Junkers Ju87 Stuka

[David]

The Junkers-produced Ju87 'Stuka' dive bomber was a highly specialized aircraft for the German Luftwaffe during World War Two. The system would forever be linked to the terror inflicted upon the hapless infantry and civilian populations throughout Poland, Spain, France and eventually Britain. Ultimately, the Stuka would become neutralized due to its inability to operate in an environment when constantly harassed by Allied warplanes.
The Junkers Ju87 began life as early as 1936 and ultimately fielded in limited numbers with the German Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil War. Mostly a test-bed for German pilots and engineers, the Stuka proved to be extremely accurate in this conflict, particularly against enemy armor or a dug in foe. The system continued to be developed and was fielded in force against Poland in the country's invasion. Poland forces were unmatched against the Ju87's thanks in part to the air supremacy held by the Germans throughout. The system became known for the crying wail exhibited on ground troops when the system would dive, unleashing its potent payload. The highly identifiable static and covered landing gears would become the symbol of the Stuka assault squadrons throughout the war.
The Ju87 was a two seat single-engine piston aircraft. The pilot sat in the forward area of the cockpit and handled the piloting and gunnery of the twin 7.92mm fixed machine guns and dive-bombing attacks whilst a secondary crewman manned the twin 7.92mm trainable machine guns in the rear cockpit position. The cranked-wing design allowed for ultimate drag and low-level maneuverability at speed while the powerplant was sufficiently powered for the role. The Ju87 acted as an aerial artillery support weapon throughout the early years of the war - but that was all about to change.
With the conquering of France, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, Holland and Poland complete, German warplanners and Adolph Hitler set their sights on the ultimate prize - the invasion of the island-nation of England. Thusly, the Battle of Britain was underway in summer of 1940 with the German Luftwaffe conducting raid after raid in an attempt to ebb away the forces of Britain. The Ju87 was again fielded en mass with the hope that the system could provide the same level of success found in earlier conflicts. These successful results, however, were not to be as British aircrews soon found the Ju87 extremely susceptible to attack when not escorted by German fighters. The system proved quite plodding when particularly vulnerable to attack at any stage of the mission. As such, Ju87s were temporarily removed from service with the bulk of the bombing handled by Germany's medium bomber groups and the fighter-bomber hybrids.
The Ju87D ultimately re-entered service with a more powerful Jumo powerplant and revised features throughout. This particular model would be fielded against the Soviets on the Eastern Front and throughout the North African Theater of Operations. The anti-tank variant designated as the Ju87G saw particular successes throughout any front as these were armed with an impressive array of twin 37mm anti-tank guns under each wing. These Stukas could wreak havoc on any armor formation caught out from cover, though the system still needed air escort fighter planes to still be effective.
Nevertheless, the Ju87 would go down in military aviation lore as one of the most memorable aircraft ever utilized. A specialist in every sense of the word, the Ju87's would see action until the final year of the war. In all, nearly 6,000 Ju87's were produced for Germany before and during wartime. Ju87 Stuka crews would be credited with the destruction of hundreds of Allied tanks, naval ships and fortifications.
Specifications for the Junkers Ju87 'Sturzkampfflugzeug' (Stuka):

Designation: Ju87D-1
Manufacturer: Junkers
Powerplant: 1 x 1,400 hp Junkers Jumo 211J-1 inverted-V piston engine
Length: 37.87 feet
Wing Span: 45.3 feet
Weight: 8,598 lbs (Empty); 14,551 lbs (MTOW)
Maximum Speed: 255 mph
Maximum Range: 954 miles
Armament: 2 x 7.92mm forward-firing machine guns; 2 x 7.92mm machine guns in rear cockpit; 3,968lbs of bombs
Crew: 1 Pilot; 1 Rear Gunner
More Pictures of the Junkers Ju87 Stuka Divebomber Plane