On one hand, you have WiTE2's data for the Ju52/3m:
Max Speed: 180mph
Cruise Speed: 134mph
Endurance: 230mins (3.83 hrs)
--
Fuel Capacity: 2315lbs (which equates to 369 US gal or 1400 L)
Range: 524 miles (one-way)
Radius (combat radius): 170 miles (17 hexes)
--
Max Fuel Capacity (auxiliary fuel tanks): 3969lbs (which equates to 634 US gal or 2400 L)
Max Range: 863 miles (one-way)
Max Radius (combat radius): 280 miles (28 hexes)
and then try to reconcile with historical accounts, such as -
or -Perhaps most importantly, Student used his position as the commander of the 7th Flieger division to assign Junkers Ju-52 transport aircraft and crews to train and support his newly formed division. This three-engine monoplane was originally designed as a commercial airline transport; pressed into Luftwaffe service, it could haul twenty passengers, thirteen parachute troops or two tons of cargo over 800 miles as the primary German airlift aircraft for the coming war.
or -Circling overhead to wait for the dust to settle, the Ju-52s ran low on fuel; some circled for two hours, making their first sortie some six hours long after the initial delays in the morning, the flight to the first drops, and the return trip.
A military version of Eisen Annie, designated the Ju-52/3mg3e was ready for service in 1934. While a version designated the Ju-52/3m Sa3 was already operating for the Reichswehr in the role of personnel transport, cargo carrier, and pilot trainer, the g3e was intended as an interim bomber before more sophisticated bombers were available in 1936. The military version was powered by three 660hp BMW 132A radial engines and armed with dorsal and ventral 7.92 MG 15 machine guns, the latter of which was affixed to the aircraft’s underside with a retractable dustbin attachment. When fully loaded, whether with troops or supplies, the aircraft had a top speed of 171 miles per hour and a cruising speed of about 120 miles per hour. The Ju-52/3m’s round-trip range carrying a 1,984-pound load was 720 miles. This range increased to 900 miles with a lighter load (992 pounds) or decreased to 450 miles with a heavier load (3,306 pounds).
So, how do we go from 800 miles (or 900, 720 or even 450 miles) to WiTE2's 280 miles?
1. There is quite a bit of performance variance in Ju-52/3m's sub-versions, as shown here:
- Ju523m_Performance.JPG (109.7 KiB) Viewed 1440 times
2. WiTE2 never fully discloses what specific Ju-52/3m model their data is derived from.
(Given that the Ju52/3mg7e entered production in 1940 and has been documented to have been in use for the 1941 airborne invasion of Crete, I am inclined to believe this would be the most appropriate version...)
3. The Ju52/3m afforded a wide range of load options. Despite that only 2 are shown below (or used in WiTE2), there was further variance in Ju52/3m's load out configurations.
The ubiquitous Junkers JU-52/3m g7e Luftwaffe transport of 1941....had a "standard" fuel load to carry it 540 miles carrying a "load" of 4,050 lbs. The fuel was carried in six interlinked "tanks" per wing, laid out along the centre of the main wingspar, a total of twelve fuel "cells". The fuel load to carry it 540 miles ONLY filled up the tankage by about two-thirds...
However - it could top off its fuel tanks right to the very top....and carry enough fuel for 810 miles' range.
- Ju523mg7e_Ladeplan.jpg (758.85 KiB) Viewed 1440 times
4. What range? One-way? Two-way? Max range? Combat range? Combat radius?
Way too much for me to go into, but the following will be helpful.
see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Range_(aeronautics)
In general, the best I can tell, WiTE2 computes this as:
Range (one-way) = Endurance(minutes) * Cruise Speed(mph) * (1 hr/60 minutes).
Radius (combat radius) = SOME_FACTOR * Range (not disclosed)
Alternative Method 1:
see - page 43, https://bootcampmilitaryfitnessinstitut ... d-1942.pdfA rough formula for calculating a plane's radius of action is: Range / 2 * .80 = Radius of Action
Alternative Method 2:
Regarding WiTE2 and the Ju52/3m, it appears as follows:The rule of thumb is that the radius of action is one-third the distance an aircraft can fly in a straight line on a full load of fuel. In military aviation, this assumes a trip out and back, plus one-third of fuel for combat operations.
Range: 524 miles
Radius:170 miles (in this instance, WiTE2 Radius is 32% of total range)
Radius: 209 miles (using Range / 2 * .80) method
Radius: 174 miles (using Range / 3) method
Range (w Tanks): 863 miles
Radius (w Tanks): 280 miles (again, WiTE2 Radius is 32% of total range)
Radius (w Tanks) : 345 miles (using Range / 2 * .80) method
Radius (w Tanks) : 287 miles (using Range /3) method
Presuming WiTE2 base range data is correct for the Ju52/3m (which I highly doubt - requires a correct value for Ju52/3m's Endurance (which further requires correct fuel capacity and consumption rates), another story... sigh...), but to use the exact same formula for the Ju52/3m's Radius as the one WiTE2 uses for fighter escort missions, bomber ground support missions, ... , may possibly be appropriate for Air-Drop missions (which is a round-trip mission), it is not appropriate for Airbase-to-Airbase air transport supply missions.
As it is, the Ju52/3m's air transport supply ranges are getting whacked with the nerf-bat twice.
* First by using incorrect Range values(derived from incorrect Ju52/3m Endurance values);
* and once more for further restricting the Ju52/3m effective mission range to just 32% of the under-reported in-game Ju52/3m Ranges for missions that should be using something closer to 80%.
(I would argue that the Ju52/3m effective ranges are even more important than their cargo capacity and would gladly sacrifice some cargo if given more range - which historically, was afforded; however, WiTE2 does not provide that feature either.)
ouch, ouch
