Gotha Go244 - Frankenstein's Monster

[DarkHorse2]

I suspect these are a hybrid/combination between the Go242 & Go244 (and perhaps the missing DFS 230?).

DFS 230:
While the DFS 230 is not that overly spectacular, it was reported that 109 were delivered by Jun 1940, with another 1963 to be built after Jul 1940.
German Aircraft Industry Production 1933-1945, pg 57

Useful load: 2,371 - 2,433 lbs

Range:

The distances for which the glider can be towed depend upon the range of the aircraft and the weather conditions. With extra fuel, a Ju-52 can tow a DFS-230 more than 1,000 miles.

Enemy Airborne Forces, US Military Intelligence Service, December 1942

Go242:
900 built from mid 1941 to 1943 (out of total of 1528)

Useful load: 5,582 lbs (while another source gives 7700lbs to 8800lbs)
Range: dependent on towing AC, see table below:

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DFS230_Go242_GliderPerformanceTable_USIntelRpt_1942.JPG (245.47 KiB) Viewed 425 times

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Go244:
These were converted from Go242 glider aircraft.

WiET2 Go244 Data:
Max Load: 4412 lbs
Radius: 105 miles (Seriously? 10 hexes ???)

While not spot-on accurate, even the US War Department's Handbook on German Military Forces, 1945, gave it a Radius of 145 miles!
https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Germany/HB/HB-10.html, table X-22

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I realize this is a lot of confusing information, but if the Go244 is supposed to be some kind of amalgam of the DF230, Go242 and Go244, what Matrix has provided instead is some kind of Frankenstein's monster of an aircraft that is barely useable in their place.

[Denniss]

It's indeed a Frankenstein of the real 244 and the german gliders. We can't model gliders so the 244 was chosen to represent them. With its limited fuel of 700 liters its range was similarly limited. It has been modified to carry 800kg more than the real Go 244 was able to handle.
Hmmm, I could add an aux tank option to increase its range.

[James Fennell]

Gliders have limitations as 'one trick ponies' (you will quickly run out of them if they are used for resupply), so restricting these units to supporting airborne ops makes some sense.