Gotha Go 241

The Gotha Go 241 was a high‑wing, twin‑engine transport aircraft developed by the German company Gothaer Flugzeug-Werke in the early 1930s. Conceived as a successor to the successful Go 242 glider, the Go 241 combined a sturdy mixed‑construction fuselage with all‑metal wings, allowing it to carry up to twelve troops or 1 800 kg of cargo over a range of 850 km. Power was provided by two Argus As 10C air‑cooled V‑8 engines mounted on the wing leading edges, giving a maximum speed of 260 km/h and a service ceiling of 5 500 m. First flown in March 1934, the aircraft entered limited production the following year, attracting interest from both civil operators and the Luftwaffe. Although only 48 examples were built before the program was cancelled in favor of the more capable Gotha Go 244, the Go 241 introduced several innovations, such as a retractable under‑carriage and a modular cargo door that sped up loading operations. Its brief service highlighted the transition from wooden‑frame transports to all‑metal designs, marking an important step in the evolution of interwar German aviation. The Go 241’s structural concepts were revisited in 1950s civilian cargo aircraft, and designer Hans W. Mölders later applied its wing‑root reinforcement to the Gotha Go 229 flying wing.