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Blohm & Voss BV 138
The Blohm & Voss BV 138 ''Seedrache'' (Sea Dragon), but nicknamed ''Der Fliegende Holzschuh'' ("flying clog",〔Nowarra 1997, original German title of the Schiffer book.〕 from the side-view shape of its fuselage) was a World War II German trimotor flying boat that served as the ''Luftwaffe''s main seaborne long-range maritime patrol and naval reconnaissance aircraft.
==Design and development==
A total of 297 BV 138s were built between 1938 and 1943. The aircraft was unusually powered by three engines, with one mounted high above the centerline driving a four-blade propeller, and one on each wing driving three-blade propellers. The pre-production prototypes and the BV 138 A-01 to BV 138 A-06, were powered by various makes of engines ranging from 485–746 kW (650–1,000 hp). The first standardized version, BV 138 B-1, was powered by three 880 PS (868 hp, 647 kW) Junkers Jumo 205D aircraft diesel engines. The unusual appearance of the aircraft was due to several things. The aircraft's semi-anachronistic trimotor configuration, with the central engine mounted high over the center wing, was unique, not helped by the mismatched numbers of propeller blades. Even the engine cowlings themselves had an atypical appearance due the to unique nature of the opposed-piston engines used. The general appearance of the cowlings was similar to the engine cowling on an typical 4 or 6-cylinder inverted inline engine, due to the similar shape of the engines. Such engines were unusual on aircraft of this size, being more commonly found on smaller civil and utility aircraft. Protruding from the rear of the outer engine nacelles were the slab-sided booms of the ''twin boom'' tail unit, while the (also slab-sided) hull unit that was slung underneath reputedly bore a certain resemblance to a wooden shoe (earning the Bv 138 its popular nickname "The Flying Clog"). For hydrodynamic reasons, there was also a distinct "turn-down", or "beak" at the stern, like the fuselage had been bent. All these features combined to give the aircraft a highly distinctive and unique appearance, as well as ungainly lines. Not helping were the prominent enclosed powered gun turrets at the bow and stern — the bow turret closely resembling the forward dorsal turret on the Focke-Wulf Fw 200C-3/U1 four-engined patrol aircraft — each mounting a single MG 151/20 autocannon, as well as a fully open Scarff ring-like emplacement behind the central engine containing a 13mm MG 131 heavy machine gun, which had the appearance of being added on as an afterthought to cover the fields of fire that were obstructed from the 20mm cannon by the horizontal stabilizer; the contrast echoed the mismatched propeller blades on the engines. These features together produced the aircraft's ungainly appearance, but inspired a certain affection among its crew and mechanics.
The first of the 227 standard service variant, BV 138 C-1, began service in March 1941. Although various versions of the aircraft carried a variety of armament, the standard included two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, one in a power-operated bow turret and one in a power-operated stern turret, up to three 7.92 mm MG 15 machine guns, and a 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun in the aft center engine nacelle. It could carry up to 500 kg (1,100 lb) of bombs or depth charges (under the starboard wing root only) or, in place of these, up to 10 passengers. Several were later fitted with FuG 200 ''Hohentwiel'' low-UHF band search radar for anti-shipping duties. Some were converted for minesweeper role. The BV 138 MS variant, with the "MS" suffix signifying ''Minensuch'' (German for mine-clearing, literally mine-search), carried a degaussing device, a hoop with the same diameter as the length of the fuselage (encircling the entire hull), and field-generating equipment, instead of weapons.
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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