It remains iconic for its strong inverted gull wing and fixed landing gear.

It was employed in every theater in which Germany was engaged.

Enter the Dive Bomber

The technique of dive bombing began in the early days of military aviation.

In this vintage photograph, we see a three plane formation of a German air force Ju 87D dive bombers enroute to attack Yugoslavian partisans fighting the Nazis. From the cockpit, a pilot could make the Junkers dive and attack infantry positions. In fact, Stukas dropped the first bombs of the war in the European War. Stukas went deep behind enemy lines to strike soft targets and could dive on many otherwise inaccessible targets due to the unique Stuka design. However, the planes were easy targets for enemy fighters and Stuka losses increased throughout the war.

Three Junkers Ju 87D dive bombers fly to attack Yugoslavian partisan positions in the mountains of Montenegro. Image: Polish State Archives

One of the first purpose-designed dive bombers was the German Junkers K 47.

It was later modified to a more conventional single-fin design after the twin fins collapsed and the aircraft crashed.

The Stuka had a crew of two including the pilot and the rear gunner/radio operator.

In this photo, we see Americans with the United States Army Air Force examining the armament on a captured Stuka. The 37mm cannon turned the Stuka units into tank busters.

Later version of the Ju 87 were equipped with 37mm gun pods to attack enemy armor. In this photo, Americans examine a captured Stuka. Image: NARA

The rear gunner/radio operator operated one 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun for defensive purposes.

In reality, the German troops were able to test a number of new weapons platforms and new tactics.

The Stuka was one such platform and it proved outstandingly effective.

In this digital image, we see several Stukas on the flight line that are being prepared for combat in France. You can see the rear gunner entering the cockpit of one aircraft. His mission was to keep the RAF pilots off of the plane when the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters were unavailable. When running a dive-bomb mission, the planes were particularly vulnerable to hits on the fuselage — a point made by Von Richthofen during pre-war strategy sessions.

These Stukas are prepared for combat during Germany’s invasion of France, circa May 1940. Image: Gen. Erwin Rommel’s Campaigns in France/NARA

Despite its remarkable combat debut, Junkers continued to refine and improve upon the design.

That included the addition of sirens dubbed Trumpets of Jericho to the landing gear.

Notably, three Stukas were employed in the first combat mission of the Second World War.

ground crews load a bomb on a Junkers Ju 87A bomber

A ground crew transports a bomb by trolley to their Ju 87 A in preparation for a mission. Image: Polish State Archives

However, the dive bomber concept was most effective when the Germans had air superiority.

That resulted in the Ju 87R, which was equipped with underwing fuel tanks.

It also received the more powerful Jumo 211 powerplant.

In this photo we see a German Stuka returning from a successful bombing mission. The Junkers Ju 87, popularly known as the “Stuka”, is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935.

This German Stuka taxis off the runway following a successful bombing flight against Soviet troops on the Karelian Isthmus. The mission was supporting Finland during the Continuation War. Image: SA-kuva

By 1943 the losses were so great that the aircraft was shifted to a night assault role.

However, it was also used in an anti-partisan role in Yugoslavia until the very end of the war.

However, the flattop was never completed and therefore there was no need for a special carrier-based variant.

In this photograph, we see two German pilots of the Luftwaffe with their Ju 87 dive bomber. Helsinki-Malmi Airport was an airfield in Helsinki, Finland, located in the district of Malmi, 5.4 NM north-north-east of the city centre. It was opened in 1936. Until the opening of Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in 1952, it was the main airport of Helsinki and of Finland.

A Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 87 Stuka at the Malmi airport during the Continuation War. Located near Helsinki, Malmi was operated by the Finnish Air Force until the war’s end. Image: SA-kuva

The Stuka would have likely been too antiquated to be truly effective as a carrier-based aircraft.

One particularly notorious pilot of the Ju 87G was Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

In addition, he has been credited with destroying 519 tanks in the course of 2,530 missions flown.

In this black and white photograph, we see a pilot prepare his Junker Ju 87D for take off in the Continuation War. The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II.

In mid-1944, a German pilot prepares his Stuka dive bomber for take off. Image: SA-kuva

Though he was also shot down 30 occasions, he always returned to action.

The last Stukas came off the production line in September 1944.

Today, only two survive intact while efforts are underway to restore a third.

In this photo we see an Fascist Italy Air Force Stuka flying in formation with a Nazi Germany Stuka. The Italian Air Force is the air force of the Italian Republic. The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm on 28 March 1923 by King Victor Emmanuel III as the Regia Aeronautica. The Kingdom of Italy was governed by the National Fascist Party from 1922 to 1943 with Benito Mussolini as prime minister and dictator.

A German and Italian Stuka fly together towards an Allied target. Image: Netherlands National Archive

These include a ground-attack variant that is now on display at the Royal Air Force Museum outside of London.

Those modifications were later removed, and it has been restored to its G-2 configuration.

Restoration was completed in the mid-1970s.

In this digital image we see a German Stuka in flight above a North African beach on the Mediterranean Sea. The North African campaign of the Second World War took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria, as well as Tunisia. Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel was a German Generalfeldmarschall during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox, he served in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany, as well as serving in the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic, and the army of Imperial Germany.

A German Stuka in flight above a North African beach on the Mediterranean Sea. Image: Netherlands National Archive

In addition, several wrecked aircraft have been preserved.

Even though few Ju 87s remain today, the legend of the terrifying dive bomber lives on.

Shown is a 250 kg bomb being lifted onto a Stuka frame hanger using a bomb crane. The bomb is already attached to a “fork” whose function is to prevent the bomb from touching the propeller.

A 250 kg bomb is lifted onto a Stuka frame hanger using a bomb crane. The bomb is already attached to a “fork” whose function is to prevent the bomb from touching the propeller. Image: SA-kuva

Shown here are two German members of the ground crew attaching a 50 kg bomb to the underside of a Stuka wing. A total of four (4) of these bombs could be attached to the plane’s wings.

A 50 kg bomb is attached to the wing of a Stuka dive bomber. A total of four of these bombs could be attached to the plane’s wings. Image: SA-kuva

In this photograph, we see a Stuka crew preparing for a mission to destroy the bridges in the Battle of Tali–Ihantala. The Battle of Tali–Ihantala was part of the Finnish-Soviet Continuation War, which occurred during World War II. The battle was fought between Finnish forces — using war materiel provided by Germany — and Soviet forces.

A Stuka dive bomber crew prepares for a bombing mission to destroy the bridges in the Battle of Tali–Ihantala. The pilot of the Ju 87 D-5 is already in the plane. Image: SA-kuva

In this image we see the commander of a Stuka dove bomber squadron briefing his men on the upcoming mission against the Soviet Union. In these fierce battles, the Stukas flew many sorties and the Stuka could make a major impact on the outcome of the battle. They were powerful air support platforms that saved many units from annihilation.

The commander of several Stuka dive bomber squadrons, Oberleutnant Hans Töpfer, gives the pilots a situation report and mission briefing on June 28, 1944. Image: SA-kuva

In this photo we see a pair of Stuka dive bombers take off to attack Red Army troops of the Soviet Union. The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union.

Stuka dive bombers take off from an airfield in Finland to attack Soviet troops. Image: SA-kuva

In this photograph, we see a Junkers Ju 87 D-5 Stuka dive bomber taxis for a bombing flight against Soviet troops in Finland.

A Junkers Ju 87 D-5 Stuka dive bomber taxis for a bombing flight against Soviet troops in Finland. Image: SA-kuva

In this photo, we see the prototype Junkers Ju-87C version of the Stuka. It was intended for use aboard carriers by the German Navy hence the folding wings and tail hook.

This prototype Junkers Ju 87c Stuka was intended for use by the Kriegsmarine on aircraft carriers. It had folding wings and an arrestor hook visible forward of the rear wheel.

Shown in this digitial photograph is a Ju 87G Stuka with anti-tank guns. An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. However, these were attached as gun pods to the Luftwaffe plane to destroy Allied tanks and armored vehicles.

This German Ju 87G Stuka was captured at an airfield in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. It is examined by an American sergeant. It’s 37mm antitank guns are visible under each wing. Image: NARA

In this photo, we can see the right side gun pod used by the Stuka pilot to attack ground targets. Although the planes were famous for close air support  in the North African desert, more than one stuka crashed in a vertical dive despite its increased range in World War Two.

From this angle, you can see the 37mm gun pod used by Germany to turn the Stuka into a tank buster. Image: NARA

in this 1945 photograph, Staff Sergeant Charles N. Culver of Rosser Texas examines a JU-87G Stuka equipped with 37mm cannons.

Staff Sgt. Charles Culver of Rosser, Texas, examines a 37mm cannon attached to the wing of a German JU 87 Stuka at an airfield in Eastern Europe. Image: NARA

In this image, we see one of the two restored Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers left in the world. This one is in the Royal Air Force Museum. The Royal Air Force Museum London is located on the former Hendon Aerodrome, in North London’s Borough of Barnet. It includes five buildings and hangars showing the history of aviation and the Royal Air Force. It is part of the Royal Air Force Museum.

Shown is one of the two surviving Stukas. This one is in the collection of the RAF Museum outside of London. Image: Author

In this image, we see a heavily damaged Ju 87 on the ground. The airfield had been hit by a B-24 raid late in World War 2. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models designated as various LB-30s, in the Land Bomber design category.

This Stuka Ju 87 was damaged in Vicenza, Italy during a U.S. Army Air Force bomber raid late in the war. Image: NARA

In this photo, we see members of the USAAF inspecting a Stuka abandoned by German troops in Algeria. The United States Air Force is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. During World War II, it was part of the U.S. Army.

Members of the U.S. Army Air Force inspect a Stuka left behind by retreating Germans somewhere in North Africa. Image: NARA

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