The Junkers Ju87 Stuka Was the Pride of the Luftwaffe
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The Junkers 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 bomber. the crews to misjudge the appropriate Operated by a pilot and tail gunner 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 Admiral Cunningham commented after the Spanish Civil war of 1936 as part of the attack on the HMS Illustrious during the Luftwaffe “Condor Legion” World War 2:- The aircraft is easily recognisable, with its unique wing 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 destroyer Æger was badly the entire Luftwaffe fleet being pressed damaged by a direct hit to the engine into the attack on Poland on the 1st room and was scuttled. The British vessel September 1939. At 0426 exactly on that HMS Bittern was sunk on the 30th April morning, 11 minutes before Germany followed by the French destroyer Bison officially announced hostilities, 3 and HMS Affridi on the 3rd May 1940. 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 Dunkirk. The Royal Navy lost 29 bombs dropped in the war. Shortly, after of its 40 destroyers 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 Frank Neubert 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. Battle Of Britain The Polish destroyer ORP Wicher and The Stuka also took part in the Battle the minelayer ORP Gryf were destroyed of Britain in July 1940 and was initially whilst still in harbour. a potent weapon. 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 Air Force had Luftwaffe diverted Stuka forces to the organised into a formidable defensive battle for Norway and Denmark 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 the Battle of Britain in August due to Rudel sank the Russian battleship prohibitive losses. For the fi rst time the Marat, during an air attack on Kronstadt mythos of the invincible Stuka had been Harbour. In the same action the battle broken. group sank the destroyer Minsk and the destroyer Steregushchiy along with Barbarossa submarine M-74. The Stuka played a huge role in From 13th to the 22nd of December, 420 Operation Barbarossa, with the invasion vehicles and 20 tanks were destroyed of the Soviet Union 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 Greece and the Battle of fuel shortage that was crippling the Crete 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 military aviation 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! 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