Junkers Ju 88 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ju 88
A Ju 88A over France in 1942.
Role	Bomber Fighter Reconnaissance aircraft
Manufacturer	Junkers
Designer	Ernst Zindel, W. H. Evers, and Alfred Gassner
First flight	21 December 1936
Introduction	1939
Retired	1951 (France)
Primary user	Luftwaffe
Number built	15,183
Variants	Junkers Ju 188

The Junkers Ju 88 was a famous World War II airplane from Nazi Germany. It was a twin-engined aircraft used by the Luftwaffe, Germany's air force. The company Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke (JFM) designed it in the mid-1930s. They wanted a Schnellbomber, which means a "fast bomber." The idea was that it would fly so fast that enemy fighter planes couldn't catch it.

Even though it had some technical problems early on, the Ju 88 became one of the most useful planes of the war. It could do many jobs. It served as a bomber, a dive bomber (which drops bombs while diving), a night fighter, a torpedo bomber (which attacks ships with torpedoes), and a reconnaissance aircraft (for spying). It was also used as a heavy fighter. Towards the end of the war, some were even turned into flying bombs.

The Ju 88 was very important to the Luftwaffe. It was built non-stop from 1936 to 1945. More than 16,000 Ju 88s were made in many different versions. This was more than any other twin-engine German aircraft from that time. The basic design of the plane stayed mostly the same throughout its production.

It was used in major battles like the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain.

Designing the Ju 88 Aircraft

Junkers Ju-88, operated by the German Air Force. This one is located in Moscow, Russia.

In August 1935, the German Ministry of Aviation asked for a new type of plane. They wanted an unarmed, three-seat bomber that could fly very fast. It also needed to carry a bomb load of about 800 to 1,000 kilograms (1,760 to 2,200 pounds).

Junkers started designing the Ju 88 based on these needs. They also worked on a similar design called the Ju 85. The Ju 85 was a twin-engine bomber prototype. It was different from the Ju 88 because it had two tail fins. However, the Ju 85 was never used in service.

The very first Ju 88, called the Ju 88 V1 prototype, flew on December 21, 1936. It had the civil registration D-AQEN. When it first flew, it reached a speed of about 580 kilometers per hour (360 miles per hour). Hermann Göring, who was the head of the Luftwaffe, was very excited. He believed this plane could finally deliver on the promise of a "high-speed bomber."

Building the Ju 88: Production Challenges

Even though the Ju 88 was designed early, its production faced many delays. It had a lot of problems during its development. The plane was supposed to be ready for service in 1938. However, it only began to be used by squadrons (with just 12 planes) on the first day of the invasion of Poland in 1939.

Building the planes was very slow. Only one Ju 88 was made each week because new problems kept appearing. A version of the Ju 88 called the Ju 88C, which was a heavy fighter, was also designed early in 1940. But this was kept a secret from Göring. He only wanted bombers at that time.

Images for kids

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  The main landing gear of a Ju 88, seen from the V6 prototype onwards.

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  The round radiator on a crashed Ju 88.

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  Ju 88 planes being put together on an assembly line in 1941.

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  Three Ju 88s flying over Astypalaia, Greece, in 1943.

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  A Ju 88 getting ready to take off in Tunisia, around 1942–43.

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  A Ju 88C series heavy fighter flying.

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  The antenna for the Lichtenstein UHF radar, used on some Ju 88s.

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  A Ju 88 R-1 night fighter captured by British forces in Denmark, May 1945.

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  A British-captured Ju 88 G-6 night fighter with a special radar, seen in Berlin.

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  A Junkers Ju 88A-1 from the Stab/KG 51 unit, June 1940.

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  A Ju 88A, around 1940.

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  A Junkers 88 A-1 from Kampfgeschwader 51 with its crew in 1940.

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  A Ju 88A from LG 1 flying over the Eastern Front, September 25, 1941.

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  A Junkers Ju 88 A-4 used by the Finnish Air Force. Its code was JK.

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  The cockpit cover of a Ju 88, kept at the Finnish Aviation Museum in Vantaa.

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  A Ju-88D (tropicalized version) at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

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  A captured Junkers Ju 88A-5, used by the RAF for testing.

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  Ju 88 heavy fighters parked next to a Reichsautobahn (highway) used as a runway, early 1945.

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  A Junkers Ju 88 D-1 trop, nicknamed "Baksheesh," at the USAF Museum (2007).

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  A Ju 88 R-1, Werk Nr. 360043, at the RAF Museum (2007).

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  Werk Nr. 0880119 being restored in Gardermoen, Norway, August 2013.

See also

In Spanish: Junkers Ju 88 para niños