DFS 230

what is it?

The DFS 230 was a German transport glider operated by the Luftwaffe in World War II. It was developed in 1933 by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - "German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight") with Hans Jacobs as the head designer. The glider was the German inspiration for the British Hotspur glider and was intended for airborne assault operations. In addition to the pilot, the DFS-230 glider had room for nine men who sat close together on a narrow bench located in the middle of the fuselage (six facing forward, and four backward).

base stats

• seats 9passengers
• size 2,100 kgmax take-off weight
• built 1,600made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 89 years ago, in 1937.
• 🚗Wingspan of 22 m: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.

spec sheet

first flight

1937

introduced

1939

retired

1945

status

retired

number built

1,600

role

troop glider

origin

🇩🇪 Germany

makers

Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug

engines

—

crew

1

passengers

9

length

11.2 m

wingspan

22 m

height

2.7 m

max take-off weight

2,100 kg

top speed

—

range

—

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.