The Ju-87 Stuka struck more terror into Germany's enemies than
any other for the first three years of WW2. It
was the most famous of all Germans dive bombers. It
was able to dive very steeply at relative low speeds. It
was ugly, sturdy, and instantly
recognizable with its inverted gull-wings, and
fixed-undercarriage. It
had a crew of 2, the pilot and a rear-gunner.
It
was too slow, unmaneuverable and under armed to fend off fighter
attacks. During the Battle of Britain, it was slaughtered
by the much faster allied fighters. The Stuka was withdrawn to
attack convoys of tanks and troops which were not so heavily
armed. Its
effectiveness in destroying vehicles, fortifications or ships,
or just scaring people, was legendary. Its accuracy was
extremely high and in could make an almost vertical dive (80
degrees). Once the bomb was released it used an automatic
pull-up system to ensure that the plane pulled out of the dive
even if the pilot blacked out from the high g forces. From
1942 on the Ju 87G-1 was a dedicated anti-tank aircraft on the
eastern front. Over 5,700 Stukas were built. |
