Arado Ar 196
Ar 196 | |
---|---|
Luftwaffe Arado Ar 196A-2 (OU+AR) taxiing | |
Role | Reconnaissance |
Manufacturer | Arado |
Designer | Walter Blume |
First flight | May 1937 |
Introduction | November, 1938 |
Primary users | Kriegsmarine Bulgarian Air Force Finnish Air Force |
Produced | 1938–44 |
Number built | 541 |
The Arado Ar 196 was a shipboard
The Ar 196 was designed in response to the Kriegsmarine's requirement to replace the
All
Design and development
Background
In 1933, the Kriegsmarine looked for a standardized shipboard
By early 1935, it was determined that the He 60's performance was lacking,.
Submission and selection
During October 1936, the RLM requested for a He 114 replacement; the corresponding specification stipulated that the aircraft would use the BMW 132, and requested prototypes in both twin-float and single-float configurations.
Deeming Arado's submission to be the most modern and capable aircraft, the RLM placed an initial order for four prototypes.[7] These prototypes included a seaplane configured for catapult launches and stressed to perform diving bombing attacks.[5] The RLM was conservative by nature, thus they also ordered two of the Focke-Wulf Fw 62 designs as a backup measure. It quickly became clear that the Arado was performing effectively,[5] while also being easier to manufacture,[10] as such, only four prototypes of the Fw 62 were built.[citation needed]
Into flight
On 1 June 1937, the first prototype, Ar 196 V1, performed its
All of the prototypes were delivered by the end of summer 1937, V1 and V2 with twin floats as A models, and V3 and V4 on a single float as B models. By the end of the year, all four were participating in flight testing. Testing revealed that, in comparison to the Fw 62, the Ar 196 was the superior aircraft, possessing lighter handling qualities, higher loading, a more rugged design, and better flight characteristics.[8] Both versions demonstrated excellent water handling and there seemed to be little to decide, one over the other. It was noted that the twin-float version exerted greater stress upon the wings,[11] yet, since there was a possibility of the smaller outrigger floats on the B models "digging in", the twin-float A model was ordered into production. Nevertheless, the two different float arrangements were designed to be interchangeable, along with cushioned ice skis.[11][12] A single additional prototype, V5, was produced in November 1938 to test final changes.
Ten A-0s were delivered in November and December 1938, permitting service tests to commence in the opening weeks of 1939.
Further development
Starting in November 1939, production switched to the heavier land-based A-2 model. Intended for the coastal patrol role, it added shackles for the carriage of two 50 kg (110 lb) bombs, two 20 mm MG FF cannon in the wings, and a 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine gun in the cowling.[14] Armament had not been addressed by the original specification for the aircraft, thus early production aircraft had been outfitted largely for aerial reconnaissance missions, particularly for the detection of enemy submarines. The addition of various weapons was a result of operational experiences where the aircraft had encountered enemies and found the absence of such armaments to be less than satisfying.[14]
A small series of fifteen A-4 models commenced production in December 1940.
To increase the rate of production to meet wartime demands, a
By the end of production in August 1944, a total of 541 Ar 196s (15 prototypes and 526 production models) had been constructed, about 100 of these being produced at SNCASO and Fokker plants.[citation needed]
Operational history
During the war they served under Bordfliegergruppe (Ship Aviation Group) 196 and with seven SAGr (Seeaufklärungsgruppen/Naval Reconnaissance Groups),
- The Bismarck-class battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz each carried four Ar 196s. The Bismarck had a very short operational career, the ship was lost during its first operation Rheinübung and did not have a chance to operate its aircraft. During the final stages of the operation, when Bismarck was surrounded by British forces close to the Atlantic coast of France, it was tried to launch an Ar 196 to bring the ships war diary and other reports to France. Only then it was discovered that the catapult was out of order because of battle damage sustained in the Battle of the Denmark Strait and thus the aircraft could not be launched.[18] The Tirpitz used one of her Ar 196s during Operation Sportpalast with limited success to attack shadowing British scout planes.[19]
- The Scharnhorst-class battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau initially had two catapults and three Ar 196s. Both ships operated together during the early stages of the war. During Operation Weserübung one of Scharnhorst's Ar 196s was launched at extreme range to Norway in order to convey reports and orders when the German ships had to keep radio silence at a crucial stage of the operation.[20] Similarly, one of Gneisenau's Arados brought reports to Norway after a first failed breakthrough attempt during Operation Berlin.[21]
- The Deutschland-class cruisers Deutschland, Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee were allocated two aircraft each, but during operations carried only one aircraft which was positioned on the catapult. These ships did not have an aircraft hangar. Admiral Graf Spee put its Ar 196 to good use during its raid on merchant shipping in the South Atlantic at the opening stage of the war.[22] The Ar 196 detected on 11 September the British heavy cruiser HMS Cumberland in time to avoid confrontation, and the airplane scouted successfully for British ships. But the aircraft broke down just before the Battle of the River Plate and was not able to warn Admiral Graf Spee of a patrolling British force, which eventually led to her scuttling at Montevideo.[23]
- The Admiral Hipper-class cruisers Admiral Hipper, Blücher and Prinz Eugen were equipped with one catapult and three Ar 196s.
The Ar 196 was a popular aircraft amongst pilots, who commonly found that it handled well both in the air and on the water.[
The Ar 196 was involved in two particularly notable operations, these being the capture of
Two Ar 196s were brought to Penang in Japanese-occupied Malaya. In March 1944, along with a Japanese Aichi E13A, these floatplanes formed the new East Asia Naval Special Service to assist both the German Monsun Gruppe and Japanese naval forces in the area. The aircraft were painted in Japanese livery and were operated by Luftwaffe pilots under the command of Oberleutnant Ulrich Horn.[25][unreliable source?][26] On 18 February 1944, one of these Arados rescued thirtheen survivors of the German submarine UIT-23, by transferring them on its floats in several trips.[27]
Ar 196s in Allied hands
The first Ar 196 to be captured by the Allies was an example belonging to the German
During 1944–1945, Soviet forces captured many Arados along the Baltic coast of Poland and Germany. At Dassow, a spare parts depot was recovered also. After repairs, thirty-seven Ar 196s were fitted with Soviet radio equipment were integrated into the aviation element of the Soviet Border Guard. These were operated in the Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific coastal areas, serving until as late as 1955.[30] One Soviet 196 was re-engined with a Shvetsov ASh-62, in case of shortages of the BMW 132, but these shortages did not occur, and no more Ar 196s were re-engined.[31]
Operators
- Norway – (captured)
Aircraft on display
- Ar 196 A-5 (originally A-3) Werknummer 196 0219
- An aircraft operated by the Bulgarian Air Force is displayed at the Museum of Aviation, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
- Ar 196 A-5, Werknummer 623 167
- An aircraft that formerly equipped the German cruiser Prinz Eugen is in storage at the Paul Garber Facility of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, and awaiting restoration.[32]
- Ar 196 A-5, Werknummer 623 183
- Another aircraft from the Prinz Eugen was displayed from 1949 to 1995 at the Naval Air Station Willow Grove, Pennsylvania and subsequently transferred to the National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. The upper fuselage and canopy were damaged during transit, and it remained in storage awaiting restoration. In December 2012, it was packed into containers and shipped to Nordholz, Germany. Restoration began in August 2013, in time for that city's celebration for 100 years of German naval aviation. The plane, on long term loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum, will eventually be displayed at the Naval Air Wing 3 (Marinefliegergeschwader 3) headquarters at Nordholz Naval Airbase.[33][34]
- Arado Ar 196 A-2 Werknummer 196 0046 or 196 0048
The Aircraft Historical Museum, Sola, Norway, has on display an Ar 196 A-2 fuselage frame raised from the wreck of the German cruiser Blücher in Oslofjord.
Another aircraft is known to lie in the Jonsvatnet, a lake near Trondheim in Norway. A number of wartime German aircraft have been recovered from the lake, but the Ar 196 remains undisturbed as its crew were killed when it crashed there in 1940 and it has the status of a war grave.
A wrecked Ar 196 A-3, believed to be D1 + EH, was snagged by a fishing trawler off the island of
Specifications (Ar 196 A-5)
Data from Arado Ar 196, Germany's Multi-Purpose Seaplane,[36] Arado, History of an Aircraft Company[37]
General characteristics
- Crew: two (pilot and observer)
- Length: 11 m (36 ft 1 in)
- Wingspan: 12.4 m (40 ft 8 in)
- Height: 4.45 m (14 ft 7 in)
- Wing area: 28.4 m2 (306 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 2,990 kg (6,592 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 3,720 kg (8,201 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × BMW 132W nine-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 782 kW (1,050 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 332 km/h (206 mph, 179 kn)
- Range: 1,080 km (670 mi, 580 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 7,010 m (23,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 6 m/s (1,200 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 98.2 kg/m2 (20.1 lb/sq ft)
- Power/mass: 0.235 kW/kg ( 0.143 hp/lb)
Armament
- Guns: * 1 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 81Z machine gun
- 1 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 17 machine gun
- 2 × 20 mm (0.787 in) MG FF/M cannon
- Bombs: * 2 × 50 kg (110.231 lb) bombs
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Aichi E13A
- Curtiss SC Seahawk
- Fairey Seafox
- IMAM Ro.43
- Latécoère 298
- Nakajima A6M2-N
- Northrop N-3PB
- Supermarine Walrus
- Vought OS2U Kingfisher
Related lists
- List of aircraft of World War II
- List of interwar military aircraft
- List of military aircraft of Germany
- List of flying boats and floatplanes
- List of World War II military aircraft of Germany
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e Kranzhoff 1997, p. 84.
- ^ Bekker. 1964 p. 91.[permanent dead link]
- ^ de Jong 2021, pp. 6-7.
- ^ de Jong 2021, pp. 7-8.
- ^ a b c d Kranzhoff 1997, p. 81.
- ^ a b de Jong 2021, pp. 8-9.
- ^ a b de Jong 2021, p. 9.
- ^ a b c Kranzhoff 1997, pp. 81-82.
- ^ a b de Jong 2021, p. 10.
- ^ a b de Jong 2021, pp. 9-10.
- ^ a b c Kranzhoff 1997, p. 82.
- ^ de Jong 2021, pp. 10-11.
- ^ a b Kranzhoff 1997, p. 83.
- ^ a b Kranzhoff 1997, pp. 83-84.
- ^ Dabrowski 1997, [page needed].
- ^ a b c de Jong 2021, p. 13.
- ^ Munson 1978, p. 21.
- ^ Müllenheim-Rechberg 1980, pp. 148–149.
- ^ Kemp 1998, p. 34.
- ^ Bredemeier 1997, pp. 58–60.
- ^ Bredemeier 1997, pp. 100–101.
- ^ de Jong 2021, pp. 16-18.
- ^ Stephen 1988, pp. 11–16.
- ^ Munson 1960, p. 12.
- ISBN 978-3-7386-3013-8.
- ^ Brennecke 1996, p. 308.
- ^ Brennecke 1996, p. 342.
- ^ Sivertsen 1999, pp. 105, 115–122.
- ^ Sivertsen 1999, p. 122.
- ^ Kotelnikov, V. Stalin's Captives article in Fly Past magazine, February 2017, pp. 102-104.
- ^ de Jong 2021, p. 88.
- ^ "Arado Ar 196 A-5". Smithsonian: National Air and Space Museum: Arado Ar 196. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013.
- ^ HCWinters (12 June 2013). "USA leihen Arado an das MFG aus". Cuxhavener Nachrichten. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ "Kriegsflugzeug kehrt nach Deutschland zurück". Die Welt. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ Bardanis, Manolis; Lino, von Garzten. "Die Geschichte der Arado 196 von Herakleaia" (PDF). naxosdiving.com. Naxos Diving. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ Dabrowski 1997, [page needed].
- ^ Kranzhoff 1997, p. 85.
Bibliography
- Bredemeier, Heinrich (1997). Schlachtschiff Scharnhorst (in German) (5th ed.). Hamburg, Germany: Koehler. ISBN 3-7822-0592-8.
- Brennecke, Jochen (1996). Jäger-Gejagte. Deutsche U-Boote 1939-1945 (in German) (5th ed.). München: Wilhel Heyne Verlag. ISBN 3-453-02356-0.
- Dabrowski, Hans-Peter; Koos, Volker (1997). Arado Ar 196, Germany's Multi-Purpose Seaplane. Atglen, Pennsylvania, US: ISBN 0-88740-481-2.
- de Jong, Peter (2021). Arado Ar 196 Units in Combat. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-47284-497-2.
- Kemp, Paul (1998). The Encyclopedia of 20th Century Conflict Sea Warfare. London, UK: Arms and Armour. ISBN 978-1-85409-221-2.
- Kranzhoff, Jörg Armin (1997). Arado, History of an Aircraft Company. Atglen, Pennsylvania, US: Schiffer Books. ISBN 0-7643-0293-0.
- Ledwoch, Janusz (1997). Arado 196 (Militaria 53) (in Polish). Warszawa, Poland: Wydawnictwo Militaria. ISBN 83-86209-87-9.
- Müllenheim-Rechberg, Burkhard von (1980). De ondergang van de Bismarck (in Dutch). De Boer Maritiem. ISBN 90-228-1836-5.
- Munson, Kenneth (1960). Enemy Aircraft (German and Italian) of World War II. London, UK: Ian Allan Ltd.
- Munson, Kenneth (1978). German Aircraft Of World War 2 in colour. Poole, Dorsett, UK: Blandford Press. ISBN 0-7137-0860-3.
- Sivertsen, Svein Carl, ed. (1999). Jageren Sleipner i Romsdalsfjord sjøforsvarsdistrikt April 1940 (in Norwegian). Hundvåg, Norway: Sjømilitære Samfund ved Norsk Tidsskrift for Sjøvesen.
- Stephen, Martin (1988). Grove, Eric (ed.). Sea Battles in close-up : World War 2. London, UK: Ian Allan ltd. ISBN 0-7110-1596-1.