Junker Ju87 Stuka
North Afrika
The Ju87 Stuka dive-bomber was a screamer, devasting England. The ear splitting screech of its sirens served as the introduction of the Ju87 dive-bomber to France, Poland, the Balkans, Africa, England and Russia. The first version of this famous plane, the Ju87A-1 saw action in 1937 with the Condor Legion in Spain. Joined in 1938 and 1939 by the later Ju87B, the Junkers dive-bomber attained greater notoriety than any other weapon with which Germany launched the Second World War. Within the first nine months of the war, the Ju87 acquired an almost legendary reputation. This Junkers product became synonymous with the abbreviation "Stuka" - from Sturzkampfflugzeug, a term descriptive of all dive-bombers, The success of the Stuka lasted until August, 1940, when Germany launched its aerial offensive on the British Isles. III-armed and out maneuvered by the defending Spiffires and Hurricanes, the Stuka paid a fearful price for its role in the "Battle of Britain". By the end of August, the last of the Stuka Geschwader or dive-bomber wings were removed from action in Great Britain. As late as 1945 the Ju87 was a lethal weapon, which in the hands of an experienced, determined pilot such as Ulrich Rudel was capable of destroying 500 Russian tanks.
The JU87G-1 was the last version to see
combat and is the subject of this Revell model. The Ju87G-1 and
the installation of the two 37mm. BK (flak 36) cannon under the
wings had been the result of masses of Russian tanks which
plagued the German army. Major Rudel, already specialized in
tank-killing, flew the first exper-imental foray's and was
successful. The Ju87G-1 began the struggle of destroying Russian
tanks before time ran out onGermany's Eastern Front. This version
had also seen service in North Africa and on;the Western front.
The Ju87G-1 was powered by a Junkers Jumo 211J-1, 12 cylinder,
inverted vee, liquid cooled engine. With the direct fuel
injection this engine was rated at 1,400 H.P. at 2,600 r.m.p.
With the two man crew and armed with the two 37mm. cannons and
the 1-MG 812 machine gun, the Ju87G-1 had a range of 1250 mites,
a maximum speed of 250 m.p.h. and a ceiling of approximately
24,000 feet.
Type:two-seat dive bomber
Crew:2 Pilots
Armament: two 20mm MG 151/20 cannons in front,
two 7.92mm MG 81 guns in rear cockpit; maximum bomb load one
3,968lb bomb with two 1,102 bombs under wings
Specifications
Wingspan 49 ft 2 in
Length 37 ft 8 in
Propulsion
No. of Engines: 1
Powerplant:one Junkers Jumo 211P inline piston engine
Horsepower:1,500hp
Performance
Range:410 miles
Standard Luftwaffe Europe
Ju87G- Tank Buster
