The infamous Stuka

Anyone with an average interest in the History of World War II, must have heard sometime in their lives the German acronym STUKA that stands for Sturzkampfflugzeug, meaning "dive bomber".
This word turned out to be a synonym of "terror" and even though there were several different types of dive bombers, it was associated with the infamous Junkers Ju 87, a two-seater monoplane with thick inverted-gull wings, fixed and spatted undercarriage, "Jericho-Trumpet" howling air-driven sirens, and bombs dropped almost vertically.
The purpose of its design was to work as "flying artillery" supporting the Wehrmacht ground troops and it played a decisive role in the German Blitzkrieg (lightning attack) type of warfare.
Stukas dropped the first bombs of World War II in the early stages of the Polish Campaign
frightening enemy troops and civilian populations until its weaknesses were brought to surface.
With the war in progress it was sturdy, accurate, and very effective, however it was vulnerable to fighter aircraft. Its early successes gave a false sense of invincibility to German strategist and tacticians.
The zenith of its career was reached before the Battle of Britain when all liabilities became evident after suffering unacceptable losses.
Wherever the Germans had Air Superiority, like in the Balkans Campaign, the Mediterranean and African Theatres of War the Stuka operated succesfully. It caused horrendous damage to the British Mediterranean Fleet.
Removing its wing mounted bomb racks and carrying two 37mm cannons encased in streamlined underwing pods the "Kanonenvogel" Stukas under the command of Captain Hans-Ulrich Rudel, the most successful Stuka pilot, were used as "tank busters" against the Soviets during the Kursk Offensive in May 1943.
The Stuka first flew on 17th September, 1935. It made its combat début in 1936 with a single pre-production Ju 87 A-0 "Anton" with military serial 29-1, as part of the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. In January 1938 three Ju 87 A-1s with military serials 29-2, 29-3 and 29-4 were incorporated in the fifth staffel of the Legion fighter wing – 5/J88.
These aircraft were replaced by five Ju 87 B-1s "Bertas" in late 1938.
Many variants were built, including tropicalized Ju 87s and long-range Ju 87 Rs. A navalized Stuka under the designation Ju 87 C was created for the aircraft-carrier Graf Zeppelin.
Redesigning the model and with a new engine, its shape suffered considerable changes with the Ju 87 D "Doras". The last variants to be produced were the Ju 87G series "Gustavs".
Several Air Forces employed the Junkers Ju 87 including the Italian "Regia Aeronautica" where it was known as the Picchiatello.
By the end of the war the Stuka was largely replaced by ground attack versions of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.

The following are the technical data for two representative versions of the Ju 87, Ju 87 R-2 and Ju 87 D-5. The sources contradict considerably.


Technical Data for the Junkers Ju 87 R-2
Manufacturer: Junkers Flugzeug und Motorenwerke A. G.
Type: dive bomber
Year: 1940
Engine: Junkers Jumo 211, 12-cylinder V, liquid-cooled, 1,200hp
Wingspan: 13.79m
Length: 11.10m
Height: 4.01m
Weight: 5,600 kg
Maximum Speed: 383km/h
Dive Sped: 600km/h
Ceiling: 8,100m
Range: 1255km
Armament: 2 fixed 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns, 1 flexible 7.92mm MG 15 machine gun; 250kg bomb
Crew: 2



Technical Data for the Junkers Ju 87 D-5
Manufacturer: Junkers Flugzeug und Motorenwerke A. G.
Type: dive bomber and ground attack
Year: 1940
Engine: Junkers Jumo 211J, 12-cylinder V, liquid-cooled, 1,300hp
Wingspan: 15.25m
Length: 11.10m
Height: 3.90m
Weight: 6,480 kg
Maximum Speed: 402km/h
Dive Sped: 600km/h
Ceiling: 9,000m
Range: 1165km
Armament: 2 fixed MG 151 20mm Cannons, 1 flexible 7.92mm MG 81Z machine gun; 1000kg bomb
Crew: 2