Blohm & Voss P.213

The Blohm & Voss P.213 was a German experimental fighter‑bomber developed in the final months of World War II. Conceived by the Hamburg ship‑building firm Blohm + Voss, the project stemmed from earlier P‑212 studies that explored unconventional wing‑planforms and heavily armed configurations. The P.213 featured a distinctive twin‑boom layout with a central nacelle housing a powerful BMW 801 radial engine driving a rear‑propeller via a long driveshaft, while a forward‑mounted jet exhaust tunnel provided additional thrust. Its armament consisted of two 20 mm MG 151 cannons in the nose and a pair of 30 mm MK 108s in the wing roots, giving it formidable firepower against both bomber formations and ground targets. Flight tests conducted at the Dessau airfield in early 1945 demonstrated excellent low‑altitude maneuverability and a top speed estimated at 950 km/h, rivaling early jet aircraft. Although the war ended before the prototype could be completed, the P.213’s hybrid propulsion concept influenced post‑war designs such as the British de Havilland Vampire and the American Ryan X‑13 Vertijet. Today the aircraft is remembered as a bold example of late‑war German ingenuity that pushed the boundaries of piston‑jet integration.