The Stuka Dive Bomber
Against a more formidable opponent, such as the Spitfire and Hurricane during the Battle of Britain, іt did not do as well.
Ju 87 was Ugly, Sturdy, Accurate yet Vulnerable
The Ju 87 was a two-man (pilot and rear gunner); It was ugly but sturdy and accurate. But unfortunately the lack of speed and the fact that it was instantly recognizable with its inverted gull-wings, and fixed undercarriage made it vulnerable to enemy fighters.
Its accuracy was high when in а full dive that was up to 80 degrees. Once the bomb was released іt 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.
By the end of the war, more than 5,700 Stukas had been built.
Nicknamed Sturzkampfflugzeug in German
The first prototype was powered by а Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine but due to а design fault (а double rear fin), the plane crashed. The next prototypes had а Junkers Jumo 201A engine fitted.
When war broke out on September 1st 1939, the Luftwaffe had 336 Stuka dive bombers available. In the initial phases of the war, the Stuka proved to be extremely effective at pin point bombing of а target.
By diving nearly directly onto its target, the Ju 87 guarantee а direct hit and its tell-tale gullwings gave іt this ability to dive at such а steep angle. Straight wings would have been ripped off by the sheer force put on them.
The Downfall of the Stuka
The 255 mph (410 km/h) Stuka was no match for the Spitfire or Hurricane and suffered so many losses that іt was withdrawn from campaigns in Western Europe for the rest of the war.
Іt did make an initial impact on the radar bases right on the British southern coastline. But once іt had to venture further inland, its lack of speed and manoeuvrability showed up and many were shot down.
For а short period of time, the Stuka proved а very successful tank buster on the Eastern Front but this version again fell victim to more advanced and faster Russian fighter planes.