THIRD REICH WEAPON PROFILE - Junkers Ju 88
General characteristics
Crew: 4 (pilot, bombardier/front gunner, radio operator/rear gunner, navigator/ventral gunner)
Length: 14.4 m (47 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 20 m (65 ft 7 in)
Height: 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 54.5 m2 (587 sq ft)
Empty weight: 9,860 kg (21,737 lb)
Gross weight: 12,105 kg (26,686 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 14,000 kg (30,865 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Junkers Jumo 211J-1 or 211J-2 V-12 liquid-cooled inverted piston engine, 1,000 kW (1,340 hp) each for take-off
1,010 kW (1,350 hp) at 250 m (820 ft)
790 kW (1,060 hp) at 5,200 m (17,000 ft)
Propellers: 3-bladed VDM variable-pitch propeller
One of the most versatile twin-engine aircraft of the Third Reich. The Junkers Ju 88 served in many roles such as a dive bomber, torpedo bomber, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft. It flew with the Luftwaffe and the air forces of Italy, Finland, and Romania. More than 15,000 were built.
The Ju 88 served on nearly every front of World War II in Europe, from the Norwegian Campaign to the Eastern Front in the Soviet Union as part of Operation Barbarossa. It could carry almost any conventional bomb or torpedo that the Third Reich had to offer. However, due to heavier payloads, the Ju 88 pilots had to use rockets installed on the wings to assist with takeoff.
Despite the outcome of WWII, the Ju 88 continues to fascinate aviation enthusiasts and military historians to this day. That is the confirmation of an outstanding aircraft design!
