Ju 88A-1 Specifications

Crew: Pilot and three gunners/navigators/bomb-aimers

Powerplant: Two 1,200 hp Junkers Jumo 211B-1 twelve-cylinder liquid-cooled engines

Span: 59 ft 10¾ in (18.25 m)

Length: 47 ft 1 in (14.35 m)

Max Speed: 286 mph (461 km/h) at 16,000 ft (4,876 m)

Armament: Three 7.9 mm machine guns in front and rear cockpit mountings and ventral gondola

Bomb Load: Normal load of 3,968 lb (1,801 kg) carried on four underwing pylons, plus small internal capacity

Image: The Junkers Ju 88A-1. The original bomber version of the highly adaptable aircraft.

Introduction

The Junkers Ju 88 was a German twin-engined multi-role combat aircraft and one of the most important and versatile designs operated by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Conceived as a high-speed medium bomber, it was subsequently developed for dive bombing, reconnaissance, torpedo attack, heavy-fighter and night-fighter operations.

The Ju 88 combined a substantial bomb load with greater speed and manoeuvrability than the Heinkel He 111 and Dornier Do 17. Developmental problems delayed its entry into service until the opening day of the war, however, and early production remained painfully slow. Only a handful of aircraft took part in the Polish campaign, while mechanical failures, structural weaknesses and inadequate defensive armament continued to affect the first operational versions.

During the Battle of Britain, the Ju 88 proved both the toughest of the Luftwaffe’s principal medium bombers and the most costly in terms of aircraft destroyed. Its crews could often escape interception by diving away at high speed, but 303 Ju 88s were lost between 1 July and 31 October 1940. Continued development eventually overcame many of its early shortcomings and allowed the aircraft to remain in production and operational service until the end of the war.

Development and Design

The Ju 88 was designed at Junkers Flugzeug und Motorenwerke by a team led by Wilhelm Heinrich Evers and the American engineer Alfred Gassner, who worked in Europe during 1935 and 1936. Their aircraft was developed in response to a 1935 Reichsluftfahrtministerium requirement for an unarmed three-seat Schnellbomber, or fast bomber, capable of carrying up to 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of bombs while relying upon speed for protection.

The resulting design was an all-metal, low-wing monoplane of stressed-skin construction. It was selected over rival proposals submitted by Focke-Wulf, Henschel and Messerschmitt. The first of five prototypes, the Ju 88 V1, made its maiden flight on 21 December 1936 with two Daimler-Benz DB 600 inline engines. After the V1 was damaged in a crash landing, the V2 continued the flight-test programme and reached approximately 289 mph (465 km/h).

The Ju 88 V3 introduced the Junkers Jumo 211 V-12 engine that became standard on production aircraft. It also incorporated a revised crew compartment with a ventral position for the bomb aimer. The four-seat V4 introduced the extensively glazed “beetle-eye” nose associated with the bomber variants, formed from twenty optically flat panels, together with a ventral Bola gondola containing a rearward-firing defensive position.

The streamlined Ju 88 V5 demonstrated the design’s performance potential during 1939. Carrying a 2,000 kg payload, it completed 1,000 km and 2,000 km circuits at average speeds of approximately 321 mph (517 km/h) and 311 mph (500 km/h) respectively. The V6 became the principal production prototype for the A-series and introduced hydraulically operated main undercarriage legs that rotated through 90 degrees before retracting into the engine nacelles. The V7 helped establish the C-series heavy fighter, replacing the glazed bomber nose with a solid section containing two 20 mm MG FF cannon and two 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns.

By 1938, the original unarmed Schnellbomber had evolved into a four-seat armed medium bomber with a precision dive-bombing capability. Dive brakes were installed beneath the wings, the fuselage was reinforced and provision was made for additional internal and external bombs. These modifications increased weight and reduced performance, while repeated diving attacks placed severe stress upon the airframe.

The production Ju 88A-1 was powered by two Junkers Jumo 211B engines. Annular radiators were mounted directly behind the propellers, giving the engine cowlings the outward appearance of radial installations despite the use of liquid-cooled V-12 powerplants. The crew occupied a compact compartment in the forward fuselage, where the extensively glazed nose provided excellent visibility but concentrated the pilot, navigator, bomb aimer and flight engineer within a relatively confined space.

Defensive armament initially comprised only three or four 7.92 mm MG 15 machine guns. One fixed gun fired forwards from the nose, while flexible weapons covered the rear from the cockpit roof and ventral gondola. Field modifications added further rearward- and laterally firing guns together with armour, but the flight engineer could be required to operate as many as four defensive weapons with restricted arcs of fire.

Further A-series derivatives reflected continuing efforts to improve the bomber. The A-2 incorporated rocket-assisted take-off equipment, while the A-3 was a dual-control trainer. The definitive A-4 introduced Jumo 211J engines, improved armour and a strengthened undercarriage, together with the extended 20 m wing. Delays to the new engine led to the interim A-5 appearing first with many of the A-4’s structural improvements, including the longer, strengthened wing and metal-skinned ailerons.

Entry Into Luftwaffe Service and the Second World War

Pre-production Ju 88A-0 aircraft underwent trials during the opening months of 1939, but problems with the Jumo 211 engine and numerous aircraft systems delayed full-scale manufacture. Although service introduction had originally been planned for 1938, the Ju 88A-1 did not enter squadron service until 1 September 1939. Only twelve aircraft were available, and production was proceeding at approximately one aircraft per week.

Those twelve Ju 88A-1s served in Poland with Erprobungskommando 88, attached to 1./KG 25. The unit’s purpose was to test the new bomber and its crews under combat conditions, but its small size meant that it had no significant influence upon the campaign.

The Ju 88 saw more substantial action during the Norwegian campaign. On 9 April 1940, aircraft of II./KG 30 dive-bombed Allied shipping, sinking the destroyer HMS Gurkha and damaging the battleship HMS Rodney. Four Ju 88s were lost during the operation.

When Germany launched its offensive in Western Europe on 10 May, KG 30 and four Gruppen within KGs 4 and 51 and LG 1 operated the Ju 88A-1. Only 133 aircraft were available, leaving the greater part of the bombing effort to He 111 units. Nevertheless, Ju 88 formations helped destroy almost 250 Allied aircraft on the ground during the first seventy-two hours, while KG 51 conducted precision attacks against French railway communications and Allied shipping during the evacuation from Dunkirk.

The campaign also exposed serious shortcomings. Eighty Ju 88s were destroyed between 10 May and 18 June, including aircraft lost through combat, mechanical and structural failure, and operational accidents. Crews converting from the more docile He 111 found the Schnellbomber demanding to fly, while structural failures were particularly associated with dive-bombing operations.

Many of these problems were addressed as the Ju 88A-5 began reaching units during the early summer of 1940. Free of many of the restrictions imposed upon the A-1, it performed well during the summer and autumn.

The Ju 88 in the Battle of Britain

The Ju 88 entered the Battle of Britain while units were still converting to the type. Five Kampfgeschwader had completed conversion, while three others continued to replace their He 111s. Operational formations included KGs 1, 4, 30, 40, 51, 54, 76 and 77, together with LG 1, KGr 806 and several reconnaissance groups. Both the restricted short-span A-1 and the improved long-span A-5 took part.

Despite its greater speed and smaller numbers, the Ju 88 suffered heavier losses than either the Do 17 or He 111. A total of 303 Ju 88s were destroyed over Britain between 1 July and 31 October 1940, compared with 242 He 111s and 132 Do 17s. The Ju 88 nevertheless earned a reputation as the most difficult of the German medium bombers to destroy, with RAF combat reports frequently noting its ability to escape by diving away at very high speed.

The aircraft was used for both formation bombing and precision attacks. On 12 August, sixty-three Ju 88s of KG 51 attacked Portsmouth, with fifteen aircraft detaching from the main formation to strike the Chain Home radar station at Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. Both attacks were successful.

On 15 August, fifty unescorted Ju 88s of KG 30 flew from Denmark to attack the Bomber Command airfield at Driffield, causing severe damage but losing seven aircraft to RAF fighters. On the same day, twenty-seven Ju 88s of LG 1 struck Middle Wallop and Worthy Down in Hampshire. The airfields sustained widespread damage, while five bombers were lost.

Losses continued as the Luftwaffe intensified its attacks upon London. Five KG 30 aircraft were lost during a raid on the docks on 9 September, while LG 1 lost another three in operational accidents. Twelve Ju 88s were destroyed on 18 September, nine of them from KG 77 during an attack on Tilbury Docks.

Attrition reached its peak on 27 September. Fifty-five Ju 88s of II./KG 77 continued towards southern London after missing their fighter escort over the Channel. Approximately 120 Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes intercepted the formation, destroying twelve bombers as they withdrew towards the coast. LG 1 lost another two Ju 88s that day, while a reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over north Devon.

One of the aircraft lost on 27 September was a Ju 88A-1 (3Z+EL, Wk-Nr 8099) of 3./KG 77, which crash-landed on Graveney Marsh in Kent. Its surviving crew briefly exchanged fire with soldiers of the 1st Battalion, London Irish Rifles before surrendering, producing the last recorded ground engagement between British and foreign troops on the British mainland.

The losses of 27 September effectively ended the Ju 88’s major participation in the daylight campaign. As the Luftwaffe reduced its day offensive and shifted towards nocturnal bombing, Ju 88 units assumed an important role in the night Blitz.

Strengths and Limitations

The Ju 88’s principal strengths were its speed, manoeuvrability and ability to withstand combat damage. It was faster and more agile than the He 111 or Do 17, while its ability to dive away at high speed gave crews a valuable means of escaping interception. Fighter Command pilots frequently described it as the most difficult of the principal German medium bombers to destroy.

The aircraft also combined a substantial bomb-carrying capacity with the ability to conduct precision diving attacks. Internal stowage and external racks allowed it to carry a formidable offensive load, while the wing-mounted dive brakes made it effective against tactical targets. The design retained enough performance to absorb later increases in armour and defensive armament without losing its overall usefulness.

The early A-1 nevertheless offered inadequate protection against fighter attack. Its defensive machine guns covered restricted arcs, particularly to the rear, and the flight engineer was overburdened by responsibility for several positions. Adding more weapons improved the volume of defensive fire but did not eliminate the aircraft’s vulnerability to coordinated attacks from astern.

Mechanical unreliability, structural weakness under dive-bombing loads and demanding handling created equally serious problems. Repeated diving attacks imposed excessive stress upon the airframe, while crews accustomed to the more forgiving He 111 sometimes struggled with the Ju 88 during take-off, landing and high-speed manoeuvres. These defects contributed to heavy operational losses and demonstrated that the aircraft’s advanced performance had been achieved at the cost of greater complexity and crew workload.

Legacy

The Ju 88 remained in production throughout the Second World War with its basic structure largely unchanged. More than 16,000 aircraft were completed in dozens of variants, including over 7,000 Ju 88As. This made it the most extensively produced German twin-engined aircraft of the period.

Its wartime career expanded far beyond the medium-bomber and dive-bomber duties for which it had originally been developed. Later variants served as long-range reconnaissance aircraft, torpedo bombers, heavy fighters, night fighters, fast attack aircraft and pathfinders. The ability to accommodate different weapons and specialised equipment allowed the Ju 88 to operate on every major front until the end of the war.

The aircraft’s legacy rested upon this unusual combination of performance and adaptability. Its troubled introduction and severe losses during the campaigns of 1940 demonstrated that it was neither invulnerable nor simple to operate. Once its early defects were addressed, however, the Ju 88 became one of the Luftwaffe’s most capable and indispensable combat aircraft, fulfilling a broader range of duties than any of Germany’s other principal wartime bombers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Junkers Ju 88?

The Junkers Ju 88 was a German twin-engined multi-role combat aircraft. It entered service as a medium bomber but was subsequently developed for dive bombing, reconnaissance, torpedo attack, heavy-fighter and night-fighter operations.

Who designed the Junkers Ju 88?

The Ju 88 was designed at Junkers Flugzeug und Motorenwerke by a team led by Wilhelm Heinrich Evers and American engineer Alfred Gassner. Their work answered a 1935 RLM requirement for a fast bomber carrying up to 1,000 kg of bombs.

When did the Ju 88 first fly?

The first prototype, the Ju 88 V1, made its maiden flight on 21 December 1936. It was powered by two Daimler-Benz DB 600 inline engines.

When did the Ju 88 enter Luftwaffe service?

The Ju 88A-1 entered squadron service on 1 September 1939. Only twelve aircraft were available at the outbreak of the war, and these served in Poland with Erprobungskommando 88.

What engines powered the Ju 88?

The first two prototypes used Daimler-Benz DB 600 engines. The V3 introduced the Junkers Jumo 211 V-12, which became the standard powerplant for the early production Ju 88A series.

Why did the Ju 88 have a glazed nose?

The extensively glazed “beetle-eye” nose gave the pilot, navigator and bomb aimer excellent forward and downward visibility. The Ju 88 V4 was the first four-seat prototype to introduce the arrangement later used by production bombers.

Could the Ju 88 dive-bomb?

Yes. Dive brakes were fitted beneath the wings, and the airframe was reinforced for precision diving attacks. The technique could be highly accurate, but repeated dive bombing imposed damaging structural stresses upon the aircraft.

What bomb load could the Ju 88A-1 carry?

The Ju 88A-1 could carry a maximum bomb load of approximately 4,409 lb (2,000 kg), distributed between its internal bomb bays and external underwing racks.

How many Ju 88s fought in the Battle of France?

Only 133 Ju 88s were available for the campaign beginning on 10 May 1940. Eighty aircraft were destroyed between 10 May and 18 June through combat, accidents, and mechanical or structural failures.

How many Ju 88s were lost during the Battle of Britain?

A total of 303 Ju 88s were destroyed over Britain between 1 July and 31 October 1940. Despite being faster and deployed in smaller numbers, it suffered heavier losses than either the He 111 or Do 17.

Why was the Ju 88 difficult to shoot down?

The Ju 88 was the toughest of the Luftwaffe’s principal medium bombers. It could absorb considerable damage and frequently escaped RAF fighters by diving away at very high speed.

What happened during the Ju 88 raid of 27 September 1940?

Fifty-five Ju 88s of II./KG 77 continued towards southern London after missing their escort over the Channel. Around 120 RAF fighters intercepted them, destroying twelve bombers. Further Ju 88 losses that day effectively ended the type’s major participation in the daylight campaign.

What was the difference between the Ju 88A-1 and A-5?

The A-1 had a shorter wing and was subject to restrictions caused by developmental and structural problems. The interim A-5 introduced a longer, strengthened wing, metal-skinned ailerons and greater bomb-carrying capacity.

What other roles did the Ju 88 perform?

Later variants served as reconnaissance aircraft, torpedo bombers, heavy fighters, night fighters, fast attack aircraft and pathfinders. This adaptability kept the Ju 88 in operational service until the end of the war.

How many Ju 88s were built?

More than 16,000 Ju 88s were built between 1936 and 1945 in dozens of variants, including over 7,000 Ju 88A models. It was the most extensively produced German twin-engined aircraft of the period.

<< Back