(Junkers) Ju 188 Rächer @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • Junkers Ju 188 V1 Junkers Ju 188 V1
    Junkers Ju 188 V1
  • Ju 188 E-1 (W.Nr. 10001), 1942 Ju 188 E-1 (W.Nr. 10001), 1942
    Ju 188 E-1 (W.Nr. 10001), 1942
  • Ju 188 E-1 (W.Nr. 10001), 1942 - colorized photo Ju 188 E-1 (W.Nr. 10001), 1942 - colorized photo
    Ju 188 E-1 (W.Nr. 10001), 1942 - colorized photo
  • Ju 188 V1 (NF+KQ) Ju 188 V1 (NF+KQ)
    Ju 188 V1 (NF+KQ)
  • Ju 188 E-1 (1943) Ju 188 E-1 (1943)
    Ju 188 E-1 (1943)
  • Dorsal turret and forward gun position Dorsal turret and forward gun position
    Dorsal turret and forward gun position
  • Eastern Front Eastern Front
    Eastern Front
  • The crew before take-off The crew before take-off
    The crew before take-off

Junkers Ju 188 Rächer

The Junkers Ju 188 "Rächer" ("Avenger") was a German high-performance medium bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Conceived as the follow-up to the Ju 88, with better performance and a heavier payload, it was built in more than 1,000 examples, but its production was cut short by the arrival of improved Ju 88 versions and by the Allied strategic bombing campaign, which forced German industry to give priority to fighters.

Background

In 1936, Junkers entered the Ju 85 and Ju 88 into the competition for the Luftwaffe's new high-speed tactical bomber, the Schnellbomber. The two designs were almost identical, the Ju 85 using twin fins and the Ju 88 a single fin. At the same time, Junkers offered modified versions, the Ju 85B and Ju 88B, fitted with an "egg-shaped" stepless cockpit: a glazed forward fuselage made up of some three dozen framed, compound-curved panels, in line with the "bullet-nose" philosophy adopted by most German bombers since the Heinkel He 111P. This new nose also integrated the ventral Bola gun gondola, giving lower drag and better visibility. The concept was then judged too radical, and the Ju 88A with its conventional "stepped" cockpit won the production contract.

The Reich Air Ministry (RLM) soon started looking for a successor to the Schnellbomber that would be faster, fly higher and carry a larger load. This became the "Bomber B" programme, in which the Junkers Ju 288 was the favourite, but the programme was considerably delayed by the failure of the large 2,500 hp-class engines, such as the Junkers Jumo 222, to become reliable enough for production.

Design and development

As an interim solution, Junkers resubmitted the Ju 88B, first planned around the Jumo 213 engine and then built with BMW 801 radials. A Ju 88B prototype had flown as early as 1940. The RLM was not impressed, as the design offered only modest improvements over the Ju 88A already in service, and the pre-production Ju 88 B-0 aircraft were largely converted for long-range reconnaissance. Junkers nevertheless continued development: the Ju 88 V27, which first flew on 19 June 1941, received longer, pointed wings. Two other airframes had their engines and outer wings removed and were used for water ditching trials, as the aircraft was intended for long over-water missions against British shipping.

A further test airframe was built from a Ju 88 A-4, with a larger, more angular vertical tail to improve directional control at high altitude — a feature later adopted on several Ju 88 models, notably the Ju 88G night fighters. Originally known as the Ju 88 V44, it was renamed Ju 188 V1, according to Erhard Milch "so the enemy gets the impression it's something new".

With the Bomber B programme stalled, the RLM decided in 1942 that the gains were worth having, and in October 1942 the Ju 188 was chosen for production. A second prototype, delivered in January 1943, had its outer bomb racks moved inboard of the engines, and both aircraft began testing the dive-bombing system inherited from the Ju 88 A-4 in February 1943.

Compared with the Ju 88, the Ju 188 combined the new fully glazed nose grouping the whole crew in a single "combat head" (Kampfkopf), a wing span increased to 22 m with pointed tips, an enlarged, square-cut fin and rudder, and a streamlined dorsal turret. It was designed to accept either the 1,750 PS Jumo 213A inline engine or the 1,700 PS BMW 801 G-2 radial as a self-contained "power egg", without changes to the airframe, apart from the annular radiators redesigned for the Jumo 213's greater cooling needs. Both were originally to be known as A models, but the designations were later split: Ju 188A for the Jumo 213 version and Ju 188E for the BMW 801 version. The standard bomber carried up to 3,000 kg of bombs. Its main weakness was the lack of effective rearward defence, which led to several attempts to fit a tail turret.

Operational history

The first three production Ju 188 E-1s, with BMW engines, were delivered in February 1943, followed by seven in March and eight in April. They first went to the test unit Erprobungskommando 188 and to Kampfgeschwader 6 (KG 6). The first operational mission was flown in August 1943, when three Ju 188 E-1s attacked a factory in Lincoln, England. By the end of 1943, 283 aircraft had been delivered, and two other factories had joined the production.

The shortage of Jumo 213 engines limited output of the A series; the Ju 188 A-2, fitted with MW 50 methanol-water injection for take-off and emergency power, began to be delivered in early 1944. Only two bomber wings, KG 2 and KG 6, converted entirely to the Ju 188, which was also used by elements of KG 26 (torpedo-bomber versions) and KG 66 (pathfinders). Ju 188s took part in Operation Steinbock, the night bombing offensive against London in early 1944. Most E-series aircraft were sent to Ju 88 units for special, long-range or high-performance missions.

About half of the production consisted of reconnaissance versions (Ju 188 D and F), used by some ten long-range reconnaissance units, where their speed and altitude performance made them valuable. Around 500 bomber A and E versions had been built when bomber production ended in the summer of 1944. From then on, the fuel shortage caused by Allied bombing almost put an end to bomber operations, and Allied air superiority restricted reconnaissance missions until the arrival of the jet-powered Arado Ar 234. Total production is estimated at about 1,076 aircraft (283 in 1943 and 793 in 1944), although some sources give higher figures.

After the war, the French Air Force and the French Naval Aviation (Aéronavale) operated several captured aircraft until 1951. The Royal Air Force collected a large number of Ju 188s in Germany, Denmark and Norway and flew at least two of them for evaluation, an A-2 and an A-3; the latter had been surrendered at Fraserburgh, Scotland, on 2 May 1945.

Variants

  • Ju 188 V1 : Prototype, ex Ju 88 V44, built from a Ju 88 A-4 airframe with the new tail.
  • Ju 188 A-1 : Bomber powered by Jumo 213A engines, with a 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon in an EDL 151 dorsal turret.
  • Ju 188 A-2 : As A-1, with MW 50 methanol-water boost for take-off and emergency power.
  • Ju 188 A-3 : Anti-shipping and torpedo-bomber version with FuG 200 "Hohentwiel" radar and two torpedoes; the outer wing bomb racks were removed.
  • Ju 188 C-0 : Single example fitted with a remotely controlled FA 15 tail barbette with twin 13 mm MG 131 guns; inaccurate, unreliable and heavy, it was abandoned.
  • Ju 188 D-1 : Jumo 213-powered reconnaissance version with a three-man crew, extra fuel and cameras, without bomb aimer and forward cannon.
  • Ju 188 D-2 : Maritime reconnaissance version of the D-1, with FuG 200 nose radar.
  • Ju 188 E-0 : Pre-production aircraft with BMW 801 engines and an EDL 131 dorsal turret.
  • Ju 188 E-1 : Standard BMW 801-powered bomber; dive brakes on early examples, deleted by the end of production.
  • Ju 188 E-2 : Torpedo-bomber version of the E-1, equivalent to the A-3.
  • Ju 188 F-1 : Reconnaissance version based on the E series, with two cameras.
  • Ju 188 F-2 : As F-1, with FuG 200 radar for maritime reconnaissance.
  • Ju 188 G-0 : Version with a deeper fuselage pannier and a manned tail turret; the gunner was cramped and had a poor field of fire, and the version remained at prototype stage. Some G tail units were used on the Junkers Ju 287.
  • Ju 188 G-2 : Projected bomber with an improved remotely controlled FA 15 turret, abandoned in favour of the Ju 388.
  • Ju 188 H-2 : Projected reconnaissance version of the G-2, not produced.
  • Ju 188 R-0 : Three E-series aircraft converted to night fighters with radar and cannon armament; not ordered.
  • Ju 188 S-1 : Pressurised, unarmed high-altitude fast bomber with three crew, Jumo 213E-1 engines with GM-1 nitrous oxide boost and an internal 800 kg bomb load.
  • Ju 188 T-1 : High-altitude reconnaissance version of the S-1, without bomb load.
  • Ju 188 J, K and L : High-altitude heavy fighter, bomber and reconnaissance projects with pressurised cockpit, renamed Junkers Ju 388 before production.

Operators

  • Germany : Luftwaffe.
  • France (post-war) :
    • French Air Force (Armée de l'Air).
    • French Naval Aviation (Aéronavale).
  • United Kingdom (post-war) : Royal Air Force (captured aircraft, evaluation).

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This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Junkers Ju 188 of Wikipedia ( authors )

Junkers Ju 188 Rächer

  • Role : Medium bomber / reconnaissance aircraft.
  • Manufacturer : Junkers.
  • First flight : 19 June 1941 (Ju 88 V27), 1942 (Ju 188 V1).
  • Introduction : February 1943.
  • Retired : 1945 (Luftwaffe), 1951 (France).
  • Status : retired.
  • Primary users :
    • Luftwaffe.
    • French Air Force and French Naval Aviation (post-war).
    • Royal Air Force (post-war, evaluation).
  • Produced : 1943 to 1944.
  • Number built : over 1,000.
  • Developed from :
  • Developed into :
    • Junkers Ju 388.

    Specifications (Ju 188 E-1)

  • Crew: four.
  • Length: 49 ft 0.5 in (14.95 m).
  • Wingspan: 72 ft 2 in (22.00 m).
  • Height: 14 ft 7 in (4.45 m).
  • Wing area: 602.7 sq ft (56.0 m²).
  • Empty weight: 22,024 lb (9,990 kg).
  • Max takeoff weight: 33,499 lb (15,195 kg).
  • Powerplant: 2 × BMW 801D-2 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engines.
  • Power: 1,700 hp (1,300 kW) each for take-off, 1,440 hp (1,070 kW) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft).
  • Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed.
  • Maximum speed: 310 mph (500 km/h) at 6,000 m (19,685 ft).
  • Cruise speed: 233 mph (375 km/h) at 5,000 m (16,400 ft).
  • Service ceiling: 30,665 ft (9,350 m) with a 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) load.
  • Time to altitude: 20,000 ft (6,100 m) in 17 min 42 s.
  • Wing loading: 53.0 lb/sq ft (258.9 kg/m²).
  • Armament - Guns: 1 × 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon, 3 × 13 mm MG 131 machine guns.
  • Armament - Bombs: up to 3,000 kg (6,600 lb).

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Junkers Ju 188 of Wikipedia ( authors )
Junkers Ju 188 Rächer : Your comments on this subject
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