Junkers Ju 88
Description
Role	Bomber
Crew
First Flight	December 21, 1936
Entered Service	September, 1939
Manufacturer	Junkers
Dimensions
Length	14.2 m	46 ft 6 in
Wingspan	18 m	59 ft 0 in
Height	4.7 m	15 ft 5 in
Wing Area	47.8 m²	515 ft²
Weights
Empty	3,900 kg	8,600 lb
Loaded	7,700 kg	16,980 lb
Maximum takeoff	kg	lb
Powerplant
Engine	2 × Junkers Jumo 211A
Power (each)	900 kW	1,200 hp
Performance
Maximum speed	510 km/h @ 4,750 m	317 mph @ 15,600ft
Combat range	2,108 km	1,310 miles
Ferry range	km	miles
Service ceiling	9,080 m	29,800 ft
Rate of climb	m/min	ft/min
Armament
Guns	6 machine guns
Bombs	3,000 kg (6,615 lb)

The Junkers Ju 88 was a WW2 Luftwaffe twin-engine multi-role aircraft. Among the most versatile planes of the war, it was used as a bomber, close-support aircraft, nightfighter, torpedo bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. Junkers Ju 88 bomber. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1936: Events February February 13 - Imperial Airways commences airmail services to West Africa March March 23 - Impreial Airways begins scheduled flights between Hong Kong and Malaysia. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1939: Events January January 12 - the RAF Auxiliary Air Force Reserve is formed February February 9 - Alex Henshaw sets a new speed record for the round trip between England and Cape Town in 4 days 10 minutes in a Percival Mew... ... The Junkers Jumo 211 was the aircraft engine used by German company Junkers to propel its Ju 88 twin-engine, multirole airplane which was built for the Luftwaffe and heavily employed in World War II. The engine power generated by the Jumo 211A was 900 kW = 1,200 hp. ... ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ... The Luftwaffe â–¶(?) (German: air force, IPA: [luftvafÉ™]) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night, or in other times of bad visibility. ... A modern torpedo, historically called a self-propelled torpedo, is a self-propelled guided projectile that (after being launched above or below the water surface) operates underwater and is designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ... Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ...

A solid aircraft with great performance, it went on to be the Luftwaffe's most important aircraft. It carried out almost every kind of mission ever imagined, even a giant flying bomb, in every theater, with many nations, including allied nations against Germany.

The aircraft's first flight was made by Prototype Ju 88V1 on December 21, 1936. When it first flew, it managed about 360 mph (580 km/h) and Hermann Göring was ecstatic. Finally it was something that could positively fulfill the promise of the Schnellbomber, a bomber so fast fighters could not catch it. December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also Goering in English) (January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946) was an early member of the Nazi party, founder of the Gestapo, and one of the main leaders of Nazi Germany. ... A Schnellbomber (German, literally fast bomber) was a specialized high-speed bomber aircraft. ...

Unfortunately, by the time everyone had their wish list added (including dive bombing), the speed dropped to around 280 mph (450 km/h). The draggy fuselage was modeled after its predecessor, the Dornier Do 17 but with fewer defensive guns because the belief still held it could run away from fighters. It was also very, very late. Planned for 1938, it finally entered service the day the Germans invaded Poland, and then with only 12 of them. Production was painfully slow, and problems with such an advanced machine kept cropping up. The Ju-88C series of heavy fighter was also created very early in 1940, but kept secret from Goering because he only wanted bombers. The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Bleistift (pencil), was a World War II light bomber produced by Dornier that was used at the beginning of the war by the Luftwaffe. ...

The Ju-88A-1 series was first used in anti-shipping action close to Norway. Ju-88 bombers based at Westerland on the island of Sylt in north Germany carried out the first Luftwaffe raids against Britain. An attack on Rosyth on October 16 1939 succeeding in damaging three ships, but was then engaged in dogfights by Spitfires of 602 and 603 Squadrons of the RAF and two 88s were shot down in the Firth of Forth. A raid on Scapa Flow the next day lost one Ju-88 to anti-aircraft fire. All combat ready 88s (some 133) were pressed into the Blitzkrieg, but very high combat losses and accidents forced a quick withdrawal from combat to train crews to fly this very high performance beast. By this time it was seen that the A-1 had major performance issues, and all effort was put on a major rework. The outcome was a longer wingspan that was deemed needed for all A-1s, thus the A-5 was born. Surviving A-1s were rewinged to A-5 as quickly as possible. The German island of Sylt is located in the North Sea off the coast of Germany and Denmark. ... Rosyth (pronounced Ross-sythe) (Scottish Gaelic: Ros Saoithe) is located on the Firth of Forth on Scotlands east coast, a mile (1. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Spitfire in action The Supermarine Spitfire was a single-seat fighter used by the RAF and many Allied countries in World War II. The Spitfires elliptical wings gave it a very distinctive look; their thin cross-section gave it speed; the brilliant design of Chief Designer R.J. Mitchell... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Firth of Forth from Calton Hill The Forth Bridges cross the Firth The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotlands River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh, and East Lothian to... Scapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom. ... Blitzkrieg relies on close co-operation between infantry and panzers (tanks). ...

The Battle of Britain proved very costly. Its faster speed did not prevent Ju-88 losses greater than its Dornier Do 17 and Heinkel He 111 stable mates, despite being in smaller numbers than either. A blizzard of field kits were made to make it less vulnerable, including changing the single rear gun to two side-by-side guns, and adding armour to the cockpit. The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Bleistift (pencil), was a World War II light bomber produced by Dornier that was used at the beginning of the war by the Luftwaffe. ... The Heinkel He 111 was the primary Luftwaffe medium bomber during the early stages of World War II, and is perhaps the most obvious symbol of the German side of the Battle of Britain. ...

It was during the closing days of the Battle of Britain that the flagship Ju88A-4 went into service. Although slower yet than the A-1, nearly all of the troubles of the A-1 were gone, and finally the 88 matured into the superb warplane it was hoped to be. The A-4 actually saw more improvements including more powerful engines but did not see a model code change, unlike other aircraft in the Luftwaffe. The 88C series also benefited from the A-4 changes, and when the Luftwaffe finally did decide on a new heavy fighter, the 88C was a powerful finished product.

There is no question the 88 (and upgraded 188) was one of the most versatile aircraft designs (out of necessity?) and an excellent all around performer, but its combat record was mixed. It never quite achieved the same notoriety as the Ju-87, B-25, or other contemporary bombers.

Various models of the Ju 88 were used in the day fighter, night fighter, tank destroyer, and photo reconnaissance roles. Despite the protracted development process, the aircraft became one of the Luftwaffe's most crucial assets.

The Japanese Navy ordered the specifications of an antisubmarine Patrol/escort fleet aircraft, based on a medium bomber plane. Kyushu company took the idea from the Ju 88 to create the Japanese equivalent of this, Kyushu Q1W Tokai ("East Sea") "Lorna" antisubmarine patrol/fleet escort aircraft. The Kyushu Q1W Tokai (東海, Eastern Sea), was a land-based anti-submarine patrol bomber aircraft developed for the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. The Allied code name was Lorna. ...