The Stuka was also heavily involved in Operation Citadel, the Battle of Kursk. Edit source History Talk (0) Comments Share. Fliegerkorps under the command of General der Flieger Wolfram von Richthofen was equipped with units Stab, II. lt was a large aircraft for its intended role, and had a crew of two. [26], Eric "Winkle" Brown RN, a British test pilot and Commanding Officer of Captured Enemy Aircraft Flight section, tested the Ju 87 at RAE Farnborough. [20] Junkers Ju 87 Stuka 02.png 300 × 190; 42 KB. 78 Ju 87s were built in May and 69 rebuilt from damaged machines. The Junkers Ju 87 Stuka (derived from Sturzkampfflugzeug, “dive bomber”), was a two-man German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft that served with the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. [47], A long range version of the Ju 87 B was also built, known as the Ju 87 R. They were primarily intended for anti-shipping missions. Demoralised, the Poles surrendered. IV. [82], In January 1938, three Ju 87 As arrived. The "carrier Stuka" was to be built at the Weserflug Company's Lemwerder plant between April and July 1940. This system is why the Stuka became such a devastating weapon.3, In April 1935, the firms of Arado, Blöhm und Voss, Heinkel, and Junkers were requested to begin work on dive-bomber prototypes, but Junkers had the advantage with earlier Swedish-built K-47 and K-48 models that had already proven successful in vertical dive tests.4, At the start of the war, the Stuka was very effective in France and during the Polish Blitzkrieg (lightning war). However, it was vulnerable to the more nimble fighters of the day, such as the Spitfire and Hurricane, and required fighter top-cover for protection in order to complete its missions successfully. The Ju 87s also crippled the cruiser HMS Fiji that morning, (she was later finished off by Bf 109 fighter bombers) while sinking the destroyer HMS Greyhound with one hit. Subsequent testing and progress fell short of Richthofen's hopes, although the machine's speed was increased to 280 km/h (173 mph) at ground level and 290 km/h (179 mph) at 1,250 m (4,100 ft), while maintaining its good handling ability. [130] In the next two days, the Soviets reported the loss of another 1,922 aircraft. [55], Despite the Stuka's vulnerability to enemy fighters having been exposed during the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe had no choice but to continue its development, as there was no replacement aircraft in sight. He flew a record 2,530 combat missions destroying 519 tanks, 150 artillery pieces, 70 landing craft, nine aircraft, several bridges, a destroyer, the Soviet battleship Marat and severely damaged the battleship October Revolution. [1], Ernst Udet took an immediate liking to the concept of dive-bombing after flying the Curtiss Hawk II. Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the most successful Stuka ace and the most highly decorated German serviceman of the Second World War. D-1 and D-3 variants operated in combat with the 37 mm (1.46 in) BK 37 cannon in 1943.[66]. Navy—i.e., diving on the target at a steep… Richthofen stated that any maximum speed below 350 km/h (217 mph) was unacceptable for those reasons. [111] On 10 January 1941, the Stuka crews were told that four direct hits with 500 kg (1,100 lb) bombs would be enough to sink the carrier. [62] The frame structure was triangulated and emanated from the fuselage. The effectiveness of the dive bombers helped bring about Yugoslav capitulation in just ten days. At the start of 1943, the Luftwaffe test centre at Tarnewitz tested this combination from a static position. The main construction material was duralumin, and the external coverings were made of Duralumin sheeting. The Ju 87 was ugly, sturdy, accurate, but very vulnerable to enemy fighters; it's use demanded air superiority. As a result, by the outbreak of [104], Steady losses had occurred throughout their participation in the battle. Near the end of the war, the Ju 87 was finally resurrected as an anti-tank weapon and designated the Ju 87G. [17], These problems were to be resolved by installing the Daimler-Benz DB 600 engine, but delays in development forced the installation of the Jumo 210 Da in-line engine. The Ju 87's principal designer, Hermann Pohlmann, held the opinion that any dive-bomber design needed to be simple and robust. The Stukas also took a peripheral part in Operation Punishment - Hitler's retribution bombing of Belgrade. In May 1944, production wound down. [105] According to the Generalquartiermeister der Luftwaffe, 59 Stukas had been destroyed and 33 damaged to varying degrees in six weeks of operations. He also handled the rear machine gun. They were used by the Regia Aeronautica up to 1942. The D-4 was to be converted from D-3 airframes and operated from the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin. A quick fuel dump mechanism and two inflatable 750 L (200 US gal) bags in each wing and a further two 500 L (130 US gal) bags in the fuselage enabled the Ju 87 C to remain afloat for up to three days in calm seas. Once the planes nose came up above the horizon, he could take control again. [108], Bad weather resulted in a decline of anti-shipping operations, and before long the Ju 87 Gruppen began re-deploying to Poland, as part of the concealed build-up for Operation Barbarossa. [52] The prototype V10 was to be a fixed wing test aircraft, while the following V11 would be modified with folding wings. In response to the Italian defeats in Greece and North Africa, the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht ordered the deployment of some German forces to these theatres. Despite the cancellation, the tests continued using catapults. Approximately 6,500 aircraft were built, but less than 400 Ju 87 Stukas were in service at any one time. Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers. Lehrgeschwader 2's IV. By 30 September 1939, Junkers had received 2,365,196 Reichsmark (RM) for Ju 87 construction orders. [141] The Stukawaffe strength stood at 151. Its flaws became apparent during the Battle of Britain; poor manoeuvrability and a lack of both speed and defensive armament meant that the Stuka required heavy fighter escort to operate effectively. The internal fuel capacity was raised to 800 L with the option of retaining the 300 L … The Stuka would have to be strong enough to withstand a 360 mph (580 km/h) dive and required dive-brakes to prevent the airplane from exceeding speeds to where it could be operated safely. Messerschmitt Bf 109s of Jagdgeschwader 26 were sent out in advance of the main strike and successfully drew off RAF fighters, allowing 86 Ju 87s of StG 1 to attack RAF Detling unhindered. 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