Messerschmitt Me 329

Me 329  3 view          Following the failure of the Me 210 heavy fighter aircraft (which was upgraded to the Me 410 by lengthening the fuselage and adding more powerful engines),  a search was begun on a new design for a twin-engine heavy fighter. Professor Alexander Lippisch began work on his Li P.10, and at the same time Dr. Hermann Wurster independently developed the 329. After both submitted their ideas, Willy Messerschmitt asked to have a performance comparison drawn up between the Li P.10, Me 329 and Me 410 (see table below for results).
          The Me 329 was a tailless design, and was to be constructed mainly of wood. This would save on strategic materials and keep the weight lower. As many components of the Me 410 were to be used as possible to save time on factory retooling. The large area wing was swept back at approximately 26 degrees, and two Daimler-Benz DB 603 or Jumo 213 piston engines were buried in the wings, each driving a 3.4 meter (11.2 feet) pusher propeller. A single large fin and rudder was mounted at the rear. The main landing gear retracted forwards, and the twin-wheeled front gear retracted to the rear. A two-man crew sat under an extensively glazed cockpit, with the pilot and navigator/rear gunner sitting in a staggered side-by-side arrangement. Armament consisted of four MG 151/20 20mm cannon mounted in the nose, and two MK 103 30mm cannon in the wing roots. A single MG 151/20 20mm cannon was located in a remote controlled barbette in the tail, which was aimed via a periscope system from the cockpit. Up to 2400 kg (5291 lbs) of bombs could be carried in an internal bomb bay or underwing racks.
          Some of the roles envisioned for the Me 329 were:
  • Heavy fighter
  • escort fighter
  • night fighter
  • dive bomber
  • fighter-bomber
  • reconnaissance
There were high hopes for the Me 329, and although a wooden mockup was built to check the placement of various components, production was not pursued due to the long development time for such a novel design. Plus, the Messerschmitt Me 410 was proving to be a success in many different roles with the upgrade additions from the Me 210. One source claims that the first prototype, the Me 329V1, was completed as a glider and test flown at the Rechlin Test Center in early 1945.

     View Jozef Gatial's Me 329 images
 

Messerschmitt Me 329 Dimensions, Weights & Performances
  Span   Length   Height   Wing Area  Empty Weight Takeoff Weight Range Max. Speed
17.5 m
57' 6"
7.715 m
25' 4
4.74 m
15' 6"
55 m²
592 ft²
6950 kg
15322 lbs
12150 kg
26786 lbs
4450 km
2765 miles
792 km/h
492 mph

 
Messerschmitt Me 329 Models
Manufacturer Scale Material Notes
Airmodel 1/72 Resin nicely cast, good fit
Toad 1/72 Resin, Photetch & White Metal Extensive photoetch, including
detailed bombay and cockpit


Click here for a different larger three view drawing of the Messerschmitt Me 329


Performance Comparison between Me 410/Li P.10/Me 329
Horizontal speed @
maximum pressure altitude
Service Ceiling Range at best
glide ratio
Me 410 672 kph
418 mph
10900 m
35671'
2020 km
1255 miles
Li P.10 682 kph
424 mph
12100 m
39698'
2480 km
1541 miles
Me 329 685 kph
426 mph
12500 m
41010'
2520 km
1566 miles

 
Messerschmitt Me 329 Mockup Photo Gallery