Blohm&Voss Bv-139.
The Blohm&Voss Bv-139 (Blohm&Voss Ha-139) are three four-engined flying boats produced as mail planes for Lufthansa, but that served with the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.
In 1935 Lufthansa issued a specification for a seaplane capable of serving on their Trans-Atlantic mail routes. The new aircraft needed to have a cruising speed of 249km/h, to be able to carry 500kgs of cargo for 5000kms, and to be strong enough to take-off and land on rough water or to be catapult launched.
Blohm&Voss responded with the Bv-139, a four-engined float-plane with inverted gull-wings. The first aircraft made its maiden flight in the autumn of 1936.
In the summer and autumn of 1937 they made 14 experimental transatlantic flights between the Azores (Azores Islands) and New York, operating from depot ships. In the spring of 1938 Nordwind went into service on the regular South Atlantic mail service between Gambia and Brazil. Up to the end of June 1939 the seaplanes had successfully completed 100 transatlantic flights: 40 across the North Atlantic and 60 across the South Atlantic.
The regular Trans-Atlantic mail service was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War. All three aircraft were soon taken over by the Luftwaffe. The first two were used as troop-transports in Norway, as the Bv-139A (Blohm&Voss Ha-139).
The third prototype was originally converted to act as a reconnaissance aircraft. In this version it had a longer glazed nose carrying an observer, and a larger vertical tail. Four 7.92mm machine guns were carried, one each in the tail, nose and two beam positions.
Later the third prototype was modified again to act as a mine sweeper, this time as the Blohm&Voss Bv-139B/MS (Blohm&Voss Ha-139MS). Mine sweeping equipment was added, and the guns removed.
None of the three aircraft remained in service for long, soon being grounded by a lack of spares. Plans for a bomber version came to nothing.
General characteristics. Crew: 4-5; Engines: 4×Junkers Jumo 6-cyl. diesel engines, 599hp each; Maximum speed: 288km/h; cruising speed: 238km/h; Flying range: 4950kms.