Ju 87
Quick Summary
The Junkers Ju 87, commonly known as the "Stuka," was a low-wing, single-engine monoplane used by the German Luftwaffe during World War II. It was designed for dive-bombing, a technique that involved diving steeply towards a target to release bombs at low altitude for maximum accuracy. The Ju 87 featured dive brakes to control its descent and external bomb racks that swung outward to clear the propellers upon bomb release. It was armed with machine guns and carried bombs under its fuselage and wings. While effective in the early stages of the war, its low speed made it vulnerable to faster Allied fighter planes later on. The Stuka was first used in the Spanish Civil War before seeing action in invasions of Poland, the Low Countries, and France.1
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Stuka…low-wing, single-engine monoplane—especially the Junkers JU 87 dive-bomber—used by the German Luftwaffe from 1937 to 1945, with especially telling effect during the first half of World War II. The Stuka was designed to employ the dive-bombing technique developed earlier by the U.S. Navy—i.e., diving on the target at a steep…
Read More…low-wing, single-engine monoplane—especially the Junkers JU 87 dive-bomber—used by the German Luftwaffe from 1937 to 1945, with especially telling effect during the first half of World War II. The Stuka was designed to employ the dive-bombing technique developed earlier by the U.S. Navy—i.e., diving on the target at a steep…
Read More- air warfareGround attack
…of World War II, the Ju-87 Stuka dive-bomber was its principal ground-attack craft. In a typical Stuka attack, several planes would circle above the target, then one plane after another would peel off to dive almost vertically before releasing its bombs, pulling up, and returning to the circle to dive…
Read More…of World War II, the Ju-87 Stuka dive-bomber was its principal ground-attack craft. In a typical Stuka attack, several planes would circle above the target, then one plane after another would peel off to dive almost vertically before releasing its bombs, pulling up, and returning to the circle to dive…
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