Junkers |
Ju 87 Stuka |
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Photo:
Robert Deering 8/28/2014 Museum of Science and Industry Chicago. Illinois |
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from Sturzkampfflugzeug,
"dive bomber") was a German dive bomber
and ground-attack aircraft. Designed
by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935.
The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with
the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during
the Spanish Civil War and served the Axis
forces in World War II.
The aircraft is easily recognizable by its
inverted gull wings and fixed spatted undercarriage.
Upon the leading edges of its faired main
gear legs were mounted the Jericho-Trompete (Jericho
trumpet) wailing sirens, becoming
the propaganda symbol of German air
power and the so-called Blitzkrieg victories
of 1939–1942. The Stuka's design included
several innovations, including automatic
pull-up dive brakes under both wings to
ensure that the aircraft recovered from its
attack dive even if the pilot blacked
out from the high g-forces.
The Ju 87 operated with considerable success
in close air support and anti-shipping at
the outbreak of World War II. It led air
assaults in the invasion of Poland in
September 1939. Stukas were critical to the
rapid conquest of Norway,
the Netherlands, Belgium, and France in
1940. Sturdy, accurate, and very effective
against ground targets, the Stuka was, like
many other dive bombers of the period,
vulnerable to fighter aircraft. During
the Battle of Britain, its lack of
maneuverability, speed and defensive
armament meant that it required a heavy
fighter escort to operate effectively.
After the Battle of Britain, the Stuka was
used in the Balkans Campaign,
the African and Mediterranean theatres and
the early stages of the Eastern Front, where
it was used for general ground support, as
an effective specialized anti-tank
aircraft and in an anti-shipping role. Once
the Luftwaffe lost air superiority, the
Stuka became an easy target for enemy
fighter aircraft. It was produced until 1944
for lack of a better replacement. By 1945
ground-attack versions of the Focke-Wulf Fw
190 had largely replaced the Ju 87, but it
remained in service until the end of the
war.
An estimated 6,500 Ju 87s of all versions
were built between 1936 and August 1944.
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