Poster Child for the Blitzkrieg: The Ju 87 Stuka
by Jason Long
The dive-bomber was an American invention, but the Germans seized upon the concept as its accuracy offered the ability to destroy point targets such as bridges in the enemy rear. Only experience in Spain and Poland proved the Stuka's ability to provide fire support to troops operating beyond the range of field guns, the missing ingredient in the recipe for the blitzkrieg.
Stuka is actually a German abbreviation for dive-bomber (Sturzkampfflugzeuge), but became the nickname of the Ju 87 through propaganda accounts of its decisive role in the defeat of Poland. The first Ju 87, the Anton, entered service in two years earlier than that with three dispatched to Spain to experiment with dive-bombing techniques under live-fire conditions. It was a relatively crude-looking airplane with fixed landing gear enclosed in "trousers" and braced by struts. Powered by a 640 hp engine the Anton couldn't even reach 200 mph (322 kph), was armed only with one wing-mounted 7.92 machine-gun and another for rear defense, and could only carry a 1102 lb (500 kg) bomb if the gunner was left behind!
The Antons were quickly relegated to training units when the Bertas began to roll off the production line late the following year. The Berta was a major redesign of the basic airframe and used an engine almost twice as powerful. Although considerably more stream-lined than the earlier model since the landing gear was housed in sleeker "spats" and deletion of the under-carriage bracing, the Berta would generate an eerie whine as it dove at an angle approaching 90 onto its target as the wind whistled through the extended airbrakes. This was distinctly unnerving for troops unaccustomed to it. Later an actual siren was developed to exploit the effect, which wreaked havoc when the Germans invaded the West in May 1940, and provided people with the most indelible impression of the Stuka. The Berta could carry twice as much in bombs, carried a gun in the other wing, and was about 40 mph (65 kph) faster than the Anton.
Despite the extra speed the Berta was a sitting duck for modern fighters as the Battle of Britain proved where over 40 were shot down in only 6 days of operations! But in conditions where the Germans had air superiority the Stuka was prized for its accurately delivered munitions and ability to suffer severe damage and return home. The ungainly fixed under-carriage allowed it to operate from crude airstrips in mud or rainy weather that shut down faster and more capable aircraft.
The C model was developed to operate from the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin and differed from the Berta mainly in its jettisonable landing gear, to allow it to ditch without over-turning, folding wings and an arresting hook. Only 12 were built before the cancellation of the Graf Zeppelin rendered them moot. "
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