The Blohm & Voss BV 237 ground attack and dive bomber was another asymmetric
design of Dr. Richard Vogt, who designed the BV 141. It was designed to
become the Luftwaffe's replacement for the aging Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber,
especially after the Ju 187 and 287 designs (not to be confused with the
later four jet bomber) showed no marked performance improvement over the
Ju 87. There were certain advantages to the asymmetrical design of the
BV 237, such as a superior pilot view and ease of construction and maitainence.
The fuselage was of a lightweight, simple construction with a round cross-section
throughout. The single BMW 801D air-cooled, 14 cylinder double radial engine
was mounted in the fuselage front and drove a wooden VDM adjustable 3-bladed
propeller. Just aft of the engine was a single fuel tank that held
900 liters (238 gallons). The wing was mounted low, and was completely
of metal construction. Two steel girders were attached to the main tubular
wing spar, and an additional 1000 liters (264 gallons) of fuel could be
carried with in. The one-man cockpit was located to the right of the main
fuselage, and was armor plated. A nose window allowed the pilot good vision
when diving and landing. The tail unit was also asymmetric, with a V-shaped
strut providing support under the left horizontal tail. The main landing
gear retracted outwards into the wing leading edge, and the main wheels
were braked; the tail wheel retracted forwards into the fuselage. Armament
consisted of two fixed forward firing MG 151 and two rear firing MG 131.
The normal bomb load was a single 500 kg ( 1102 lbs) bomb, carried beneath
the cockpit. However, an overload of 1000 kg (2204 lbs) could be carried;
an additional 500 kg (1102 lbs) of bombs could be carried under the wings
outboard of the propeller arc. Also, three MK 103 30mm cannon could be
mounted beneath the wing. Additional versions included a two seat cockpit,
and even a provision was made for a single Jumo 004 jet engine to be mounted
beneath the wing between the fuselage and cockpit. Although a wooden mockup
was constructed, the unusual asymmetric design was not accepted, plus there
was really no need for a new ground attack/dive bomber this late in the
war.
| Span | Length | Height | Wing Area | Max. Loaded Weight | Max. Speed | Range |
| 14.46 m
47' 5" |
10.75 m
35' 3" |
3.3 m
10' 10" |
42 m²
452 ft² |
6685 kg
14738 lbs |
579 km/h
360 mph |
2000 km
1243 miles |
| There are no scale models of the BV 237 |
A three-view drawing showing the location of
the underwing mounted Jumo 004 jet engine
Blohm & Voss BV 237 w/900 liter drop tank
Two man BV 237 version w/ one SD500 kg bomb
and two SD 250 kg bombs in overload condition