Junkers Ju 88D-1
During the 1930s, most nations of the world began development of fast medium bombers that would be able to outrun defensive fighters, accepting a tradeoff of bombload for speed. In August 1935, the Reich Air Ministry (RLM) issued a requirement for a bomber that could carry 1000 kilograms of bombs for 2000 kilometers, would not need armament, and would have a maximum crew number of three. Junkers submitted a proposal that would become the Ju 88V-1.
During development, the RLM changed its requirements to add dive bombing to the fast bomber concept, which required modification of the Ju 88 prototypes: the wings and airframe were strengthened, the fuselage extended, and a fourth crewperson added. When the Ju 88V-1 had flown in December 1936, it had set speed records for bombers; by the time the Ju 88A-1 began production, top speed had been cut in half and drag and weight had dramatically increased. As a result, the Ju 88A-1 entered the war as a medium bomber; the only true “fast bomber” of the war was the deHavilland Mosquito.
Development problems plagued the Ju 88A-1, with only a handful available at the beginning of World War II. Production was also delayed: though Junkers had promised Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering that they could produce 300 Ju 88s a month, production was closer to one a week, due to the technical complexity of the bomber and use of outdated production techniques, with one bomber finished at a time, rather than the assembly-line process used in the United States. It also did not help that Heinkel He 111 crews were usually sent to Ju 88 units, and the flying characteristics were completely different. A catastrophic loss rate during the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain—both to accidents and enemy action—meant that the Ju 88 was in danger of being cancelled altogether.
Junkers instituted a crash program to modify the aircraft, resulting in the Ju 88A-4. This included uprated Jumo 211 engines, lengthened wingspan, and rounded wing tips, along with an increase in defensive armament. The resulting aircraft cured the problems of Ju 88A-1, and finally the design met—and exceeded—its initial promise.
Quickly, the Ju 88 became the backbone of German bomber units. While still something of a handful to fly, it was reliable and, like its often adversary the Mosquito, was very adaptable. As a dive bomber it was indifferent, but once pilots started using the Ju 88 in shallow dives rather than Stuka-style vertical dives, it became a very potent antishipping aircraft, accounting for more Allied ships in the European theater than any other type. As a horizontal bomber, the Ju 88 was best used at medium altitude: its lack of armor protection meant that low-level flak and fighters would take a terrible toll of Ju 88s, especially on the Eastern Front, though several were converted to Ju 88P antitank aircraft, armed with a variety of bombs, rockets, and even a 75mm Pak 40 antitank gun.
Ironically, the Ju 88 turned out to be its deadliest as a night fighter, though Goering had ordered Junkers not to attempt developing a Ju 88 heavy fighter and the subsequent Ju 88C was built in secret. The Ju 88C and subsequent Ju 88R were given solid noses with a 20mm cannon and three machine guns, along with radar. The ultimate Ju 88 nightfighter was the Ju 88G, which were purpose built rather than modifications of the Ju 88A bomber. The Ju 88G were streamlined considerably, and used the square tail of the Ju 188 dedicated nightfighter along with heavier multi-cannon armament. Ju 88Gs were also equipped with Schragemusik (Jazz Music) vertical cannon, which had proven devastating to British night bombers, which lacked ventral armament. One other interesting development was the Ju 88C-6 day fighter, which was used successfully to escort Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors over the Bay of Biscay and intercept British antisubmarine patrols.
16,000 Ju 88s were built during the war and were popular with their crews, earning the nickname “Maid of All Work.” Those aircraft not shot down or expended as Mistel flying bombs were scrapped at the end of World War II, and only 15 survive to modern day—and only four as complete aircraft.
One of only two intact and restored Ju 88s in the world at present, this aircraft was built as Werknummer 430650 for the Royal Romanian Air Force, allied to Nazi Germany during World War II. On 22 July 1943, a Romanian pilot defected to the Allies with the aircraft by flying it to North Africa. As the RAF had already captured three intact Ju 88s by this time, it was handed over to the USAAF for testing. Nicknamed "Baksheesh," the Ju 88 was flown to Wright Field (now Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) and used as a testbed and familiarization aircraft. It was luckily preserved and was placed on display at the National Museum of the USAF in 1960, after a long period of storage.
When I saw it back in 1977, it was still painted in Luftwaffe colors, but it was later restored back to more accurate Romanian markings of 5 Bomber Group. This was one of the aircraft I really wanted to see again and photograph when I visited the NMUSAF in 2017. Naturally, due to a wrong setting on my camera and the poor lighting in the NMUSAF, the picture blurred. Still, the viewer at least gets the idea of what a Ju 88 looked like.
The object just below the Ju 88's cockpit is a Fritz X guided antiship bomb, the first of its kind in the world and used operationally to significant effect during World War II. Though the Fritz X was usually carried by Dornier Do 217s or Heinkel He 111s, the Ju 88 was capable of carrying it. Fritz Xs sank the Italian battleship Roma, and nearly sank the British battleship Warspite and US Navy cruiser Savannah.
Junkers Ju 88D-1
During the 1930s, most nations of the world began development of fast medium bombers that would be able to outrun defensive fighters, accepting a tradeoff of bombload for speed. In August 1935, the Reich Air Ministry (RLM) issued a requirement for a bomber that could carry 1000 kilograms of bombs for 2000 kilometers, would not need armament, and would have a maximum crew number of three. Junkers submitted a proposal that would become the Ju 88V-1.
During development, the RLM changed its requirements to add dive bombing to the fast bomber concept, which required modification of the Ju 88 prototypes: the wings and airframe were strengthened, the fuselage extended, and a fourth crewperson added. When the Ju 88V-1 had flown in December 1936, it had set speed records for bombers; by the time the Ju 88A-1 began production, top speed had been cut in half and drag and weight had dramatically increased. As a result, the Ju 88A-1 entered the war as a medium bomber; the only true “fast bomber” of the war was the deHavilland Mosquito.
Development problems plagued the Ju 88A-1, with only a handful available at the beginning of World War II. Production was also delayed: though Junkers had promised Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering that they could produce 300 Ju 88s a month, production was closer to one a week, due to the technical complexity of the bomber and use of outdated production techniques, with one bomber finished at a time, rather than the assembly-line process used in the United States. It also did not help that Heinkel He 111 crews were usually sent to Ju 88 units, and the flying characteristics were completely different. A catastrophic loss rate during the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain—both to accidents and enemy action—meant that the Ju 88 was in danger of being cancelled altogether.
Junkers instituted a crash program to modify the aircraft, resulting in the Ju 88A-4. This included uprated Jumo 211 engines, lengthened wingspan, and rounded wing tips, along with an increase in defensive armament. The resulting aircraft cured the problems of Ju 88A-1, and finally the design met—and exceeded—its initial promise.
Quickly, the Ju 88 became the backbone of German bomber units. While still something of a handful to fly, it was reliable and, like its often adversary the Mosquito, was very adaptable. As a dive bomber it was indifferent, but once pilots started using the Ju 88 in shallow dives rather than Stuka-style vertical dives, it became a very potent antishipping aircraft, accounting for more Allied ships in the European theater than any other type. As a horizontal bomber, the Ju 88 was best used at medium altitude: its lack of armor protection meant that low-level flak and fighters would take a terrible toll of Ju 88s, especially on the Eastern Front, though several were converted to Ju 88P antitank aircraft, armed with a variety of bombs, rockets, and even a 75mm Pak 40 antitank gun.
Ironically, the Ju 88 turned out to be its deadliest as a night fighter, though Goering had ordered Junkers not to attempt developing a Ju 88 heavy fighter and the subsequent Ju 88C was built in secret. The Ju 88C and subsequent Ju 88R were given solid noses with a 20mm cannon and three machine guns, along with radar. The ultimate Ju 88 nightfighter was the Ju 88G, which were purpose built rather than modifications of the Ju 88A bomber. The Ju 88G were streamlined considerably, and used the square tail of the Ju 188 dedicated nightfighter along with heavier multi-cannon armament. Ju 88Gs were also equipped with Schragemusik (Jazz Music) vertical cannon, which had proven devastating to British night bombers, which lacked ventral armament. One other interesting development was the Ju 88C-6 day fighter, which was used successfully to escort Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors over the Bay of Biscay and intercept British antisubmarine patrols.
16,000 Ju 88s were built during the war and were popular with their crews, earning the nickname “Maid of All Work.” Those aircraft not shot down or expended as Mistel flying bombs were scrapped at the end of World War II, and only 15 survive to modern day—and only four as complete aircraft.
One of only two intact and restored Ju 88s in the world at present, this aircraft was built as Werknummer 430650 for the Royal Romanian Air Force, allied to Nazi Germany during World War II. On 22 July 1943, a Romanian pilot defected to the Allies with the aircraft by flying it to North Africa. As the RAF had already captured three intact Ju 88s by this time, it was handed over to the USAAF for testing. Nicknamed "Baksheesh," the Ju 88 was flown to Wright Field (now Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) and used as a testbed and familiarization aircraft. It was luckily preserved and was placed on display at the National Museum of the USAF in 1960, after a long period of storage.
When I saw it back in 1977, it was still painted in Luftwaffe colors, but it was later restored back to more accurate Romanian markings of 5 Bomber Group. This was one of the aircraft I really wanted to see again and photograph when I visited the NMUSAF in 2017. Naturally, due to a wrong setting on my camera and the poor lighting in the NMUSAF, the picture blurred. Still, the viewer at least gets the idea of what a Ju 88 looked like.
The object just below the Ju 88's cockpit is a Fritz X guided antiship bomb, the first of its kind in the world and used operationally to significant effect during World War II. Though the Fritz X was usually carried by Dornier Do 217s or Heinkel He 111s, the Ju 88 was capable of carrying it. Fritz Xs sank the Italian battleship Roma, and nearly sank the British battleship Warspite and US Navy cruiser Savannah.