The Junkers Ju 87, universally known as the Stuka, is a German dive bomber that entered Luftwaffe service in 1937, recognizable by its inverted gull wings, fixed spatted landing gear and wind driven sirens mounted on its gear legs that produced a distinctive shriek during its steep diving attacks. It played a central role in German close air support tactics during the early Blitzkrieg campaigns, though its slow speed and limited defensive armament left it increasingly vulnerable once it faced modern fighter opposition later in the war.
Facts
SignificanceIts design included automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings so the aircraft recovered from a dive even if the pilot blacked out. 1 Manufacturer or Builder Connections
Exemplifies
Invented By
Hugo Junkers, Figures Credited to the Junkers company and its founder rather than one named individual designer.
Sources
1. Junkers Ju 87 - Wikipedia
Introduction, first paragraph
The Junkers Ju 87, popularly known as the "Stuka", is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935.
Introduction, design innovations sentence
The Stuka's design included several innovations, including automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings to ensure that the aircraft recovered from its attack dive even if the pilot blacked out from the high g-forces.
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