| Go 145 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Trainer |
| Manufacturer | Gotha |
| Designer | Albert Kalkert |
| Primary user | Luftwaffe |
| Number built | 1,182 (German production) |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1935 |
| First flight | February, 1934[1] |
| Retired | 1945[2] |
TheGotha Go 145 is aGermanWorld War II-erabiplane of wood and fabric construction used byLuftwaffe training units. Although obsolete by the start of World War II, the Go 145 remained in operational service until theend of the War in Europe as a night harassment bomber.
On 2 October 1933 theGotha aircraft company was re-established. The first aircraft manufactured was the Gotha Go 145,[3] a two-seat biplane designed by Dipl-Ing Albert Kalkert made out of wood with a fabric covering. The Go 145 featured fixed landing gear and was powered by anArgus As 10C inverted V8 air-cooled engine fitted with a two-blade fixed-pitch propeller. The first prototype took to the air in February 1934, and was followed by a production model, theGotha Go 145A, with controls in both cockpits for trainee and instructor.
In 1935, the Go 145 started service withLuftwaffe training units. The aircraft proved a successful design and production of the Go 145 was taken up by other companies, includingAGO,Focke-Wulf andBFW. Licensed versions were also manufactured inSpain andTurkey. The Spanish version, called theCASA 1145-L actually remained in service until long after World War II.[3]
Ignoring prototypes, 1,182 Go 145s were built in Germany forLuftwaffe service. An unknown number of license-produced Go 145s were also built. Further development of the aircraft was done. The GothaGo 145B was fitted with an enclosed cockpit and wheel spats (an aerodynamic wheel housing on fixed-gear). TheGo 145C was developed for gunnery training and was fitted with a single 7.92 mm (.312 in)MG 15 machine gun in the rear cockpit, requiring removal of that cockpit's flight controls. TheGo 145D was fitted with a 240 hp (180 kW)Argus As 410 engine.[1]
By 1942, theSoviet Union began using obsolete aircraft such as thePolikarpov Po-2 to conduct night harassment missions against the Germans. Noting the success of the raids, the Germans began conducting their own night harassment missions with obsolete aircraft on theEastern Front. In December 1942, the firstStörkampfstaffel (harassment squadron) was established and equipped with Gotha Go 145 andArado Ar 66 training biplanes. The night harassment units were successful and by October 1943 there were six night harassment squadrons equipped with Gotha Go 145s.
Also in October 1943, theStörkampfstaffeln were brought together into largerNachtschlachtgruppe (NSGr) (night ground attack group, literally night battle group) units of either three or four squadrons each. In March 1945Nachtschlachtgruppe 5 had 69 Gotha Go 145's on strength of which 52 were serviceable[4] whileNachtschlachtgruppe 3 in theCourland Pocket had 18 Gotha Go 145's on strength of which 16 were serviceable.[5] When the war in Europe ended on 8–9 May 1945 the Gotha Go 145 equipped the majority of theNachtschlachtgruppen.
Austria:Austrian Air Force – 12 aircraft delivered in 1937[6]
Czechoslovakia:Czechoslovak Air Force (postwar)
Germany:Luftwaffe
Romania:Royal Romanian Air Force
Slovakia:Slovak Air Force (1939–1945) 30 supplied[1]
Spain:Spanish Air Force
Turkey:Turkish Air Force – First three samples were brought over from Germany, and then 43 of them were produced under license at KTF (Kayseri Aeroplane Factory) between 1936 and 1939. They had replacedCaudron C.59s. They were in service until 1947. Turkish models were armed with two 7.92mm MGs. Starting in 1943 they were all replaced by Miles Magisters.[7]Both examples are badly damaged and are in storage.
Data fromGerman aircraft of the Second World War[8]
General characteristics
Performance
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
