Junkers Ju 52
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| Ju 52/3m | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | Transport aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Junkers |
| Primary user | Luftwaffe |
| Produced | 1932-1945 |
| Number built | 4,845 |
The Junkers Ju 52 (nicknamed Tante Ju - "Auntie Ju" - and "Iron Annie") was a transport aircraft and bomber manufactured 1932 – 1945 by Junkers. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with well over a dozen air carriers including Swissair and Lufthansa as an airliner and freight hauler. In a military role, it flew with the Luftwaffe as a troop and cargo transport, with a secondary role as a medium bomber. The Ju 52 was also flown by the Swiss Air Force, with three machines remaining in operation until the early 1980s.
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[edit] Design and development
The Ju 52 was similar the company's previous Junkers W33, although larger. It was designed in 1930 by Ernst Zindel and his team, at the Junkers works at Dessau. In its original configuration the Ju 52 was a single-engined aircraft retrospectively called the Ju 52/1m, powered by a mixture of BMW and Junkers liquid-cooled engines. James A. Richardson's Candian Airways received the sixth ever built Ju 52 (Werknummer 4006) "CF-ARM" in 1936; it was used to supply mining and other operations in remote areas with equipment too big and heavy for other aircraft then in use. The aircraft, nicknamed the "Flying Boxcar" in Canada, could lift approximately three tons and had a maximum weight of eight tons. The Ju 52/1m was able to fly on wheels, skis or floats.[1] The aircraft's unusual corrugated metal skin strengthened the fuselage and gave it a characteristic boxy appearance.
However, the single-engine model was underpowered, and after seven prototypes had been completed, all subsequent Ju 52s were built with three engines as the Ju 52/3m (German drei motoren, meaning "three engines"). Originally powered by three Pratt & Whitney Hornet radial engines, later production models mainly received BMW 132 engines, a refinement of the Pratt & Whitney design. Export models were also built with Pratt & Whitney Wasp and Bristol Pegasus engines. The upgrade improved performance and load carrying abilities. As a Lufthansa airliner, the Ju 52 could seat seventeen, and could fly from Berlin to Rome in eight hours.
The Ju 52 first saw military service in the Spanish Civil War, as both a bomber and transport aircraft. In the former role it participated in the bombing of Gernika. It was again used as a bomber during the bombing of Warsaw[1] during the Invasion of Poland of September 1939. The Luftwaffe then relied on the Ju 52 for transport roles during World War II, including paratroop drops, most notably in the Battle of Crete in May 1941. Lightly armed, and with a top speed of only 165 mph - half that of a contemporary Spitfire - the Ju 52 was very vulnerable to fighter aircraft, and an escort was always necessary when travelling in a combat zone. Many Ju 52s were shot down by guns and fighters while transporting supplies, most notably during the desperate attempt to relieve the German Sixth Army during the final stages of the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943.
[edit] Variants
In addition to the standard, fixed undercarriage version, there was a floatplane version, equipped with two large floats. This model served during the Norwegian Campaign in 1940, and later in the Mediterranean theatre. Some Ju 52 floatplanes were also used as minesweepers, fitted with a large degaussing ring under the airframe.
Most Ju 52s were destroyed after the war, but a small number were manufactured after 1945. In France the machine was manufactured by Amiot as the Amiot AAC 1 Toucan, and in Spain production was continued by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA, as the CASA 352. Several are airworthy and in regular use today.
[edit] Military operators
- Argentina, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, France (post war), Germany, Hungary, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
[edit] Specifications (Junkers Ju 52/3m g7e)
Data from Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 3 (two pilots, radio operator)
- Capacity: 18 troops or 12 litter patients
- Length: 18.90 m (62 ft 0 in)
- Wingspan: 29.25 m (95 ft 10 in)
- Height: 4.5 m (14 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 110.5 m² (1,190 ft²)
- Empty weight: 6,510 kg (14,325 lb)
- Loaded weight: 9,200 kg (20,270 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 10,990 kg (24,200 lb)
- Powerplant: 3× BMW 132T radial engines, 533 kW (715 hp)[3] each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 265 km/h (165 mph) at sea level
- Cruise speed: 211 km/h (132 mph)
- Range: 870 km (540 miles)
- Service ceiling: 5,490 m (18,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 17 minutes to 3,050 m (10,000 ft)
Armament
- 1× 13 mm MG 131 machine gun in a dorsal position
- 2× 7.92 mm MG 15 machine guns
- up to 455 kg (1,000 lb) of bombs (some variants)
[edit] References and Notes
- ^ http://www.richmond.edu/~wgreen/ECDwarsaw.html
- ^ Bridgman, Leonard, ed. “The Junkers Ju 52/3m.” Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. 170-171. ISBN 1-85170-493-0.
- ^ Originally measured as 725 PS
[edit] External links
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