Background During the mid-to-late 1930s, efforts were underway to develop and construct suitable aircraft to equip the rapidly growing
Luftwaffe. To this end, during 1937, the
Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM/German Aviation Ministry) issued a specification that called for a single-engine reconnaissance aircraft that would succeed the
Henschel Hs 126. Stipulations included the use of a single engine (this was intended to reduce maintenance requirements in the field), accommodation of a three-man crew, and the possession of favourable all-round visual characteristics superior to that typically offered by
parasol wing aircraft such as the Hs 126. A single-engined shoulder-wing
monoplane, the Ar 198 featured an enlarged glazed central fuselage position to facilitate good external visibility. However, the Ar 198 prototype proved to be unsatisfactory during flight testing. In terms of its general configuration, the aircraft's single engine was directly attached to the forward end of the tail boom while the crew were seated with a
Plexiglas-glazed
gondola; the tailboom and gondola were connected via the wing. Although
Ernst Udet of the Technical Department of the RLM was interested in the BV 141, several other key figures within the RLM did not look favourably upon Blohm & Voss's submission, and ultimately the RLM declined to fund its development. Not dissuaded by this unenthusiastic reception, the company elected to self-finance the construction of a single prototype, initially designated as the
Ha 141-0.
Into flight On 25 February 1938, the Ha 141-0 performed its
maiden flight; it was quickly determined to possess relatively few problems. Encouraged by the favourable performance of BV 141 V3, the RLM placed an order for a further five preproduction aircraft, the first of which started flying during early 1939. During January 1940, this version of the aircraft, designated
BV 141A, underwent an official evaluation at
E-Stelle Rechlin that concluded favourably. However, on 4 April 1940, the RLM decided that the aircraft was underpowered, although it was also noted that it had otherwise exceeded the requirements, leading to production plans being cancelled. By the time a batch of 12 BV 141Bs were built with the BMW 801 engine, they were too late to make an impression, as the RLM had already decided to put the Fw 189 into production. Furthermore, an urgent need for
BMW 801 engines to power the
Fw 190 fighter aircraft reduced the chance of the BV 141B being produced in quantity. Vogt came up with several other asymmetric designs, including the piston-jet
P.194.01, but none of those were actually built. Several wrecked BV 141s were found by advancing
Allied forces. One aircraft was captured by
British forces and sent to
England for examination. No examples survive today. ==Design==