Gotha Go 242

The Gotha Go 242 was a German transport glider of the Second World War, designed by Albert Kalkert to a Reichsluftfahrtministerium requirement for a heavy glider that could replace the DFS 230 and carry twenty fully laden troops or the equivalent cargo. It was a high-wing monoplane with a square-section fuselage of steel tube covered in doped fabric, twin tail booms and clamshell doors at the rear for loading, and cargo versions had a hinged ramp that could take a small vehicle such as a Kübelwagen. Two prototypes flew in 1941 and 1,528 were built. Towed aloft by Heinkel He 111 or Junkers Ju 52 aircraft, the gliders served mostly in the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Aegean, and the type was the basis for the powered Go 244 transport.