What can you say about the brainchild of "Junkers", more precisely, Heinrich Evers and Alfred Gassner? Only one thing: they did it. 15,000 aircraft produced. This is an admission that the car came out very, very good.
It all started back in the now distant 1935, when the Luftwaffe began to think about changing the attacking component. We thought so well, and instead of the concept of the Kampfzerstorer, which was a rather insane mixture of a multi-role fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, the idea of a specialized high-speed bomber Schnellbomber was put forward.
The Schnellbomber was also a very original Wishlist, because in theory it represented a kind of compromise between speed and other qualities necessary for a multipurpose vehicle. Armor and defensive weapons, for example.
The Luftwaffe believed that if such a bomber, which has a speed comparable to modern fighters, has a better chance of surviving, and there is no need to spend money on booking.
This was the logic. If a fighter, which is faced with the task of catching up with a climb, a bomber flying at a speed 20-30 km / h lower than that of a fighter. This is actually an insoluble problem.
Requirements for Schnellbomber were sent to Focke-Wulf, Henschel, Junkers and Messerschmitt.
The Focke-Wulfs declined to participate in the competition, the Messerschmitts tried to push their kind of "new" Bf.162 into the competition, which was quite modified for the conditions of the Bf.110 competition, but Junkers and Henschel began to develop completely new machines.
By the way, "Henschel" created "a very interesting machine Hs.127, but did not meet the deadline.
"Messerschmitt" was denied participation, recommending to engage in fighters. So, as such, the competition did not work out at all.
It turned out that the Junkers project was the only one. Well, the tests began.
In general, the plane turned out to be quite interesting for itself. On tests, it was eventually dispersed right up to 520 km / h. The armament, however, was more than modest. One defensive machine gun and 8 bombs weighing 50 kg.
But you must admit that in 1937, not every fighter could fly at such a speed. We can say that the "Schnellbomber" project has received material embodiment in metal.
However, that was not the case. Germany in 1938 is not China, although it is somewhat similar. The presence of a superfast bomber did not suit the Germans at all, so they decided … to convert it into a dive bomber!
Why, just like that, why not?
It is clear that the successes of the Ju-87 in Spain are not weak so pushed to that.
But the aircraft chief Ernst Udet insisted, and the Junkers got down to alterations. It is clear that the matter turned out to be difficult, since it is not so easy to teach a plane to dive, which was not originally intended for this.
It was necessary to develop air brakes, devices that facilitate piloting the machine when entering and exiting a dive, and to strengthen the wing structure. Well, at the same time they decided to strengthen the defensive weapons.
In general, the result is a car that is very different from the original prototype. The most notable difference was the new fuselage nose with "faceted" glazing. This became a useful option, since almost the entire nose of the aircraft became transparent, which made it much easier for the pilot to find the target when diving.
Under the cockpit, a lower gondola was equipped with an MG.15 machine gun capable of firing back and down.
That is, the aircraft's armament has doubled. Subsequently, a third machine gun appeared, a course one. The machine guns were fed from a store. The stock of cartridges was 1500 pieces.
There were two bomb compartments on the plane: in the front one could hang 18, and in the rear compartment - 10 bombs of 50-kg. And between the engine nacelles and the fuselage, four bomb racks were installed for bombs weighing heavier than the standard 50 kg.
The armament of the 88th was constantly strengthened as the armament of the fighters was strengthened.
The beginning of World War II showed that the Ju-88 was weakly protected from side attacks. Since at that time the designers did not have a normal cannon at their disposal that could be installed on a bomber, and large-caliber machine guns were also being finalized, the enhancement of the armament of the Ju-88A-4, the main bomber modification, was limited to replacing the MG.15 machine guns with MG.81, which were powered by a loose strap of metal links.
Plus, two more firing points were added to protect the side projection and one for forward and downward firing.
The crew of the Ju.88A consisted of four people: the pilot, who was sitting on the left front seat, the bombardier-navigator, located to his right and slightly behind, the gunner-radio operator, whose seat was located behind the pilot's back and was turned back, as well as the flight technician, the work the place of which was located behind the bombardier.
The bomber could also fire from a front machine gun mounted in the right windshield of the cockpit. If necessary, the pilot could also shoot from this weapon, fixed with a bracket, but he had to aim by maneuvering the entire aircraft.
The bombardier had a small removable control stick just in case (serious injury or death of the pilot). The pedals were mounted only by the pilot. To compensate for the plane's turn when flying on one engine, the bombardier had a small steering wheel that controlled the position of the rudder trimmer.
The upper rear defensive installation was serviced by the gunner-radio operator, and the lower one by the flight engineer. The latter was forbidden to be in the lower gondola at the stages of taxiing, takeoff and landing, since in the event of a breakdown of the landing gear, the ventral "bath" was often destroyed.
Actually, in this form, the 88th entered the war. He finished it in a completely different guise, but this is the crown of a separate article, since machine guns were replaced by large-caliber machine guns, and cannons were installed instead of some.
The first combat sorties in World War II Ju.88 (these were modifications of the A-1) were made against British ships near Norway. The debut was successful, but we can immediately say that, despite the assault organized by Goering, Ju.88 was late for the war.
In general, Goering established the production volumes. The main assembly line at the Junkers plant in Dessau was to produce 65 Ju.88A. But Goering's assignment provided for 300 cars a month, so a number of factories of other companies were involved:
- factories "Arado" (Brandenburg), "Henschel" (Schoenefeld) and AEG - 80 units per month;
- factories "Heinkel" (Oranienbaum) and "Dornier" (Wismar) - 70 units per month;
- plant "Dornier" (Friedrichshafen) - 35 units per month;
- factories ATG and "Siebel" - 50 units per month.
However, in spite of the fact that almost everyone began to produce Junkers, by the beginning of the blitzkrieg, 133 ready-made aircraft had been produced, which took part in the hostilities.
The Battle of Britain showed that the 88th actually behaves better in battle. The high speed did not prevent losses, but compared to the losses of the Dornier Do.17 and Heinkel He.111, the losses of the Ju.88 were smaller.
By the time the Battle of Britain ended, the recommended Ju.88A-4 began to arrive in combat units.
The car turned out to be somewhat slower than the A-1, but all the "childhood illnesses" were resolved and the Ju.88A-4 turned into a very effective combat vehicle.
But at the very beginning of the article, the phrase about universality was said. So, let's start now about that.
Let's start with the performance characteristics, although I usually end with them. But not at this time.
Modification Ju.88a-4
Wingspan, m: 20, 00
Length, m: 14, 40
Height, m: 4, 85
Wing area, m2: 54, 50
Weight, kg
- empty aircraft: 9 870
- normal takeoff: 12 115
- maximum takeoff: 14 000
Engine: 2 x Junkers Jumo-211J-1 x 1340
Maximum speed, km / h: 467
Cruising speed, km / h: 400
Practical range, km: 2 710
Maximum rate of climb, m / min: 235
Practical ceiling, m: 8 200
Crew, people: 4
Armament:
- one 7.9 mm MG-81 machine gun forward;
- one movable 13 mm MG-131 or two MG-81 on a movable installation forward;
- two MG-81 back-up;
- one MG-131 or two MG-81 back-down;
- 10 x 50-kg bombs in the bomb bay and 4 x 250-kg or 2 x 500-kg bombs under the center section, or 4 x 500-kg bombs under the center section.
So what did I mean by that? Only that the 88 was a very outstanding aircraft for its time. And if you compare it with the competitor, No.111, who is better - that will still be the question. But we will have comparisons ahead of us, we will compare on long winter evenings. On the model and likeness, as compared to "Corsair" and "Hellcat".
The Germans, being pragmatic and meticulous people, also realized that the 88th was quite a success. And they began to create …
During the "Battle of England" the Germans drank a lot of blood from barrage balloons, which were widely used by the British to cover industrial centers. Indeed, the worthless bubbles, raised to a decent height, posed a threat to aircraft, especially at night.
And the first non-bomber modification of the 88th was a minesweeper plane, which, like a ship of a similar purpose, was supposed to "clear the fairway" for the bulk of the bomb carriers.
This is how the Ju.88A-6 version appeared, equipped with a metal paravan truss with cable cutters at the ends.
The total weight of the truss was 320 kg, another 60 kg was added by a counterweight placed in the rear of the fuselage. Of course, such an aircraft also took less bombs to compensate for the mass of the paravan and the increased aerodynamic load.
The idea was not bad, but it didn't work out. Firstly, the plane is not strong enough, so contact with the cable at a speed of 350 km / h was often fatal. Secondly, unlike sea minesweepers, aircraft rarely fly in wake formation. Therefore, the swept strip, especially at night, usually remained unclaimed. Therefore, after the end of the "Battle", all minesweepers were converted into ordinary bombers.
Some of the aircraft of this modification were converted into long-range naval reconnaissance aircraft. There were not enough Condors, so the car, which was named Ju.88A-6 / U, turned out to be very useful.
The crew of such vehicles was reduced to three people, the lower nacelle was dismantled, and a FuG 200 Hoentville radar was installed in the nose of the fuselage. Instead of bombs, fuel tanks were suspended on external holders. In addition to the Hoentville radar, some vehicles received a set of Rostock or FuG 217 radars, the antennas of which were located on the wing. The detection range of a cruising-class ship or large transport in favorable conditions reached 50 nautical miles.
Torpedo bombers have become another family, rather pernicious.
At the beginning of 1942, the Ju.88A-4 / Torr variant was created on the basis of the Ju.88A-4 bomber.
The re-equipment was carried out at repair plants using a special retrofit kit, which provided for the replacement of four external ETC bomb racks with two PVC torpedo holders, each of which could hang an LTF 5b aviation torpedo weighing 765 kg.
The brake grilles and the dive machine were removed as completely unnecessary, but the Ju.88A-4 / Torr often carried an MG / FF cannon in the nose of the fuselage or ventral nacelle.
The torpedoes were discharged using an electric drive, in the photo you can see special fairings that covered the wires and rods going to the locks.
Some aircraft were equipped with FuG 200 locators, this was a small production series Ju.88A-17. These vehicles had no ventral gondola initially, and the crew was reduced to three people. The weight of the torpedoes that could be taken on board increased to 1100 kg.
Torpedo bombers based on Ju.88A-4 showed themselves well in the Mediterranean, in the Atlantic, in the North.
There was an assault option. Ju.88A-13. The aircraft was additionally booked against frontal fire and placed in a container integrated into the first bomb bay of 16 (sixteen!) 7, 92-mm machine guns that fired forward and downward. The second bomb bay contained 500 kg of SD-2 fragmentation bombs. The aircraft was used only in the initial period of the war, since further 7, 92-mm machine guns became irrelevant.
When the British began to harass Germany with raids, a heavy fighter had to be built. One that can patrol for a long time, covering the area, and then attack targets as they appear.
Ju.88С. There were 7 modifications, which differed in engines, weapons and equipment. The most widespread was Ju.88С-2, on the basis of which modifications С-3, 4, 5 were created.
Basically, the armament of the Ju.88C consisted of a 20-mm cannon or a 13-mm machine gun and three 7, 92-mm machine guns in the bow. The crew was reduced to three people (minus the navigator).
The aircraft did not carry a bomb load, no aerodynamic brakes were installed. Night versions were equipped with radar (depending on the version) FuG-202, FuG-212, FuG-220 and FuG-227.
Not without scouts. Ju.88Д. The same A-4 base, but the bomb armament, aerodynamic brakes were removed, and additional fuel tanks were installed. The flight range increased to 5000 km.
Naturally, the scouts carried aerial cameras.
We should also mention such an interesting design as the Ju.88G. This is another night fighter-interceptor, produced in a series of almost 4,000 aircraft.
The aircraft was manufactured using a Ju.188 fuselage and tail and a Ju.88A-4 wing.
The interceptor was armed with a FuG-220 Lichtenstein locator and six 20-mm MG-151 cannons.
There was also a reverse scheme, when the fuselage was taken from the Ju.88A-4, and the wing from the Ju.188. It was called the Ju.88G-10.
It is impossible to ignore another attack aircraft, but released in the middle of the war specifically to destroy armored vehicles.
Ju.88Р. They were made on the basis of the same Ju.88A-4, the aerodynamic brakes and bombs were removed, and artillery weapons were installed.
The Ju.88P-1 carried a 75mm Rak-40 cannon in a special container with a fairing. They built few such monsters, because it quickly became clear that the planes were quickly destroyed by fire.
Ju.88P-3 was more down to earth. Two 37 mm Flak-38 cannons, which, in principle, were enough to inflict damage on Soviet tanks from above.
Ju.88P-4. Two options: a 50 mm Kwk-39 cannon with manual reloading or a 50 mm VK-5 cannon with an automatic one.
There were, of course, bombers. The high-speed S family. Basically, it's the same Ju.88A-4, but with different engines and the GM-1 afterburner system.
Ju.88S-2 with BMW-801G engines developed a speed of 615 km / h. But the fastest was the Ju.88Т-3 reconnaissance aircraft, which at an altitude of 10,000 m produced 640 km / h.
In general, the 88th was a real blitzkrieg instrument. Not "Stuck", which was something in the first two years of the war, but Ju.88, which, being modernized, plowed the whole war. And - it is worth admitting - he plowed well like that.
It is probably a miracle that the Junkers company was able to maintain the aircraft at a very decent level in terms of performance characteristics and weapons throughout the war, keeping up with the enemy.
And after all, 88 was not an easy and desirable prey. Mainly due to its flying qualities. Although, of course, he could have quite snapped at himself.
But the main advantage was still in the ability to play any role. Dive bomber, bomber, torpedo bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, attack aircraft, night fighter, heavy day fighter …
Perhaps the Ju.88 can be safely called the most versatile aircraft of the Second World War. A good solid car with a huge potential for modernization. No wonder the captured Ju.88s were operated in different countries (including ours) until the mid-50s.
