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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art World War Two Aircraft More Aircraft Initials E to J  Ju87 |
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Ju87 By 1935 the German Luftwaffe was developing its first monoplane divebomber which entered production in 1936 as the Ju87 Stuka. The Stuka was to evolve into arguably the most successful single engine Axis divebomber of WW II. Utilizing a nearly vertical dive position the Stuka was stunningly accurate in the days when horizontal bombing was a relatively inaccurate science. The Ju87 was built for functionality and ruggedness. A fixed landing gear and exceptionally strong wing design were incorporated and no attempt was made to minimize protrusions. The Stuka was not designed for speed; it was an aerodynamic nightmare. The Stuka also incorporated a siren which when activated during a dive was designed to inflict psychological damage on the enemy below. The Ju87 was used with tremendous success in the Blitzkrieg attacks on Norway, Poland, Belgium, France, Holland, Yugoslavia, and Greece. Virtually unchallenged in the air during these Blitzkriegs the Stukas took a devastating toll on Allied ground and mechanized forces. Shipping was also vulnerable to the pinpoint attacks of the Stuka, and the Ju87 destroyed more Allied shipping than all other German aircraft put together during WW II. During Hitlers air attacks on Britain the Stukas reputation for invulnerability was shattered. Facing British Hurricanes and Spitfires the slower and less maneuverable Ju87s were destroyed in large numbers, eventually forcing their withdrawal from that conflict. Germanys attempt to develop an improved twin engine divebomber resulted in the introduction of the Messerschmitt 210 which was an unmitigated disaster. As a result, the Stuka remained in production longer than expected and the aircraft played a major role in Germanys surprise attack on Russia. In the first day of combat alone Stukas were credited with the destruction of over 700 Russian aircraft with minimal losses. One of Germanys top aces of WW II was Hans-Ulrich Rudel. Rudel flew over 2,500 combat missions in Ju87s, and was shot down on twelve occasions. Rudel was credited with destroying 519 tanks, 800 vehicles, 150 artillery pieces, one Russian battleship, one cruiser and one destroyer. Rudel was also credited with shooting down nine Russian aircraft in air-to-air combat. |
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Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey by Jason Askew. (P) The unit participated in large battles of summer 1944 during the Finnish-Soviet continuation war. The unit flew some 2,700 missions against the enemy and dropped 770 tonnes of bombs on the enemy. It destroyed over 150 Soviet aircraft, about 200 tanks, dozens of bridges and transport vessels. Twenty-three of the pilots died and 24 were wounded in battle. The unit lost 41 of its aircraft. The detachment consisted of some 70 airworthy aircraft to support the 200 strong Finnish force, but its operational strength varied due to losses, additions and troop movements. |
The Jaws of Victory by Ivan Berryman. Group Captain Billy Drake in Curtiss P.40 AL161 of 112 Sqn downing a Stuka during the North Africa Campaign in 1942. |
Straggler's End by Ivan Berryman. Byron Duckenfield is recorded as having shot down a Stuka near Dover, but the exact circumstances are not clear. 501 Sqn did encounter Stukas in this area on a number of occasions - depicted here is a 501 Sqn Hurricane on the tail of a Ju.87. |
Dawn Raiders by Ivan Berryman. Junkers JU87 R-1 Stukas find a gap in the cloudbase en route to their target during the Norwegian Campaign of 1941. |
Czech - Mate by David Pentland. French Armee de L air Curtiss Hawk 75As flown by Czech ace Frantisele Pevina and his squadron Commander Captaine Jean Accaut, dive on unsuspecting Junker Ju87Bs (Stukas) during the Battle of France 1940. |
Stukas over England, South Coast, July 1940 by David Pentland. Junker Ju87B-1s of 7 Staffel, Stg 77 swoop down to attack coastal targets. This opening phase of the Battle of Britain was to prove very costly for the Stuka squadrons as they found they could no longer operate unescorted against the RAF. |
Scorched Earth - Stuka It was a sight and sound that induced fear and terror from all who saw and heard it. At the very heart of Hitlers Blitzkrieg, was the Junker JU87: the Stuka. Flown by skillful, highly motivated pilots, the full force of the Fuhrers premier weapon of the air was felt by soldiers and civilians alike, throughout Europe. From the coast of France to the front lines on the Russian border this flying artillery brought death and destruction. With the help of computer graphics, archive material (including a glimpse of very rare colour film) and new footage of the only surviving Stuka, this DVD tells the story of an infamous and awesome weapon of war. Narrated by Ross Dunsmore. |
Junkers JU87. Acclaimed by the Germans as the scourge of Europe, the aircraft that conquered nations, the supreme weapon, the Junkers Ju87 dive bomber attained greater notoriety than any other weapon in the arsenal with which Germany launched the Second World War. It was more widely discussed and aroused greater controversy than many other more worthy aircraft. It was slow, unwieldy and the most natural prey of the fighter, yet within the first nine months of the war the Ju87 had acquired a legendary reputation. |
The Stuka Myth by Jason Askew. (P) The Battle of Britain destroyed the myth of the Stuka, proving for the first time that the Junkers Ju87 was slow, lumpish and vulnerable in air battles against well-organised and determined fighter opposition, such as the more manoeuverable and faster Spitfires and Hurricanes. The Ju87, like other dive bombers, was slow, cumbersome, and possessed inadequate defences. Furthermore, it could not be effectively protected by fighters because of its low speed, and the very low altitudes at which it ended its dive bomb attacks. The Stuka depended on air superiority, which was a situation that did not quite occur for the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. The Stuka was withdrawn from attacks on Britain in August 1940 after prohibitive losses, leaving the Luftwaffe without precision ground-attack aircraft. On 18th August, a day known as the hardest day the Stuka was withdrawn after 16 were destroyed and many others damaged. According to the Generalquartiermeister der Luftwaffe, 59 Stukas were destroyed and 33 damaged, being shot full of holes to varying degrees, in six weeks of operations. Over 20% of the total Stuka strength had been lost between 8th August and 18th August and the myth of the Stuka was over. |
SG77 Stuka Attack by Jason Askew. (P) Cannon equipped Ju87 Stukas from Hauptmann Rudel's squadrons had a devastating effect on Soviet armour at Orel and Bolgorod during the Kursk offensive of1943. The Ju87s participated in a huge aerial counter-offensive lasting from 16th July to 31st July against a Soviet offensive at Khotynets and saved two German armies from encirclement, reducing the attacking Soviet 11th Guard Army to just 33 tanks by 20th July. The Soviet offensive had been completely halted from the air. |
Tribute to Hans-Ulrich Rudel by Jason Askew. (P) Hans Rudel, born in July 1916, was the most decorated Nazi pilot. In 2,530 combat missions flying dive-bombers, mainly on the Russian front, Rudel was credited with destroying 519 tanks, 150 gun emplacements and 800 combat vehicles of various types. According to Luftwaffe records, he also sunk a Russian battleship, a cruiser, a destroyer, 70 smaller craft and numerous trains. For this he was awarded the Golden Oakleaves with Sword and Diamonds to the Knights Cross - the sole recipient of this award. |
Battle of Kursk by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) On 5 July, 1943 over 6000 German and Russian tanks clashed near the town of Kursk, just 300 miles south of Moscow. It was the beginning of what became the greatest tank battle in history. In the skies above this conflagration, an air battle of monumental proportions raged, with the German and Russian air forces locked in combat. This was war on a scale hitherto never imagined. A full week later the Battle was still raging, reaching a crescendo on 12 July when Hoths 4th Panzer Army met head-on with Rotmistrovs 5th Guards Tank Army near the village of Prokhorovka. With the Russian T34s electing to fight at close quarters, so desperate was the fighting that opposing tanks resorted to ramming each other. As the battle moved across the landscape all became utter confusion. Playing a major role in the air were the Luftwaffes Ju-87 Stukas, equipped with massive 37mm cannons slung under their wings. Led by Hans-Ulrich Rudel, the legendary Stuka pilot, these formidable tank-busters made a significant contribution to the Battle of Kursk. Nicolas Trudgians painting records the dramatic events at Kursk in a spectacular rendition that captures the very essence of this mighty land and air battle. Dominating the scene are a pair of Ju-87s. Having knocked out two T34s, they weave over the landscape as they try to avoid the attentions of Russian Yak 9s, the gunner of Rudels aircraft - in the foreground - blazing away with his machine gun. A pair of Fw190s have entered the fray, and the air is filled with smoke and cordite. In a typically detailed Nicolas Trudgian landscape, below the aerial contest Russian and Panzer tanks are seen in close combat, desperately maneuvering to gain some advantage. The old farm buildings show the ravages of war; tank tracks crisscross the fields, stretching into the distance where the battle extends to the horizon. A masterpiece in military art. |
| Top Aces for : Ju87 | ||
| A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name. | ||
| Name | Victories | Info |
| Hans-Ulrich Rudel | 11.00 | The signature of Hans-Ulrich Rudel features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
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