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One of the German Luftwaffe’s requirements before World War II was for a tactical reconnaissance/light ground attack aircraft with a crew of three to work closely with the army.
***image1***There was no interest in an aircraft that was camera-equipped, but rather one for visual reconnaissance, and this required outstanding crew visibility and low-speed maneuverability to avoid enemy fighter attack.
Most of the contenders were conventional; the eventual winner was the Focke-Wulf 189. But one engineer, Richard Vogt, proposed a remarkable-looking asymmetrical aircraft. It had the engine and tail unit attached to an extended boom fuselage on the port side and a separate, almost totally perspex-glazed compartment housing the pilot, observer and rear-gunner next to it on the wing.
The first prototype – named the Blohm und Voss BV-141 – was built from the company’s money and flew in September 1938.
The head of the Luftwaffe’s technical branch, World War I ace Ernst Udet, flew the prototype and was so impressed by the handling characteristics that he immediately ordered three more. However, problems with the hydraulic system and a low-powered engine made the aircraft unsuitable for operations.
A second version, the BV-141B, was built using the more powerful BMW 801A engine and had the starboard tail-plane virtually removed to allow the rear gunner an almost unobstructed field of fire.
Dr. Vogt had correctly calculated that the greater weight on one side of the aircraft could be canceled out by the torque of the propeller.
In operational test flights, the BV-141B proved very stable, maneuverable and easy to fly. Additionally, visibility was outstanding and a slight roll eliminated any blind spots.
Unfortunately, the same BMW 801 engine was used by the German’s best fighter – the Focke-Wulf 190 – and by the time testing was complete, the need for fighters far outweighed the need for a new light reconnaissance aircraft.
Also, the Blohm und Voss factory was producing the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor bomber/long range reconnaissance aircraft.
The desire to not interrupt production of this important aircraft and the need for all of the BMW engines to go to fighter aircraft ended the career of the truly unique BV-141.
Vogt went on to design a series of fighter-bombers with the same separate boom/cockpit configuration, but they remained “paper airplanes.”
