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By: - 23rd January 2004 at 21:15 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Ah, the Stuka. :) This is one aeroplane that's always fascinated me. I don't know enough about it to really contribute much to the discussion, but it may be of interest to you to click on this link...
http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com/warbirdindex/forum/show.asp?id=1461&fid=28&tid=0
By: - 23rd January 2004 at 22:29 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Stuka
Don't forget the overwing people pods!
By: - 23rd January 2004 at 22:50 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
People pods....lol.
Yes, I've read about them a hundred times, though I've never actually seen a photo of what they look like.
Anyone have or know of any Stuka photos with the "people pods"?
Another thing I'm wondering is how much they affected flight performance?
It would seem to be a huge performance hindrance.
Anyone care to enlighten us?
Also, if the Ju-87B had the Ju-87R as its long-range counterpart, did the Ju-87D have a similar variant or was it capable of carrying external tanks like the Ju-87R?
How big were those external tanks in U.S. gallons anyway?
I suppose if I can find the liter (or litre) amount I can figure it out by doing some simple math.
Ju-87D (I believe)
By: - 24th January 2004 at 07:14 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Ju87D-3 with two 2-seat passenger pods.
By: - 24th January 2004 at 08:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Tey would really play havoc with the handling characteristics I should think.
Phantom II in reply to your original post, I read a report on the stuka years ago in Flying Review written by a RAF pilot who flew one for evaluation purposes and he claimed that it scared the crew as much as the people it bombed. Apparently the mechanism which automatically pulled the aircraft out of it's dive when the bomb cradle swung down to drop the 1000 pounder didn't always do as it was supposed to and this was by no means an unusual occurence.
By: - 24th January 2004 at 12:39 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The Stukas weren't ment to land with the pods still on. The people pods would be dropped completely, the pods being parachute-equipped rather than the people inside.
By: - 24th January 2004 at 17:20 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
What a scary way to travel!
If anyone else has got info to those other questions I'd greatly appreciate it.
Now I can think of another question though.
Did the Stuka ever have any air-to-air kills thoroughout its wartime service?
What about their tail gunners?
We all know they were vulnerable without fighter cover, but does anyone know of this rare event ever happening?
By: - 24th January 2004 at 17:32 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hi,
Get hold of Junkers Ju87 Stuka by Peter C Smith, Crowood press, 1861261772, 1998. Answers all your questions (but do keep discussing!) and more. Smith is a Dive Bomber nut beyond all, and is extremely knowlegeable and contriversial about the subject. Checkout his website http://www.dive-bombers.co.uk The Stuka is the aircraft that woul've been hailed as an airborne hero the way the Mustang and Spitfire are IF the Germans had won. It is interesting (and Smith documents it) how the allies tried to discredit, demonise and destroy the Stuka's achevements - it was the most important aircraft in the Med sea war for instance...
Sorry, I don't have time at the mo to enter more details!:p
Cheers
James
By: - 24th January 2004 at 20:56 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
"Did the Stuka ever have any air-to-air kills thoroughout its wartime service?"
It's thought that Hans-Ulrich Rudel,the Luftwaffe's most decorated pilot and a Ju87 driver throughout his career,scored perhaps as many as half a dozen air-air victories on the Eastern Front.It's worth mentioning though that he was shot down a number of times himself!
By: - 24th January 2004 at 21:00 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There was at least one case in which a Ju 87 rear gunner shot down a P-61 night fighter.
For details of the armament and how it compared with other airborne tankbusters, see: http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/tankbusters.htm
Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and Discussion forum
By: - 24th January 2004 at 22:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hmm. Bearing in mind a couple of days ago I posted a link to a discussion which concerned a Ju87 being registered G-STUK, and therefore potentially a very rare candidate to fly, I'm quite surprised that no-one else has mentioned it.
What's the gen out there? Is this a genuine and feasible project?
By: - 25th January 2004 at 00:02 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I took the attached photo on the viewing area at Frankfurt airport many moons ago... looks a bit odd so I assume its a replica??? from memory there was also a Komet on display.. are they still there?
Neil.
By: - 25th January 2004 at 04:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Rudel had a very good reason for keeping fit. Every morning he - and the other squadron pilots? - took a long distance run.
And every time he was shot down, he RAN from the russian soldiers and back to own lines. Except the last time, when he lost a leg.
I'm a little hazy here, but didn't he fly the, supposedly outdated, Stuka to the very end?
Best regards
By: - 25th January 2004 at 05:06 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Interesting photo. I'd like to know if it's a replica as well.
atc,
I believe you're correct about Rudel. He did fly it until the end to my knowledge.
Did he fly the Ju-87G variant the entire time?
If so how did he score air-to-air kills? I thought the Ju-87G's only forward firing guns were the two 37-mm weapons?
Did he hit enemy fighters with those??
By: - 25th January 2004 at 05:58 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Rudel was famous as a Ju 87 dive-bomber pilot before the Ju 87G emerged. He was one of the first of the G pilots, trialling the type during the great tank battle at Kursk.
He also flew fighters; I don't know when, but I have read that his air-to-air kills were primarily if not entirely with an Fw 190.
Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and Discussion forum
By: - 25th January 2004 at 08:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Originally posted by Arthur
The Stukas weren't ment to land with the pods still on. The people pods would be dropped completely, the pods being parachute-equipped rather than the people inside.
would still have made it interesting to fly though
By: - 25th January 2004 at 11:06 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Don't have much to input on this thread myself, except that it is one of my favourite aircraft, but I do know for a fact that several Stuka replicas have existed - very realistic-looking beasts.
Will try and find some images for ya! ;)
By: - 25th January 2004 at 11:23 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Knew I'd find the beast somewhere!
This is taken from Junkers 87 survivors website:
"In 1977/78 an U.S. engineer named Louis Langhurst in Minesota designed a flyable Ju87 replica in a scale of 7:10. The basic pattern for this replica was taken from the Chicago Ju87. A total of 8000 Manhours were necessary to complete this flyable Ju87 replica, which is powered by a 220PS Lycoming engine. On 19.07.1978 this replica performed its first flight with Langhurst. The aircraft is painted in the colors of the III./StG2 and registered T6+AD. For flying performances the aircraft is registered N87LL. From 1981 to 1990 this aircraft was on display at the San Diego Aerospace Museum. Then the aircraft was sold to Richard Erzenberger and today it seemed to be owned by Roland Weeks in Billox, Mississippi."
This plane is FOR SALE!!!
(photo: Roland Weeks)
By: - 25th January 2004 at 11:27 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
And another, from the same site:
"It seems as if Langhurst has built a second 7:10 replica, which was registered T6+KL or N87DK for flying purposes. This aircraft received its airworthiness certificate in 1987 and it was flown for 354 hours. According to NTSB reports, this second replica has crashed 26.05.2000 at Urbana, MD. The aircraft was owned by Kurzenburger."
(photo: Ivan Xuereb)
By: - 25th January 2004 at 15:27 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
What are these replicas powered by anyway?
On another note should I assume that no Stuka pilot ever go tany air-to-air kills.
Posts: 7,989
By: PhantomII - 23rd January 2004 at 20:08
The Stuka......what other airplane was as infamous for its ability to strike fear into its opponents as the Junkers Ju-87 Stuka dive-bomber?
I don't know what it is about the Stuka, but I find it a fascinating plane. Hugely successful early on, the Stuka was later found to be very vulnerable to fighters, yet it served thoughout the war on all of the Luftwaffe's main fronts.
It was produced in a plethora of variants ranging from the initial Ju-87A to the mass-produced Ju-87B, and then the much improved Ju-87D as well as the tank-busting Ju-87G.
I was just wondering if anyone would like to have a small discussion on the Stuka itself, how well it compared to its contemporaries (Dauntless, D3A Val, etc.), its many roles and missions, and of course one of my favorite topics its armaments.
I suppose we'll start with the latter. Can anyone help me find out all the stores that were able to be carried by the Stuka in its various forms?
I'd like to find out the sizes and designations of the various bombs (as well as numbers it carried) the Stuka used in combat.
Also, special stores such as the Flak guns on the Ju-87G, and then I read something about a type of gun pod under each wing with six MG 81 (7.92-mm) guns in each pod.
Anyone know more?