Flight Craft 12: The Junkers Ju87 Stuka

The Junkers Ju 87 ‘Stuka’ (a contraction of the German word Sturzkampfflugzeug, ie dive bomber) was arguably the Luftwaffe’s most recognisable aeroplane, with its inverted gull wings and fixed spatted undercarriage.

Designed by Hermann Pohlmann as a dedicated dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft, the prototype first flew in 1935, and made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. After several design changes in the light of operational experiences, the ‘Stuka’ went on to serve the Luftwaffe and Axis forces, from the invasion of Poland in 1939, through the Battles of France and Britain in 1940, over the North African desert and the across Mediterranean, the invasion of Russia and the subsequent bitter fighting in that vast area, and following several more design changes and upgrades, continued to serve through to the end of World War Two.

The first section, after offering a concise design and development history, continues with coverage of the various sub-types, from ‘Anton’ to ‘Gustav’ and their operational use from the Spanish Civil War to the end of World War Two.

This is followed by a 16-page full colour illustration section featuring detailed profiles and 2-views of the colour schemes and markings carried by the type in Luftwaffe and Axis service. The final section lists as many of the injection-moulded plastic model kits produced of the Junkers Ju 87 in all the major scales that the authors could find details of, including the brand new Airfix 1/72 and 1/48 scale kits which were released while this book was being written, with photos of many finished models made by some of the world’s best modellers.