Junkers G.38 – Germany’s Enormous Transport

The Junkers G.38 was a workhorse transport aircraft of the Second World War that saw heavy use in paratrooper and glider roles. It was used by Hitler’s elite forces, including the SS, as well as by the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe in general. The G.38 was developed to meet a need for a transport aircraft that could be used for long-range and heavy-lifting operations.
The G.38 was designed and built by Junkers Flugzeugwerke from 1935-1937. It had an airframe made of welded steel tubing, with riveted aluminum skinning over the main fuselage and wings. The G.38 had two main engines; one mounted in the nose, and one mounted in the rear fuselage. It also had two 7mm MG 131 machine guns mounted on top of the wing, along with a fixed forward firing 20mm MG FF cannon mounted underneath the nosecone. The G.38 was very large and heavy, weighing around 10 tons empty, with a loaded weight of 20 tons. It had a wingspan of around 48 feet, with an overall length of 27 feet 9 inches, making it quite large even for its day. The PlaneHistoria website contains more interesting facts and knowledge. https://planehistoria.com/pioneers/junkers-g-38