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The 'Junkers Ju 87' or 'Stuka' as it became universally known (from '''Stu'rz'ka'mpfflugzeug'' or - literally ''plunging combat aircraft'') was a German combat aircraft operational from 1937 and throughout World War II, and easily recognisable by its inverted gull wings, fixed undercarriage and its infamous ''Jericho-Trompete'' (Jericho Trumpet) wailing siren — though the siren was only fitted to a few aircraft because of the extra drag induced on the rather slow aircraft.

Contents

General description

History

Ju 87A

Ju 87B

Ju 87D

Ju 87G

Diving procedure

Other designs

Operators

Survivors

Specifications

References

External links

Related content

General description

The Stuka's design included some innovative features, including automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings to ensure that the plane recovered from its attack dive even if the pilot blacked out from the high acceleration, and a wind-powered siren under its nose (later mounted to the front upper section of each fixed landing gear strut) that wailed during dives to frighten its victims. These were named ''Jericho-Trompeten'', or "Trumpets of Jericho", by Junkers and were a form of psychological warfare. Its rugged fixed undercarriage allowed it to land and take-off from improvised airstrips close to the battlefront, giving close support to the advancing German forces. 5,752 Ju 87 of all versions were built between 1936 and August 1944.
It was a Ju 87 that achieved the first air victory during World War II, on September 1, 1939 (the opening day of hostilities), when ''Kettenführer'' Leutnant Frank Neubert shot down a Polish PZL P.11c fighter aircraft piloted by Captain Mieczysław Medwecki, who was killed in the engagement^[1].
Although sturdy, accurate, and very effective, the Stuka suffered from low speed and poor maneuverability, with little defensive armament, making it highly vulnerable to enemy fighters. The Germans learned during the Battle of Britain that air superiority must be obtained before ground attack aircraft could be effectively used. After the Battle of Britain, the Stuka was little used in western Europe, but it remained effective further south where Allied fighters were in short supply, most notably in the battles of Crete, Malta and Leros.
The battle of Leros from 12. - 16. November 1943 was supported by I. and II. Group of Stuka-Wing 3. I. Group operated from Megara airfield west of Athens. Two missions per day were scheduled for each Stuka. The flight time was between 175 - 245 minutes.
Perhaps the prime example of its vulnerability to fighters was the shooting down of five Stukas in the space of a few minutes, by the Australian ace Clive Caldwell in a P-40 Tomahawk on December 5, 1941, over Libya.
Stukas were used in vast numbers on the Eastern Front, although the steady rise in Soviet airpower as the war progressed meant that Stuka squadrons suffered very heavy losses by the final stages of the war.
Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the most notable Stuka ace, and the most highly decorated German soldier of World War II. (Hermann Goering was awarded the ''Großkreuz des eisernen Kreuzes'', but not for achievements in battle.)

History

Junkers had begun construction of three prototypes of the Ju 87 in 1934, and a specification from the German ''Reichsluftfahrtministerium'' was issued around it. Ironically in view of later events, the first model was powered by a 640 hp (477 kW) Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine. Square twin fins and rudders proved too weak and during dive testing in 1935 they collapsed and the aircraft crashed.^[2]

Ju 87A

The second prototype had a redesigned single fin and rudder and a 610 PS (602 hp, 449 kW) Junkers Jumo 210A engine. After official evaluation in 1936 against three other competing aircraft, orders for 10 aircraft were placed for it, as well as for the Heinkel He 118. The initial production variant was the Ju 87 A-1, powered by a 640 PS (631 hp, 471 kW) Jumo 210C, which began to replace the Henschel Hs 123 biplanes. At least three of these aircraft were tested under operational conditions by the Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil War.

Ju 87B

The next major variant was the Ju 87 'B-1' with a considerably larger engine, its Junkers Jumo 211D generating 1,200 PS (1,184 hp, 883 kW), and the fuselage and landing gear were completely redesigned. This new design was again tested in Spain, and after proving its abilities there, production was ramped up to 60 per month. As a result, by the outbreak of World War II the Luftwaffe had 336 Ju 87 B-1s on hand. The Ju 87 'B-2's that followed had some improvements and were built in a number of variants that included ski-equipped versions, and at the other end, with a tropical operation kit called the Ju 87 B-2/trop. Italy's Regia Aeronautica received a number of the B-2s and named them the ''Picchiatello'', while others went to the other members of the Axis, including Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania.
A long range version of the Ju 87B was also built, known as the 'Ju 87R'. They were primarily intended for anti-shipping missions. Internal fuel capacity was increased by adding some inner-wing tanks and by using two 300-liter under-wing drop tanks. Bomb carrying ability was reduced to a single 250 kg bomb if the aircraft was fully loaded with fuel. The navalized variant of the Ju 87B was known as the 'Ju 87C', and these were built to operate from the German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin. In any case the carrier was never completed, and all of these were converted back to the Ju 87B standard.

Ju 87D

Despite having its vulnerability to enemy fighters exposed during the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe had no choice but to continue the Stuka's development as there was no replacement aircraft in sight.^[3] The result was the 'D'-series. The Ju 87 D-series received better streamlined oil and water coolers, and an aerodynamically refined cockpit with better visibility and space. In addition, armor protection was increased and a new dual-barrel 7.92 mm MG 81Z machine gun with an extremely high rate of fire was installed in the rear defensive position. The engine power was increased again, the Jumo 211 J-1 now delivering 1,420 PS (1,401 hp, 1,044 kW).
Production of the 'D-1' variant started in 1941 with 476 deliveries, rising to 917 D-1 and D-3 in 1942. The D-series saw extensive use in the Eastern Front and the Middle East. Bomb carrying ability was massively increased from 500 kg in the B-version to 1,800 kg in the D-version (max load for short ranges, overload condition), and a typical bomb load was from 500 to 1,000 kg.
The 'D-2' was a variant used as a glider tug by converting older D-series airframes. The 'D-3' was an improved D-1 with more armor for its ground-attack role. The 'D-4' designation applied to a prototype torpedo-bomber version. The Ju 87 'D-5' was another ground-attack variant that appeared in mid 1943, it had the outer wing panels extended, dive brakes were removed and the wing-mounted 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns were replaced by 20 mm MG 151 cannons.
The 'D-6' was not built, for unknown reasons. The 'D-7' was another ground attack aircraft based on D-1 airframes upgraded to D-5 standard (armor, wing cannons, extended wing panels), while the 'D-8' was similar to the D-7 but based on D-3 airframes. It's a common myth that the D-7 and D-8 were specifically designed and built for night fighting as they were solely based on converted airframes and used for multiple mission types.
Another variant derived from the Ju 87D airframe was called the 'Ju 87H', and saw service as a trainer.

Ju 87G

With the G variant, the aging airframe of the Ju 87 found new life as an anti-tank aircraft. This was the final operational version of the Stuka and was deployed on the Eastern Front starting in the early months of 1943. The 'G-1' was armed with two 37 mm cannons mounted on under-wing gondolas, each loaded with a 6-round magazine of high-explosive tungsten ammunition. With these weapons the ''Kanonenvogel'' (or "cannon-bird" as it was nicknamed) proved spectacularly successful at the hands of the Luftwaffe ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel. The 'G-2' was similar to the G-1 but was based on the longer-winged D-5.
While still slow, its stable attitude, large wings and low stall speed were valuable in the acquisition of slow moving targets, such as assault boats and ground vehicles. The G-1 even influenced the design of the A-10 Thunderbolt II, with Hans Rudel's book, ''Stuka Pilot'', being required reading for all members of the A-X project.^[4]

Diving procedure

Flying at 4,600 meters (15,000 ft), the pilot located his target through a bombsight window in the cockpit floor. After opening the dive brakes and retarding his throttle, he then rolled the aircraft 180°, automatically nosing the aircraft into a dive. Red tabs protruded from the upper surfaces of the wing as a visual indicator to the pilot that in case of a ''g'' induced black-out, the automatic dive recovery system would be activated. The Stuka dived at a 60 - 90 degree angle, accelerating to 600 km/h (350 mph).
When the aircraft was reasonably close to the target, a light on the contact altimeter came on to indicate the bomb-release point, usually at a minimum height of 450 m (1,500 ft). The pilot released the bomb by depressing a knob on the control column to release weapons and to initiate the automatic pull-out mechanism. A clutch located under the fuselage would swing the bomb out of the way of the propeller, and the aircraft would automatically begin a 6 ''g'' pullout.
Once the nose was above the horizon, dive brakes were retracted, the throttle was opened, and the propeller was set to climb. The pilot regained control and resumed normal flight.
In his book ''Wings of the Luftwaffe'', Royal Navy test pilot Eric "Winkle" Brown reported that a captured Ju 87 D-3 he test-flew after the war felt "absolutely right" diving at a 90º straight down angle, and stated that he had no doubt of the Stuka's ability in its assigned role.

Other designs

The concept of dive bombing became so popular among the leadership of the Luftwaffe, that it became almost obligatory in new aircraft designs. Later bomber models like the Junkers Ju 88 and the Dornier Do 217 were fitted for dive bombing. Even the giant Heinkel He 177 bomber was initially supposed to have dive bombing capabilities — a requirement that contributed much to the failure of the design.
Once the Stuka became too vulnerable to growing fighter opposition on all fronts, work was done to develop a replacement. All dedicated close support designs on the drawing board did not progress much further due to the war situation and technological obstacles. In response the Luftwaffe decided to settle on the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter aircraft. The Fw-190 F and G series aircraft became good attack aircraft in their own right. The fighter bomber supplanted the Ju-87 along with other minor aircraft in the close support role from 1943 until the end of the war.

Operators

;Bulgaria

★ Bulgarian Air Force
;Croatia

★ Croatian Air Force
;

★ Czechoslovakian Air Force operated captured aircraft postwar.
;Germany

★ ''Luftwaffe''
;Hungary

★ Hungarian Air Force
;Italy

★ ''Regia Aeronautica''
;Japan

★ Imperial Japanese Army Air Force received Ju 87 for trials.
;Romania

★ Romanian Air Force
; Slovak Republic

★ Slovak Air Force
;

★ SFR Yugoslav Air Force operated captured aircraft postwar.

Survivors

Two intact Ju 87s survived and few more wrecks are on display today.

★ The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry has a Ju 87 R-2/Trop., this was captured in Libya 1941 and subsequently sent to the US.

★ A Ju 87 G-2, captured by British troops in Germany in 1945, is displayed in the RAF Museum in London.

★ The Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin has the wreckage of two complete aircraft that were recovered from separate crash sites near Murmansk in 1990 and 1994.

★ The Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum displays the remains of an aircraft that crashed near Saint-Tropez in 1944 and was raised from the sea-bed in 1989.

★ In October 2006, another Stuka was found underwater, near Rhodes^[5]

Specifications

	'Ju 87A'	'Ju 87B'	'Ju 87D'	'Ju 87G'
'Production'	1936-1938	1938-1941	1941-1944	refitted Ju 87D
'Role'	ground attack	ground attack	ground attack	anti-tank
'Length'	10.8 m	11.1 m	11.1 m	11.1 m
'Wingspan'	13.8 m	13.8 m	13.8 m	13.8 m
'Height'	3.9 m	3.9 m	3.9 m	3.9 m
'Wing area'	31.90 m²	31.90 m²	31.90 m²	31.90 m²
'Empty weight'	2273 kg	2760 kg	2810 kg	3600 kg
'Maximum weight'	3324 kg	4400 kg	5720 kg	5100 kg
'Engine'	Junkers Jumo 210D	Junkers Jumo 211Da	Junkers Jumo 211J	Junkers Jumo 211J
'Maximum Power'	720 hp	1200 hp	1410 hp	1410 hp
'Maximum Power'	530 kW	883 kW	1037 kW	1037 kW
'Maximum speed'	310 km/h	383 km/h	408 km/h	375 km/h
'Dive speed'	550 km/h	600 km/h	600 km/h
'Range with bombs'	800 km	600 km	1165 km	1000 km
'Ceiling'	9430 m	8100 m	9000 m	7500 m
'Climb'		3000 m in 8.8 min	3000 m in 14 min	3000 m in 13.6 min
'Forward guns'	1×7.92 mm MG 17	2×7.92 mm MG 17	2×7.92 mm MG 17	2×7.92 mm MG 17 2×37 mm BK 37
'Rear guns'	1×7.92 mm MG 15	1×7.92 mm MG 15	1×7.92 mm MG 81Z (twin MG 81)	1×7.92 mm MG 81Z (twin MG 81)
'Maximum bombs'	250 kg	500 kg	1800 kg	none
'Typical bombs'	1×250 kg	1×250 kg + 4×50 kg	1×500/1000 kg + 4×50 kg	none

References

1. John Weal p. 22
2. David Mondey p. 111-118
3. David Mondey p. 114
4. Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War, , Robert, Coram, Back Bay Books, , ISBN 0316796883 (see page 235)
5.
[1]


★ Mondey, David (1996). Axis Aircraft of World War II. London: Chancellor Press. ISBN 1-85152-996-7

★ Weal, John (1997). Junkers Ju 87 Stukageschwader 1937-41. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 1-85532-636-1

External links

★ The Hugo Junkers Homepage

★ Lemairesoft

★ Luftwaffe Resource Group

★ Stuka Color Footage

★ Stuka Operational Details including Pre-Dive Checklist Diagrams Sound Effects etc

★ Junkers Aircraft on Display

★ Some high quality and high-res photos, including replicas and surviving aircraft in museums

★ Sound of flying Stuka

★ Test flight and combat debut of the "Kanonenvogel" - wartime video

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