The Junkers Ju 322 ''Mammut'' (German for

mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks an ...

) was a heavy transport

military glider Military gliders (an offshoot of common gliders) have been used by the militaries of various countries for carrying troops ( glider infantry) and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft wer ...

, resembling a giant

flying wing A flying wing is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft that has no definite fuselage, with its crew, payload, fuel, and equipment housed inside the main wing structure. A flying wing may have various small protuberances such as pods, nacelles, blis ...

, proposed for use by the ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

'' in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

; only two prototypes were completed, a further 98 were scrapped before completion.

Development

Designed in late 1940 by

Junkers Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG (JFM, earlier JCO or JKO in World War I, English: Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works) more commonly Junkers , was a major German aircraft and aircraft engine manufacturer. It was founded there in Dessau, Ge ...

as the Junkers EF 094, the Ju 322 was to fulfill the same role as the Me 321 ''Gigant'' heavy transport glider. Fulfilling a requirement to be built out of non-

strategic material Strategic material is any sort of raw material that is important to an individual's or organization's strategic plan and supply chain management. Lack of supply of strategic materials may leave an organization or government vulnerable to disru ...

s, using all-wooden construction, the Ju322 was to be able to carry of cargo, equivalent to either a

Panzer IV The ''Panzerkampfwagen'' IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the ''Panzer'' IV, was a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161. The Panz ...

tank, a 88mm anti-aircraft gun, a half-track or a self propelled gun, including attendant personnel, ammunition and fuel. The cargo door was located in the centre section of the leading edge of the wing, with the cockpit offset to the port side above the cargo bay. The glider's tailplane extended from the centre section, and had a typical arrangement of stabilizing fins and vertical rudder. Armament for production gliders would have consisted of three manned turrets, each with a single 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun.

Testing

During construction of the first prototype (Ju 322 V1), problems were encountered with building an all-wooden glider as Junkers did not have expertise in the use of such materials. A test with a battle tank compacted the cargo floor, leading to redesign, further reducing the payload. Consequently, the planned payload weight for the Ju 322 was reduced to , and later to . The Ju 322 V1 made its maiden flight in April 1941, towed by a

Junkers Ju 90 The Junkers Ju 90 was a 40-seat, four-engine airliner developed for and used by Deutsche Luft Hansa shortly before World War II. It was based on the rejected Ju 89 bomber. During the war, the ''Luftwaffe'' impressed them as military transports ...

four-engined transport. The test flight was largely successful after the Ju 90 had managed, with some effort, to tow the glider off the ground before running out of runway. However, the Ju 322 quickly gained height above the Ju 90 and so pulled the tugs tail up and prevented it from climbing and releasing the tow cable at the right height. The glider was also highly unstable under tow. After being released, it stabilized but landed in a field from which it took two weeks to be towed back to the launch airfield by tanks. Although design improvements were planned for the Ju 322, the RLM ordered the Ju 322 project dropped in May 1941, considering it an inherently poor design. Following the cancellation of the project, the Ju 322 V1 completed a few more test flights, but was cut up for fuel along with the Ju 322 V2 and 98 partially completed gliders.

Specifications Ju 322 V1

Development

Testing

Specifications Ju 322 V1

See also

References

Further reading