Junkers Ju 88

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_88

The Junkers Ju 88 was a German World War II Luftwaffe twin-engined multirole
combat aircraft. Designed by Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke (JFM) in the
mid-1930s to be a so-called Schnellbomber ("fast bomber") which would be too
fast for any of the fighters of its era to intercept, it suffered from a number
of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early
operational roles, but became one of the most versatile combat aircraft of the
war. Like a number of other Luftwaffe bombers, it was used successfully as a
bomber, dive bomber, night fighter, torpedo bomber, reconnaissance aircraft,
heavy fighter and even, during the closing stages of the conflict in Europe, as
a flying bomb.

Despite its protracted development, the aircraft became one of the Luftwaffe's
most important assets. The assembly line ran constantly from 1936 to 1945, and
more than 16,000 Ju 88s were built in dozens of variants, more than any other
twin-engine German aircraft of the period. Throughout the production, the basic
structure of the aircraft remained unchanged.

Role Tactical / dive / torpedo bomber
Night / heavy fighter
Reconnaissance aircraft
Manufacturer Junkers
Designer Ernst Zindel, W. H. Evers, and Alfred Gassner
First flight 21 December 1936
Introduction 1939
Retired 1951 (France)
Primary user Luftwaffe
Number built 15,183
Variants Junkers Ju 188

Battle of Britain

By August 1940, A-1s and A-5s were reaching operational units, just as the
battle was intensifying.

The Battle of Britain proved very costly. Its higher speed did not prevent Ju 88
losses exceeding those of its Dornier Do 17 and Heinkel He 111 stablemates,
despite being deployed in smaller numbers than either. Ju 88 losses over Britain
in 1940 amounted to 303 aircraft between July and October 1940. Do 17 and He 111
losses for the same period amounted to 132 and 252 machines destroyed
respectively.

However, of all the losses suffered by the Ju 88 at that time, a notable number
were due to the tricky behavior of the plane, especially when compared to the
proven He 111, and to the crews' lack of experience on the type - many having
converted to the Ju 88 only shortly before. For instance, of the 39 losses
recorded for July 1940, only 20 were due to enemy action, the others being
written off in training accidents, crashes or malfunctions over the mainland
Europe. A series of field modifications were made to make the Ju 88 less
vulnerable, including the replacement of the single MG 15 rear machine gun by a
twin-barreled MG 81Z machine gun, and the fitting of additional cockpit armour.

One notable incident involved ground fighting between the crew of an A-1 and
soldiers from the London Irish Rifles during the Battle of Graveney Marsh on 27
September 1940. It was the last action between British and foreign military
forces on British mainland soil.

It was during the closing days of the Battle of Britain that the flagship Ju 88
A-4 went into service. Although slower yet than the A-1, nearly all of the
troubles of the A-1 were gone, and finally the Ju 88 matured into a superb
warplane. The A-4 actually saw additional improvements including more powerful
engines, but, unlike other aircraft in the Luftwaffe, did not see a model code
change. The Ju 88 C-series also benefited from the A-4 changes, and when the
Luftwaffe finally did decide on a new heavy fighter, the Ju 88C was a powerful,
refined aircraft


Specifications Ju 88 A-4

The definitive bomber version

General characteristics
Crew: 4 (pilot, bombardier/front gunner, radio operator/rear gunner,
navigator/ventral gunner)
Length: 14.36 m (47 ft 2⅞ in)
Wingspan: 20.08 m (65 ft 10½ in)
Height: 5.07 m (16.63 ft)
Wing area: 54.7 m2 (587 ft2)
Loaded weight: 8,550 kg (18,832 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 14,000 kg[68] (30,865 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Junkers Jumo 211J[69] liquid-cooled inverted V-12, 1,044 kW
(1,420 PS, 1,401 hp) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 510 km/h (317 mph) at 5,300 m (17,389 ft) without external bomb
racks or 433 km/h (269 mph) at 4,500 m (14,765 ft) at 14,000 kg (30,865 lb)
Range: 2,430 km[68] (1,429 mi) maximum internal fuel
Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,500 ft) at average weight, without bombs
Rate of climb: 235 m/min (770 ft/min)

Armament
Guns:
1 × 7.92 mm MG 81J machine gun on flexible mount in front windscreen, firing
forward with 1,000 rounds.[N 4]
1 × 7.92 mm MG 81J machine gun on flexible mount in lower fuselage nose glazing,
firing forward with 1,000 rounds.
2 × 7.92 mm MG 81J machine guns on flexible mount in the rear of the cockpit
canopy, firing aft with 1,000 rounds each.[70]
1 × 7.92 mm MG 81Z twin machine gun on flexible mount in the rear ventral Bola
position, firing aft with 1,000 rounds.[68][70]
Bombs: Up to 1,400 kilograms (3,100 lb) of ordnance internally in two bomb bays
rated at 900 kg (2,000 lb) and 500 kg (1,100 lb) or up to 3,000 kg (6,600 lb)
externally. Carrying bombs externally increased weight and drag and impaired the
aircraft's performance. Carrying the maximum load usually required
rocket-assisted take-off.
Armament options

Additional option for a pair of 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine guns on flexible
"Donut" mountings firing laterally, one on each side of the cockpit canopy.
A single 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun was sometimes used instead of the
7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 81J or MG 81Z machine guns in the A-Stand, B-Stand or
ventral Bola positions.
Aircraft may carry one 20 mm MG FF cannon in the nose for ground attack
purposes, with 90 rounds of ammunition, in place of the Lotfernrohr 7
bombsight[70][71]
A modification of the Ju 88 A-4, the Ju 88 A-13 could mount the Waffenbehälter
WB 81A or WB 81B (firing with 15° downwards deflection) gun pods on the external
bomb racks for ground attack duties, each "watering can" containing three 7.92
mm (.312 in) MG 81Z twin machine guns, for strafing enemy troops.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_88

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