Description of the Long Range-Sea Plane HA 139 [W/ 8 ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS]
Hamburg: Hambuger Flugzeugbau G.M.B.H, [1937]. Softcover. Small folio. 13pp. (13 printed leaves). Half red cloth over brown heavy stock paper wrappers. Black lettering and insignia stamped in red on the front cover. Single-sided printed leaves, four hole-punched along the edge and internally bound with two brass fasteners (brackets). Photograph pasted onto title page. Page 10 is missing, or was never ultimately bound in.
An extremely scarce self-published promotional work in English, on the subject of the HA 139 (aka Blohm & Voss Ha 139) floatplane, produced by Hambuger Flugzeugbau (an offshoot of the famed Blohm & Voss shipbuilding company)*. The work was printed by the company and assembled by hand sometime between March and September of 1937, featuring a total of 8 original b/w photographs pasted onto pages throughout, which show the aircraft in various stages of construction at the assembly plant, as well as shots of the plane on the water. All physical and technical aspects of the aircraft are discussed in detail, including specific text sections on the wings, fuselage, control surfaces, floating gear and cooling system. The leaf intended as page 10, on the subject of the powerplant (engine), is missing, or was never ultimately bound in. The final two pages contain a data sheet, with an itemized breakdown of all technical aspects (including engine and fuel), and a chart of the weight distribution.
Text throughout in English.
At the time of publication, the Hambuger Flugzeugbau had just recently started manufacturing these aircraft, which had been intended for use as long-range mail and cargo carriers for Deutsche Luft Hansa. The design of the HA 139, one of the largest seaplanes of the 1930s, was masterminded by the company's head of engineering and chief designer Richard Vogt (1894-1979). Starting in 1937, a few of these planes began operation, transporting mail thousands of miles across the Atlantic, between ports in Africa and the Americas. After the outbreak of the Second World War, the Nazis commandeered all existing HA 139s for the Luftwaffe, using them for military transport, reconnaissance and minesweeping activities.
Light rubbing, bumping, sunning and closed tears extremities of wrappers. Small paint stains on the front and back covers. Interior leaves and photographs clean throughout. The bottom of the title page and the verso of the final leaf contain ink stamps of the library of the now defunct Swedish airlines AB Aerotransport (ABA). Wrappers in very good-, interior in near fine condition overall. vg- to near fine. Item #53862
*In September of 1937 the company officially changed its name to "Abteilung Flugzeugbau der Schiffswerft Blohm & Voss"
Price: $2,500.00