Junkers Ju-88

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Mantelli - Brown - Kittel - Graf

Junkers Ju 88

Aircraft of World War II

(n. 22)

ISBN 978-2-37297-2161

Copyright 2015
Edizioni R.E.I.
www.edizionirei.com
info@edizionirei.com

Index

Junkers Ju 88
History
Use
Technique
Technical features
Armament
Night raid
Destroyers of Ships
Employment in Italian Royal Air Force
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Junkers Ju 88

The Junkers Ju 88 was a twin-engine low-wing multi-role bomber produced by the
German Junkers GmbH from the mid thirties. It was one of the pillars of the Luftwaffe.
It was, in fact, used as a bomber, night fighter, Zerstörer, scout, dive bomber, attack
aircraft and torpedo bomber. It was the most versatile aircraft German Air Force and,
some say, of all the air forces involved in World War II.

The production lines were running continuously from 1936 to 1945 and a total of more
than 14,676 aircraft were built in dozens of versions. Throughout this period, the basic
structure of the plane remained virtually the same as proof of the exceptional validity of
the original project.

The most popular and one of the most effective bombers assigned to the Luftwaffe during
the conflict, the Ju 88 was designed as uniformly required to aircraft assigned to that role
by Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM), to have capacity of dive bombers, as its
predecessor Ju 87, but the overall weight, in this case much higher, posed considerable
problems of structural integrity.
The problem was solved by changing the tactical objective by limiting to 60 degrees the
dive angle.
Later, with the development of subsequent versions, the Ju 88 proved adaptable aircraft,
medium bomber, reconnaissance plane, night fighter, torpedo bomber, with performance
between 460 and 620 km/h.

The German dive bomber (the first Ju 87 and Ju 88 from 1939) were a “weapon system”
consists of several elements, the first of which was a station elevation support the
bombing.
The fee approach Stuka loaded with bombs was about 4,500 meters, often at a lower level
because the target had to be identified before the start of the dive.
Bomber pilot identified the target and assumed a direction of approach; when the bomber
was next to the vertical (and this in Ju88 was indicated by a notch on a line of faith in the
glass between the driver’s legs) were extracted brakes Dive.

With the brakes extracts the lift of the wings fell suddenly and the plane began a nosedive
of 80 degrees. The weather station previously adjusted to 1,000 meters above the target
activated the continuous sound of a buzzer, when the quota was reached to release (about
400 meters above the target), the buzzer is interrupted and the rider with a single control
that activated an automatic cabrare did the plane and just started flare, unhooked the
bombs.
The pilot once the plane had placed horizontally recalled brakes beaten and pulled away
on a route of escape.
A slight difference between the Ju 87 and the Ju 88 was the first that was equipped with a
fork carrying the bombs dropped out of the propeller disc and therefore the release could
still occur when the bomber was beaten. If this had happened with the Ju 88 that had
bombs inside these have broken through the partition separating and through the cockpit.
The bombs on the Ju 88 were therefore dropped automatically after the bomber had begun
callback.

The dive lasted 25 to 40 seconds and during that the pilot had to keep framed the target
collimator reflection.
The recall was cashing the plane and the crew 6 G. There were no suits antigrav that
squeezing the thighs prevented the crew to have a drop in blood pressure to the upper parts
of the body with the risk of obscuring or fainting.
However if the abrupt recall led an effort to 6G this was for a much shorter time than it
has today a jet of aerobatic teams in turn and the Luftwaffe he just fix it through the
selection of persons of exceptional stamina and automate the redial operation that could
also be done with the pilot blinded by centrifugal force.

The real end of the war the selection could not be very accurate and speed of dive planes
was increased. The RLM is then oriented towards the position of piloting prone that,
although uncomfortable during the flight, allowed to cash strong acceleration of gravity
also to people of physical strength lower than those selected at the beginning of the war;
This was the driving position dell’Henshel 132 project ever made by dive bomber
powered by reactor.

At the end of the swooping bomb the main still had to be dropped worth the structural
failure of the aircraft.
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The tests tell us that a pilot of average ability could plant a bomb within 25 meters from a
fixed target (ships with moving the error was much greater).
No nation, during the war, created an automatic system such as that of German dive
bombers although the dive bombing was used by many nations, especially in the naval
bombardment.
The accuracy achieved by dive bombing dazzled the leaders of the Luftwaffe who
demanded that such features were extended to projects clearly inadequate as the 30-ton
bomber He 177.
History

In August 1935 the Reichsluftfahrtministerium issued a specification for the supply of a
bomber with the Daimler-Benz DB 600 Aa 1,000 hp at take-off, three-seat high-
performance, long enough to be judged for his defense a single machine gun.
Among the essential requirements, ease of construction in series: each item should not
take more than 30,000 man / hours of work.
This unique warplane was created in response to specific Luftwaffe for one
Schnellbomber (fast bomber). Among other things, the aircraft had to be able to maintain
500 km/h for 30 minutes, bring a bomb load of 800 kg and use small tracks.

Eventually, the project rivals Henschel (127 Hs) and Messerschmitt (Bf 162 reworking of
BF-110) were withdrawn and the Junkers had green light. Work began in January 1936.
The Junkers replied with its own project in June 1936 to obtain permission for the
construction of two prototypes (Wk Nr 4941 and 4942). The first two specimens had a
range of 2,000 kilometers and had to be powered by two engines Daimler-Benz DB 600A.
Two years before the Junkers had abandoned its traditional construction techniques with
coating in corrugated iron but, conscious of being back in the most modern techniques
nuts, hired two engineers familiarizzatisi with the latest building techniques US, WH
Evers and Al Gassner (the latter, an American who had recently moved to Europe) to
create a radically new machine.
The new bomber was thus one of the best World War II (the structural difficulties were
short-lived).

The basic design was characterized by a slender fuselage for a crew of three men grouped
in the nose and the propulsion system consisted of two engines DB 600A hanging below
the tapered wing, mounted just below the median position.
The engines had radiators ring that gave the appearance of radial engines and that would
be adopted for the whole development of the plane.

Two court holds bombs occupied the entire main section of the fuselage, one located
between the wing spars and other mail instead bilongherone behind the back.
One Ju 85 with fletching bideriva was soon abandoned and work continued on clean Ju
88.
The prototype V1 (Wk Nr 4941), signed D-AQEN, flights began 21 December 1936,
piloted by Captain Kindermann, test the Junkers, even then failing to reach a speed of
about 580 km/h and can carry 1,000 kg bombs. Hermann Goering, head of the Luftwaffe,
was astonished.
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The fuselage was built on the model of the Dornier Do 17 but with fewer weapons of
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He followed 10 April 1937 the V2 (D-AREN), identical except for the disappearance of
the oil coolers from under the gondolas drive (they were now incorporated in the annular
radiators).

Then they came:

• the V3 (D-ASAZ) with the passenger compartment floor for a machine gun and a
ventral fairing for the pointing device, but especially characterized by the passage to
the motors Junkers Jumo 211A.

• the V4 on which appeared the final shorter snout, and faceted with the ventral
gondola for a second machine gun served by a fourth crew.

• The V5 (D-ATYU) with engines Jumo 211B. The fifth prototype set with a range
of 1,000 km in March 1939, was brought to 2,000 kg of payload. During the tests
reached a speed of 520 km/h.

• the V6 (D-ASCY) with the same engine but with four-bladed propellers and
enclosed in fairings less voluminous.

• The V7 would serve as a prototype for the fighter versions, the V8 and V9
(equipped with air brakes and the famous automatic apparatus for call back) for the
development of the dive bombers.

• the V10 was the first armed attack by bombs outside.

To reveal the existence of the new “wonder bomber”, the clever German propaganda
awaited the outcome of a trial which had been modified V5, now with the muzzle tapering
private transparent and with the cabin down.

Dr. Heinrich Koppenberg, managing director of Jumo, assured Göring that in the fall of
1938 would have been definitely possible production of 300 Ju 88 per month.
The production was delayed drastically to development problems. Although the
introduction into service was planned for 1938, the Ju 88 entered service, with only 12
units, on 1 September 1939, the first day of the campaign to attack Poland.
The production was extremely slow with only one Ju 88 built in weeks, with continuing
problems.
The series Ju 88C, heavy fighter version, although designed very early in 1940 he was
kept hidden in Göring as he had ordered the production of versions only tactical bombing.

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In March 1939, the pilots Ernst Siebert and Kurt Heintz flew closed circuit of 1,000 km at
an average of 517 km/h, and four months later with the same load, but on the circuit of
2000 kilometers, gained an average of 500 km/h .
Since the speeds were roughly equal to the maximum speed dell’Hurricane, about to enter
service with the RAF just then, those records would have to raise interests in Whitehall. At
that time, the Ju 88 was going to be put into production.
The snout was enlarged with a ventral gondola for a fourth member of the crew, with
machine guns MG 15 firing back and forth above and below.

The cart consisted of individual legs sprung from stacks of steel rings and rounded
retraeva hydraulically back (instead of in the middle of the original electric actuators); the
large wheels with low pressure tires, rotating on themselves, were to be located in the back
plate of shallow of the nacelle.
Under the logs inside the wing panels they were added four port external bombs, which
carried the offensive load up to 2,400 kg of considerable value.
Brakes by swooping in Persian were hinged beneath the outer wing panels and could be
fully lowered into the airflow.

Meanwhile the Ju 88 was chosen as the standard Luftwaffe bomber fast, and it was
ordered a pre-series of 10 specimens (Ju 88A-0, which began to come out of the
workshops in March 1939) and in August began deliveries of the first variant series, the Ju
88A-1, with a machine gun in hunting and soon also with another weapon added to the
backbone.
Having noted the inadequacy of this armament, they were then added two guns firing from
the side windows.

Use

The Ju 88A-1 entered service with the Luftwaffe in the I/KG 30, September 22, 1939.
Production increased very slowly, despite the RLM (German Air Ministry) would organize
an extensive program of dispersion of manufacturing, which already since the middle of
1938 involved seven of the Junkers factories and plants of other companies such as Arado,
Dornier and Heinkel Henschel. as well as the huge factories of Volkswagen.
Of course, in one sense of the slow start that proved an advantage, because the first
versions were models of transition.
The Ju 88A-1, the only one in service until August 1940, had a wing with opening of
18.38 meters and motors Junkers Jumo 211B-1 or G-1 liquid-cooled 12-cylinder inverted
V with power up to 1,200 hp.

Then came the A-5, with the wingspan of 20.08 meters final, additional external racks
under the wing panels and external cart strengthened.
From inception, the wing trailing edge flaps had been fitted with a slit along the entire
opening whose external trunks were used as ailerons, which, however, in the new wing is
not extended to the ends.
The A-3 and A-7 were trainers for pilots, based respectively on the A-1 and the A-5.
The most important series of the A version is the A-4, that when they finally went into
production (in late 1940), incorporating improvements based on experience of other
operational, in particular a decent armor and a greater defensive armament.
In mid 1941, the Ju 88 A-4 final began to arrive to the operational divisions: incorporating
the changes of the A-5 more Jumo 211J engines from 1,340 hp, which provided improved
performance in general.

On the other hand, the overall performance were braked by the inexorable increase in the
total weight (the past, for example, from 10,360 kg 14,000 kg of A-1 to A-4 and its many
subtypes derivatives). Nevertheless, the A-4 was a good machine accepts pleasant to fly
and can make almost anything. Even the dive bombing with steep structures, which could
be catastrophic on an airplane so big, do not pose problems.
Pushing forward the brake lever to swooping, so they lowered the elevators automatically
to stabilize the aircraft in its swooping. Retracting the brakes automatically
ristabilizzavano balancers to draw air from the beaten and put it back in horizontal flight.

With airbrakes closed the Ju 88 dive could reach 700 km/h; during the Battle of Britain
many of these bombers were able to escape the Spitfire leaping dive. Overall, however,
the departments of Ju 88 (KG 30 and KG 51, with smaller quantities in several other
departments) suffered very heavy losses, accentuated dall’armamento defensive, totally
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inadequate.
The need to have something better than Do 17P had appeared already evident before the
war and therefore the Ju 88D-2 was modified by an A-5 since February 1940.
Followed numerous other D-2, all with the cell of the A-5 and engines Jumo 211B-1, G-1
or H-1.
The version for tropical environments, Ju 88D-2 Trop, was later redesignated Ju 88D-4.

The main version of the series, based on the A-4, was the D-1, with engines Jumo 211J-1
or J-2, and one heated compartment for a camera Rb 20/30 and / or Rb 50/30 .
Other changes concerned the suppression of the brakes by swooping and preparing for two
300 liter drop tanks under the wing panels inside.
Tropicalized version of the D-1 was designated Ju 88D-3 and a variant with cameras Rb
50/30 and Rb 75/30, produced in parallel to the D-1, was designated Ju 88D-5. Although
he had come after the P version, the H derived naturally from D because his mission was
reconnaissance.

The first acts of war belong to the 1st Gruppe of Kampfgeschwader 30 which, formed
September 22, 1939, four days after he attacked British naval forces in that famous action
that he mistakenly believe sank the aircraft carrier Ark Royal and damaged the battle
cruiser Hood.
Since then the use of agile twin-engine spread to all war fronts, and the Ju 88 also worked
extensively in versions hunting distinguished in any of its activities, by contrast to the
Arctic convoys to cooperation with submarines in the Atlantic ( where long opposed to the
Coastal Command aircraft and fighters boarded), direct action against the armored in the
African desert, and in Russia, in the air and naval operations in the Mediterranean
(particularly important episode of Crete) and the operating cycle Balkans.

The Ju 88C, until the end of 1942 were concentrated almost entirely in function offensive
in the Mediterranean. With later versions, the Ju 88 went mostly to the defensive; as a
night fighter the Ju 88 proved formidable, and on it the ace Major Heinrich Zu Sayn
Wittgenstein well earned 83 victories.

Strangely, the Luftwaffe lacked a true plane at long range, different from Fw 200, He 177
and Ju 290, totally unsuitable, and one way to achieve a long-range reconnaissance aircraft
seemed to be to take as a basis the excellent Ju 88D and prolonging the fuselage to embark
a greater quantity of fuel.
The implant assembly of Merseburg (and not the bigger one of Bernburg) was used in
1943 to build 10 H-1 and H-10 2. Versions H came to use the strengthened wing of night
fighter Ju 88G, with radial engines BMW 801D-2 1,700 hp.

The fuselage was lengthened by 14.35 meters of A-4 to not less than 17.65 meters,
allowing to increase the internal capacity of fuel to a maximum of 2,600 liters to 6,465
liters, plus other 1,800 liters in two drop tanks , for a total range of 5,150 kilometers.

• The H-1 wearing three cameras in the rear fuselage, more radar FuG 200
Hohentwiel on the muzzle for the detection of Allied ships in the Atlantic.

• The H-2 was a long range fighter aircraft for the destruction of convoy escort
allies (and the protection of H-1). On the muzzle ‘solid’ there were two cannons MG
151 by 20 mm, while another four were installed in a box under the fuselage.

Strangely, the 20 planes H had the wingspan reduced to 19.95 meters. They did not go into
action, but were later adapted as carriers Mistel; various versions with stretched fuselage
and auxiliary propulsion jet remained at the draft stage.
One of the things that most worried the German high command in 1942 was the rise of
Soviet armored forces.
Of course, the Ju 88 was considered as a platform for powerful anti-tank weapons and,
after studies with various non-traditional patterns, an A-4 was provided in August 1942 by
an anti-tank gun KwK 39 by 75 mm.

This was installed slightly inclined downwards in the front of a large nacelle, equipped
subsequently under the trailing edge of the wing of a defensive position. In a typical
passage of attack they could load and fire two shots.
There was a heterogeneous collection of transformations in P4 (PaK 40 75 mm improved
with big brake on the mouth), P-2 (two Flak 38 by 37 mm) and P-4 (a BK 5 to 50 mm).
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During 1943, while production went more and more to the night fighters, it became all too
clear that the Ju 88, was no longer fast enough to survive in a European sky full of Allied
fighters always best.

The Junkers Ju tried to overcome with the 188, 288 and 388, even trying with four
engines, the Ju 488, but what the Luftwaffe was in desperate need was a plane faster, and
soon. All that could be done on the Ju 88 was to increase the engine power and reduce the
passive resistance removing the nacelle and the fourth member of the crew.
The result was the Ju 88s, which flew in early 1943 as a Ju 88 V93 (93 ° experimental
prototype). The main change consisted in the installation of radial engines BMW 801D
1,700 hp. Other changes were the adoption of a nose section and smooth, the suppression
of the brakes by swooping, the nacelle and the underwing racks and the elimination of
most of the armor.
As a result was obtained a speed of 535 km / has approximately 5,800 meters.
The S-1 went into production in the late autumn of 1943, with two BMW 801G-2 assisted
system dall’ingombrante GM 1 nitrous oxide to increase power at high altitude. The rate
went up to 610 km / h at 8,000 meters, without bombs outside.
The defense was entrusted to a single MG 131.

In 1944 were built a few Ju 88S-2 engines with BMW 801TJ with turbochargers driven by
the exhaust gases and the bulk container exterior wood for bombs of the Ju 88A-15,
capable of accommodating up to 3,000 kg and two MG 81 firing at fixed back.
In the summer of 1944 it was built a number of even more small S-3, without the
container bombs and engines Jumo 213A liquid-cooled equipped with the GM 1. In 1944
were delivered some Ju 88T-1, a model scout fast with the cell S-1, most fuel and an
assortment of cameras in the rear of the fuselage.
They were built only a few prototypes of the T-3, which had the cell and the engines of the
S-3.
Around 9,125 were built Ju 88 bomber and attack and 1,911 at reconnaissance.

In May 1945 Allied troops and intelligence groups roamed the battered German soil, not
forgetting to take an interest, among other things, all the newer aircraft. Wherever they
went, they found large Ju 88G night fighter painted in gray.
Among the greatest fighter ever built (at least in terms of wingspan), they presented
themselves bristling with sensors able to get closer to their prey stealthily in the night sky.
Equipped with outstanding performance and a devastating weapon, they were deadly
engines of destruction.
The Luftwaffe had had a desperate need, and they were baked from the factories until the
final collapse, even long after the abandonment of programs for other aircraft.

This may seem strange, because in 1936 the Ju 88 was designed as a bomber. In fact, it
gave specific instructions to the designers of the old factory in Dessau not to compromise
in any way the project taking into account the use for any other task.
The history of the Ju 88 reflects the fortunes of Nazi Germany.

• At the beginning, it had focused entirely on the attack and the Ju 88 bomber came
in hundreds from assembly lines to support with their offensive capabilities the
Blitzkrieg.
• Then appeared some versions hunting in 1940 these added up to 62 copies of a
total of 2,208 Ju 88.
• In 1941 there were 66 night fighters on 2,780 aircraft.
• Then the attacks of the RAF Bomber Command began to be heavy in 1942 and
night fighters were already 257 of 3,094.
• In 1943, 706 specimens were about 3,260 versions of night hunting.
• In 1944, by which time the Reich was near collapse, of a total production of 3,234
Ju 88 not less than 2,518 were night fighters.
• Finally in 1945, all 355 Ju 88 night fighters were built.

Versions fighter, then, were slow to appear, although there had been thinking since 1938.
At that time it did not think at all that Germany could be bombed, let alone at night.
In addition, there was a significant interest in the ‘heavy fighter’ or Zerstörer (destroyer).
The first of this breed was the Bf 110, which Goering regarded as the elite strike force of
the entire Luftwaffe.
The task of these aircraft was flying very forward than small Bf 109, to sweep the enemy
from the skies, open a gate to the bombers, attack ships and generally perform missions
then called by the name of interdiction.
In 1938 the General Staff of the Luftwaffe recognized that the Ju 88, with its enormous
capacity, could be the basis for a destroyer with the same speed as the Bf 110, heavy
armament and greater autonomy, but why bother, the 110 was able defeat all the enemies
(at least that was the general belief) and Hitler needed as the 88 bombers.

In early 1939, the Junkers Ju 88B proposed, with a rounded and tapered cabin crew and
radial engines BMW 801. The Ju 88B was proposed as both as both fighter-bomber
destroyer.
In the end, the first turned gradually in Ju 188, but the work on hunting and stagnated in
the summer of 1939, the company was authorized to proceed with a transformation in
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The first transformation was simple: an MG FF 20mm cannon and three machine guns
MG 17 were installed on the muzzle.
The plexiglass panels on the right side of the muzzle, around the arms, they were replaced
by aluminum plates, the crew was reduced to three men, the goal of pointing was
suppressed and the engineer had the task of reloading guns with drums 60 shots.

In the winter of 1939-40 the Junkers received permission to produce a proposal for a series
of destroyer, the Ju 88C-1, with BMW 801MA radial engines and armament front of two
MG FF cannon and two machine guns MG 17.
The Fw 190 was then given priority for the engine chosen, but later in 1940 the Junkers 62
fighter gave C-2 with the same weapons, but with airframe and engines of the Ju 88A-1.
The only real change in the application consisted of a metal face smoother and careened
and the addition of an armored bulkhead in front of the cabin crew, with holes for the
barrels of weapons.
These aircraft equip a new Staffel of KG 30, which towards the end of 1940 formed the
nucleus of 2. / NJG 1 (then 1 / NJG 2), the first unit of the Luftwaffe night fighter.
Around September 1941 the production moved to the Ju 88C-4, based on the cell of A-4
(with engines Jumo 211J). Another two MG FF cannons were mounted in the nose of the
gondola and portabombe underwing could be used to hang two gondolas, each housing six
machine guns MG 81.

In 1942 went into production the C-5, with engines BMW 801D-2 from 1,700 hp, which
allowed a speed of 570 km/h, despite the addition of a protuberance under the bomb bay
for two MG 17, while the muzzle it staying another three and a cannon MG 151 20 mm.
The shortage of engines limited to 10 copies this lot, but the main production continued
with the C-6, very similar to the C-4, but more armored.
At the end of 1942 began to be available radar FuG 202 Lichtenstein BC and FuG 212
Lichtenstein C-1, with a dense array of dipole antennas on the nose that created
considerable passive resistance.

With the application of radar the new version, designated C-6b, finally gave the
“Nachtjagdgeschwader” a fighter really capable of a long range patrol the defensive
system of Himmelbett ‘line Kammhuber’, which stretched from Switzerland, through the
Eastern France, the Netherlands and northern Germany, to Denmark.

The fighter day care were re-designated C-6a and continued to operate mainly on the
Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
At the beginning of 1943 they were delivered small quantities of night fighters Ju 88R-1,
similar to the C-6b, but enhanced by BMW 801A. Making a flight strangest of World War
II, one of the first R-1 operates with the 10. / NJG3 took off from Norway and landed on
May 9 on the basis of the RAF Dyce, today’s Aberdeen airport.
A crew went aboard and weaponry to complete, but it was expected and even some
Spitfire rose to escort him in flight. Immediately it was sent to Farnborough to be tried
with the freshman PJ876.
It has since been beautifully restored with the badges of the Luftwaffe and the serial
number 360043 and is now in the Museum of the Battle of Britain in Hendon.

In early 1944, the night battles had taken the highest priority for the Luftwaffe, and
consequently the production of the Ju 88 shifted massively from bombers to night fighters.
In addition, each aircraft became far more deadly, with a new radar (which at the
beginning was immune to the ‘window’, the metal strips chaff thrown by heavy bombers
of the RAF), and new researchers completely passive, able to direct automatically the
night fighter RF emission of RAF planes that reveal the position.
On the other hand, all the additional equipment, such as heavier armament, additional
armor and another man crew, they weigh more and more night fighters.
The Junkers had to work 24 hours on 24 in an attempt to halt the deterioration in
performance and maneuverability.

At the end of the Ju 88 he proved to be exceptionally suitable for prolonged developments
and, although they were the heaviest of all versions of the Ju 88 types definitive night
fighter aircraft proved excellent to drive and capable of exceptional performance.
One of the versions was built even one that gave the worst performance, so burdened by
all the extra equipment without making any changes to the airframe and engines original:
it was the Ju 88C-6c, which was produced at high speed in October 1943 until around June
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1944.
Although retained Jumo 211J engines from 1,340 hp, it bore the powerful new radar FuG
220 Lichtenstein SN-2, which used giant dipole antennas calls Hirschgeweih (antlers), that
the C-6b caused a decrease in the maximum 40 km/h.
Operating at a frequency of 90 Hz, the SN-2 radar was able to clearly see through the
clouds of metallic strips dropped by the Halifax and Lancaster and therefore the losses of
the RAF began to rise at an alarming rate.

The only drawback was the limited range of the radar, 400 meters, and to remedy many
fighter C-6c were further weighed down by the installation of additional radar BC original
short-wave, so that the muzzle bore no fewer than 40 antennas dipole.
The C-6c introduced two other components avionics justifying definitely their extra
weight, and also the need for a fourth man crew for their actuation. The FuG 350 Naxos Z
was a passive receiver tuned to receive beams soundings projected diagonally down by the
powerful H2S radar for detection of the ground and transported in massive lumps under
the belly of the fuselage of RAF bombers.
The night fighters of the Luftwaffe were able to detect the radar of Lancaster while he
employed them in taking share on Yorkshire: all you had to do was to wait for the pass.

The other device was much less guaranteed.
In misguided belief that this would have contributed to the survival of the bombers, the
Lancaster and Halifax were equipped with a small radar, facing backward. Located at the
back, just below the tail turret, this radar, called Monica, should have warned of the
presence of any enemy fighter that arrived in the queue.
In practice, many crews preferred to disarm, as Monica did nothing but continually report
the presence of heavy bombers that followed in the formation; in so doing, these crews
will probably gained salvation.
About maintained in operation Monica, in fact, inadvertently turned into a kind of aero
lighthouse, since the FuG 227 Flensburg, of which had been fitted with the C-6c, was able
to orient automatically on Monica from a distance of 120 km. But it was not all.
The C-6c was normally equipped with the deadly installation Schräge Musik comprising
two cannons MG 151 installed in mid-fuselage with an inclination (typical) of 70 °
upwards.

Using all the sensors, the night fighter could easily be brought about 300 meters below
and immediately behind the bomber, in a position that is, where it could not be detected by
Monica.
Surprisingly, RAF bombers had no weapons with pull down and even with a window
through which the crew could look down, although there were three heavy servo turrets to
defend all other directions was not hard to take nearest from under, taking aim putting in
training time with the bomber and staccargli of net wing with tracer ammunition.
To cope with the extra weight, the Junkers designed a caccianotturno even better: it was
the V58 (58 ° experimental prototype), which flew in June 1943.

Its main characteristic resided in the combination of vertical and horizontal tail surfaces of
increased surface area of the Ju 188 with the rest of the cell and engines (BMW 801D
1,700 hp) of 88R.
The armament Front was significantly enhanced, with four cannons MG 151 in a
compartment under the left side of the center of the fuselage and two on the right side of
the muzzle. All weapons were slightly tilted downwards with a budget of at least 1,250
shots.
The Ju 88G-1 was provided with initial radar SN-2, Flensburg and Naxos Z and had a
crew of four men. The two weapons in his face were removed, since their hot disturbed
nighttime visibility crew and four MG 151 were enough to destroy a bomber.

To an astonishing stroke of luck, one of the first G-1 13 July 1944 he ran into a course
error that forced him to land in the field of RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk. Once completed
its examination of the aircraft, the RAF issued immediately order ‘not to use Monica’ and
also recommended to minimize the use H2S.
At that time the RAF was definitely improving the efficiency of electronic
countermeasures and, among others, began to send false messages to guide the night
fighters over Germany. As a countermeasure the G series was equipped with the FuG 120a
Bernardine, which produced an elaborate printed real help messages and detections of
radio beacons for navigation.
There followed many other devices, while the radar SN-2 was replaced by radar frequency
hopping Liehtenstein FuG 228 SN-3, the FuG 218 Neptun employing a dipole array
uniaxial Morgenstern and, finally, by FuG 240 Berlin, the first German radar at
wavelengths centimetric.

The latest models G differed in many respects from the first Ju 88 (for example, the
propeller pitch was governed by the throttle levers), but remained still truly remarkable
aircraft, the culmination of a decade of work carried out from a project basic outstanding.
The March 3, 1945, the Ju 88 carried out the latest action against England.
Not only by the Luftwaffe, the Ju 88 was also used by the air forces of Finland (23 aircraft
for the P LeLv44), that after September 4, 1944 employed them against the Germans. The
same had occurred after August 23, 1944 for the Ju 88A-4 and D1 remained to Romania
after the use he had made the 5 Grupul (Sq. 75, 76 and 77) against the USSRThe latest
models G differed in many respects from the first Ju 88 (for example, the propeller pitch
was governed by the throttle levers), but remained still truly remarkable aircraft, the
culmination of a decade of work carried out from a project basic outstanding.
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lI March 3, 1945, the Ju 88 carried out the latest action against England.
Not only by the Luftwaffe, the Ju 88 was also used by the air forces of Finland (23 aircraft
for the P LeLv44), that after September 4, 1944 employed them against the Germans. The
same had occurred after August 23, 1944 for the Ju 88A-4 and D1 remained to Romania
after the use he had made the 5 Grupul (Sq. 75, 76 and 77) against the USSR.

They fought to the end instead of the Ju 88A-4 4/Group III bomber Magyar. Fifty Ju 88 of
which (perhaps) some D.1 for 172 Sq. Ric., But for most A-4, were given Italian air force,
which did not have time to enter them into operational service before armistice, they were
destined to 9° and 10° Squadron and Groups 38th and 51st BT.
The last air force to make use of the twin-engine German was the French one, which
formed in 1944, with the aircraft recovered on liberated territory Groupe FFI Dor mounted
Ju 88A-4, which operated against pockets of German resistance in the Estuary of the
Gironde and La Rochelle, and then transformed into the Group 1/31 “Aunis”, went to
work in the Atlantic.
His aircraft, which also housed units built in France, after the war went to the School of
Cazaux.

Technique

The Ju.88 D-1-type version of the plane, was a twin-engine monoplane reconnaissance
wing media and cruciform empennage, of all-metal construction and its elegant and
functional.
The wing had a characteristic plant poles trapezoidal, with an elbow on the trailing edge
and two on the leading edge (which in the section between the fuselage and the nacelles
drive was perpendicular to the axis of the aircraft), and terminal fittings curvilinear.
Its structure, simple and robust, was based on five main wing ribs and several ribs of form,
which was spiked coating (also stiffened by battens placed parallel to the opening), and on
two main spars.
To these two was added a third longitudinal member auxiliary rear, carrying the hinges of
the flaps and ailerons.
The latter, according to the technique common to several German aircraft, is lowered
(while retaining differential motion) together with the flaps, which were equipped with
slats front.

The fuselage cross-section approximately rectangular with rounded edges, was composed
of three logs:
• The front, where he was staying the crew, had planking sheet 1 mm.
• The central trunk, which was housed in a tank of fuel, and that included the two
ordered force which connected the wing panels, coated sheet was 1.2 mm.
• Rear trunk that went roughly from the trailing edge of the wing to the empennage,
was coated sheet of 0.75 mm.

The structure of the fuselage was of a conventional type, with diaphragms Z and spars in T
(only for central trunks and front) and battens to omega.
The transparent canopy of the cockpit and the bow had a glazed structure of magnesium
alloy, and were largely covered by flat panels in Perspex that gave them their
characteristic appearance faceted.

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Under the nose of the aircraft, on the right side, was willing the ventral nacelle, which was
installed in the armament that covered the sector infra-back, maintain the access hatch to
the aircraft and, in versions by bombing, the finish line pointing Löfte .
Empennage, a large surface area (especially the horizontal), had shell structure in light
alloy for the fixed surfaces, and movable surfaces covered in cloth with large fins.
The cart, tricycle rear, was fully retractable, and was constituted by two legs of force
characteristic of shock absorbers equipped Junkers spring.

The wheels revolved by 90 ° around the axis of the leg, so as to be arranged flat in the
belly of the gondolas drive, in which the legs fell by rotating backwards.
The rear wheel, arranged approximately at the leading edge of the stabilizer, also fell
backwards.

The engines of the Ju 88 D-1 were the twelve-cylinder V reversed Jumo 211 J from 1,340
hp at takeoff, direct injection into the cylinders and with two-speed centrifugal
compressor, which provided an output of 1,350 hp at 250 meters above sea level, and
1,060 hp at 5,200 meters.
The engines, bound to the wing by castles alloy engine printed and steel rods, were
profiled in enclosed enclosures with front fins, which gave the whole setup looks like a
nacelle drive housing a radial engine.
The arrangement of the engines, very rational, also allowed a quick and easy replacement
of the motor.
The propellers were three-bladed VDM constant speed.

The fuel system was headed to a complex of five tanks, of which four wing, installed
between the nacelle drive and the fuselage and the outside of the nacelles same,
respectively 440 and 415 liters and a tank of the fuselage, installed in bomb bay front,
suitably adapted, whose doors had been replaced by a cladding panel, capable of 1,220
liters.
Under the wing, the four beams ETC could be hanging drop tanks additional 450 liters, in
order to further extend the already considerable autonomy.
The Ju 88 maintain a system for the discharge of the fuel in flight, with a special
mouthpiece in the queue, and it was fitted with anti-icing on the stabilizers (by means of
sheaths pneumatic), for propellers (in liquid) and for the leading edge the external half-
flanges (hot air, obtained by exploiting the heat exchangers belonging to the exhaust ducts
of engines).

The aircraft was fitted with a system for the inhalation of oxygen, complete radio
equipment of navigation and communications. Full instrumentation for the flight
parameters and facilities; equipment instrument flight with artificial horizons and autopilot
to three degrees of sensitivity to tack: 1°/sec., 2°/sec. (instrument flight), 2nd/7sec.;
instrument Landing System Bake-Lorentz signal estimate VE 250 meters. and the main
signal HE to 80 meters.
In the station’s radio operator apparatus radio transmitter-receiver, direction finder.

Devoid of the typical brake Dive present versions bomber, the Ju 88 D-1 was equipped
with a remarkable camera equipment installed in the fuselage, approximately at the height
of the trailing edge of the wing, in the rear compartment bombiero suitably conditioned,
for shooting from high altitude (8,500 meters) and from low altitude (no more than 2,000
meters).
The crew of four, had a slight protective armor and a defensive armament (insufficient to
ensure adequate protection from hunting the opponent) formed from three machine guns
MG.15 by 7.9 mm, installed two in the transparent roof and a firing towards the front and
the other facing the back, and one in the back of the transparent dome nacelle ventral.

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Technical features

Dimensions and weights

Length: 14.40 meters
Wingspan: 20.00 meters
Height: 4.85 meters
Wing area: 54,50 m2
Empty weight: 9,870 kg
Maximum takeoff weight: 14,000 kg

Propulsion

Engine: 2 Junkers Jumo 211J-1 (or J-2)
Power: 1,340 hp (985 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 467 km/h
Cruising speed: 400 km/h
Climb speed: 235 m/min
Autonomy: 2,710 km
Tangent: 8,200 meters

Armament

Machine guns: one 13 mm and two 7.62 mm
Bombs: up to 10 in the bomb bay, 4 -8 externally (2,500 kg in total)

Armament

Many schemes were applied to weapons, but usually there were about seven or 81 or three
machine guns MG MG 81 and two MG 131 heavy 13 mm.
Weapons were found on mixed A-13 -14, -15 and -17, all of which use the cell of A-4.

• The A-13 was a specialized machine in the attack at low altitude with (typically)
16 MG 17 machine guns fired from tape firing forward, 500 kg of additional clips to
fragmentation and armor.
• The A-14 was an aircraft anti-ship, with cutters of balloons, a cannon MG FF of
20 mm instead of the collimator for bombs and additional armor.
• The A-15 was the first of many twin-engine bombers Junkers to have a big
wooden bomb bay can accommodate 3,000 kg of bombs; lost, however, the ventral
nacelle and the fourth member of the crew.
• The A-17, which is also sometimes deprived of the nacelle, carrying up to two
torpedoes LT F5b, whose pointing devices and guide were housed in a large lump on
the right side of the front of the fuselage.

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Night raid

Peter Stahl, a former pilot of the Ju 88 Kampfgeschwader 30, 30 Squadron bombers
of the Luftwaffe, describes a night raid with this classic bomber at the time of the
blitz on England.

The scream of the engine suddenly left when the automatic command inserts the
turbocharger wakes me.
Next to me, Hans, my navigator, is sitting tight in his harness, his head leaning against the
window of the cabin. I call Theo and Hein intercom, sleep. Our Ju 88 rose after take-off at
4,200 meters; the temperature of the engine is too low because the shutters of the radiators
are still open and the normal fuel tanks are nearly exhausted.
Nobody brings oxygen masks if we continued to sleep we passed quietly from sleep to
death.
Fly, sleep, eat and go fly here our routine in recent weeks. This evening, the report on the
mission, Stoffregen warned entire squadron that Hermann Goering had personally ordered
that night operations against the Island not only had to continue with the current intensity,
but should even be increased by all means possible.

The Supreme Command was informed that the population of the Island will give up in the
next weeks. My navigator, Hans, loud enough to be heard, commented: The Pot Belly and
his scribblers of command with their pink pants (the German staff officers wore a red
stripe down the sides of his trousers, hence the allusion ) they should go on a mission, so
let’s see who surrenders first.
There was a moment of dead silence, in the meeting room. Stoffregen then resumed as if
nothing had happened.
Well then, a good journey.
What could he say to us on the other airmen who know what is the truth?
The people of the command is so far from the war that no longer thinks of us as human
beings, but simply as numbers. A growing number of crews reached the limits of
endurance nervous and does not take into account the forces, as no account is taken of the
actual situation in the air war on Britain.

England has had to endure an air war against a superior opponent by more than 6 months
and still does not give signs of weakness. On the contrary, its defenses become stronger
every week.
The profile of the coast is emerging before us, the photoelectric we seek, but the flak is
silent. Gunners enemies do not sleep, and then it means that there are around night
fighters. Some reflectors were gathered in groups of five.
And as a result, our path is accurately indicated by a pyramid of light beams that moves
with us.
Very often, the light of a photoelectric takes us in full and the glare is blinding me. The
light beam is following us for moments that seem interminable, before leaving us, which
shows that, when we are at a good level, our bombers with matte paint can no longer be
followed in view of earth.

I plan to have the moon at an oblique angle behind us. If I had it directly behind it would
be easier for night fighters recognize us against the sky clearer, after being guided by
photoelectric. Are all lessons learned with operational experience.
Sighted a twin-engine night fighter that I cut the route to a hundred meters. Fortunately the
moon’s position is such that there sighted. Then my gunner warns calmly intercom night
fighters tail, on the left.
Cast down our Ju 88 with a bicycle kick on the left, and let myself fall, upside down, into
the night. I just leveled when Hein repeated the warning. What the hell. Down a second
time, like a stone, in the pitch darkness below. Then again a third time.
We are now just 800 meters, with 2 tons of explosives on board and a long climbing to be
done to bring us to a decent share for attack.

The Ju 88 is something special, so different from everything I knew before, that the riders
are allowed to put commands only after a minuziosissimo technical training on the
ground.
To begin with, there is a complicated plumbing, which activates the cart, flaps, brakes
sharply, the device for the automatic callback of beaten and locking the tail wheel, while
the manual controls of respect are triggered by a hand pump. A further innovation
compared with the previous modern types of airplanes around the world is that the Ju 88
was designed as a single-seater plane, which means that although it has a crew of four
(pilot, bombardier / navigator, radio operator and gunner) , if necessary, the pilot can only
play from his seat during a flight operating all necessary functions.

The location and arrangement of the cockpit is ideal.
Thanks to the fully glazed nose is full visibility in all directions, including downward and
toward the front. The pilot’s task is facilitated by the different shape of the various knobs,
which can be recognized as the right ones simply by touch (very important factor in the
dark and in the heat of the battle, when you have to look out all the time).
The Ju 88 seems to know to be a nice and interesting (just as capricious actress) and acts
accordingly. And that can give you an incredible surprise without warning.
These quirks can be seen especially in takeoff, but just in the air, just masters of the
aircraft, the Ju 88 responds like a dream, really a dream aircraft.

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As I return to the attack rate expected, we run into the clouds and begins to form ice. At
6,000 meters the temperature dropped to -30 ° C, but does not form more ice. It’s cold in
the cabin, and each slit apertures filters a powder of icy needles. The clouds go away and
almost immediately the flak we shot.
The batteries seem to know not only our exact share but also our speed and our route.
Grenades explode in front and behind us and every maneuver to dodge it seems
unnecessary. However I try to try all the tricks you know, all the maneuvers of diversion
possible, but to no avail. The situation is becoming so difficult that I am several times to
think it would be better to unhook my mine blindly into the night.
These mines have on board are of the LM-B ships, seem big barrels, weighing 1,000 kg
each and are expected to arrive at the target hanging from a parachute. Our squadron has
used for the first time in land operations against the city of Coventry, this month.

Now we finally arrived on the main path to attack other air all around. The aircraft
batteries can choose their targets and for a few minutes let alone us. Beyond the horizon
we see a reddish reflection. We no longer need to study the route and I can vary my path
towards in order to avoid major concentrations of flak. The closer we get to the target, the
more we realize that there must be in a living hell.
Mines dropped from planes that have gone before exploding in regular series.
As we approach, the shooting antiaircraft thickens and it seems that every sector of the sky
is searched by thousands of light curtains. The adjustment path, through the inferno,
punctuated by explosions of anti-aircraft shells, seems to have no end, and I am compelled
again and again to groped the dodges.
But what we feel above the lens exceeds any possible imagination. It seems that the whole
city is in flames, and we are only the vanguard; a large number of our bombers is yet to
come, and will not have some navigation problems with the reflection of flames in the sky.
Furthermore the aim is illuminated by flares that light up at irregular intervals.

With the engine idling begin to glide toward the goal that was assigned to me.
Suddenly my Ju 88 is located in the midst of a strike-aircraft precisely that forces me to
turn and walk away. I wait until the shot is focused against another plane, then I take
advantage of that moment to throw with a fast swooping to the point of release.
Beneath us everything is red and the heat of the fires raises a huge black cloud, fed by the
flames below. Our target is closed in the Docks area.
Hans did not find it hard to take aim for our mines. I fly over the harbor on fire following
his instructions. We can recognize, as if we were in broad daylight, all the details that we
have studied the photo reconnaissance. My stopwatch turns and the exact second we spot
two large explosions in our area, are our mines.

A row of flares hanging from the parachute we suddenly explodes in front and on the left,
to our exact share. I discarded immediately to the right. It changes all the time, at irregular
intervals, my route and the speed of the engines, in order to change its roar. The minute
one another without end, until we spot the coast. My nerves are going to give in.
Without wasting any more time it reduces the engines idling, and I’ll throw in a glide fast
and decisive, even knowing that this will bring me a shot of the shore batteries of anti-
aircraft light. I do not care anymore and count on luck to avoid areas of higher
concentration-aircraft.
And then it happens. A blinding flash. They were impressed.
Recall our Ju 88 and cast a quick look agi instruments.
It seems completely normal and no one aboard was injured.
Reduce the speed to the engines. but as pull back the throttle, the engine continues to turn
left at full capacity. A splinter has probably sliced the lead. There is no aircraft engine that
it can withstand long, in these circumstances.

I decide d off and the Ju 88 continues drifter in the dark of night.
Those beams rummaging heaven before us are our curtains, and we’re happy to have them
spotted. We launch rockets of recognition, but the spotlight continues to dazzle us in full.
Another set of rockets of recognition. Suddenly the flak it takes lightly at gunpoint, and
are forced to make a series of maneuvers to avoid it. Hazardous, with the engine stopped.
This deadly game with the curtains and lightweight batteries continues along the coast. We
are already exhausted by fear and lack of sleep, and my crew vents his anger returning fire
with machine guns. Shoot at their fellow soldiers.
I can not blame them.
A 14 year old boy would already recognized as a friendly aircraft.

As we approach the base prepare the crew to the difficulties of a landing on one engine
only. I want to download the excess fuel but the control of the discharge must be dead.
Visibility is excellent, so, contrary to accepted practice, down with the cart instead of
groped a belly landing.
The operation requires time, since I have only half of the normal hydraulic pressure. After
a final check, turn the engine good for approach and landing. On board no one speaks. I
value my share while plane to land along the lighted path.
Too low.
We bump with the left wing and we run into the ground in complete darkness. The swath
on the ground seems to never end. The right engine begins to creak and there’s no way to
stop it.

The fear of the fire engulfs, we would like to jump out of the plane and flee, but the roof
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of the cab crashed. Soldiers rushed to the split and we can roll out.
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soldiers say to the doctor, a young guy just
arrived at the front, that none of us is seriously hurt. And we see that the slips in the plane
and he goes out with the clock edge, which intends to keep as a souvenir.
Hans for this gesture of the doctor is the last straw that breaks the camel. Go to him
calmly, he takes off of the clock hand and plant a fist in the face with such force that the
medicine man slips on the wing and it ends up on his back on the grass.
And this is the end of another mission to London.

Destroyers of Ships

The pilot Peter Stahl describes anti-ship raid aboard a Ju 88. The many losses caused
a lowering of morale among the crews of the Luftwaffe, attacking in bad weather in
order to minimize the killing.

As of yesterday I belong to the category of the sublime experts. We carry out special
missions, and are known as teams ‘Zerstörer’, that is destructors.
My first assignment is against maritime traffic in the estuary of the Humber.
My Ju 88 flickers between shreds of low clouds. Is a way to fly unworthy, the wind makes
the air dance and whip the sea below, which seems to boil. I approach from the north, we
see the estuary, there are several ships and smaller vessels that are busy around the deep
pots. No one seems to notice the least of us.
I decided to attack and take aim at the mercantile bigger and closer, and point him with a
right turn. Peace down there, it looks amazing. I feel my heart jump into my throat. If I
could, I’d go back and stay again.
Instead I push the bar and get down to near-deep water.

The bulk of the hull of the great mercantile closer is magnifying with a speed almost
unbelievable and yet not opened fire against us. I can not resist and I press the button to
release the bombs. I have not waited long enough. And while the superstructure of the ship
will go under in a flash, I feel overwhelmed by shame: I succumbed to fear and I misfired.
Now, instinctively, I do everything possible to avoid being hit by flak light that opened fire
at us from all sides. Clouds welcome me into their protective embrace, but for a while ‘the
tracers of the guns 20, 37 and 40 mm chase me even in there.
Finally everything is calm again.
I begin to gain altitude and to turn toward home. No one on board says a word.
Embarrassed by their silence pull out the sandwich from his pocket above the knee, as if
eating could calm my tension.
The plane is now light and go up through the clouds to clear overhanging.

The weather calmed me and I am reminded of my first attack against the enemy retreated
to Calais. Our goal was to Cherbourg. At that time we were full of confidence. There were
no enemy aircraft to worry about. The flak was poor and did not seem dangerous.
I prepared calmly sank imminent, a procedure with training becomes a habit.
Ready.
The sunken was exactly as prescribed by the manual. A light pressure on the red button on
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top of the bar, a sudden shock to the aircraft bombs were dropped. The Ju 88 automatically
called the dive. We felt squeezed into our seats by an acceleration of four or five G.
It suffered a temporary loss of consciousness, the ‘gray curtain’, then the plane cabro up to
500 km/h the instrument.
I performed automatically maneuvers of diversion, but were not needed. The gunner
shouted at me from the ventral gondola we had made the center.
Then there was peace and the flight became a wonderful thing in the dim light of dusk,
made even more beautiful by the awareness of having received the baptism of fire.

Now things are very different.
We have access to enemy territory only in really bad weather, otherwise we are sure to be
intercepted by the Spitfire or Hurricane. Months of operational missions against a better
armed enemy always made to feel their effect on our nerves.
There is also a noticeable shift away from our ground crew and the crews of the squadron.
And this is due to the much higher number of continuous losses: aviators younger not
remain in training for long enough to be known by the ground staff.
To these problems add the aversion we feel seniors against the general staff and command,
because we have to follow their orders often unreasonable.
And the missions safer we must also take on some ambush command.

They use us to get them through the “Course of instruction for the Iron Cross 2nd class” in
the greatest possible security, and apparently just as important to be able to qualify for the
allowance of flight and relative advantages for another year yet.
These concerns haunt me even when I’m in his bed as well as the certainty that persisting
coverage of the sky, we will return to attack the ships anchored in the estuary of the
Humber. And to restore the confidence of my crew as a commander, this time I have to be
successful.
In the morning begins the war of nerves, as I observe the ceiling of low clouds. While we
are approaching aircraft on the bus, my crew tells me that you can not keep going on like
this: one night after another of difficult operations, followed by or pleasure flights, as they
call them my training flights, these raids or special day.

“You say yes to all the missions,” he says accusingly Hein, my radio operator, “but no one
cares about what he thinks the crew. It ‘true that all the other teams are not mission of us,
but it is equally true that we are more and more fearful and less sure of ourselves after a
missions after a license, for example. So far we have completed 60 operational missions
against the island, mostly at night. On average, new crews survive only three or four night
missions”.

Despite what my crew might think now, I have never suffered from what we call ‘a sore
neck’, the desire for a Knight’s Cross of the Order of the Cross of Iron, whose tape goes
precisely in the neck . But I am determined to ensure that mine is the best crew of the
squadron. Being experienced is our only chance to stay alive.
I say to them: “Why do the other teams continue to fall. one after the other, one here, one
there? There are two possibilities: either because we do not know how to do, or because
they are softened, this is the truth!”

I feel irritated and argumentative as I buckled serro parachute and seat belts. Our
navigator, Hans the long, takes forever before pulling out, with his huge body down the
narrow ladder and the hatch door. However, the fact is that we are all four equally
hypersensitive and nervous, and that each of us reacts according to his temperament.
The lights on the dashboard light. The tools are beginning to show signs of life.
Free left.
Goodwill buzzes. I insert the graft, the propeller starts with a click. Red flames roar from
the exhaust pipes, then the 1,200 hp begin to move reluctantly.
Free right.
The right engine sputters, then begins to turn round. Do full throttle, first left, then right, to
control power and generators. Then look at the oil pressure, the oil temperature and
coolant, the pressure of the compressor, to that of the fuel, to the hydraulic, the levels of
the fuel and the lubricant.

Via heels to the wheels.
Determined to take advantage of every inch of the runway, parking the Ju 88 far behind
the first green lamp. Control all over again. Lock the tail wheel, flap out at 25 ° trim on
normal.
“Come on,” and the crew responds to the usual “Let’s go.”
To me this means that on board everything is finally in order. We forgot all our
differences.
Handcuffs on. The engines roar, spewing sparks from the exhaust pipes. Spring brakes,
Hans law instruments, I concentrate to keep straight the plane ride, and judging, weighing
commands, when it’s time to let him raise the tail to gain speed.
The runway is 1,400 meters long.
The red spotlights the last 200 meters are approaching, around the left wheel of the
compensation position ‘through-tail’ to give him a tendency to pitch up and throw back
with some force the bar. The plane makes a slight jump and came off the track. We’re not
exactly flying, rather it seems that we are ‘swimming’ heavily a few meters above the
ground.

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“The wheels are coming back,” warns the gunner.
The tension does not loosen until the altimeter does not score 100 meters. Now it’s time to
up the flaps; the air seems like forever to sink a little, but picks up speed and at this point
begins to really fly.
Today we plan our approach from the south. The bad luck has it that the clouds below us
overcome dwindling while the coast. And of course, we spot them: four destroyers in
climbing to intercept us.
Jet plane in a turn with a knife, the closest of my life. The gunner warned that fighters are
shifting with us. Those thick clouds seem almost out of reach. Only Hans is calm, you are
working hard with the compass, calculator route and distance, as if we were in flight
training.

The Gunner warns us that the fighters were divided into two couples to engage pincer. At
full throttle me ball into the safety of cottony clouds. I know that the distance from a cloud
is always lower than apparent, but the seconds before he could dive into that whiteness
seem infinitely long.
Hein shouts that the fighters are almost in sight and in the cloud is so clear that I am aware
that the cross in seconds and sbucheremo the other side. And now begins the game. If you
do it for sport, it would be fun.
But I’m playing with my skin and that of my crew.
Those are Hurricane fighter. Every time I manage to get into position to shoot, I can dive
into my cloud, and thus compel the opponent to find a position of attack from the other
side. How many times we have we made this game of hide and seek not remember.
I can finally dive into a cloud thicker and from this back in white thick that we had already
crossed. We’re safe but we have not carried out our mission.

While around a new installment of approaching, the clouds thicken, down almost to the
water’s edge. The rain prevents any forward visibility. Only the clock and compass help us
to find the route.
These few minutes before reaching the target area are not easy; the temptation to give up
is strong. I could explain that in these conditions you could not do anything. I could drop
bombs offshore. They would include everyone, including my board.
But there is the failure of the previous day.
And if I yield now there will be a crack in the confidence that I have in me and in what I
have in my crew. I have decided. I will stay at low altitude.

It spreads east toward the sea before turning back, eye, camera, where they were yesterday
ships. Flying low, just above the water, fringed with clouds drifting over the waves,
requires maximum concentration. According to Hans, in two minutes we’ll be over the
vessels, then there is the coast protected by a thick belt of antiaircraft and endless barrage
balloons.
Suddenly we are in the middle of the ship. With this lack of visibility is impossible to
attack. I keep flying straight in the hope that the best visibility. To the left looms a dark
mass of land. Tour immediate right.
Seconds later the other land in sight, this time its bow. Unwittingly we squeezed into the
narrow mouth of Spurn Head.

All around the balloons of the dams. We’re trapped like rats.
I have to stay on the river, I perform at full throttle the narrowest possible turning right,
the closest I can afford with the air so heavy a share so low, and I can barely make it.
Sighted the dark shape of the north shore. As long as I can keep her left Spurn Head, and I
can get myself out of the trap; Hans yells at me where to direct, depending on the sighting.
Here is the lighthouse, we are out and back onto the ships, the tracers will come on him
from all sides.
In the semi-darkness of the clouds, point to the north, where the sky clears, the clouds rise
up to 100 meters, Hans intercom yells at me that we should get rid of the bombs and
battercela. “Hans, we have to try again.”
Hans just nods and gives me the discovery, once more I throw myself into sleet and are
forced to go down on edge of water.
All’improvviso c’è come una schiarita fra le nubi e mi ci butto. At the same time Hans
gives me a nudge in the ribs and he points to the right. A ship! And there is already
shooting at you with all guns.

Attack immediately, straight down the path of red tracers. The sunken is steep and we take
speed, the hull of the big merchant enlarges visibly, the next moment I must call to
override it, and at the same time I press the release button.
I have a flash in the vision of the superstructure and the trees of the merchant, with the
gunners crouched behind their weapons, then everything returns gray, embroidered in red
tracers.
The machine gunner yells that we made the center, the others are screaming, our success
has deleted their fear, cabriamo almost vertically up to the cloud, where I make a turn
emergency to dodge the shot anti-aircraft, it is not easy to fly in this soup.

I have to focus on attitude, the direction and angle of pull-up; shout “Silence!” the
intercom, “shut up otherwise we end in stalemate and rush as newbies!”
Eventually the shooting ends, I level and try to figure out something in the tools that seem
crazy, the plane is covering of ice, then, suddenly, we are in full sun, now we can talk.
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The crew is jubilant, the gunner is inserted into the intercom to provide a more detailed
freeshort,
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kg full-ship, the fourth in the water just below the
stern.
For me it’s a triple win: first, the center of the ship; second, on myself and on my fears of
yesterday; third, on my crew. The latter is the most important, without a full and mutual
trust among all on board, there is no safety in flight.

Employment in Italian Royal Air Force

In the last months of 1942 and early 1943 the crisis of flight paths of Italian Royal Air
Force begins to take shape in all its gravity.
This is due to the very high losses in military operations, now with an unfavorable trend in
Italy, and the impressive drop in production of aeronautical industries. Between January
1940 and September 1942 the average monthly production, in the bombing, is 56 aircraft:
in October-December 1942 it drops to 32 aircraft and between January and April 1943 is
even only 26 aircraft per month. To buffer the situation, you can only buy aircraft at
German industry.

In January 1943, a commission formed by the aeronautical January William Cassinelli, by
ten. col. Ivo De Vittembeschi and Giuseppe Baylon, by the cap. Aldo Gasperi and
Giovanni Raina, goes to the Experimental Centre of the Luftwaffe in Rechlin, where it can
examine the Dornier Do.217 N and K, the Junkers Ju .88 A-4 and Ju 188, Heinkel He 177,
Junkers Ju 87 D, Henschel Hs 129, Messerschmitt Me110 and Me109 G-2, Focke-Wulf
FW 190, the Flettner helicopter.
Back at the Italian report completed (February 2, 1943) which referred for the first time
the possibility of obtaining two squadrons of Ju 88 A-4, each of 12 aircraft, for March-
April 1943. In February, the colonel Giuseppe Teucci, our aviation officer accredited to
Berlin, further official request for rates bomber Ju 88 a-4, for divers Ju 87 D, fighter Me
109 G: to accelerate the practice of training and the level of sales, is expected to direct
contribution of departments of the Luftwaffe in Italy and employees dall’OBS of General
Albert Kesselring.

The first 52 crews for the Ju 88 originate from the 29th group (9 Squadron), 33 Squadron
(10 Squadron), 38 ° and 51 ° independent group, all departments bomber now remained
free of aircraft and a CZ.1007 SM.84, former endowment.
To these must be followed by the staff of other departments so that in early 1944 the line
of the bombing can draw on CZ.1018 of national production and the sale of Ju 88. Suffice
it to say that June 20, 1943 the Supreme Command advance request the Germans to get
600 of these bombers but they, considering it exaggerated partly because of its war
situation, they reject it even before that fateful July 25 that, with the arrest of Mussolini,
the Germans do foresee the change of alliances.

The first pilots to get in touch with the new machines are the captain Eugenio Geymet
(62nd Squadron, 29 Squadron, 9th flock) and Lieutenant Giuseppe Duranti that in late
February 1943 are assigned, with their crews, at the German department Ju 88 displaced in
Grottaglie: join them three crews of 35 Squadron commanded by lieutenants Role Mario
and Guido Generali and lieutenant Giuseppe Vulcani.
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The training includes a short theoretical course and then flights with the German instructor
at the controls (the planes are operational, so with only one steering position) for a first
acclimatization required to follow takeoff, maneuvers and landings with a single engine
running, flying at high altitude, shooting a nose dive, flying low, navigation, training in
training, bombing altitude and night flights.

On April 12, the captain Geymet ends training and returned to Viterbo, home of 9
Squadron and collection center for all departments that have to be retrofitted with the
twin-engine German: in the absence of them was held training activities with Caproni Ca.
314.
On April 23, the top five riders qualified move to Monaco, where many draw Ju 88 to
return to Viterbo day 25. A similar levy of 5 Ju 88 takes place on May 1, but this time the
bad weather conditions force us to a stop on the airport of Bologna-Borgo Panigale. Two
more aircraft are taken in Germany May 14, 1943.
Captain Geymet then transfers one Ju 88 to Furbara (May 19), but a few days after this
plane is wrecked by a pilot of the Experimental Centre for a long landing caused by lack
of knowledge of the aircraft and by the small size of the office Airport.

Let us now examine the adventurous story of the staff belonging to the 33rd group of
Major Angelo Lualdi (9 Squadron) that in January 1943, after exhausting its CZ.1007 bis
left Sicily and moved, by train, to Viterbo. Poor training activity takes place here on a few
Ca.314 while it organized a group of pilots and specialists of 33 Squadron and 10
Squadron, which joins a captain of the Royal Army in function interpreter.
So that by the middle of February 12th complete crews (pilot, observer, radio operator,
engineer) commanded by Captain Frederick Poce take place on two SM.82 transport and
depart from the airport Sedes (Thessaloniki) where should receive appropriate training Ju
88 on the 4th Geschwader (X C.A.T.).

During the stopover in Brindisi, Captain Poce learned from a colleague that in
Thessaloniki there are more Ju 88 Luftwaffe. He calls immediately to Rome for
clarification but received peremptory order to continue. At the stage in Athens, Poce it
notifies the situation, with great discretion, and confirmation of the shift of German
division.
He then asks again instructions in Rome, reached with great difficulty through the use of
radio stations of the Army, but receives the categorical invitation not to plant additional
difficulties and continuing. The SM.82 finally landing in Thessaloniki and, without even
turning off the engines, landing men and materials to the side of the track, then re take off
immediately.
Bitter confirmation awaits our staff: on the big bed the Ju 88 are now absent since the
department was transferred information about Neustadt (Vienna).

To the interest of the Italian Consul, the staff is then placed on a train military, through the
haunted Yugoslavia by partisans, it reached Austria with an endless journey and not
without difficulty. To prevent attacks along the line the Germans have a wagon full of
partisans prisoners, overhead trains.
In late February starts the training course. Even here there are no aircraft bi-command for
which the training is conducted with the usual system. Suddenly, during this phase, Maj.
Hott, commander of Geschwader, Poce tells the captain that you are planning to establish
a department mixed Italian-German to be framed in the Luftwaffe.
Poce immediately declares that it is willing to fly and fight in the German insignia: the
fact does not have an immediate result but when, after his return to Italy, will be removed
from the command of the 63rd squadron is also accused of having continued to create
serious difficulties.

The June 10, 1943 began the repatriation of these personnel, with transit in Monaco of
Bavaria, where they are ready for pick 4 Ju 88 A-7 (exemplary bi-command for training)
that are gradually withdrawn from the withdrawal by the Italian, before being reduced to
three, then to two: with the minutes of delivery have already been signed, the captain Poce
and Lieutenant Giuseppe Porpora are preparing to leave for Italy but are preceded by two
German crews that fledge the last two Junkers to golf training Aalborg (Copenhagen) and
Toulouse.
After a series of phone calls with Colonel Sergio Lalatta, liaison officer with the Italian
OBS General Kesselring, Poce learn that in Monaco there are also 3 Ju 88 A-4 for the
Regia Aeronautica obtained permission to transport them to Italy he was stopped at the
last moment by a yet another countermanded and returned bitterly train.

The rest of the 63rd Squadron (Lieutenant Raffaele Foà who assumes command, the tennti
Giuseppe Lanzara, Alberto Bonifai, Pasquale Rivolta Giuseppe Duranti, the Second
Lieutenant. Del Carlo) has meanwhile met in S. Damiano Piacentino where he dislocated a
important base of the Luftwaffe.
Here our drivers take over 11 Ju 88 A-4 and transfer them to Airasca (23 June 1943), a
small airport between Torino and Pinerolo. Here it was held reduced flight activity until
the end of July, when the only crews moved to Villafranca di Verona for a qualification
course to instrument flight and night on SAIMAN 202 and on SM.81.
This essential phase prior to operational is still in progress at the time of the armistice
while the Ju 88 of the 63rd Squadron, remained in Airasca, they end up being recovered
by the Germans.

Even the 28th group is concerned by the renewal plan of Italian Royal Air Force. Captain
Pasquale Andreotti, commander of the 50th Squadron, was called to Rome in early May
and made aware of the intentions of the General Staff of rearming the Group with German
material. The May 16, 1943 he left for basic Danish Aalborg (Copenhagen) with 12
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complete crews (other 7 are awaiting orders), specialists, airmen government.
Get started now flying training, pilots faced with enthusiasm and without undue difficulty.
Relations with the Germans are marked by a cold courtesy that soon degenerates into open
hostility: the ally does not like too much fraternizing with the local population of Italians,
it demands that they go out on leave fully armed, that is hardly grants exposed the tricolor
in hangars and on the basis, even tries to delay the enabling crews.

Captain Andreotti has the impression that the Germans aim to keep crews in anticipation
of the collapse of our Armed Forces. The June 11, 1943 he is the victim of a serious
accident that causes the death of the observer and the two specialists on board. Having
suffered a fracture of the skull base, he is forced to a long stay in a hospital in Copenhagen
and loses contact with the course of education and his department, returning to Italy only
in late July.
The other drivers, achieved the full qualification, are already long in Viterbo where June
15, 1943 the 38th autonomous group (49th and 50th Squadron) rose to the position of
‘framework’ giving its staff the 9th flock.
Even the Royal Air Force participates in the new plan of education, creating a special
department specifically charged with training staff on the new machine.

This is the fifteenth Complementary Group, known as “Special Unit Training Ju 88 “,
which was established on the airport of Latina (Littoria) on 1 May 1943. In this way,
departments of armament expected with new aircraft cease to depend, for training, by
previous Groups Complementary: 9 Squadron Colonel Renato Abbriata from Group IX
Complementary, the 10 Squadron of the col. Giorgio Rossi from the XIV, the 38th
Independent Group of Lieutenant Colonel Victor Mariani from XII, 31 ° Gruppo
autonomous Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Giansanti the ninth.
The “Special Unit” takes first German instructors and aircraft with insignia of the
Luftwaffe. The June 20, 1943 it is transferred on the airport of Forlì where, articulated on
1st and 2nd Squadron, also absorbs 11 Ju 88 A-4 of the 62nd Squadron from Viterbo.

First department to use the “core” is the 51st autonomous group, returned from an attempt
to retrofit with the French twin-engine LeO.451 conducted on the airport of Bologna-
Borgo Panigale; but the conditions of efficiency of these prey war are so poor as to
preclude the operational use.
On May 2, 1943, the staff of 51 ° group is then transferred to Littoria: among others, the
captains Vittorio Bitonti, Ippolito Da Porto, Tommaso De Martiis, lieutenants Rossi, Vella,
Piovene, Mezzalira, Nespolo.
For over a month the pilots follow a theoretical course on the ground, with hints of
aerodynamics, navigation and lessons on-board systems. Following two days of taxiing to
become familiar with handcuffs race reversed (instead of push pull) and the usual flights
instead of the observer, while the German instructor gives demonstration of the
possibilities of the aircraft.
The evening before the day fixed for takeoffs alone, the ten. Fritz says the head of the
German instructors Da Porto captain, commander of the 212th Squadron, “I laugh
tomorrow».

Instead, the next day, all 14 Italian crews prove in terms of taking off regularly with the
aircraft. After familiarization with the car, you go to training war with horizontal rolls and
dives. Unfortunately an accident (flat spin at low altitude, in coming from un’affondata)
causes the painful loss of Lieutenant Vella.
When the Core Training moved to Forlì, the staff of the 51st Group follows the new
headquarters, continuing education night flight and instrument: 15 June 1943 51° is part of
the 9th flock together at the 29th group.
Even the men of the 62nd squadron moved to Forlì, to complete the training started in
Grottaglie: remember lieutenants Giovanni Rodriguez, Italo Mondini, Vincenzo Martucci,
Marra, Marzocchi.
The latter has an accident take-off with a Ju 88 of the core, resulting in the destruction of
the aircraft.

The July 15, 1943 there are 29 in Forli our Ju 88 rising to 37, a fortnight later.
If they add 11 aircraft to Airasca present at the 63rd squadron and planes lost in accidents,
it can be concluded that Italian Royal Air Force received 50 Ju 88, almost certainly the
only version A-4.
Interesting appendix to the history of the 51 th group is the reconstitution of the 172nd
Reconnaissance Squadron Strategic Earth. Dissolved for lack of material to flight after an
exhausting business of war, it is reconstituted on 1 June 1943 on the airport of Viterbo in
the employ of 9 Squadron.
By the time of the squadron is still waiting for the Ju 88 D-1 that must re-equip. On the
same date, it has in force only six riders, all from the 51st group.
Even the 7 Squadron participates in the qualification program on new aircraft.

The May 30, 1943 rate of his staff leaves Lonate Pozzolo and moved to Montpellier and
Istres to qualified on German aircraft. Captain Geymet instructed to move to France with
the title of instructor but, not wanting to let the staff on the eve of his 62nd Squadron to
operational use, can prevent the transfer.
And just in Forlì, the higher rate of Ju 88 and trained personnel are still based on 8
September 1943 not therefore have conducted any act of war.

In memory of Staff who has known the German aircraft, it has remained an unconditional
adulation. Including pilots have appreciated the high technical level of the machine,
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detectable in excellent instrumentation, in voice communications, the altimeter instrument
with automatic callback, the simplicity of the set in motion independent, precision finish
pointing allowing shots in spectacular dive bombers, the excellent performance with only
one engine running, the pleasant surprise of a cockpit heated luxury ever seen on airplanes
Italian. To fully understand the serious technical backwardness of our aviation industry is
enough to think that these “wonders” discovered by Italian riders in the summer of 1943 at
the aircraft struck by the Luftwaffe, already at the end of 1940 have been available to the
German Air Force.


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Mantelli - Brown - Kittel - Graf

Aircraft of World War II

Employment in Italian Royal Air Force

Employment in Italian Royal Air Force

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