Junkers Ju 87 Stuka

The Junkers Ju 87 is better know as the Stuka dive bomber, this name is derived from the word Sturzkampfflugzeug which literally translates as dive bomber.

The Junkers Ju 87, Stuka, was a two seater aircraft that was used for ground attacks and entered service with the Luftwaffe in during the Spanish Civil War of 1936.

It is believed that in total six thousand five hundred Stuka dive bombers were built during World War Two, primarily serving the German Luftwaffe but also serving in the Royal Romanian Air Force and the Bulgarian Air Force.

The Stuka was designed by Hermann Pohlmann and was built by the Junkers company based in Dessau, Germany. Junkers was originally a boiler and radiator company started by Hugo Junkers but moved to building planes after the First World War.

During the Second World War the Stuka dive bomber became vulnerable to the precision and speed of more modern fighter planes such as the Hurricane and Spitfire in the Battle of Britain. This did not stop the Stuka becoming legendary for its success at bombing targets and becoming a scary sight to people on the ground.


Both military personnel and civillians became very aware of the Stuka dive bomber and feared it when ever they saw or heard it flying near. When diving the Stuka had a Jericho trumpet which sounded like a wailing siren warning people of its impending attack. The Stuka also had a very distinct look with its inverted gull wings and fixed spatted undercarriage.

There were a few types of Stukas built during World War Two, these were

Junkers Ju 87A
Junkers Ju 87B
Junkers Ju 87C
Junkers Ju 87D
Junkers Ju 87G

The most famous Stuka dive bomber pilot was Hans-Ulrich Rudel.