Buzz
First flown in 1935, the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka gained fame as a dive bomber, though it also earned its reputation as a tank buster on the Eastern Front. See more pictures of it in action.
noneThe Junkers Ju 87 Stuka had a distinctive, menacing look, whether in flight or grounded. Of all WWII attack planes, none captured the fear of dive-bombing as effectively as the Stuka did.
Gallery of Flight Images
The term 'Stuka' comes from 'Sturzkampfflugzeug', the German word for dive bomber. The Junkers Ju 87 became so famous that the name 'Stuka' was synonymous with the aircraft in Western perception.
The first champion of the Stuka was Ernest Udet, a German pilot who, with 62 victories in World War I, became the highest-scoring ace to survive and a national hero. An exceptional aerobatic pilot, Udet pushed the Luftwaffe to adopt dive-bombing as a primary attack strategy, despite being a poor technician.
Skilled pilots allowed the otherwise slow Junkers Ju 87 Stuka to become a formidable tank killer on the battlefield.The Junkers Ju 87 Stuka made its debut in the spring of 1935, and by 1939, it was ready to unleash destruction in Poland. There, its terrifying noise, amplified by sirens, and pinpoint accuracy became iconic elements of the German Blitzkrieg.
The Stuka was also effective in Western campaigns, where it functioned as mobile artillery, working in tandem with Panzer columns in France. However, its slow speed, heavy drag, and limited armament made it unsuitable for aerial combat over England, leading to its withdrawal from service there.
In the early years of the African campaigns and throughout most of the Soviet Union's battles in the East, the Stuka proved highly effective.
The Stuka was ideally suited for the early days of the war, when the Germans held air superiority. What stands out, and is in its own way admirable, is that the Ju 87s and their crews continued to fight valiantly even when the tide of the war had shifted against them.
Explore more on airplanes here:
- Classic Aircraft
- How Airplanes Operate
Wingspan: 45 ft. 3-1/2 in.
Length: 37 ft. 8-3/4 in.
Height: 12 ft. 9-1/4 in.
Empty Weight: 8,683 lbs
Gross Weight: 14,565 lbs
Maximum Speed: 255 mph
Service Ceiling: 15,520 ft.
Range: 510 miles
Engine/Power: One Junkers Jumo 211J-1/1400
Crew: 2
Armament: Two fixed forward-facing 7.9-mm MG-17 machine guns or two 20-mm MG 151 cannons and a twin 7.9-mm MG81z machine gun in the rear cockpit; one 3968-lb bomb (short-range) or one 551-lb bomb under the fuselage and four 110-lb bombs under the wings (capable of carrying a variety of loads)
