Junkers Ju88

One of the War's most versatile aircraft, the Junkers Ju88 was a mainstay of the German Luftwaffe throughout the war. It was one of the very few aircraft that could roam the skies over Britain without being vulnerable. It was tough, fast, and rather maneuverable for a bomber. That led to a later role for the Ju88: Night-Fighter. The Ju-88 was used in nearly every campaign, from Convoy bomber to Flying bomb.

	One of the main reasons I am doing this article is because I believe that the Ju-88 and it's counterparts have been ignored for CFS. I would really like to see a high-quality Ju88 at Simviation. (The other Default bombers of CFS would be nice as well!) I will not list all the technical specifications and designations of all The 88's variants, as that is a job fit for three! I will do an overview of the Ju88's development and operational roles. I will then enter into it's successors, the Ju188 and Ju388.
Exceeded only by the Mosquito in sheer number of forms and purposes, the Ju88 had a long history before the war. It was first flown as a civil prototype. The design process had been rapid. (Led by two Americans, temporarily hired, who were well-versed in modern stressed-skin construction.) The Ju88 never flew in a civil role, however, being almost immediately turned into a bomber. These A-1 bombers were heavier, and slower, but more capacious. These were just entering service when war began. The generally good performance and formidable bomb load were offset by wholly inadequate defensive armament. The A-4 increased the span, and the bomb load and gun power was augmented. This was the base on which diverse development would occur.
The Ju88 was structurally excellent, combined large internal capacity with a great load-carrying capacity. It was also never degraded in performance to the point where it became vulnerable, as were it's Dornier and Heinkel stablemates. With the BMW Radial and the Jumo 213 engines, the later Ju88s were almost as fast as contemporary fighters, at all altitudes, and could be violenty aerobatted as well. One of the 88's basic design feature was that the crew was huddled together, obstensibly to improve combat morale. This made it difficult to add proper defensive armament. In the period of 1940-43, over 2,000 Ju88s were built each year. (Nearly all A-5 or A-4 variants)
	After splitting off into two completely new branches, the Ju188 and 388, the bomber's development was shifted to the streamlined S-series of high performance bombers, as it had been accepted that traditional Luftwaffe bombers were doomed if intercepted, no matter how much armament was carried. Due to this conclusion , bomb and fuel loads were greatly reduced in the S-series and all sub-variants. The G series were the night fighters, and the final series, P, was for big-gun anti-armour aircraft, the Nbwe with flame-throwers and recoilless rocket projectors. Another was a large family of Mistel composite-aircraft combinations, in which the Ju88 lower portion was a pilot-less missile steered by the fighter mounted on top. (Unconfirmed reports spoke of Trainers, but these most likely were mis-identifications of Mistels, or another kind of trainer.) Altogether, Bomber, Reconaissance, and related Ju88s totaled 10,774, while the frantic construction of Night-fighter versions in 1944-45 brought the total to at least 14,980. The Night fighters were extremely formidable, bristling with radar and weapons. These were responsible for destroying more Allied night bombers than all other fighters combined.

Technical Data for Ju88:

Origin: Junkers Flugzeug und Motorenwerke AG, dispersed among 14 plants with subcontract or assembly by ATG. Opel. Volkswagen and various French groups.
Type: Military aircraft designed as dive bomber but developed for level bombing, close support, night fighting, torpedo dropping, reconnaisance and as a pilotless missle. Two to six crewmembers.
Engines: (A-4) two 1,340hp Junkers Jumo 211J 12-cylinder inverted-vee liquid-cooled. (G-7) two 1,880hp Junkers Jumo 213E 12-cylinder inverted-vee liquid-cooled; (S-1) two 1,700hp BMW 801G 18-cylinder two-row radials.
Dimensions: Span 65ft 10.5 in (20.13m), (early versions 59ft 10 3/4in); length 47ft, 2 1/4 in (14.4m); (G-7, 54ft 1 1/2 in); height 15ft 11in (4.85m); (C-6) 16ft 7 1/2 in (5m)
Weights: Empty (A-4) 17,637lb (8000kg); (C-6b) 19,090lb (8660kg). (G-7b) 20,062lb (9100kg); (S-1) 18,300lb (8300kg); maximum loaded (A-4) 30,865lb (14,000kg); (C-6b) 27,500lb (12,485kg); (G-7b) 32,350lb (14,690kg); (S-1) 23,000lb (10,490kg)
Performance: Maximum speed (A-4) 269mph (433 km/h); (C-6b) 300mph (480km/h); (G-7b) 402mph (643 km/h); (S-1) 373mph (600km/h); initial climb (A-4) 1,312ft (400m) /min; (S-1) 1,804ft (550m) /min; service ceiling (A-4) 26,900ft (8200m); (C-6b) 32,480ft (9900m); (G-7b) 28,870ft (8800m); (S-1) 36,090ft (11,000m); range (A-4) 1,112 miles (1790km); (C-6b) 1,243 miles (2000km); (G-7b) 1,430miles (2300km); (S-1) 1,243 miles (2000km)
Armament: Various
Users: Bulgaria (briefly), Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania.