Junkers Ju 88 – Photos & Videos

The Junkers Ju 88 was a German World War II Luftwaffe twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called Schnellbomber (fast bomber) that would be too fast for fighters of its era to intercept. It suffered from a number of technical problems during its development and early operational periods but became one of the most versatile combat aircraft of the war. Like a number of other Luftwaffe bombers, it served as a bomber, dive bomber, night fighter, torpedo bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, heavy fighter and at the end of the war, as a flying bomb.

Source: Junkers Ju 88 on Wikipedia

The Junkers Ju 88 was a versatile and widely used German bomber during World War II. It was designed in response to a request for a fast and unarmed bomber that could rely on its speed for defense. It had a crew of three or four and could carry up to 1000 kg of bombs at 500 km/h. The first prototype flew in December 1936 and exceeded the speed of contemporary fighters. However, the Ju 88 underwent several modifications and delays before entering service in 1939.
It was initially intended to be a dive bomber, but it proved to be more effective as a level bomber, a night fighter, a reconnaissance aircraft, a torpedo bomber and an anti-tank aircraft. It also participated in the Mistel project, which involved attaching an unmanned Ju 88 with explosives to a fighter aircraft and using it as a guided missile. The Ju 88 was produced in various versions, such as the A, C, D, G, H and P models, each with different engines, armament, equipment and roles. The Ju 88 was one of the few German aircraft that remained in service throughout the war, with over 14,000 units built.