The German Fighter Trapped In Development Purgatory: Blohm & Voss BV 155

Video Description

In this video, we take a look at the Blohm & Voss BV 155, also known as the Messerschmitt Me 155, a German fighter, interceptor, and fighter-bomber from World War 2. We first talk about the concept of things being in development hell or development purgatory, before moving on to some more well known examples of planes that had very long and problematic developments. We then move to the BV 155, and its origins before WW2 as a carrier-based fighter in the Bf 109T. We talk about why this design amounted to nothing, and how it led to the project lying dormant for years. We then talk about the revival of the project in the Me 155 years later in the early 1940's. We talk about the evolution of the Me 155 design, from an improved carrier-based fighter to a schnellbomber to a high-altitude interceptor, designed to defend Germany from the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. We talk about how Blohm & Voss became involved in the project, and how they eventually took over and revamped it. We talk about the testing struggles of the BV 155, and how the project came to an end at the end of WW2. We end by talking about why we can consider the BV 155 as being in development purgatory.