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Aviation / Aerospace

Junkers G38

Long-Haul Passenger Airliner / Heavy-Lift Long-Range Transport Aircraft [ 1931 ]

The Junkers G38 of the 1930s represented the largest land-based aircraft in the world for a brief time in her flying career - two were constructed in pre-World War 2 Germany.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/17/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

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During the early part of its flying career, the Junkers model G.38 was the largest land-based airplane anywhere in the world. What's more is the giant aircraft was developed under the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles which hampered German industry following World War 1 (1914-1918) but fittingly played its role during the "Golden Age of Flight" that saw aircraft evolve considerably. The aircraft proved a great study in blended body-wing design for the period and two examples were built primarily for the passenger-hauling role.

Like other Junkers aircraft before it, the G.38 was completed with corrugated duraluminium stressed metal skin. The large cantilever wings were deliberately designed as deep, measuring some 5.7 feet, to house passenger cabins and a pair of engine nacelles. The fuselage, with the cockpit flight deck (stepped arrangement) overlooking the nose, tapered towards the tail. The tail itself was capped by a triple-rudder configuration sandwiched between a pair of horizontal planes. The undercarriage was wheeled though fixed in flight and spatted for some basic aerodynamic efficiency. An operating crew of seven was carried.

Dimensions included a length of 76.1 feet, a wingspan of 144.3 feet and a height of 23.6 feet. Empty weight registered 32,900 lb against a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 46,825 lb.

To power the massive bird, 2 x Junkers L55 V12 water-cooled inline piston engines were initially carried in the inboard engine mountings while 2 x Junkers L8a 6-cylinder, water-cooled inline piston engines were carried at the outboard positions. These gave an output power of 413 horsepower each. Because of the depth of the wing design (internally), not only could passengers be carried in the structures but flight engineers could also access the powerplants in-flight and make necessary repairs / adjustments.

Performance specs included a maximum speed of 140 miles per hour with a cruising speed of 110 miles per hour. Though slow the beast ranged out to 2,150 miles and its service ceiling reached 12,105 feet - certainly better qualities than competing Zeppelin passenger/cargo haulers of the period.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Passenger capacity eventually numbered thirty across three compartments and the persons lucky enough to secure a ticket in the wings were given forward-facing windscreens built directly into the wing leading edges. Lavatories were built-in as were "smoking rooms". The aircraft's MTOW also provided the system with an excellent cargo-hauling capability when used in the dedicated transport role.

First-flight of the G.38 (also recognized as the "D-2000") came on November 6th, 1929 and the launch customer was German carrier Lufthansa with flights seen from Berlin to London beginning on July 1st, 1931. Revision work on the aircraft followed from October onward and resulted in greater passenger-hauling capabilities (a second deck being added). The work also included installation of four L88 series engines of 800 horsepower each. The D-2000 prototype aircraft eventually crashed in 1936 following some maintenance work and the damage proved so great the aircraft was not repaired and set back into active service.

A second prototype aircraft ("D-2500") finished construction and given the same twin deck internal design and its passenger-hauling capability was slightly increased to thirty-four travelers.

Flights soon resumed to various points within Europe and out to London. In 1934 the engine fits were replaced by Junkers 4 (Junkers Jumo 204) series powerplants which boosted overall output power by nearly 1,000 horses. With the D-2000 crashing in 1936, D-2500 continued on alone until Germany found itself in a world war over Europe once again. The D-2500 was requisitioned as a military transport and continued in this role until May of 1941 when she was bombed by Royal Air Force attackers where she sat in Axis-controlled Athens, Greece.

The large aircraft design was licensed out to Mitsubishi during the 1930s which allowed the company to produce a military-minded bomber-transport type. This product was designated "Ki-20" and six were completed from the period spanning 1931 to 1935. These 10-man bombers served with the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force and had a first-flight recorded in 1932.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1931

Origin

Nazi Germany

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

7

Production

2
UNITS

Junkers Flugzeug und Motorenwerke AG - Nazi Germany

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Nazi Germany

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Transport
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.

✓ Commercial Aviation
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.

Length

76.1 ft
(23.21 m)

Width/Span

144.4 ft
(44.00 m)

Height

23.6 ft
(7.20 m)

Empty Wgt

33,069 lb
(15,000 kg)

MTOW

46,826 lb
(21,240 kg)

Wgt Diff

+13,757 lb
(+6,240 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Junkers G38 (D-2000) production variant)

Installed: 1929: 2 x Junkers L55 V12 water-cooled inline piston engines with 2 x Junkers L8a 6-cylinder water-cooled inline piston engines developing 413 horsepower each.

Max Speed

140 mph
(225 kph | 121 kts)

Ceiling

12,139 ft
(3,700 m | 2 mi)

Range

2,175 mi
(3,500 km | 6,482 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Junkers G38 (D-2000) production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

G.38 - Base Model Designation; two examples completed.

D-2000 - Original prototype; seating for up to 30 passengers.

D-2500 - Secondary prototype; revised internals for seating 34.

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Image from the German Federal Archives.

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