DFS 230 DFS 331 DFS Rammer DFS Eber RLM designations DFS 38 DFS 39 DFS 40 DFS 54 DFS 193 DFS 194 DFS 228 DFS 230 DFS 331 DFS 346

Reich Air Ministry aircraft designations

1 to 100	B 9 Gö 9 Do 10 Do 11 Wn 11 Do 12 Do 13 Do 14 Do 15 Wn 15 Do 16 Wn 16 Do 17 Do 18 Do 19 Do 20 Do 22 Do 23 Do 24 Kl 25 Do 26 Kl 26 M 27 Do 29 Kl 31 Kl 32 W 33 L 33 W 34 Kl 35 Kl 36 HD 37 HD 38 G 38 DFS 39 BV 40 DFS 40 A 40 Fw 42 He 42 Fw 43 HD 43 Fw 44 He 45 He 46 Ju 46 Fw 47 Ju 47 K 47 A 48 He 49 Ju 49 He 50 A 50 He 51 K 51 Ju 52 K 53 NR 54 Fw 55 NR 55 Fw 56 Fw 57 Fw 58 He 58 He 59 He 60 Ju 60 Fw 61 He 61 Fw 62 He 62 He 63 Ar 64 He 64 Ar 65 He 65 Ar 66 He 66 Ar 67 Ar 68 Ar 69 He 70 He 71 He 72 He 74 Ar 76 Ar 77 Ar 79 Ar 80 Ar 81 Ju 85 Ju 86 Ju 87 Ju 88 Ju 89 Ju 90 Ar 95 Ar 96 Fi 97 Fi 98 Fi 99 He 100

101 to 200	Al 101 Al 102 Al 103 Fi 103 Fh 104 Kl 105 Kl 106 Kl 107 Bf 108 Bf 109 Bf 110 He 111 He 112 He 113 He 114 He 115 He 116 Hs 117 He 118 He 119 He 120 Hs 121 Hs 122 Hs 123 Hs 124 Hs 125 Hs 126 Hs 127 Hs 128 Hs 129 Hs 130 Bü 131 Hs 132 Bü 133 Bü 134 Ha 135 Ha 136 Hü 136 Ha 137 BV 138 Ha 139 Ha 140 BV 141 BV 142 BV 143 BV 144 Go 145 Go 146 Go 147 Ju 147 Go 149 Go 150 Kl 151 Ta 152 Kl 152 Ta 153 Ta 154 BV 155 Fi 156 Fi 157 Fi 158 Fw 159 Ju 160 Bf 161 He 162 Bf 162 Bf 163 Me 163 Me 164 Fi 166 FK 166 Fi 167 Fi 168 He 170 He 172 He 176 He 177 He 178 Bü 180 Bü 181 Bü 182 Ta 183 Fl 184 Fl 185 Fw 186 Ju 186 Fw 187 Ju 187 Ju 188 Fw 189 Fw 190 Fw 191 Ao 192 DFS 193 DFS 194 Ar 195 Ar 196 Ar 197 Ar 198 Ar 199 Fw 200

201 to 300	Si 201 Si 202 DFS 203 Si 204 Fw 206 Me 208 Me 209 Me 209 (1943) Me 210 Hü 211 Do 212 Do 214 Do 215 Do 216 Do 217 Hs 217 He 219 He 220 BV 222 Fa 223 Fa 224 Ao 225 Fa 225 BV 226 Ho 226 FGP 227 DFS 228 Ho 229 DFS 230 Ar 231 Ar 232 Ar 233 Ar 234 Do 235 BV 237 BV 238 Fw 238 Ar 239 Ar 240 Go 241 Go 242 Go 244 BV 246 Ju 248 BV 250 Fw 250 Ho 250 Ho 251 Ho 252 Ju 252 Fi 253 Ho 253 Ta 254 Ho 254 Fi 256 Sk 257 Fw 261 Me 261 Me 262 Me 263 Me 264 Fl 265 Me 265 Fa 266 Ho 267 Ju 268 Fa 269 He 270 We 271 Fw 272 He 274 He 275 He 277 He 278 He 280 Fl 282 Fa 283 Ta 283 Fa 284 Fl 285 Ju 286 Ju 287 Ju 288 Ju 290 Me 290 As 292 Hs 293 Hs 294 Hs 295 Ar 296 Hs 296 Hs 297 Hs 298 Fw 300

301-	Me 309 Me 310 Do 317 Do 318 He 319 Me 321 Ju 322 Me 323 Me 328 Me 329 Fa 330 DFS 331 DFS 332 Fi 333 Me 334 Do 335 Fa 336 Fl 339 E.340 WNF 342 He 343 Rk 344 So 344 Go 345 DFS 346 Rk 347 Ba 349 Ju 352 Me 362 Me 364 Ju 388 Ju 390 Fw 391 Ar 396 Ta 400 Me 409 Me 410 Do 417 He 419 ZMe 423 Ar 430 Ka 430 Ar 432 Do 435 Ar 440 Ju 452 Me 462 Ju 488 Fw 491 Me 509 Me 510 He 519 ZSO 523 Ar 532 Do 535 E.555 Me 609 Ar 632 Do 635

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