little ot - me 323

[czert2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_323

how do you think that war progresed if allied have thi splane from 42/43/44 ?
it will dramaticaly changed some operations or it war come similiar way as it was happened ?

[Terminus]

No difference whatsoever.

[wdolson]

The Me-323 was very vulnerable to fighters. During the evacuation from North Africa they were used and when caught over the Med by Allied fighters they were slaughtered. I believe some B-26s were sent out to get in on the pickings.

The Allies had enough transports to meet their needs in most cases. The Spruce Goose was canceled because it turned out there was little need for a heavy lift transport plane.

I agree with Terminus on this one. I doubt if either side had more large transports it would have made much difference. Transport planes are a very expensive way to get cargo to a destination and they were only used in emergency situations where land or sea routes were not available. The longest term emergency was transporting supplies into China over the Hump from India. Long range transports were needed for that route which is why a large percentage of C-46s ended up in the CBI, but it also required a transport that could get up to enough altitude to safely clear the mountains. The Me-323 had good lift ability, but the range was not terrific and the max altitude was dangerously low for that route.

Bill

[czert2]

well, with better engines it will have better climb/max altitude capamabilities (together with bigger cargo capacity). True, gigants were vulnable to figters, but thats not big problem if you have air superiority .
And one must take into acount economy of that big plane into acount - with 1 plane you will tranport same amount of cargo as with 3-5 planes (depending on plane) with less crew/fuel consumption. True, allied didnh have problem with any of this, but it can infulence area specific situations.
And ability to transport cargo with others planes untasportable can play role too. How about chafees suporting market garden insetad of just jeeps ?

[wdolson]

There is the slight problem that Market Garden happened in September and the first 24 Chaffees didn't arrive in Europe until November and that was rushing them to the front.

The American airborne divisions were able to meet up with the land support columns OK. Where armor was needed was at Arnhem, but what the 1st Airborne needed were something with 17 pounders, not light tanks, and that would have been difficult to deliver by air. Additionally the Me-323 would have had to land and the British didn't have any airfields at Arnhem.

I suppose it's an entertaining what if, but I don't think something like that in the Allied inventory would have made much difference.

The biggest problem was the British dropped on an undetected SS unit concentration that was rebuilding for the Battle of the Ardennes. If intel had found them ahead of time it may have caused the British to scratch the whole operation.

Bill

[Terminus]

Except that it was Monty's prestige op.