Ju87 B-2 Stuka Dive Bomber

During the first stages of WW II the Ju87 proved a decisive weapon. With its siren screaming, diving almost vertically and dropping bombs in front of oncoming troops, Germany's Ju87 Stuka dive bombers were a principle part of their Blitzkriegs in 1939. The word Stuka entered the general vocabulary as a vital component of Blitzkrieg, "the lightning war". However, in the summer of 1940 the lie was put to the Stuka myth by catostrophic losses to British fighters in the Battle of Britian. Manufactured by Junkers, the Ju87 was a single engine. two-seat dive bomber and assault aircraft. Armed with four 7.9-mm machine guns (two fixed and two trainable), the Ju87 could carry a bomb load up to 3,968 lbs. Top speed for the Ju87 was 225 mph with a range of 954 miles and a service ceiling of 23,950 feet. The Ju87 gained an awesome reputation in the first part of WW II, but was then revealed as a second-rate war plane. For lack of replacement, it remained in production long after it became obsolete, and production totalled 5, 709. The model shown here is a representation of a Ju87 B-2 Stuka.