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The Ju288 was designed as a successor to the versatile Ju88 and was already in the initial design stages at the outbreak of World War II, being a response to a specification issued in July 1939 for a pressurized bomber of advanced design, with a maximum speed over 400mph (645kph) that could carry 1,102lbs (500kg) of bombs over 3,355 miles (5,400km). It had a forward fuselage similar to the Ju188 with twin fins and rudders but was otherwise a separate programme that was cancelled in mid-1943. The story of the programme was one of a series of technical problems on the one hand and continual requests for redesign on the other. As an example, the original wing span was designed to be 51ft 6in (15.7m) but the final variant measured 74ft 4in (22.65m). A total of twenty-two prototypes were built and flown, of which seventeen crashed during testing, however the final reason for the cancellation in mid-1943 was the shortages of raw materials and a reluctance to affect already established programmes by introducing a new one at a critical stage in the war.
Mondey, David. The Hamlyn Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II, Bounty Books, London, 2006.
Gunston, Bill. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Combat Aircraft of World War II, Salamander Books, London, 1978.
Kay, A L & Smith, J R. German Aircraft of the Second World War, Putnam Aeronautical Books, London, 2002.
Junkers Ju 88 Webpage at http://www.geocities.com/hjunkers/ju_ju88_a1.htm (as of 29 June 2007).
Photos and additional information courtesy of:
http://discaircraft.greyfalcon.us/Anna%20Kreisling.htm
http://uboat.net/technical/ju290.htm
http://www.kheichhorn.de/html/body_junkers_ju_390.html
http://www.warbirdphotos.net/aviapix/Country/Germany/
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/ju290.html
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/ju390.html
Aircraft of the Luftwaffe 1935-1945, Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage.
Combines a good background history of the Luftwaffe with a comprehensive examination of its aircraft, from the biplanes of the mid 1930s to the main wartime aircraft and on to the seemingly unending range of experimental designs that wasted so much effort towards the end of the war. A useful general guide that provides an impressively wide range of information on almost every element of the Luftwaffe
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