The Blohm & Voss Ha 139 was a German all-metal
inverted gull wingfloatplane. With its four engines it was at the time one of the largest float-equipped
seaplanes that had been built. The inboard engines were mounted at the joint between the inboard
anhedral and outboard
dihedral wing sections, above the pylon-mounted floats.
Further development of the Ha 139 led to the land-based version
Blohm & Voss BV 142 which had its first flight in October 1938.
Operational history
The aircraft were flown by Deutsche Luft Hansa on transatlantic routes between
1937 and
1939, predominantly between
Bathurst,
The Gambia and
Natal,
Brazil.
Catapult-launched from an aircraft tender they were able to transport 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) of mail over a distance of up to 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi).
On the outbreak of
World War II, the planes were transferred to the Luftwaffe and used for transport,
reconnaissance and minesweeping work over the
Baltic Sea. They were not particularly suited for military use.
Catapult launched floatplane mail-carrier design for
Deutsche Lufthansa (DLH), became the Ha 139.
Projekt 20
A reconnaissance-bomber derivative of Projekt 15 submitted to the
Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) (German air Ministry) but generating little interest.
Named Nordmeer — Second of two baseline prototypes
Ha 139 V3
Named Nordstern — Third prototype with longer wingspan, increased wing area and modified engine mounts.
Ha 139B
The Ha 139 V3 re-designated when in service with DLH.
Ha 139B/Umbau
After service with DLH, the Ha 139B was modified as the Ha 139B/Umbau with an extended glazed nose accommodating a navigator and a spherical Ikaria mount for a machine-gun. Further machine guns were mounted in the cockpit roof hatch and in lateral mountings on either side of the rear fuselage.
Ha 139B/MS
The Ha 139B/Umbau was later modified into a minesweeping (Minensuch) aircraft fitted with a large magnetic sensing loop strung between the nose, floats, wing-tips, and tail unit.
^
abGreen, William (2010). Aircraft of the Third Reich (1st ed.). London: Aerospace Publishing Limited. p. 34.
ISBN978-1-900732-06-2.
Bibliography
Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 4th impression 1979, p. 78–80.
ISBN0-356-02382-6.
Munson, Kenneth (1978). German Aircraft Of World War 2 in colour. Poole, Dorsett, UK: Blandford Press.
ISBN0-7137-0860-3.
Smith J.Richard and Kay, Anthony. German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 3rd impression 1978, p. 63–66.
ISBN0-370-00024-2.
Wood, Tony and Gunston, Bill. Hitler's Luftwaffe: A pictorial history and technical encyclopedia of Hitler's air power in World War II. London: Salamander Books Ltd., 1977, p. 133.
ISBN0-86101-005-1.
Green, William (2010). Aircraft of the Third Reich (1st ed.). London: Aerospace Publishing Limited. p. 34.
ISBN978-1-900732-06-2.