WarSimBox
The “Schnellbomber”
The Ju 88 was designed at Junkers by W. H. Evers and Alfred Gassner, an engineer who had worked in the United States, in answer to the Luftwaffe’s mid-1930s call for a fast bomber. The prototype flew at the end of 1936 and was one of the fastest bombers of its day.
It was then also required to drop bombs in a steep dive. Dive brakes went into the wings and extra strength into the structure; weight rose, speed fell and production was delayed. Even so, the Ju 88 became one of the few twin-engined aircraft that could bomb accurately in a 60-degree dive.
An aircraft for every job
In the Battle of Britain it was the Luftwaffe’s fastest bomber, but it still took losses against Hurricanes and Spitfires. As the war went on it was used against shipping in the Mediterranean, in ground support on the Eastern Front, for reconnaissance and as a torpedo bomber.
Radar-equipped Ju 88 night fighters became, with the Bf 110, the backbone of Germany’s night defences. In July 1944 a Ju 88 G night fighter landed in England by mistake; the British studied its radar and the device that homed on bombers’ radar emissions, and devised countermeasures. Late in the war, old Ju 88s were filled with explosives and had a fighter mounted on top, becoming “Mistel” flying bombs.
In WarSimBox
In the game it is a medium bomber that can also be sent on dive-bombing missions, diving at 60 degrees with its dive brakes and releasing at about 1,000 m. It is faster than the He 111. Its defence is MG 81 guns in the nose, behind the cockpit and in the belly; against fighters it still needs an escort.
Unlocked in the aircraft tree after researching Heinkel He 111 H-3 and Perforated dive flaps. Leads on to: North American B-25J Mitchell, Arado Ar 234 B-2 Blitz.
- Top speed
- 470 km/h · 4,000 m
- Climb
- 7.8 m/s
- Sustained turn
- 28.8 s
- Stall speed
- 169 km/h
These figures come from the game’s flight model (climb, turn and stall at sea level).
Fly it in WarSimBox