【自制字幕】⚜ 齊柏林伯爵的利箭 - 二戰德國航母艦載機

The Graf Zeppelin was to be Germany's first carrier, built in the 1930s. While it was never completed, the Germans had already set in motion the procurement of planes that were supposed to be part of the Graf Zeppelin's strike force. Various loadouts and planes were considered, with commissions being sent to other nations for input. Before we begin to have a look at the planes of the Graf Zeppelin, however, here is a bit of trivia. It has, in fact, been a hundred years since the death of Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf Zeppelin, who was the carrier's namesake. He died in 1917 and was known at the time for his pioneering work on modern airships. But without further ado, let's talk about the planes that could have served on the Graf Zeppelin. The Fieseler 167, or Fieseler 167, is perhaps the one plane most people don't know about. But initially, it was considered to be an integral part of Graf Zeppelin's plane loadout. A multipurpose plane envisioned for reconnaissance, dive bombing, and most crucially, torpedo attacks, the Fieseler 167 was a well-designed plane and tough for a biplane of its time. The company, Fieseler, was well known for its ability to create aircraft of excellent takeoff and landing characteristics, which made them a primary contender in creating a plane for the carrier. Powered by a Daimler-Benz 601B inline engine, it had just under 1,100 horsepower. It wasn't exactly a fast plane, going a maximum of 325 kilometers an hour, that's roughly 200 miles an hour, but its range of 1,300 kilometers was pretty competitive. Although having a wingspan of 13.5 meters, roughly 44 feet, it could fold its wings backwards, being one of the few biplanes to ever do so. Of course, it had the standard equipment that you would expect from a carrier aircraft, like an arresting hook. But it had some other quirks too. The wheels could be dropped manually to facilitate a smoother emergency landing on water. The Fieseler 167 was also supposed to roll out with flotation devices on its lower wing that could be inflated after landing on water, to prevent the aircraft from sinking for some time. For bombing or dive bombing purposes, it could carry either one 1,000-kilogram bomb, or one 500-kilogram bomb, and four 50-kilogram bombs. Of course, envisioned as the Graf Zeppelin's torpedo bomber, this was merely optional. Instead, a single 765-kilogram torpedo was supposed to be its standard loadout. A single MG-17 was installed facing front, and for defensive purposes, it had a single MG-15. The Fieseler 167 was eventually cancelled as the Graf Zeppelin's torpedo bomber of choice, and thus would probably never have entered service, even on a Finnish carrier. The few machines built were given to coastal defense units, sent to test units, or sold to other Axis nations. And this brings us to the Ju 87, the well-known Stuka dive bomber. Initially considered to be the carrier's dive bomber, the Ju 87's role was eventually expanded to reconnaissance and torpedo attacks. This streamlined the carrier's plane loadout to only two planes. So for once, the Germans actually made a choice that helped with logistics. On the basis of the Ju 87B, the Ju 87C was developed. In the literature, it is also sometimes designated as the Ju 87T, or Ju 87TR, with the T standing for the German word Träger, carrier. Later on, the Ju 87D variant would also be used as a basis where the Graf Zeppelin project was briefly restarted. This is the one you see right here. The Ju 87 got a massive makeover for the attendant carrier operation. Especially, landing trials were conducted to check the Ju 87's carrier worthiness. Over 1,800 landings were made on a mock carrier deck, 1,500 of which deemed successful. As Krieg points out, there were still many lessons to be learned, and the adaptation of the Ju 87 to this new role proved particularly difficult. Eventually, quite a few modifications were made. The wings were shortened by 30 centimeters each, creating a wingspan of 13.18 meters, around 43 feet. As with the Fieseler, they could be folded rearwards. This reduced the width to 5 meters, 16 feet. Additionally, a rapid fuel dumping mechanism was installed. The lower part of the gear could be blown off in the event of a water landing. Four airbags were installed in the plane, allowing it to stay afloat for three days under normal conditions, at least in theory. To prevent the capture of the aircraft, the bags could also be deflated instantly. Additional emergency equipment and a rudder dinghy were also provided. To allow carrier operations, an arrestor hook was added, and the plane was made catapult operational in later trials. While pictures of the prototype still show the siren as attached to the aircraft, it is doubtful whether it would actually have been used in carrier operations. The Ju 87C could carry the same armament as the earlier Stukas, two MG-17s, one in each wing, and one defensive MG-15. The D-4, however, would have probably retained the defensive armament of the D variant, which was an MG-81Z. Its general performance was similar to the original models. While many bomb loadouts were considered, the Ju 87C's standard loadout was most likely a single 500 kg bomb, and four additional 50 kg bombs. Later trials indicated that a torpedo launch would be feasible with the aircraft. However, it seems that no available torpedo, neither German or Italian, was ever considered to be the definite ordnance. Japanese torpedoes could also have been an option, but the project was halted before anything could materialize. Alright, so that's the strike aircraft taken care of. Let us have a look at the fighter. Of course, the German Bf 109 was considered to be the primary choice of the Ju 70. Not that at the time the Germans had any real alternative, as the Focke-Wulf 190 only came later on. Known as the Bf 109T, the Messerschmitt was based on the aiming of the design, and made carrier-worthy. The eventual basis was the Bf 109E7-N, and it retained the original's weaponry and performance. Some earlier versions were also tested, but mainly for technical purposes. The modifications were once again extensive. The wingspan was increased from 9.9 to 11.08 meters, with a corresponding size increase of the aileron slats and flaps. An arrestor hook was added, as well as catapult fittings. The pilot's seat received additional armor, and his seating area was padded to give him a more pleasant journey. Instrument modifications were made to make long-distance travel easier. A dinghy was added right behind his headrest. Seven Bf 109T1s were built before the Graf Zeppelin was cancelled. With the T2,production was continued until 70 models were completed. The T2 had no catapult fittings or arrestor hook, but could be modified into a T1,and vice versa. While the Bf 109T never saw a service on a carrier, characteristics that made it carrier-worthy came as a blessing to the Luftwaffe units operating in Norway. With shorter airstrips and subject to harsh weather conditions, the T2 was more suited to this theater than the E-mail these units used. Consequently,many 109Ts were sent to the fighter pilots in Norway. By the time the Graf Zeppelin project was briefly re-ramped, the Bf 109T was already hopelessly outdated, and an alternative was needed. Some Ts were still used by 1944 as trainer aircraft. Now,those were the aircraft that were planned to have been in service on the Graf Zeppelin. Thank you very much for watching,and I hope that you enjoyed this video. If you did,don't forget to pass by those like buttons and to share this video. If you would like to know more about the Graf Zeppelin, check out this video by Military History Visualized. If you want to know more about the incredibly fast German Heinkel 100 and why it never entered service,click here. As always,have a great day,good hunting,and see you in the sky.