[1][2] The BV 222 was originally developed during the late 1930s as a commercial venture to serve the transatlantic and other long distance routes of the German flag carrier Luft Hansa.

It featured a relatively uninterrupted interior, free of bulkheads, and retractable floats; its use of diesel-powered engines made it easier to be refuelled at sea.

By the time of its maiden flight on 7 September 1940, Nazi Germany was almost one year into the Second World War and the operation of long distance civil services was not realistic, thus development was reorientated towards military roles.

The BV 222 was operated by the Luftwaffe, typically for logistical purposes, across numerous theatres, including the Norway, France, North Africa and even the Arctic.

During the interwar period, the German flag carrier Deutsche Luft Hansa had built up a lucrative network of long range airmail routes, the longest of which included transatlantic ones.

[4] By this point, the Second World War had been waged for almost a whole year and Luft Hansa saw no prospect of operating a transatlantic route at a time of open hostilities, thus the airline had no immediate role for the BV 222 to perform.

Accordingly, the flight test programme was adjusted to investigate the type's potential for military applications; various minor modification, such as the addition of larger loading doors, were promptly made.

[4] Initial trials found that the BV 222 had relatively stiff flight controls and that its hydrodynamic qualities could be improved; the former issue was largely attributed to friction and thus was readily addressed.

[5] Those same trials also demonstrated that the aircraft was capable of carrying up to 92 passengers, or 72 stretcher-bound patients, over a short distance at a maximum speed of 385 km/h (239 mph).

[7] Up to two BV 222s could be assembled at a time at the company's Steinwerder works outside Hamburg; each complete airframe took an average of 350,000 man hours to construct.

[10] To prevent the corrosion issues experienced with the first prototype, a specially-developed paint was applied to most BV 222s; unlike most flying boats, a high-quality surface finish was deemed to be unnecessary.

[8] Typical amongst flying boats of the era, the BV 222 incorporated balance floats; unusually, these consisted of a matching pair of retracting float units per side, which extended from beneath the wing's outer panels in a "clamshell" fashion when fully extended, and retracted into recesses within the underside of the wing.

After undergoing an overhaul at Hamburg, V1 was sent to Athens (Greece), from where it carried supplies for the Afrika Korps, making 17 flights between 16 October and 6 November 1941.

[4] Between 1942 and 1943, the aircraft flew in the Mediterranean theatre, until it sank following a collision with a submerged wreck while landing at Piraeus harbour in mid-February 1943.

[4] Since the aircraft was intended for long-distance overwater flights, in addition to the armament fitted to V1, it received two rear-facing wing-mounted turrets with dual 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131s, which were accessed via the tubular wing spar.

[9] Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, plans were made to connect Germany and Japan by air using Luftwaffe aircraft modified for very long range flights since commercial flights to the Far East by Deutsche Luft Hansa were no longer possible, and it had become very dangerous for ships or U-boats to make the trip by sea.

[10] By late 1942, German officials had become increasingly interested in deploying the BV 222 as a long range maritime patrol aircraft and less as a transport.

[18] Accordingly, future refits commonly saw the addition of the FuG 200 Hohentwiel search radar, rear warning systems, and armament changes.

[17][22] During 1944, V2 participated in Operation Schatzgräber ("Treasure Seeker"), the code name of a German weather station at Alexandra Land in the Arctic, whose sick crew needed to be evacuated.

Convair allegedly acquired one for evaluation at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, the intensive studies leading to the hull design of their Model 117, which in turn led to the R3Y Tradewind.

V2 was towed to a position in Trondheimsfjord between Ilsvika and Munkholmen, where it now rests on the seabed at 318 m (1,043 ft) deep,[31][32] perfectly preserved due to low oxygen levels in the water.

Historian Knut Sivertsen, advisor at Justismuseet in Trondheim stated in 2023 that the plane is probably too big to salvage, and there are no plans to do so at the present time.