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W 34
Canadian Airways CF-ARI
General information
Type	Transport
Manufacturer	Junkers
Designer	Herman Pohlman
History
Introduction date	1926
Developed from	Junkers W 33
Developed into	Junkers Ju 46

The Junkers W 34 was a German-built, single-engine, passenger and transport aircraft. Developed in the 1920s, it was taken into service in 1926. The passenger version could take a pilot and five passengers.

The aircraft was developed from the Junkers W 33, noted for being a record-breaking aircraft. Further development led to the Junkers Ju 46, which was seaplane for naval use capable being catapulted.

Production and service

One Junkers W 34 be/b3e managed to break the then-current altitude record on 26 May 1929 when it reached 12,739 meters (41,795 feet). That aircraft carried the markings D-1119 and it was equipped with a Bristol Jupiter VII engine. The airplane was flown by Willi Neuenhofen.

The Junkers W 34 was manufactured in many different versions. The total production numbers for the civil market were around 1,000, a further 2,024 his and haus were built under license for the RLM and Luftwaffe. The unit price was between RM 65,000 and 70,400.

On 31 January 1944 the Luftwaffe still had 618 W 34hi's and 516 W 34haus in service: the majority were used by flight schools; mainly as navigator and radio operator training (3 or 4 navigator or radio-operator trainees).

The Junkers K.43, nicknamed the "Bush Bomber", was used extensively during the Chaco War (1932–1935) fought between Bolivia and Paraguay. See external links.

The Colombian Air Force used the W 34 and K-43 in the Colombia-Peru War in 1932–3.

The Swedish Air Force operated three W 33/34 between 1933 and 1953 in the transport and air ambulance roles, initially with the military designation Trp 2 and Trp 2A, eventually changed to Tp 2 and Tp 2A. One of these is preserved today in civilian colors as SE-BYA.

In 1930 Finnish Air Force bought a single W 34 (JU-122) for maritime operations and six K 43s (JU-123 – JU-128) for use as light bombers, during Continuation war the planes were used as transports, evacuating wounded and supplying Long-Range Recon Patrols behind the enemy lines. Additional five W 34s were bought in 1944 for radio navigation training (JU-131 – 135), after the war Finnish Border Guard operated the remaining planes until 1950.

Production

W 34 hi

Junkers (105 aircraft built), Henschel (430), ATG (94), Dornier Wismar (58), HFB (69) and Weser (221).

W 34 hau

Henschel (329), Arado Brandenburg (205), ATG (105), Dornier Wismar (93), HFB (192) and MIAG Braunschweig (73).

Variants

W 34 a

331 kW Gnome et Rhône 9A Jupiter engine, speed: 190 km/h, wingspan: 17.75 m and length 11.10 m

W 34 be

375 kW Gnome et Rhône 9A Jupiter engine, speed: 230 km/h, wingspan: 17.75 m, length: 10.70 m

W 34 be/b3e

441 kW Bristol Jupiter VII engine and was used for attempts to try breaking the world altitude record

W 34 ci

405 kW Pratt & Whitney Hornet engine, speed: 245 km/h, equipped with cabin windows

W 34 di

like the W 34 ci, the engine was license produced by BMW.

W 34 f

331 kW Gnome et Rhône 9A Jupiter engine, speed 190 km/h, wingspan 18.48 m, length 11.10 m, enclosed cockpit, ailerons were lengthened; the export version had a cargo door

W 34 f

experimental aircraft with floats

W 34 fa

passenger aircraft for export

W 34 fä

export aircraft

W 34 fo

export aircraft with a Pratt & Whitney R-1340 engine

W 34 fy

Armstrong Siddeley Panther engine

W 34 fao

397 kW Siemens-Halske Sh 20 engine, only one was produced for tests with autopilot

W 34 fei

441 kW Siemens-Halske Sh 20U engine, only one was produced as a maritime test aircraft

W 34 fg

Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar Major engine

W 34 fue

Pratt & Whitney Hornet engine, later rebuilt as a maritime aircraft.

W 34 fi

Pratt & Whitney or BMW built 405 kW Hornet; wingspan: 18.48 m, length 10.27 m, speed 260 km/h. The aircraft had an enclosed cockpit and low-pressure tires.

W 34 gi

405 kW BMW Hornet, only one machine was produced in 1933 for tests

W 34 hi

485 kW BMW 132A/E, the aircraft could take six passengers and was equipped with improved radio- and direction finders. This version was mostly used by Luftwaffe to train pilots and radio operators.

W 34 hau

similar to hi, but it had a 526 kW Bramo 322 H engine. The type was mostly used by Luftwaffe to train its pilots and radio operators.

K 43

Military W34, available in many of the above-mentioned versions.

Operators

 Argentina

• Argentine Air Force
• Argentine Naval Aviation – 1 W34 purchased in 1934, used as trainer

 Australia

• Guinea Airways
• Royal Australian Air Force

 Bolivia

• Bolivian Air Force

 Brazil

• Syndicato Condor – Serviços Aéreos Condor

 Bulgaria

• Bulgarian Air Force

 Canada

• Royal Canadian Air Force
• Canadian Airways

 Chile

• Chilean Air Force

 China

• Chinese Nationalist Air Force

 Colombia

• Colombian Air Force
• SCADTA(Avianca)

 Independent State of Croatia

• Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske

 Czechoslovakia

• Czechoslovak Air Force

 Finland

• Finnish Air Force
• Finnish Border Guard

 Germany

• Luftwaffe

 Norway

• Royal Norwegian Air Force

 Papua New Guinea

 Portugal

• Portuguese Army Aviation (Aeronáutica Militar) operated W 34L aircraft.
• Forças Aéreas da Armada operated K 43W aircraft.

 Romania

• Royal Romanian Air Force operated 10 W 34 hi aircraft.

 Slovakia

• Slovak Air Force (1939–45)

Spanish State

• Spanish Air Force

 Sweden

• Swedish Air Force

 South Africa

• South African Airways operated 2 aircraft.
• South African Air Force

 Venezuela

• Venezuelan Air Force

Accidents and incidents

• 3 May 1934 (1934-05-03): a Syndicato Condor Junkers W-34, registration PP-CAR, crashed on landing at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Two crew members died. The plane was repaired and later suffered a second accident in 1944.
• 24 February 1942 (1942-02-24): a Syndicato Condor Junkers W-34, registration P-BAOA/PP-CAO, crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Riachão, Maranhão. Two crew members died.
• 16 April 1944 (1944-04-16): PP-CAR, the same Junkers W-34 involved in the 1934 accident, this time operating for Cruzeiro do Sul, crashed during an emergency landing at Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont Airport. Two crew members died.

Specifications (W 34he landplane)

Data from Die Deutsche Luftrüstung 1933–1945 Vol.3 – Flugzeugtypen Henschel-Messerschmitt, Junkers aircraft and engines, 1913-1945, German aircraft of the Second World War, German Combat Aircraft

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Capacity: 6 passengers
• Length: 10.27 m (33 ft 8 in)
• Wingspan: 18.48 m (60 ft 8 in)
• Height: 3.53 m (11 ft 7 in)
• Wing area: 44 m (470 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 1,700 kg (3,748 lb)
• Gross weight: 3,200 kg (7,055 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 477 L (126 US gal; 105 imp gal)
• Powerplant: 1 × BMW 132A 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 480 kW (650 hp) (660 PS)
• Propellers: 2-bladed metal fixed-pitch propeller, 3.1 m (10 ft 2 in) diameter

Performance

• Maximum speed: 265 km/h (165 mph, 143 kn) at sea level
• Cruise speed: 233 km/h (145 mph, 126 kn)
  
• Landing speed: 116 km/h (72 mph; 63 kn)
• Range: 900 km (560 mi, 490 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 6,300 m (20,700 ft)
• Rate of climb: 5.25 m/s (1,033 ft/min)
• Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 3 minute 12 seconds

Armament

• 2 x 7.92 mm (0.312 in) machine guns (dorsal) and 1 x 7.92 mm (0.312 in) machine gun (ventral)
• 6 x 50 kg (110 lb) bombs (300 Kg total)

References

1. Zoeller, Horst. "Junkers – Who is Who?". Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
2. Sinnhuber 2012, p. 59.
3. von Rauch, Georg (December 1984). "A South American Air War...The Leticia Conflict". Air Enthusiast (26): 1–8. ISSN 0143-5450.
4. "Historia y Arqueologia Marítima : AVIONES DE ENTRENAMIENTO DE LA AVIACION NAVAL " JUNKERS W-34 "". histarmar (in Spanish). Buenos Aires. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
5. Grant, Robert S. (March 2004). "Metal Marvels: Junkers W33s and W34s in the Canadian Bush". Air Enthusiast (110). Stamford Lincs, UK: 70–75. ISSN 0143-5450.
6. Dan Antoniu (2014). Illustrated History of Romanian Aeronautics. p. 230. ISBN 978-973-0-17209-6.
7. ^ Pereira, Aldo (1987). Breve história da aviação comercial brasileira (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Europa Empresa Gráfica e Editora. p. 131.
8. Nowarra, Heinz J. (1993). Die Deutsche Luftrüstung 1933–1945 Vol.3 – Flugzeugtypen Henschel-Messerschmitt (in German). Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe Verlag. pp. 53, 262–263. ISBN 978-3-7637-5467-0.
9. Kay, Anthony L. (2004). Junkers aircraft and engines, 1913-1945 (1st ed.). London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. pp. 190–197. ISBN 0851779859.
10. Smith, J.R.; Kay, Anthony L. (1990). German aircraft of the Second World War (7th impression ed.). London: Putnam. pp. 185–186. ISBN 0851778364.
11. Wagner, Ray; Nowarra, Heinz J. (1971). German Combat Aircraft. New York: Doubleday.

Bibliography

• Munson, Kenneth (1978). German Aircraft Of World War 2 in colour. Poole, Dorset, UK: Blandford Press. ISBN 0-7137-0860-3.

Further reading

• Andersson, Lennart. "Chinese 'Junks': Junkers Aircraft Exports to China 1925-1940". Air Enthusiast, No. 55, Autumn 1994, pp. 2–7. ISSN 0143-5450
• Cicalesi, Juan Carlos; Rivas, Santiago (2009). Núñez Padin, Jorge Felix (ed.). Junkers F13 / W34 / K43 / Ju52. Serie en Argentina (in Spanish). Vol. 3. Bahía Blanca, Argentina: Fuerzas Aeronavales. ISBN 978-987-20557-7-6. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
• Sinnhuber, Karl (2012). Salzburg To Stalingrad. UK: Milton Keynes. ISBN 978-1-471-70222-8.

External links

• History of Bolivian Junkers K.43's use during fighting over the Gran Chaco area.
• Warbirds Resource Group-Luftwaffe Resource Center – Junkers Ju W34
• The Hugo Junkers Homepage by Horst Zoeller - Junkers W33/W34
• "Flyers Of The Sea", October 1931, Popular Mechanics

• 1920s German military transport aircraft
• Junkers aircraft
• Aircraft first flown in 1926
• Junkers W33