Junkers Ju 88

Specification (A-4)

Type: four-seat bomber / dive bomber; Powerplant: 2 x 1,350hp Junkers Jumo 211J-1 12-cylinder, inverted-V piston engines; Performance: 292mph / 470kph at 17,390ft / 5300m (maximum speed), 248mph / 400kph at 16,405ft / 5000m (maximum cruising speed), 26,900 ft / 8200m (maximum ceiling), 1,696 miles / 2730km (maximum range); Weight: 21,737lbs / 9860kg (empty equipped), 30,865lbs / 14,000kg (maximum take-off); Dimensions: 65ft 7.5in / 20m (wing span), 47ft 2.75in / 14.4m (length), 15ft 11in / 4.85m (height), 586.6sq.ft / 54.5m.sq (wing area); Armament: 1 x 7.92mm MG81 machinegun and either 1 x 13mm MG131 machinegun or 2 x 7.92mm MG81 machineguns firing forward, two similar guns in the cockpit firing aft and another two below the fuselage firing aft as well, up to 4,409lbs / 2000kg of bombs held either internally or externally; Used By: Germany, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy & Romania.

History

Considered by many to be the most versatile German aircraft in World War II, the Ju88 grew out of a requirement in 1935 for a three-seat high-speed bomber to be capable of more than 298mph / 480kph and remained in production until the end of the war. Both Henschel and Messerschmitt initially tendered to the same specification but later withdrew. The prototype bomber flew on 21 December 1936 with 2 x 1,000hp Daimler-Benz DB600Ae inline engines with annular radiators, giving them the appearance of radials - the use of these were to continue throughout its development. The third prototype had 1,000hp Junkers Jumo engines which enabled it to reach 323mph / 520kph during tests. This high performance enable the Ju88 to attempt record-breaking flights and in March 1939 the fifth prototype set a 621-mile (1,000km) closed-circuit record of 321.25 mph (517kph) carrying a 4,409lbs (2,000kg) payload. A total of ten prototypes were completed and the first pre-production planes (Ju88A-0) flew in early 1939, while the first production aircraft (Ju88A-1) rolled off the lines in September 1939. Teething problems were gradually ironed out and additional variants gradually began to appear, like the Ju88A-2 which featured rocket packs to assist with overload conditions that could be jettisoned, Ju88A-3 which was a dual-control trainer and the Ju88A-4, the first highly modified development. This variant was designed around the new and more powerful Jumo 211J engine and featured a greater wing span and strengthened airframe to take larger loads.

Because of problems with the new engines, the Ju88A-5 overtook the A-4 for a time and featured the greater wingspan but the previous engines. Many of these aircraft had balloon-cable fenders and cutters fitted so that they could deal with barrage balloons during the Battle of Britain and became the Ju88A-6 while some were converted to dual-control trainers and designated the Ju88A-7. By the time the Ju88A-4 had started to enter service in significant numbers, lessons from the Battle of Britain indicated the need for heavier armament and greater crew protection. Several different armament layouts were used but a typical one would be a single 7.92mm (0.31in) MG81 machinegun on the right side of the nose (operated by the pilot), two MG81 or a single 13mm (0.51in) machine gun firing forward through the transparent nose panels (operated by the bombardier). The same option was available in the ventral gondola beneath the nose firing aft, while two MG81s were at the rear of the cockpit canopy. The aircraft could carry 4,409lbs (2,000kg) of bombs beneath the wings and another 1,102lbs (500kg) of bombs in the bomb bay. Sub-variants of the Ju88 extended up to the Ju88A-17 and included the Ju88A-12 and Ju88A-16 which were trainers, the Ju88A-8 and Ju88A-14 which had cable cutters, the Ju88A-11 which was a tropical variant, the Ju88A-17 which could carry two 1,686lbs torpedoes and the Ju88A-15 which had an enlarged bomb bay and could carry 6,614lbs (3,000kg) of bombs.

By the end of 1942, the Luftwaffe had taken delivery of 8,000 Ju88 aircraft. While the A series was in full production, Junkers was developing the B series, the prototype for which flew in 1940 with two 1,600hp BMW 801MA radial engines. The main difference visually, was the extensive glazing of the front nose while it had a slight performance increase over the A series, although not enough to warrant changing the production lines and so only ten prototypes were built. Previous to this, the Luftwaffe had been experimenting with the idea of a fighter version of the Ju88 but the priority had been to produce bombers and so it wasn't until mid-1939 that the second preproduction Ju88A was modified by fitting a solid nose armed with three 7.92mm (0.31in) MG17 machineguns and one 20mm FF/M cannon, all firing forwards, while single 7.92mm (0.31in) machineguns were installed in the dorsal and ventral positions firing aft. This version would have become the Ju88C-1, equipped with 1,600hp BMW 801 engines but these engines were needed for Focke-Wulf Fw190 production and so around 130 Ju88A-1 aircraft were converted on the production line and became the Ju88C-2 night fighter, carrying out intruder patrols over British bomber bases. The first fighter to be built from scratch, was the Ju88C-4 which had the wider wing span of the Ju88A-4 and 1,340hp Jumo 211J engines. Attempts to provide extra power by converting the plane to take the 1,700hp BMW 801D radial engines gave rise to the Ju88C-3 and C-5 variants of which one and ten were built respectively but the plan was cut short by the shortage of BMW engines. Even as the last of the C-4s were coming off the line, the Ju88C-6 followed which was basically an up-armoured day fighter and a sub-variant (C-6b) became the first radar-equipped night fighter with Lichtenstein radar in the nose. It was to prove a considerable success as between the 31 January and 30 March 1944 some 342 bombers were shot down out of 3,759 despatched.

Next, out of sequence alphabetically, came the Ju88R-1 and R-2 variants. The R-1 had same airframe and armament as the C-6b but used the BMW 801MA radial engines while the R-2 used the BMW 801D engines. The D series were developed as long-range reconnaissance aircraft and based on the Ju88A-4. Almost 1,500 were built between 1941 and 1944 and served on all fronts during the war. These covered the variants from Ju88D-1 to D-5 and differed in terms of engines and internal layout. In an effort to improve stability, a new, taller, square-cut tail plane and rudder were fitted to a Ju88R-2, becoming the Ju88G-1. The armament was reduced by the removal of the twin nose cannon but the aircraft retained the Lichtenstein radar and Flensburg aerials in the nose so it could home in on RAF bombers. The aircraft had the BMW 801D engines and gradually developed into a number of sub-variants. The Ju88G-4 used the Me110s schräge Musik installation of two MG151 cannon firing forwards and upwards. The main differences between the sub-variants were in the types of radar and armament fitted, although the later variants (G-6c onwards) reverted to Jumo engines – the last variant produced was the Ju88G-7c. Development of the basic Ju88D reconnaissance series resulted in the Ju88H series, the prototype for which combined the wings and BMW engines of a Ju88G-1 with the fuselage and tail from a Ju88D-1, although this fuselage was in fact stretched by 10ft 8in (3.25m) to 57ft 10.75in (17.65m) and the extra fuel that could be carried meant the aircraft had a range of 3,200 miles (5,150km).

Ten Ju88H-1 reconnaissance aircraft and two Ju88H-2 long-range fighters were built, the latter having six forward firing 20mm MG151 cannon instead of the Ju88H-1s cameras and radar. Despite being built in relatively small numbers, these types saw action over the Atlantic. Just as Ju87s were converted to tank-busters, so a number of Ju88s were to, to form the Ju88P series. In 1942, a Ju88A-4 airframe formed the basis of a prototype and was tested with a 75mm (2.95in) KwK39 cannon mounted in a larger underbelly fairing. A small number were ordered as the Ju88P-1, armed with a 75mm (2.95in) Pak40 cannon and a 7.92mm (0.31in) MG81 forward-firing machinegun for the pilot to aim the cannon. The usual ventral and dorsal machineguns were carried as well. Other sub-variants with alternative armament were built, including the Ju88P-2 and P-3 (two 37mm BK cannon) and the Ju88P-4 (one 50mm BK5 cannon), with some thirty-two of this final variant being built. By 1942, the Ju88 was finding it increasingly difficult to escape from enemy fighters, and so the Ju88S series was developed, the prototype having two BMW 801D 1,700hp radial engines married to a Ju88A-4 airframe which gave a speed of 332 mph (535 kph). A pre-production batch was ordered, followed in 1943 by production of the Ju88S-1 with BMW 801G engines, boosted to 1,730hp at 5,005ft (1,525m). In order to save weight however, armament was reduced to a single rear-firing 13mm (0.51in) MG131 machinegun, giving a maximum speed (with nitrous oxide injection) of 379 mph (610 kph) at 26,245ft (8,000m). Two addition sub-variants were built in 1944 - the Ju88S-2 and S-3, the latter having Jumo 213A engines which boosted produced 2,125hp and a speed of 382 mph (615 kph) at 27,885ft (8500m). Only a few production aircraft were built however and a high-speed photo reconnaissance version, the Ju88T was also built in small numbers. Total Ju88 production totalled almost 15,000 between 1936 and 1945.

Ju88 Variants

• Mistel Composites - the idea of using an aircraft to carry another had been around since the First World War. In may 1916, a Bristol Scout was carried to a height of 1,000ft (305m) on a Porte Baby flying boat to test the feasibility of carrying a fighter to within range of the Zeppelins raiding the UK. Skipping forward to 1938, Short Brothers flew a 'Mayo' composite, the carrier being a four-engined flying boat which transported a heavily-laden four-engined seaplane carrying a greater load than it could have carried by itself and taken off from the water. In 1943, it was proposed that aging Ju88 airframes be converted to pilot-less missiles with the installation of an explosive warhead in the nose. This would be flown to within range of the target by the pilot of a single-seat fighter that would be mounted on struts above the central fuselage, the fighter then detaching and remotely piloting the lower section to the target. The first prototype consisted of a Ju88A-4 with a Bf109F fighter and this proved sufficiently successful for another fifteen conversions (called Mistel - Mistletoe) to be ordered from Junkers under a programme codenamed 'Beethoven'. An initial batch of trainers were converted using Bf109F-4s as the upper component while the lower Ju88 component was stripped of all non-essential equipment but retained some controls to enable training. The nose section could removed using quick-release bolts to enable the warhead to be attached. Operations started in mid-1944 when four Allied ships were attacked at night. All were hit but none sunk. This encouraged the Luftwaffe and another seventy-five were ordered, this time using Ju88G-1 airframes and mounting Focke-Wulf Fw190A-6 or F-8 fighters in a 'Mistel 2' combination. Unfortunately, the combination of the fully-fuelled weight of the Ju88G-1 and the Fw190 meant that several accidents occured due to burst tyres. A planned attack on the British Fleet in Scarpa Flow in December 1944 by sixty Mistrel combinations was thwarted by bad weather, perhaps fortunately, as the combinations were only able to travel at 236mph (380kph) and were ungainly making them easy targets for British night fighters had they intercepted them. The next major operation was set for March 1945 and targeted Soviet arms factories using 100 of the 125 Misteln then on order but the operation was cancelled when Soviet forces overran the airfields that were to be used. Sporadic attacks were made on specific tagets on both fronts but the Misteln suffered heavy losses, although production continued using the Ju88G-10 and Ju88H-4 airframes then in production. The Ju88G-10s were combined with Fw190A-8s with over-wing long-range tanks (Mistel 3C) while the Ju88H-4 / Fw190A-8 combination were known as Mistel 3B. A variant on the 3B was having the Ju88 with a crew of three to act as an ultra long-range pathfinder with its own fighter escort, to be launched only in an emergency. One of the last Mistel combinations that were tested consisted of a Ta 152H / Ju88G-7 combination that flew in the last few weeks of the war. Total Mistel production amounted to 250 combinations.
• Ju188 - a successor to the Ju88 was at an advanced stage of design at the outbreak of the Second World War but almost three years on, the Ju288 had yet to go into production and it was obvious that a stop-gap design was needed to bring the series up-to-date. Junkers had been working on an improved version of the Ju88 as a private venture and the first results featured a completely new forward fuselage. The prototype was the Ju88B and ten preproduction aircraft were constructed, paving the way for the Ju188 that featured a new nose, pointed-tip wings with an increase of 6ft 6.75in (2m) in span, a new tail unit with the tall, square fin and rudder as used on the Ju88G and a streamlined dorsal turret. The first prototype Ju188 was built in early 1942, featuring BMW 801MA radial engines and was followed by a second prototype in January 1943. The successful performance warranted production but it was stipulated that the airframe should be able to accept either BMW 801 or Jumo 213 engines without modification, so that if one type of engine became unavailable, the other could be used thereby not affecting production. Deliveries of the Ju188E-1aircraft with 1,600hp BMW 801ML engines began in February 1943 and 283 had been delivered by the end of the year. Additional lines were opened in early 1944 by ATG, Leipzig and Siebel / Halle. Designation of the first model of aircraft with the Jumo 213A-1 engine was Ju188A-2 and featured water-methanol injection, boosting the engine performance from 1,776hp to 2,240hp for take-off. the Ju188A-3 was another variant that featured a nose radar and the ability to carry two torpedoes beneath the wings. Two reconnaissance versions soon followed (Ju188D-1 and D-2), both of which had a reduced crew of three, the 20mm forward-firing cannon removed and additional fuel tanks to give a range of 2,110 miles (3395km). The cameras carried depended on the mission. The D-2 had nose radar as it was to operate over the sea. The E versions were similar to the Ds but with BMW 801 engines - the 1,600hp BMW 801 soon giving way to the 1,700hp BMW 801D. The E-2 was similar to the Ju188A-3 torpedo bomber. There were additional reconnaissance (surveyor) variants with the Ju188F-1 and F-2, similar to the D series but incorporating BMW 801D2 engines. There were G and H models with manned rear turrets but these never reached flight testing although the Ju188R night fighters were built but offered little over the existing Ju88G series so did not go into serial production. High altitude models that were originally proposed to be the Ju188J (fighter), Ju188K (bomber) and Ju188L (reconnaissance) versions were eventually, with the demise of the Ju288 programme, re-designated the Ju388J, Ju388K and Ju388L while simpler variants with no defensive armament were designated the Ju188S (bomber) and T (surveyor). These latter variants had the Jumo 213E-1 engines with water-methanol injection giving 2,168hp at take-off and 1,690hp at 31,400ft (9,570m). The Ju188T could fly at 435mph (700kph) at this altitude but the Ju188S could only carry 1,764lbs of bombs. Total production of Ju188 variants was 1,076 with over half of these being reconnaissance versions. Unusually, twelve Ju188Es were ordered by France's Aeronavale just after the war and were built by SNCASE in Toulouse from German components and used for testing.
• Ju288 - The Ju288 was designed as the successor to the Ju88 and was 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 but was otherwise a seperate programme that was cancelled in mid-1943.
• Ju388 - As mentioned above, with the demise of the Ju288 series, it was urgent to fill the gap created but luckily, Junkers had carried on development of the high-altitude variants of the Ju188 and three of these models, the J, K and L variants, became the Ju388J (all-weather fighter), Ju388K (bomber) and Ju388L (photo-reconnaissance) models. All of these models were due to use the Jumo 213E engines, but supplies of these were unreliable due to the great demand and so many of those built were fitted with turbocharged BMW 801TJ radial engines. Since high-altitude reconnaissance was a priority, the first prototype of the new series was the Ju388L, a converted Ju188T aircraft but the following pre-production batch utilised Ju88S airframes, the first being handed over to the Luftwaffe in August 1944. Some forty-seven Ju388T aircraft were built by the end of December 1944 when it was decided that photo reconnaissance was no longer a priority. The other programmes fared even worse, with three prototypes of the JU388J being built and ten pre-production Ju388K aircraft and five Ju388K-1 production aircraft being completed before this programme was stopped as well, the last development of the Ju88.
• Ju488 - The final development of the Ju88 family, the Ju488 started after the cancellation of the Ju288 and the failure of the Heinkel He177 bomber programme to come to a successful conclusion. Junkers proposed a four-engine high-altitude bomber and survey aircraft based on components from the Ju88 family. The forward fuselage and undercarriage were taken from the Ju388 design, as were the wings, although an additional centre section was added to carry the additional two engines. The tail was taken from the Ju288 and the rest of the fuselage lengthened. Further development took place at Latecore near Toulouse. Two prototypes were built during 1944 and another four were on order from RLM when the programme ended. Serial production had been planned for summer 1945. The two prototypes were destroyed in July 1944 by the French Resistance while development continued until November 1944 when the programme was stopped in favour of advanced fighter programmes.

Bibliography

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, London, 1978.
Wikipedia. Junkers Ju 88 Webpage, active as of 30 June 2007 and currently located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_88.
Junkers Ju 88 Webpage at http://www.geocities.com/hjunkers/ju_ju88_a1.htm (as of 29 June 2007).

Pictures courtesy of:
World War II Color Pictures (http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/justin/1087/WWII/)
Uboat.net (http://uboat.net)
The Classic Airplane Museum (http://www.ne.jp/asahi/airplane/museum/index-E.html)
Junkers Ju88 Webpage (http://www.geocities.com/hjunkers/ju_ju88_a1.htm)

Luftwaffe Mistel Composite Bomber Units, Robert Forsyth . Starts with a brief look at the pre-war origins of the idea of guiding one aircraft from another one mounted above it, before moving on to the German development of this into a potentially potent weapon, and finishing with a detailed account of the very limited impact the Mistel weapons actually had in combat (so typical of German wartime weapons programmes). [read full review]

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