Arado Flugzeugwerke

Arado Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer, originally established as the Warnemx¼nde factory of the Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen firm.

History

With its parent company, it ceased operations following the First World War when restrictions on German aviation were created by the Treaty of Versailles. In 1921, the factory was purchased by Heinrich Lx¼bbe, and in 1924 re-commenced aircraft construction for export, opening a subsidiary, Ikarus, in Yugoslavia. Walter Rethel, previously of Kondor and Fokker was appointed head designer.

In 1925, Lx¼bbe re-named the company Arado Handelsgesellschaft ("Arado trading firm") but in 1933 when the new Nazi government re-established aviation in Germany, changed this to the more specific (and accurate) Arado Flugzeugwerke GmbH. Just prior to this, Walter Blume, formerly of Albatros replaced Rethel.

Arado achieved early prominence as a supplier to the Luftwaffe with the Arado Ar 66, which became one of the standard Luftwaffe trainers right into World War II. The firm also produced some of the Luftwaffe's first fighter aircraft, the Ar 65 and Ar 68. In 1936, the RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium - "Reich Aviation Ministry") insisted that, as a show of loyalty, Lx¼bbe should join the Nazi party. When he refused, the Arado company was nationalised and placed under the direction of Erich Serno and Felix Wagenfx¼hr.

As Germany entered World War II, two more Arado products rose to prominence, the Ar 96 which became the Luftwaffe's most used trainer, and the Ar 196 a reconnaissance seaplane that became standard equipment on all larger German warships. Unfortunately for Arado, most of their other designs were passed over in favour of stronger products from their competitors. Perhaps Arado's most celebrated aircraft of the war was the Ar 234, the first jet-powered bomber. Too late to have any real effect on the outcome of the conflict, it was nevertheless a sign of things to come.

Until their liberation in April 1945 by the Soviet army, 1,012 slave laborers from Freiburg, a sub-camp of the Flossenburg concentration camp, worked at the Arado factory, beginning with the first trainload of 249 prisoners arriving in August 1944. The prisoners were mostly Polish Jewish women and girls sent to Freiburg from Auschwitz.

Arado also licence-built various versions of the Focke Wulf Fw 190.

In 1945, the company was liquidated and broken up.

The Ar 96 continued to be produced by Zlin for many years after the war as the C.2B.

Aircraft

Arado aircraft include:

Arado L 1, sportsplane
Arado L II, sportsplane
Arado S I, civil trainer
Arado S III, civil trainer
Arado SC I, civil trainer
Arado SC II, civil trainer
Arado SD I, prototype fighter
Arado SD II, prototype fighter
Arado SD III, prototype fighter
Arado SSD I, prototype fighter seaplane
Arado V I - airliner
Arado W 2 - civil trainer seaplane

Arado Ar 64, fighter (biplane)
Arado Ar 65, fighter/trainer (biplane - re-engined Ar 64)
Arado Ar 66, trainer + night fighter
Arado Ar 67, fighter (biplane) (prototype)
Arado Ar 68, fighter (biplane)
Arado Ar 69, trainer (biplane) (prototypes), 1933
Arado Ar 76, fighter (biplane) + trainer
Arado Ar 79, trainer + civilian aircraft
Arado Ar 80, fighter (prototype)
Arado Ar 81, two-seat biplane (prototype)(1936)
Arado Ar 95, coastal patrol + attack (biplane seaplane)
Arado Ar 96, trainer
Arado Ar 195, carrier based torpedo bomber
Arado Ar 196, ship-borne reconnaissance + coastal patrol (seaplane)
Arado Ar 197, naval fighter (biplane - derived from Ar 68)
Arado Ar 198, reconnaissance
Arado Ar 199, seaplane trainer
Arado Ar 231, fold-wing U-boat reconnaissance aircraft (prototype)
Arado Ar 232, transport
Arado Ar 233, seaplane(concept), 1940
Arado Ar 234 Blitz ('Lightning'), bomber (jet-engined)
Arado Ar 240, heavy fighter + attack
Arado Ar 296, trainer, similar to Ar 96 but all wood construction
Arado Ar 340, medium bomber
Arado Ar 396, trainer
Arado Ar 432, transport, similar to Ar 232 but mixed wood and metal construction
Arado Ar 440, heavy fighter + attack
Arado Ar 532, cancelled transport

List of Major Internal Projects of the WW2 Era under the RLM:

E.240
E.300
E.310
Arado E.340
E.370
E.371
E.375
E.377
E.377a
E.380
E.381/I
E.381/II
E.381/III
E.385
E.390
E.395
E.396
E.401
E.430
E.432
E.433
E.440
E.441
E.470
E.480
E.490
E.500
E.530
E.532
Arado E.555
E.560
E.561
E.580
E.581.4
E.581.5
E.583
E.625
E.632
E.651
E.654

Arado Flugzeugwerke Pictures

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Source: WikiPedia