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Home , Dive bomber, Frank Neubert, Junkers, Luftwaffe, ORP Gryf (1936)

The Ju87 different things. During a demonstration for senior offi cials on 15th August 1939 Stuka at the Neuhammer training grounds, 13 of the aircraft hit the ground and were The Junkers Ju87 “Stuka” is a destroyed in perfect synchronisation, remarkable aircraft. The aircraft fi rst killing all 26 crew. It was later took to the air in 1935 after being determined that low cloud had caused conceived as a two seater dive . the crews to misjudge the appropriate Operated by a pilot and height to pull out of the dive. Certainly, the aircraft quickly gained a fearsome the nerve of the pilots was incredible. reputation, making its combat debut in Cunningham commented after the of 1936 as part of the attack on the HMS Illustrious during the “” World War 2:- The aircraft is easily recognisable, with its unique shape and splayed undercarriage. Yet, the aircraft is probably more recognisable for the “wailing banshee” siren as the aircraft dives into an attack. Referred to as the Horn of Jericho this sound has become synonymous with the Stuka. Incidentally, despite popular belief and the fi lms of Hollywood, the siren was not used in every attack. Many pilots chose to “We opened up with every AA gun we had remove the siren as it added drag to as one by on the Stukas peeled off into their the aircraft. Another notable feature dives, concentrating the whole venom of of the aircraft are the dive brakes. At their attack upon the Illustrious. At times that time, a unique under-wing braking she became almost completely hidden in a system which slowed the aircraft in a forest of great bomb splashes. One was too dive. That being said, the aircraft would interested in this new form of dive-bombing still accelerate from its cruise speed of attack really to be frightened, and there 240MPH to 400MPH in the dive, pushing was no doubt we were watching complete the limits of the aircraft design, with the experts. Formed roughly in a large circle pilot descending at near vertical 80 to over the fl eet they peeled off one by one 90 degree pitch angle! The dive brakes when reaching the attacking position. We would automatically retract as the bomb could not but admire the skill and precision was released and the pilot would recover of it all. The attacks were pressed home to the aircraft from the dive. point-blank range, and as they pulled out of their dives some of them were seen to However, theory and practice can be two fl y along the fl ight-deck of the Illustrious below the level of her funnel.” In Combat campaign were from the naval unit It was the Ju87 Stuka that fired the and their attacks on allied vessels. The opening salvos of World War 2, with Norwegian Æger was badly the entire Luftwaffe fleet being pressed damaged by a direct hit to the engine into the attack on on the 1st room and was scuttled. The British vessel . At 0426 exactly on that HMS Bittern was sunk on the 30th April morning, 11 minutes before followed by the French destroyer Bison officially announced hostilities, 3 and HMS Affridi on the 3rd . Ju87 aircraft were tasked to destroy The Affridi, when attacked, was engaged charges that the Poles had placed on the in rescuing survivors from the Bison but DIrschau bridge over the Vistula River. fell victim to the Stuka attack force. The attack actually failed, with the Poles Moving south, the Stuka was used to successfully demolishing the bridge, devasting effect in the allied retreat but the Stuka had laid claim to the first from . The lost 29 bombs dropped in the war. Shortly, after of its 40 and 89 merchant the first air combat of World War 2 took vessels were sunk. An allied air response place with a Stuka under the command against the Stuka at Dunkirk proved of Rottenführer Leutnant ineffective. That said, 120 aircraft were attacking and destroying a Polish P.11 lost; a third of the entire Stuka force. It is fighter taking off from the Balice Airfield. believed that most of these losses can be The Luftwaffe also employed specialist attributed to ground fire rather than air naval attack teams that utilised the Ju87 engagement. and they too saw service on that fateful day which was to lead the world into war. The Polish destroyer ORP Wicher and The Stuka also took part in the Battle the ORP Gryf were destroyed of Britain in and was initially whilst still in harbour. a potent . On 4th July 1940 four Polish ground forces fared little better freighters were sunk in the English under the relentless pressure of the Channel, followed by a devastating Stuka. In one bombardment lasting attack on Portland Harbour when 33 four days, six Polish divisions which Stuka aircraft inflicted great damage, were trapped by advancing German including sinking HMS Foylebank. A forces were forced to surrender after raid against the RAF station at Detling suffering dreadful casualties from the also inflicted great damage and killed the 50Kg fragmentation bombs dropped Station Commander. relentlessly by the Stuka force. Yet, the Stuka was to soon lose the Flushed with their success in Poland, the upper hand as the Royal had Luftwaffe diverted Stuka forces to the organised into a formidable defensive battle for and on April shield. The Stuka, which relied 9th 1940. Faced with overwhelming odds, heavily on air superiority, lacking the the Danish capitulated that very day, manoeuvrability required for air to whilst the Norwegians struggled on with air combat, found itself outclassed by British support. The first Stuka aircraft the Hurricanes and Spitfires of Fighter took the air at 10.59 that day, destroying Command. As the Luftwaffe was unable Oscarsborg Fortress. However, the to provide fighter escorts in large main Stuka successes of the Norwegian numbers the Stuka was withdrawn from in August due to Rudel sank the Russian battleship prohibitive losses. For the fi rst time the Marat, during an air attack on mythos of the invincible Stuka had been Harbour. In the same action the battle broken. sank the destroyer Minsk and the destroyer Steregushchiy along with Barbarossa M-74. The Stuka played a huge role in From 13th to the 22nd of December, 420 , with the invasion vehicles and 20 tanks were destroyed of the in 1941. On 22nd by the seemingly unstoppable StG 77 June 1941 four Stuka battle groups group. Although, with the onset of were deployed to play a key role in the winter, the German troops on the ground operation. The Ju87 infl icted massive were already on the defensive and were damage on Soviet Forces and supply starting to battle their greatest enemy, lines. In a single day, On the 5th of July, the cold, which would eventually cower one group, StG 77 destroyed 18 trains the German forces. and over 500 vehicles! On the 23rd September, the most decorated Stuka pilot, Hans-Ulrich Into The Desert steadily being replaced by the ground The Stuka also took part in operations attack versions of the FW190. Yet the in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Stuka pilots had a fi nal fl ing on the In December 1940 some 80 Stukas were FInnish Front during 1944 and were able dispatched to destroy allied shipping to delay a major Soviet advance. passing between Sicily and Africa. By 1945 a little over 100 aircraft To that end, Stuka aircraft were also remained in service, operating sporadic delivered to the Italian Airforce to assist sorties until the end of the war. However, in the Axis war effort. The Luftwaffe these sorties were hampered by a severe Stukas fought in and the Battle of fuel shortage that was crippling the before being diverted to the deserts Luftwaffe. of North Africa to support Rommel and his Panzer tank divisions. For 10 years the Stuka had spearheaded the ground attack role of the Luftwaffe, However, by 1942 allied air power was with skilled daring pilots recording turning the tide of the war and Stuka success after success. Dive bombing losses were heavy. The arrival of US a target in a vertical dive with siren forces into North Africa was the start wailing the Stuka has earned its place in of the terminal decline of the now dated the hall of fame. Stuka. On the 15th November 1942 15 Stukas were shot down in a matter of a few minutes by US Curtis P-40 aircraft. By 1943 the allies enjoyed total air superiority in North Africa, with Stuka pilots often dropping their bombs in empty desert and running for home at the fi rst sight of allied aircraft. www.fi rstclass-simulations.com

Stuka V.s Hurricane © 2010 First Class Simulations. Published by First Class Simulations. Into retirement PO Box 586 Banbury Oxfordshire OX16 6BY Towards the end of 1944 the Stuka was Tel: 01869 338428 Fax: 0870 132 1026 Stuka Operating in almost every campaign of World War 2, the Junkers Ju87 Stuka was the pride of the Luftwaffe. With its trademark siren - “the Horn of Jericho”, daring Stuka pilots would put their aircraft into a vertical dive as they attacked their targets!

We offer the opportunity to fly a carefully crafted Stuka within the simulator, allowing you to recreate that famous dive!

We also include a brief history of the Stuka and a tutorial for flying the Stuka, which allows you to practice that trademark dive! Loading An Aircraft

Each aircraft can be loaded into a of your choice using the Aircraft select menu of the Simulator. In FSX, be sure to check the option to “show all variants” as this will allow each livery variant to be properly selected.

Included Variants Stuka - T6+DP, 2./StG 2, ‘Serpent Stuka - T6+KL, 2./StG 2, c.1941 (Alpine Livery) Stuka - 6G+CC, StG 1, Eastern Front, c.1941 Stuka - A5+BH, 3./StG 1, Libya, c.1941 (Desert camo) Stuka - T6+CK, 2./StG 2, Bulgaria, c.1941

Stuka Tutorial A full tutorial for the Stuka, including a dive demonstration is available as a PDF file. Technical Support & Troubleshooting

Keep posted to www.firstclass-simulations.com for the latest info on Stuka Vs Hurricane including any updates that may be released. On www. firstclass-simulations, you can access the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) by clicking the PRODUCT SUPPORT/ FAQS AND DOWNLOADS link on the left side of the main page.

If your problem has not been addressed, or if you want to send any comments on Stuka, send an e-mail to [email protected] and our support team will respond as soon as possible.

When contacting technical support, be sure to include the following information: Operating System (Window 95, 98, ME, XP, 2000, Vista, Windows 7) The exact name of the product (Stuka) Report any and all error messages reported or report the problem you are having by providing a step-by-step If it is a visual problem, describe the screen with as much detail as you can.

Please do not send attachments unless permission is granted ahead of time. If screen- shots are required, please keep them as small as possible (100KB or less) in JPG format.

Credits Project management, missions and documentation: Jane-Rachel Whittaker

Aircraft models: Gary Ward, Daniel Dunn Flight Dynamics and gauges: David Chester Sounds and QA: Mike Hambly Install and QA: Richard Donaldson Special Thanks: Claire Drake, Cathy Chester

Of all my accomplishments I may have achieved during the war, I am proudest of the fact that I never lost a wingman. — Erich ‘Bubi’ Hartmann, GAF Junkers Ju87 A Tutorial Welcome to our tutorial for the iconic Stuka !

This being a Stuka you can expect this tutorial to be something out of the ordinary and you would be right. During this flight you will not only master the flying characteristics of the Junkers Ju87, but you will be practising the famous screaming nose dive that has made this aircraft so famous! Rather than attacking a target, our scenario is that of a fictional airshow at the Museum, where hopefully we can delight the crowds with piloting prowess!

The first thing you will notice is that the gauges are labelled both in metric and in German. Speeds are referenced in kilometres per hour and the altimeter also reads kilometres. To make things easier we have included a panel diagram that can be found in the start menu folder for this package. This will highlight each of the instruments for you with English annotation.

You are probably more used to working in “feet and knots” with your altitude and airspeed as this is now the norm in most parts of the world. So for this tutorial we can employ a little tip to help us. Simply press SHIFT-Z a couple of times to display your altitude and heading in imperial units. The keen eyed Stuka enthusiast may also have noticed some slight changes in our panel from panel configurations during wartime. Most noticeable amongst these changes is the inclusion of a radio, transponder unit and simple navigation suite. This is deliberate in that it makes the aircraft more suited to Flight Simulator and especially online flying. The preserved Stuka which we had access to during the making of this product is also equipped in this manner reflecting post-war demonstration and aviation authority requirements. Master Battery - On Throttle - Cracked 1/4 inch (open the throttle slightly) Fuel - ON Magnetos - ON

The engine should be primed based on ambient temperature conditions. In colder weather it is necessary to increase the amount of priming strokes to prepare the engine for start. Please refer to the chart below. For the weather conditions of this flight only one priming stroke should be necessary.

Starter - ON Avionics - ON The aircraft should now burst into life as the props turn. Ensuring that the parking brake is set idle the engine for around 2 minutes to allow the aircraft oil to warm through. Whilst still in the parking area we should also confirm full and free function of the control surfaces. Deploy the flaps fully and then retract them. You may find it easier to use the F7 key to deploy the flaps and the F6 key to retract them, but that is purely personal preference. Ensure also that the ailerons and rudder are free and functioning normally. TIP: You may find spot view is useful for these control surface checks Tail Wheel - Released We can now push back for taxi. Go ahead and use the SHIFT-P key combination for an automatic pushback. In the real world we would actually start the engine after positioning for taxi, but for the purposes of this tutorial it proves much easier to start the engine first. Once you are familiar with the aircraft feel free to start the engine on the taxiway. This aircraft is a “tail dragger” meaning that it will taxi in a nose high attitude. The official technique for taxi is to gently make S turns along the taxiway to afford a forward view. This does require some practice, but it really is a case of practice makes perfect and it soon becomes second nature. Go ahead and start to taxi towards our take-off runway, 24. Alternatively, you can raise yourself in your seat for a better forward view by using the SHIFT-ENTER key combination and the SHIFT-BACKSPACE combination to lower the seat. By far the simplest method is to “cheat” and taxi in spot view! Try and avoid taxi at speeds above 10MPH and use differential braking should you require to turn. Be very wary of applying both brakes simultaneously both in taxi (and later in landing) and only apply brakes in very short controlled bursts. A Stuka is renowned for ground-looping where before you know it the whole aircraft will tip forward. It can be rather embarrassing to find your nose stuck in the tarmac! The moral of the tale is to be very careful in using the brakes. Go ahead and line up on runway 24 when you are ready for take-off. We will be flying right hand circuits of the airfield. Now is the time for the take-off checklist. Trim - Neutral Centred Flaps - 1 notch Fuel - Checked Once on the runway, engage the tail wheel lock to keep the aircraft in a straight line. Tail wheel - locked We can now start the take-off roll. We take-off at 85kts - 157 km/h, which will happen very quickly. This aircraft needs very little runway to get airborne! Slowly advance the power. As the aircraft starts to accelerate push gently forward on the stick to raise the tail. Beyond 80kts - 148 km/h gently pull back on the stick and the aircraft will take to the air. At around 200ft above the runway retract the flaps whilst maintaining runway heading. Place the aircraft in a continual climb at around 2000ft / 600 metres per minute. Advance to full power as you climb. We can safely hold maximum power for around 6 minutes without damaging the engine. We will fly an extended circuit so at 2 minutes after takeoff make a right turn of 90 degrees to the right. Hold this course for another minute then make another

further right turn of 90 degrees. You will now pass the airport on the right, parallel to the runway flying on a downwind heading of approximately 60 degrees. Once you pass the runway wait a further two minutes on course and make a further 90 degree turn to the right. Hold course for one minute and make another 90 degree turn to the right. This should, with some minor adjustment have you on final approach to Runway 24. However, we are not going to land yet! Continue to climb as you pass over the runway, making a first fly-past of our imaginary crowd below. You need to continue these circuits and fly-overs of the runway until you achieve 15,000ft, in a little over 8 minutes from take-off. At above around 8000ft you will have to reduce your climb rate to maintain a strong forward speed. Level off at 15,000ft and let the aircraft accelerate to its final cruise speed. Now for the next pass we will simulate dive bombing the runway for the spectators below! Once over the runway at 15000ft apply the dive brakes using the lever or alternatively use the simulator speedbrake key which is the / key on your keyboard by default. Push the aircraft down into a hard dive of 90 degrees. Yes, this aircraft dives completely nose down, relying on the aircraft dive brakes to maintain a manageable speed! From inside the cockpit you will now hear the whine of the siren as you head for terra firma, in one of the most exciting manoeuvres ever made in a wartime aircraft! About 20 seconds after the dive is initiated it is time to pull up the aircraft at 5000ft which is our bottom of dive altitude. In real bombing runs this altitude was dependent on the requirements of the target and skill of the pilot. With skill, you can reduce this to a much lower altitude. Stow the dive brakes and pull up hard on the nose of the aircraft to return to a climb. In actual operations it was not unusual for the pilot to black out such was the g-forces involved! This is why the actual aircraft was equipped with an automated pull-up system to bring the aircraft out of the dive. This was linked to the release of the aircraft bomb, which we are unable to use in Flight Simulator, so you will have to pull up manually. Hopefully you will not black out on a desktop dive so this should not be a problem! Depending on your skill with this procedure - and it may take some practice! your altitude will have reduced greatly. Continue on with the circuit pattern, reducing your airspeed to 120kts - 220km/h and engaging the first stage of flaps. We can now continue the pattern, but this time make a full landing at Duxford. Reduce your altitude in the pattern to 1500ft until you make the final turn to final. Once on final apply full flaps and reduce airspeed to 80kts - 148 km/h. At this speed you can make a safe clean landing on runway 24 at Duxford. Ideally, one would make a “three point landing” In this configuration once over the runway gently hold the aircraft just above the runway and parallel to it and reduce power to idle. The idea is for the aircraft to settle gently on all three wheels simultaneously, hence the term three point landing. This, however, will take some practice, but that practice is worthwhile and is the best technique for landing any taildragger aircraft. It is the one that will also earn you the most kudos as a pilot! Alternatively, it is easier to land on the two front wheels of the aircraft. In this case pull back gently on the stick until the rear wheel settles on the tarmac before applying the brakes. Use the brakes very carefully and with slight back pressure on the stick to avoid the Stuka tipping over! Release the tail wheel before turning off the runway. Tail wheel - unlocked Taxi to a parking area of your choice, hopefully having satisfied your virtual audience on Display Day at Duxford! Once at the parking area switch off the engines. Power - Idle Fuel - Off Magnetos - Off Avionics - Off Battery -Off Congratulations on making your first flight and spectacular dive in the Junkers Ju87 Stuka in front of an appreciative virtual audience! Ju87 Stuka - Technical Crew: 2 Length: 11.00 m (36 ft 1.07 in) Wingspan: 13.8 m (45 ft 3.30 in) Height: 4.23 m (13 ft 10.53 in) Wing area: 31.90 m² (343.37 ft²) Empty weight: 3,205 kg (7,086 lb) Loaded weight: 4,320 kg (9,524 lb) Max takeoff weight: 5,000 kg (11,023 lb) Powerplant: 1× Junkers Jumo 211D liquid-cooled inverted-vee , 1200 PS (1184 hp, 883 kW) Propellers: Three-blade Junkers VS 5 propeller, 1 per engine Propeller diameter: 3.4 m (11 ft 1.85 in)

Performance Never exceed speed: 600 km/h (373 mph) Maximum speed: 390 km/h @ 4,400 m (242 mph @ 13,410 ft) Range: 500 km (311 mi) with 500 kg (1,102 lb) bomb load Service ceiling: 8,200 m (26,903 ft) with 500 kg (1,102 lb) bomb load

Armament Guns: 2× 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 forward, 1× 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun to rear Bombs: Normal load

Jane Rachel Whittaker June 2015

www.fi rstclass-simulations.com

Stuka © 2010 First Class Simulations. Published by First Class Simulations. PO Box 586 Banbury Oxfordshire OX16 6BY Tel: 01869 338428 Fax: 0870 132 1026