Junkers Ju 88

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The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II Luftwaffe twin-engine multi-role aircraft. Among the most versatile planes of the war, it was used as a bomber, close-support aircraft, nightfighter, torpedo bomber and reconnaissance aircraft and even as a giant flying bomb in the Mistel project. Despite its protracted development, the aircraft became one of the Luftwaffe's most crucial assets. There were 15,000 Ju 88's built during WWII.

1 Design and development
2 Operational service
3 Operators
4 Specifications (Junkers Ju 88)
5 External links
6 Related content

[edit] Design and development

The aircraft's first flight was made by the prototype Ju 88 V-1, which bore the civil registration D-AQEN, on 21 December 1936. When it first flew, it managed about 580 km/h (360 mph) and Hermann Göring was ecstatic. Finally an aircraft that could positively fulfill the promise of the Schnellbomber, a bomber so fast fighters could not catch it.

However, by the time everyone had had their wish list added (including dive-bombing), The Ju 88's speed had dropped to around 450 km/h (280 mph). The streamlined fuselage was modeled after its contemprary, the Dornier Do 17, but with fewer defensive guns because the belief still held that it could outrun fighters. Production was delayed drastically with developmental problems; planned for 1938, it finally entered service the day the Germans invaded Poland, and then with only 12 aircraft. Production was painfully slow and problems with such an advanced machine kept cropping up. The Ju 88C series of heavy fighter was also created very early in 1940, but kept secret from Göring because he only wanted bombers.

[edit] Operational service

The Ju 88 A-1 series first flew anti-shipping sorties close to Norway. Ju 88 bombers based at Westerland on the island of Sylt in northern Germany carried out the first Luftwaffe raids against Britain. An attack on Rosyth on 16 October 1939, succeeding in damaging three ships, but was then engaged in dogfights by Spitfires of No. 602 and No. 603 Squadrons of the RAF and two Ju 88s were shot down in the Firth of Forth. A raid on Scapa Flow the next day saw the loss of one Ju 88 to anti-aircraft fire. All combat-ready Ju 88s (some 133), were pressed into the Blitzkrieg, but very high combat losses and accidents forced a quick withdrawal from action to re-train crews to fly this very high performance beast. By this time it was seen that the A-1 had major performance problems, and an all-out effort was put into a major rework. The outcome was a longer wingspan that was deemed needed for all A-1s, thus the A-5 was born. Surviving A-1s were rewinged to A-5 specifications as quickly as possible.

[edit] Battle of Britain

The Battle of Britain proved very costly. Its faster speed did not prevent Ju 88 losses exceeding those of its Dornier Do 17 and Heinkel He 111 stablemates, despite being deployed in smaller numbers than either. A series of field kits were made to make it less vulnerable, including the replacement of the rear machine gun by a twin barreled machine gun, and additional cockpit armour.

It was during the closing days of the Battle of Britain that the flagship Ju88 A-4 went into service. Although slower yet than the A-1, nearly all of the troubles of the A-1 were gone, and finally the Ju 88 matured into the superb warplane that it was designed to be. The A-4 actually saw additonal improvements including more powerful engines, but, unlike other aircraft in the Luftwaffe, did not see a model code change. The Ju 88 C series also benefited from the A-4 changes, and when the Luftwaffe finally did decide on a new heavy fighter, the Ju 88 C was a powerful refined aircraft.

[edit] Dive bomber

As a bomber, the Ju 88 was capable of pinpoint deliveries of heavy loads; however, despite all the modifications, dive bombing still proved too stressful for the airframe, and in 1943, tactics were changed so that bombs were delivered from a shallower 45 degree diving angle. Planes and bomb sights were accordingly modified, and dive brakes were removed. With a quite advanced Stuvi dive-bomb sight, accuracy remained very good for its time. There was also another sight used for level bombing missions. Maximum bomb load of the A-4 was 2,800 kg, but in practice, standard bomb load was 1,500 to 2,000 kg.

[edit] Night fighter

A definitive heavy fighter model was the Ju 88 G, which had an enlarged, more angular tailfin from the Ju 188 series. It would gradually become the most important Luftwaffe night fighter. Many of the Luftwaffe night fighter aces, such as Helmut Lent (110 kills) and Heinrich von und zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (87 kills) flew Ju 88 during their careers.

Image:Junkers Ju 88A-4.jpg

The Japanese Navy ordered the specifications of an antisubmarine Patrol/escort fleet aircraft, based on a medium bomber. The Kyūshū company took the idea from the Ju 88 to create the Japanese equivalent, the Kyūshū Q1W Tokai ("East Sea") "Lorna" antisubmarine patrol/fleet escort aircraft.