A Brief History of Bäumer Flugzeugwerke Fighters
Apr 19, 2019 8:26:18 GMT 10
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Post by Admin on Apr 19, 2019 8:26:18 GMT 10
A Brief History of Bäumer Flugzeugwerke Fighters
Paul Bäumer, a decorated fighter pilot from WWI had left the Luftstreitkräfte with a keen interest in flying at the end of hostilities in 1918.
Nicknamed “Der Eiserne Adler" or the Iron Eagle, Bäumer worked at a number of positions post war before founding his own aircraft company, Bäumer Flugzeugwerke in Hamburg.
Whilst in the process of setting up his company, he was approached by Kurt Tank, the lead designer of the Rohrbach Metall-Flugzeugbau to fly their new Ro IX or ‘Rofix’ fighter, being tested, clandestinely in Denmark in 1927.
Although the prototype had crashed in January of that year, Bäumer was keen to try the type given its parasol monoplane design. Powered by a 600hp BMW VI engine, the all metal fighter made an imposing sight as Bäumer walked onto the mist shrouded airfield on the 15th of July, 1927.
Much to the chagrin of Tank and the assembled staff from Rohrbach, Bäumer wore a backpack parachute, being one of the few WWI veterans to have been saved by the new concept. Bäumer had said that wearing the device ensured he was able to give his complete attention to the business of flying without distraction, knowing that, regardless of potential issues, he would have the ability to safely exit an aircraft if required, rather than plunging to earth trapped in a burning or otherwise damaged plane, like many of his compatriots during the War.
Lifting into the air as the dawn broke, Bäumer was impressed with the big Rofix’s handling and general feel. The controls were solid and precise and the BMW roared defiantly into the morning, pulling the new type through the clouds.
Bäumer began to explore the flight envelope of the fighter, looping, spinning and diving over the airfield making mock attacks on cloud formations and snap-rolling away to safety when an imagined foe had fixed themselves behind him. During this time, he noted a small flutter in the tail assembly, causing some minor buffeting of the controls but was able to keep control of the machine.
Satisfied with the performance of the type, Bäumer turned the Rofix’s nose back towards the airfield in full daylight, the morning’s fog having lifted. At 2000ft, Bäumer thought he’d put the type through a couple of manoeuvres to be closer to the assembled workers, giving them a better view of the handling of the type.
Entering a loop, he passed through 2500ft in the vertical and began to roll the Rofix onto its’ back before pulling harder on the control column to complete the manoeuvre. As he began to put the aircraft’s nose towards the ground, the previous buffeting worsened and Bäumer, an experienced pilot, soon realised that this was possibly the flaw that had seen the aircraft crash earlier in January.
Now in the vertical, Bäumer struggled with the controls, losing altitude rapidly until he heard a scream of tortured metal behind him as the tail empennage began to disintegrate.
On the ground, Tank and the others looked on in horror as the diving aircraft began to shed pieces of its airframe into the sky. The roar of the BMW engine had now become a wailing howl as the aircraft plunged towards the earth.
Aboard the doomed Rofix, Bäumer kicked himself free of the cockpit, narrowly missing the debris of the tail section and opened his parachute with a few hundred feet to spare.
He landed heavily in a field just outside the airfield having watched the Rofix plunge into the earth near the threshold of the airstrip, exploding into flames on impact.
Tank and some others soon arrived at Bäumer’s side, finding the veteran pilot shrouded in his parachute, but alive and unharmed, beyond some minor bruising and scratches.
Back at the airfield’s office, Bäumer spoke frankly with Tank, mentioning the tailplane and the designer soon set about sketching some ideas to strengthen the airframe at that point.
Later in August, Bäumer took the modified Rofix to the skies over Denmark again now satisfied with the safety of the type. Upon landing, he and Tank agreed to a collaboration where Bäumer would display the type to various interested parties with a view to production sales.
Bäumer would eventually visit a number of European nations who were keen to equip with the new fighter and received an example of the Rofix, unarmed of course, in gratitude from Rohrbach as thanks for persisting with the design and ensuring its export success.
Returning to his new factory in Hamburg, Bäumer set about designing his own ‘sports’ aircraft using the BMW powerplant of the Rofix.
Bäumer’s new design was dubbed the Ba 1A Sturmwind or ‘Whirlwind’. A parasol monoplane design, similar to the Rofix, but with somewhat more conventional structure, the new type proved to be agile and sturdy, impressing many who flew the type in testing or observed it from the ground.
Whilst nominally a civilian aerobatic machine as were many fledgling fighter designs built in Germany at the time, Bäumer’s Ba 1A would soon be replaced on the production line by the Ba 1B armed with four machine guns.
The new fighter proved popular in service with the fledgling Luftwaffe and many pilots both respected Bäumer’s experience and war service and realised that he had produced a type that was truly a ‘pilot’s aeroplane’.
The Ba 1B would later be replaced by the Ba 1C, this being the zenith of the type and Bäumer’s final parasol design. Powered by a BMW VII and with the addition of two 20mm cannon in the wings, it was among the most heavily armed single seat fighters of the 1930s to see squadron service. The type would later go on to serve in the Spanish Civil War with the Legion Kondor, joining the Do 10B as a premier ground attack platform.
Despite the success of Bäumer’s Ba 1 design, he soon realised that the aircraft had limitations, especially in light of the march to war and when he became privy to a draft copy of the Rüstungsflugzeug III requirement being drafted by the RLM for Germany’s new fighter.
Bäumer set to designing a new fighter with this requirement in mind and settled on a fairly conventional low wing monoplane design, powered by one of the new Jumo 210 engines. Bäumer christened the type the Ba 2 Hurrikan (Hurricane) with the initial production version being the Ba 2A-0.
Once again, the type would be heavily armed with the Ba 2A-0 with two machine guns in the fuselage decking, two 20mm MG-FF cannon in the wings and, in the Ba 2A-1 variant, a third motor-kanone firing through the propeller hub.
During the fly-off, the designs from Arado (Ar 80) and Focke-Wulf (Fw 159) soon found themselves outclassed by Messerschmitt’s Bf 109, Heinkel’s He 112 and Bäumer’s Ba 2. Further testing showed some redesign required of the Heinkel, whilst the Bäumer design seemed to be quite well developed with scope for further advanced variants.
Messerschmitt’s design wasn’t so lucky. The pronounced swing on take-off that had been noted by the Bavarian firm’s test pilots due to a combination of narrow track landing gear, small tail surfaces and the large Jumo engine earnt the new design the nickname ‘der Esel’ or ‘the donkey’ from the Messerschmitt test pilots.
During the last flight of the testing phase, this time piloted by an RLM pilot by the name of Gerhard Speer, son of the prominent Nazi architect who would eventually be the Minister of Armaments. Speer either misconstrued these warnings or hadn’t been informed and, as he throttled the engine up during the take-off run, the aircraft swung violently to the left, eventually seeing the wing tip dig into the runway which spun the 109 into the concrete, shearing the landing gear off and punching one of the legs through the cockpit floor, impaling and killing Speer instantly.
The resultant outcry in support of Speer’s piloting skills, especially by Erhard Milch, a long-time detractor of Willy Messerschmitt ensured the death knell of the Bavarian design. Many pilots noted that the Ba 2 used the same engine as the Messerschmitt prototype, but had a sturdier landing gear and larger tail empennage which meant the aircraft didn’t suffer with the same take off issues as the other machine. Another welcome difference between the two machines was the sliding canopy of the Bäumer design, assuring pilot’s a clear view during take off or landing and providing quick egress in case of an emergency either in the air or on the ground.
The Ba 2 was given the green light soon thereafter, becoming the regular mount of many Luftwaffe aces and going through a number of different design changes as the war progressed.
Not content to rest on his laurels, Bäumer went back to the drawing board to address the minor grievances in the Ba 2 design, despite the type winning praise from all those who flew the type.
His new design incorporated many, if not all, of Bäumer’s concerns. Firstly, he had decided to design the aircraft around the new BMW 801 radial powerplant, this ensuring the type wouldn’t suffer from coolant issues during battle. Secondly, the type sported wide-track landing gear, leading to easy ground handling and a docile take-off and landing cycle. Finally, Bäumer decided on a clear ‘bubble’ canopy for excellent pilot view for both handling and during combat.
The new design, perhaps unsprisingly, designated the Ba 3 was named ‘Taifun’ or ‘typhoon’ and entered Luftwaffe service in 1942, quickly proving to be a worthy successor to the earlier Ba 2. Both types would continue to see service throughout the war with each machine having a strong cadre of enthusiasts.
Paul Bäumer, a decorated fighter pilot from WWI had left the Luftstreitkräfte with a keen interest in flying at the end of hostilities in 1918.
Nicknamed “Der Eiserne Adler" or the Iron Eagle, Bäumer worked at a number of positions post war before founding his own aircraft company, Bäumer Flugzeugwerke in Hamburg.
Whilst in the process of setting up his company, he was approached by Kurt Tank, the lead designer of the Rohrbach Metall-Flugzeugbau to fly their new Ro IX or ‘Rofix’ fighter, being tested, clandestinely in Denmark in 1927.
Although the prototype had crashed in January of that year, Bäumer was keen to try the type given its parasol monoplane design. Powered by a 600hp BMW VI engine, the all metal fighter made an imposing sight as Bäumer walked onto the mist shrouded airfield on the 15th of July, 1927.
Much to the chagrin of Tank and the assembled staff from Rohrbach, Bäumer wore a backpack parachute, being one of the few WWI veterans to have been saved by the new concept. Bäumer had said that wearing the device ensured he was able to give his complete attention to the business of flying without distraction, knowing that, regardless of potential issues, he would have the ability to safely exit an aircraft if required, rather than plunging to earth trapped in a burning or otherwise damaged plane, like many of his compatriots during the War.
Lifting into the air as the dawn broke, Bäumer was impressed with the big Rofix’s handling and general feel. The controls were solid and precise and the BMW roared defiantly into the morning, pulling the new type through the clouds.
Bäumer began to explore the flight envelope of the fighter, looping, spinning and diving over the airfield making mock attacks on cloud formations and snap-rolling away to safety when an imagined foe had fixed themselves behind him. During this time, he noted a small flutter in the tail assembly, causing some minor buffeting of the controls but was able to keep control of the machine.
Satisfied with the performance of the type, Bäumer turned the Rofix’s nose back towards the airfield in full daylight, the morning’s fog having lifted. At 2000ft, Bäumer thought he’d put the type through a couple of manoeuvres to be closer to the assembled workers, giving them a better view of the handling of the type.
Entering a loop, he passed through 2500ft in the vertical and began to roll the Rofix onto its’ back before pulling harder on the control column to complete the manoeuvre. As he began to put the aircraft’s nose towards the ground, the previous buffeting worsened and Bäumer, an experienced pilot, soon realised that this was possibly the flaw that had seen the aircraft crash earlier in January.
Now in the vertical, Bäumer struggled with the controls, losing altitude rapidly until he heard a scream of tortured metal behind him as the tail empennage began to disintegrate.
On the ground, Tank and the others looked on in horror as the diving aircraft began to shed pieces of its airframe into the sky. The roar of the BMW engine had now become a wailing howl as the aircraft plunged towards the earth.
Aboard the doomed Rofix, Bäumer kicked himself free of the cockpit, narrowly missing the debris of the tail section and opened his parachute with a few hundred feet to spare.
He landed heavily in a field just outside the airfield having watched the Rofix plunge into the earth near the threshold of the airstrip, exploding into flames on impact.
Tank and some others soon arrived at Bäumer’s side, finding the veteran pilot shrouded in his parachute, but alive and unharmed, beyond some minor bruising and scratches.
Back at the airfield’s office, Bäumer spoke frankly with Tank, mentioning the tailplane and the designer soon set about sketching some ideas to strengthen the airframe at that point.
Later in August, Bäumer took the modified Rofix to the skies over Denmark again now satisfied with the safety of the type. Upon landing, he and Tank agreed to a collaboration where Bäumer would display the type to various interested parties with a view to production sales.
Bäumer would eventually visit a number of European nations who were keen to equip with the new fighter and received an example of the Rofix, unarmed of course, in gratitude from Rohrbach as thanks for persisting with the design and ensuring its export success.
Returning to his new factory in Hamburg, Bäumer set about designing his own ‘sports’ aircraft using the BMW powerplant of the Rofix.
Bäumer’s new design was dubbed the Ba 1A Sturmwind or ‘Whirlwind’. A parasol monoplane design, similar to the Rofix, but with somewhat more conventional structure, the new type proved to be agile and sturdy, impressing many who flew the type in testing or observed it from the ground.
Whilst nominally a civilian aerobatic machine as were many fledgling fighter designs built in Germany at the time, Bäumer’s Ba 1A would soon be replaced on the production line by the Ba 1B armed with four machine guns.
The new fighter proved popular in service with the fledgling Luftwaffe and many pilots both respected Bäumer’s experience and war service and realised that he had produced a type that was truly a ‘pilot’s aeroplane’.
The Ba 1B would later be replaced by the Ba 1C, this being the zenith of the type and Bäumer’s final parasol design. Powered by a BMW VII and with the addition of two 20mm cannon in the wings, it was among the most heavily armed single seat fighters of the 1930s to see squadron service. The type would later go on to serve in the Spanish Civil War with the Legion Kondor, joining the Do 10B as a premier ground attack platform.
Despite the success of Bäumer’s Ba 1 design, he soon realised that the aircraft had limitations, especially in light of the march to war and when he became privy to a draft copy of the Rüstungsflugzeug III requirement being drafted by the RLM for Germany’s new fighter.
Bäumer set to designing a new fighter with this requirement in mind and settled on a fairly conventional low wing monoplane design, powered by one of the new Jumo 210 engines. Bäumer christened the type the Ba 2 Hurrikan (Hurricane) with the initial production version being the Ba 2A-0.
Once again, the type would be heavily armed with the Ba 2A-0 with two machine guns in the fuselage decking, two 20mm MG-FF cannon in the wings and, in the Ba 2A-1 variant, a third motor-kanone firing through the propeller hub.
During the fly-off, the designs from Arado (Ar 80) and Focke-Wulf (Fw 159) soon found themselves outclassed by Messerschmitt’s Bf 109, Heinkel’s He 112 and Bäumer’s Ba 2. Further testing showed some redesign required of the Heinkel, whilst the Bäumer design seemed to be quite well developed with scope for further advanced variants.
Messerschmitt’s design wasn’t so lucky. The pronounced swing on take-off that had been noted by the Bavarian firm’s test pilots due to a combination of narrow track landing gear, small tail surfaces and the large Jumo engine earnt the new design the nickname ‘der Esel’ or ‘the donkey’ from the Messerschmitt test pilots.
During the last flight of the testing phase, this time piloted by an RLM pilot by the name of Gerhard Speer, son of the prominent Nazi architect who would eventually be the Minister of Armaments. Speer either misconstrued these warnings or hadn’t been informed and, as he throttled the engine up during the take-off run, the aircraft swung violently to the left, eventually seeing the wing tip dig into the runway which spun the 109 into the concrete, shearing the landing gear off and punching one of the legs through the cockpit floor, impaling and killing Speer instantly.
The resultant outcry in support of Speer’s piloting skills, especially by Erhard Milch, a long-time detractor of Willy Messerschmitt ensured the death knell of the Bavarian design. Many pilots noted that the Ba 2 used the same engine as the Messerschmitt prototype, but had a sturdier landing gear and larger tail empennage which meant the aircraft didn’t suffer with the same take off issues as the other machine. Another welcome difference between the two machines was the sliding canopy of the Bäumer design, assuring pilot’s a clear view during take off or landing and providing quick egress in case of an emergency either in the air or on the ground.
The Ba 2 was given the green light soon thereafter, becoming the regular mount of many Luftwaffe aces and going through a number of different design changes as the war progressed.
Not content to rest on his laurels, Bäumer went back to the drawing board to address the minor grievances in the Ba 2 design, despite the type winning praise from all those who flew the type.
His new design incorporated many, if not all, of Bäumer’s concerns. Firstly, he had decided to design the aircraft around the new BMW 801 radial powerplant, this ensuring the type wouldn’t suffer from coolant issues during battle. Secondly, the type sported wide-track landing gear, leading to easy ground handling and a docile take-off and landing cycle. Finally, Bäumer decided on a clear ‘bubble’ canopy for excellent pilot view for both handling and during combat.
The new design, perhaps unsprisingly, designated the Ba 3 was named ‘Taifun’ or ‘typhoon’ and entered Luftwaffe service in 1942, quickly proving to be a worthy successor to the earlier Ba 2. Both types would continue to see service throughout the war with each machine having a strong cadre of enthusiasts.
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