Written by
Michael Hyde

May 11, 1940: As dawn breaks, paratroop-laden DFS 230 gliders swoop onto the shocked defenders of the fortress at Eben Emaël, Belgium, part of Germany's invasion of the neutral Low Countries.

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Overview

After defeat in World War One, Germany had been restricted developing powered aircraft by the Versailles Treaty. This led to great interest in gliders and sailplanes as a means of introducing young Germans to aviation and technical resources were directed to both design and operational aspects of gliding.

Hitler’s personal interest was aroused in 1932 after viewing a demonstration of a weather research glider; the OBS. This aircraft was notable in that it could carry two researchers as well as equipment and the pilot. It was designed by Dr. Alexander Lippisch and Prof. Walter Georgii of the Rhoen-Rossiter-Gesselschaft Research Institute and built by Alex Schleicher (who became a successful post-war sailplane designer and builder). The concept of military applications for gliders was championed by Ernst Udet who had some experience with the well-developed Soviet combat glider programme. This interest eventually led to an order for Deutsche Forschungsantalt Fuer Segelflug (DFS) to develop prototypes based on the OBS. Hans Jacob designed the glider, now designated DFS 230, and the three prototypes finally began trial flights in 1937.

The DFS 230 V1 to V3 were high-winged monoplanes with a steel-tube framed and fabric covered fuselage and stressed plywood wings. Jettisonable wheels were used for take-off and a centrally mounted skid for landing. Dive brakes were fitted into the upper wing surface. The design load was one pilot and nine troops, with the troop seats removable to create cargo space.

After the successful manufacture of a number of DFS 230A-0 pre-production aircraft the type was ordered into production as the DFS 230A-1, which became the Luftwaffe’s principal assault glider. The DFS 230A-0s were issued to a unit of 7.Fliegerdivision which used them to develop operational tactics during 1938 and 1939. By the beginning of 1940 I./Luftlandergeschwader 1 had been formed with DFS 230A-1 gliders, and later in the year Gruppen II and III were also established. The DFS 230A-1 was widely used, in particular for the attack on the Belgian forts at Eban Emael in May 1940; the aerial invasion of Crete in 1941; and as a transport during the North African and Eastern Front campaigns. A dual-control training version was designated DFS 230A-2.

Operational led to a number of modifications being incorporated into the DFS 230B-1 model which replaced the A-1 model on the production lines and was first issued to Luftwaffe units in late 1940. Vulnerability to ground fire during descent was a major issue and the B-1 model had a tail parachute; structural strengthening; and a heavier landing skid fitted to allow very steep landing approaches and rapid touch downs to be made if under fire. It was also fitted with a 7.9 mm MG 15 machine gun mounted dorsally immediately behind the pilot’s cockpit. Some aircraft also had two MG 34s mounted to fire forward from the nose as an in-field modification. The MG 15 could be used for both airborne defence and to cover the disembarking troops. A dual-control training version was designated the model B-2.

The last major glider-borne assault was the invasion of Crete in May 1941 and after that gliders were used principally for transport and support operations which came to rely on heavier glider types such as the Gotha 242 and Messerschmitt Me 323. This change in operational emphasis led to the phasing out of DFS 230 production by April 1942.

The FA 225 was an attempt to create a very short-field landing glider by fitting a three-bladed rotor system from a Focke-Angelis FA 223 helicopter to a wingless DFS 230B-1 glider fuselage. Although landing distances as short as 15 m were demonstrated, control was very poor, and the design did not proceed beyond one prototype.

Rocket braking proved more successful. The DFS 230C-1 model had three Rhienmetall-Borsig powder rockets fitted to the nose cone which fired forward in rapid succession after touch-down. Testing demonstrated landing runs of as short as 16 m, and the rockets provided an added advantage of creating a dense cloud of smoke that enveloped the glider and provided cover. These DFS 230C-1 gliders were used to land an assault force for the daring mountaintop rescue of Mussolini from his captors in 1944. The success of the design prompted DFS to develop a rocket nose module for retrofitting to DFS 230B model gliders. It was tested on the DFS 230 V6 and designated DFS 230D-1, but production was never commenced.

Tow aircraft varied but included Junkers Ju 52s for the early-war assaults, Dornier Do 17s (I./Luftlandergeschwader 1), Heinkel He 45s, He 46s, Henschel Hs 126s (II and III./Luftlandergeschwader 1), and He 111s (Schleppgruppe 2) for transport operations from 1942 onwards. A 40 m (131 ft) tow cable (seilschlepp) was used for in daylight and good weather and a short, rigid tow bar (starrschlepp), only one metre (3 ft) long, for instrument flying conditions. Experiments were done with a powered aircraft attached to the glider with a rigid piggy-back mounting, and although successful using a Messerschmitt Bf 109E, the idea was not pursued.

The DFS 230 was used widely in the Mediterranean and Soviet Union for supply and transport operations. Major operations n the East included resupply of the Kohlm pocket in May 1942; the Kuban bridgehead during 1943; relief of I.Panzerarmee at Tarnopol in early 1944; supply of Budapest between December 1944 and February 1945; and finally Breslau in March 1945 when DFS 230s carried ammunition for six 15 cm field guns, themselves transported in Gotha Go 242 gliders. At the end of the war Schleppgruppe 1 was still operational with 13 DFS 230 gliders on strength.

The last of the DFS 230 series was the DFS 230 V7, a prototype of the proposed DFS 230F-1 model. It was in fact an entirely new design by Gothar Wagonnfabrik, but designated DFS 230 to circumvent the order that no further new development of light transport gliders be made, as the DFS 230 was considered adequate. The DFS 230 V7 had cargo capacity of up to 1750 kg (3,850 lbs) in a fuselage that was much wider than the previous models, or could carry 15 troops in addition to two crewmembers. Its design towing speed was also higher than previous models with a maximum of 300 km/h (186 mph). By the time it was test-flown in late 1943 German war-production priorities had altered dramatically, and no production order was ever issued for the DFS 230F-1.

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Variants

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Specifications

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References

Donald, David, editor, 1994, Warplanes of the Luftwaffe: a complete guide to the combat aircraft of Hitler’s Luftwaffe from 1939 to 1945, Aerospace Publishing, London.

Green, William, 1970, Warplanes of the Third Reich, Galahad Books, New York.

Mrazek, James E., 1977, Fighting Gliders of World War II, Robert Hale Limited, London.

Vajda, Ferenc A and Dancy, Peter, (1998), German Aircraft Industry and Production 1933 – 45, SAE Publishing Ltd, PA, USA, p.209.

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