|
General Specifications
Wingspan: 65 ft. 7.5 in. (21.19 m.) Length: 47 ft. 2.6 in. (14.52 m.) Height: 15 ft. 11 in. (4.9 m.) Empty Weight: 21,737 lbs. (9,925 kg) Max T/O Weight: 30,865 lbs. (14,093 kg) Engine: Two Junkers Jumo 211 J-1 liquid-cooled engines with annular radiators Horsepower: 1,350 hp Guns: Two 12.7mm (.50 in) MG131 machine guns and two 7.9mm (.30) MG81 machine guns Crew: 4 ___________________________________________________________
The Junkers Ju-88 was a largely unsung workhorse of the Luftwaffe, fulfilling a multiplicity of roles. During its career, it saw use as a day bomber, night bomber, night fighter, day fighter, dive bomber, reconnaissance plane, torpedo bomber, tank destroyer, and flying bomb. It also performed these roles in every theater from the burning Sahara to the frozen steppes of Russia. The Junkers' versatility was nearly unparalleled and also accidental.
Junkers did not set out to create a supremely versatile aircraft but merely answered the 1936 Luftwaffe requirement for a Schnellbomber, or fast bomber, that would rely on its ability to outrun most fighters as its main defense. The early prototypes exceeded 300 mph, which made it as fast or faster than contemporary fighters. One interesting feature is the engines, which appear to be air-cooled radials but are actually liquid-cooled engines sitting behind annular (circular) radiators. The airframe was designed for the rigors of dive-bombing and could actually perform in that role.
The Ju-88 debuted during the Battle of Britain and thereafter was in the forefront of all German bombing efforts, gradually supplanting the Do-17 and the He-111. Thereafter, whenever the Luftwaffe had a special need for an aircraft, the Ju-88 airframe seemed most easily adaptable. Cannons up to 75 mm, rockets, and mortars were adapted for various uses to the airframe, allowing the Ju-88 to fulfill each of its roles. The type was produced from 1936 to the end of the war, and a number of examples continued in the French air force until the 1950s.
|
