Messerschmitt Me 323 E-2/WT

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The exact number of units produced is not known, see table TAB A. The numbers range from 195 to 201. To date, information on 195 machines has been collected.

TAB: A
Version A Version B Version C Version D Version E
1942 - 27 pieces Me323 E-1 56 pieces 800-814 15 pieces Leipheim 93 pieces
1943 - 140pcs Me323 E-2/WT 1pc 1101-1152 52/50pcs Obertraubing 105pcs
1944 - 34pcs Me323 D-1 53pcs 1201-1298 97/94pcs
Me323 D-2 34pcs 13004-130066 26pcs
Me323 D 55pcs 330001-33010 10pcs
By years 30.05.44 201pcs By types 199pcs Designated 200/195pcs By manufacturers 198pcs By Wiki 198/200pcs

Unlike the Ju52/3m, of which a much larger number were produced and in more plants, creating a list for the Me323 seems easier. But similar problems appear there. Although the Luftwaffe boasts that the Stammkennzeichen or Verbandskennzeichen was not duplicated on the aircraft, unfortunately it did happen. I came across a marking that had a different Stammkennzeichen/Verbandskennzeichen on the fuselage than it had on the underside of the wings. The LEMB database itself isn't quite clear on this either, and here you can find that one Stammkenzeichen is the same for two completely different aircraft types. According to some pilots' testimonies and it can be seen also on flight orders, that the machine even if it was assigned Verbandskennzeichen so pilots used to write Stammkenzeichen etc. I have a complete chaos with the aircraft from the siege of Wroclaw, there pilots flew away with completely different machines than they landed, because theirs was destroyed after landing and they flew away with a machine when its crew was killed immediately after landing. Further complicating identification, some copyists copy articles ad infinitum and actually incorrect information becomes dogma that no train runs over. An interesting example is the Me323 that landed, I don't even know where ever, somewhere it is stated in Chrudim in Skutch in Stichovice. This was probably because someone copied the wrong Verbandskennzeichen from the fography of Mr. M.Petrak from Skutch and then it was repeated by many authors for many years in the same text. This photo could be one of the proofs (the machine looks different from the side) that Me323 E-2/WT really stayed here and did not take off. See TAB B. Here I list the alternative markings found that the Me323 E-2/WT may have carried. So far I am inclined to believe that two were produced, one as known to have been flown by KG200. The fact that two were produced could be confirmed by the two WNr.numbers following each other WNr.330004 and WNr.33005 and also the Stammkenzeichen has consecutive numbers. And if we consider that one of the machines had Verbandskennzeichen C8+GC, we come to the conclusion that really one of the two Me323 E-2/WT remained on the territory of our republic.

TAB: B
WNr. Type Stamm Verband Takt
330004 Me323 E-1 E-2/WT RL+UD C8+GC 5./TG5 2./TG5 landed and stayed 3.8.44 in Chrudim 1944-08-03
330005 Me323 E-1 E-2/WT RL+UE
130056 Me323 E-2/WT DU+PP
1298 Me323 E-2/WT SL+HT
1272 Me323 E-2/WT/D-6 VM+IT

In May 1944, the Zeppelin Friedrichshafen company, to which the complete production of the Me323 was to be transferred, completed the design of a new version of the ZMe323 H. In the same period, based on the military situation, the so-called Jägerstab was established at the Ministry of Armaments of A. Speer. The Stab evaluated the submitted work of the aeronautical engineers so that a fundamental change in the Luftwaffe armament had to take place-the result was the announcement of the Jägerprogramme, which gave preference to fighter machines. Production capacity had to be completely subordinated to this Jägerprogram. The existing production of various small-series as well as some types of combat and transport aircraft had to free up capacity for the newly developed and evolving fighter and rocket machines.
At the head of the staff became the greatest organizational aces of Germany, today we would say managers. Speer, Milch and Kammler.In effect, they completely shut down Göring and with him some political influence on arms production.Production began to be organized by experts. The Luftwaffe was in the mood for a radical change. Modern projects, dangerous to the Allies, were being implemented.
Speer was in charge of the overall supervision of the program, Milch was in charge of the complete production, which perhaps had no more reserves, his military experience preferred which machines to give priority in production. Kammler arranged for the construction of plants and manpower, including the complete development of special weapons. The mysterious Kammler where did he disappear to?...there are many speculations!.... but he probably lived under surveillance in the USA. People with that IQ don't kill or get killed... We can read a lot about Spero and Milch, but Hans Kammler remains shrouded in mystery...
Who buried another serial production of the Me323, which was to be transferred to Friedrichshafen. There are small reports that Milch himself saw no future in these aircraft.All three super-organizers were proponents of speed in everything and the Me323 was a symbol of the opposite. Perhaps the huge losses of defenceless crews also led Milch to the decision to stop production. In conclusion, we can probably agree that it was the Jägerprogramm and certainly the personality of Milch that swept the whole Zeppelin production project with the Me323 into the realm of history. That it is not quite so, however, is the continuation of post-war aviation in the construction of large-cost aircraft. It was the Me323 that gave impetus to the Russians and Americans to develop these large-capacity aircraft to the stage we see today - certainly the Me323 project was at the birth of these huge baggage carriers
Too bad, we probably won't know anything anymore, it's that relative notion of time, when today is the time when we can talk about these things with detachment and objectivity, but today there are only those who would like to ask questions....and so we enthusiasts are at least left with a huge space for our research, the desire to learn something, to dig, to evaluate, to come to a conclusion that may not be obvious to someone, which brings us not only satisfaction, but above all, education.

Today, 22.07.2015, I can confirm that Messerschmitt factory produced two pieces of Me323E-2/WT.

WNr.330 004 RL+UD C8+GC crashed 03.08.44 in Karlowice
WNr.330 005 RL+UE there is a picture