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Ju 88 Trop |
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Photo:
Robert Deering 10/18/2012 National Museum of the USAF Wright-Paterson AFB (FFO) Dayton, Ohio |
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The German Ju 88 was
one of the most versatile airplanes of World
War II. It operated in nearly every kind of
combat role, including dive bomber, level
bomber, night fighter, day interceptor,
photographic reconnaissance, tank destroyer
and even as an unpiloted missile. The Ju 88
made its first flight on Dec. 21, 1936, and
hundreds remained in use when the war ended
in 1945. The airplane on display, a Ju 88D-1/Trop (later designated Ju 88D-3), is a long-range photographic reconnaissance version modified for tropical use. Known as the Baksheesh, it was the best known Ju 88 of the 15,000 built. Completed in June 1943, this aircraft was delivered to Romania, an ally of Germany during WWII. In July 1943, a disillusioned Romanian pilot flew the aircraft to Cyprus to defect to British forces there. The British Royal Air Force turned over Baksheesh to the U.S. Army Air Forces. After Wright Field test pilots flew the aircraft extensively, the USAAF stored it in the Arizona desert after the end of WWII. Shipped to the museum in January 1960, Baksheesh is painted in the Romanian Air Force markings it carried in July 1943. |
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