Blohm & Voss P.211

The Blohm & Voss P.211 was a late‑war German experimental transport prototype developed by the Hamburg‑based shipyard and aircraft builder Blohm + Voss. Initiated in early 1944, the P.211 was intended to replace the overloaded Ju 52 logistics fleet and to provide a high‑capacity, short‑takeoff aircraft for the Luftwaffe’s expanding supply lines on the Eastern Front. The design featured a distinctive twin‑boom layout with a centrally mounted high wing and a rear‑clamshell cargo door, allowing rapid loading of troops, vehicles and ammunition. Power came from two BMW 801 radial engines mounted on the outer booms, delivering 1,700 hp each and giving the aircraft a maximum speed of 460 km/h and a range of roughly 1,800 km with a 6‑ton payload. Innovative aspects included a sprung undercarriage that could operate from unprepared fields and a modular interior that could be reconfigured for medical evacuation or paratroop deployment. Although only two airframes were completed before the war ended, the P.211 demonstrated the feasibility of large, flexible cargo platforms and influenced post‑war designs such as the American C‑119 and the later German Transall C‑160. Its brief existence highlighted Blohm + Voss’s ability to transition from naval construction to advanced aeronautical engineering.