Junkers Ju.52, part ten

 

On this part, which the last of the ones dedicated to the Junkers Ju.52, we write about the latest versions of this venerable airplane.

The Ju.52/3mg7e was an improved variant which included various improvements. It was developed from the previous g5e version and had an enlarged starboard cargo loading hatch in order to load and unload heavier and bulkier items. The roof hatch was deleted on this variant and a Siemens K4ü autopilot was installed to ease pilots' workload on longer flights. It was developed in 1941 and was armed with two 7.92 mm MG 15 machine guns, one placed in an opened aft dorsal position, another one placed inside a Condor-Haube (Condor Hood) turret in the cockpit's overhead glazing, plus two additional MG 15s in the windows at the sides (which, in some earlier variants were ad-hoc installed in the windows). 

The Ju.52/3mg8e was also began to be developed in 1941. Overall it was similar to the previous g7e, but it had the Condor-Haube removed and was powered by three more powerful BMW 132Z radial engines. In some machines, the dorsal machine gun was replaced by the 13 mm MG 131. Both the g7e and the g8e were the most produced variant from 1941 until late 1942. 

The g9e was a tropicalized variant of the g4e. It was equipped with dust filters and other equipment for desert operations, along with a cabin air inlet. This variant was also known as Ju.52/3mg4e (trop). 

The Ju.52/3mg10e superseded the previous g8e in 1942. It was equipped with the smaller starboard cargo door seen already on the g4e. The narrower hatch allowed Junkers to revert to five cabin windows from the g8e's three. This version lacked de-icing equipment.

The Ju.52/3mg11e reinstated the de-icing equipment. Otherwise, it was identical to the g10e. 

The Ju.52/3mg12e was built in very small numbers and featured extra armour to protect the flight crew. 

The Ju.52/3mg13e was purposely omitted due to the association of that number with bad luck.

Ju.52/3mg14e  was the last production variant of the German Ju.52. It featured armour plating all around the cockpit to protect both pilot and co-pilot, was armed with a single 13 mm MG 131 and two 7,92 mm MG 15 in the beam positions. This variant entered production in late 1943 and continued until late 1944. It was powered by three BMW 132L radial engines, delivering each of them up to 830 hp of power with an extra air inlet added under each engine to increase the airflow into the carburetor. Exhausts were also different as its upper one was located behind the cowling and the lower one was extended aft. Most of them had also a small antenna on the upper fuselage, but lacked a direction finding loop-one. Landing gear struts, untouched since the g3e, were also reinforced. 

The Ju.52/3mMS were various g4e to g7e converted into mine sweepers. They were mounted with a 14 meters (45.93 ft) diameter duraluminium Gauss ring which was energised by a 270 ampere electrical generator, powered itself by a 55 hp Mercedes engine mounted inside the fuselage and cooled by an extra inlet, placed in front of the main landing gear struts. As we wrote, this variant was used for the first time in November 1940 off the coast of Holland and was used all along the Atlantic, Baltic and North Adriatic coasts. Seventy-four machines of this variant were assigned to the Minensuchgruppe 1 in November 1943, six of which were deployed to Hungary in April 1944, to detonate mines dropped into the Danube river. By the beginning of 1945 most Ju.52/3m MS were grounded by the lack of fuel. 

One of the many last operations the Ju.52 was involved on, which if often overlooked, was the Operation Hannibal, the evacuation of the Courland Peninsula, in May 1945 which lasted until the very VE-Day on 8th May 1945.

Nowadays, Lufthansa has one restored operational Ju.52, though powered by Pratt & Whitney engines, which in 1984 received the registration of D-AQUI.

 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_52

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airworthy_Ju_52s

3. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZCsTUP6-A8

Junkers Ju.52/3m, part nine

 

As World War 2 kept going on, the Junkers Ju.52/3m saw itself involved in most operations executed by the German Army in the Eastern Front. This way, the Ju.52/3m took part in the evacuation of the 17th Army from the Kuban area, located north of the Caucasus region in the spring 1943. From 19th April 1943 Ju.52/3m-s aided in suppressing the Jewish revolt in the Warsaw Ghetto, as they dropped leaflets and bombs against the resistants. This was effectively, the last time the Ju.52/3m was used as a bomber, albeit in a much smaller scale.

The final large-scale operation of World War 2 the Ju.52/3m was involved in was the attempt to resupply the besieged German troops at the city of Breslau (nowadays Wroclaw, in Poland). Those aircraft began their missions to Breslau in mid-February 1945 and the last three Ju.52/3m landed in the city on 7th April 1945. Most of the 165 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed during the relief attempt were Ju.52/3m. After that, sporadic flights were made to Berlin while it was surrounded by the Soviet Army. In fact, the last supply mission into the German capital took place on 29th April 1945 by Ju.52/3m of the Transportgeschwader 3 (TG.3), just the day before Hitler committed suicide in his bunker. The airplanes dropped supplies over the Tiergarten near the Reichskanzlei (Reich Chancellery).

Luftwaffe's main transport units, Transportgeschwader 1, 2 and 3 plus Transportgruppe 20 (an unit formed in 1943 in Norway from elements of KGrzbV 108) had in total 190 Ju.52/3m on strength on 25th April 1945. Those machines were taken over by various countries after V-E Day on 8th May 1945. Very few of the original 3.400 Ju.52/3m survived the conflict.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_52

2. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

Junkers Ju.52/3m, part eight

 

After the heavy losses sustained in Operation Merkur (Mercury), and commitments elsewhere, meant that only 150 Ju.52 were available for Operation Barbarossa, German invasion of the Soviet Union, on 22nd June 1941. Those transports were hard pressed into service, flying supplies to the rapidly advancing Wehrmacht troops and, therefore, other Ju.52/3m were redeployed to the east. 

Later, in early 1942, the Ju.52/3m of various Luftwaffe units were key in resupplying the surrounded German troops of the II Army Corps at Demyansk in the USSR. The Ju.52/3m flew on a daily basis to deliver up to 330.7 tons of supplies to the trapped German troops. This took place in spite of temperatures plummeting to -45ºC (-49 Fahrenheit), causing great difficulties for the aircraft and their crews. Nevertheless, between 21st February and 18th May 1942, the Germans managed to fly 71.51.2 tons of supplies plus 30.000 troops to the Demyansk pocket and managed to evacuate over 35.000 wounded troops to German rear areas. During this operation, Soviet fighters, anti-air fire and various accidents made for the loss of 265 German aircraft, most of them being Ju.52/3m.

Thanks to the success of this airlift, the Luftwaffe was prompted to attempt a large scale airlift in Stalingrad after the encirclement of the German Sixth Army on 19th November 1942. Therefore approximately 375 Ju.52/3m-s were deployed to Morzovskaya and Tatsinskaya airfields, at 241 km  (149.8 milles ) west of Stalingrad. Those airfields were the main hub for the airlift which began on 25th November. The Sixth Army required a daily amount of 826.7 tons of supplies, but that proved to be beyond Luftwaffe's means. The harsh winter conditions took a heavy toll on the Ju.52/3m-s and their crews, many of whom lacked proper winter clothing. By mid-December the transports delivered an average of 93 tons per day of supplies, well below the requirements of the Sixth Army. As the Operation Uranus (the Soviet encirclement of Stalingrad) continued on, the number of proper airfields to operate from was reducing and aerial operations were moved to Pitomnik airfield, closer to Stalingrad. These airlifts were becoming more and more difficult as steadily improved Soviet fighters and anti-air fire, made the flights in and out of that airfield very risky. The Soviets pushed the Gemrans further West of the city and tigthened the encirclement, which further hampered Luftwaffe's resupply efforts. On 2nd February 1942, when the Sixth Army surrendered, the Luftwaffe lost 266 Ju.52/3m-s and more than 1.000 airmen. The Soviet VVS (Soviet Air Force) captured over 100 lightly damaged Ju.52/3m-s, which were repaired and put into service.  

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_52

2. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

Junkers Ju.52/3m, part seven

 

Those Ju.52/3m equipped with floats for water-based operations were designated as Ju.52/3m See (Sea). They had their tailwheel removed and the main landing gear was replaced by two floaters. The floats were designed by Junkers. They were made out of metal and had a displacement of 9.500 L (2.509,6 gal), but they were soon replaced by  larger, Heinkel-designed ones as they were 11,34 m (37 ft 2,4 in) long and displaced 11.000 L (2.905,9 gal). Four V-shaped struts attached each float to the wing undersurface, with wire bracing giving additional support.

An access ladder linked the rear entrance door to the port float's upper rear section and no ladder was mounted at the other side. Handhold rails were also mounted under the windows on both sides of the Ju.52/3m See. Rails which were retained on those which were later converted for land operations.

Its gross weight on floats was 11.500 kg (25.352,7 pounds), 500 kg heavier than a regular Ju.52/3mg8e landplane, due to its floaters. It had a water take off run of 845 m (2.772,3 ft) which could accomplish it in 53 seconds, during type's evaluation trials. It could also reach an altitude of 3.000 m (9.842,5 ft) in 21 minutes and had a maximum speed of 231 km/h (143,5 mph), which was 55 km/h (34.2 mph) slower than its land-based counterpart, given the aerodynamic drag produced by the floaters and their struts. Its cruising speed at low altitude was 173 km/h (107,5 mph), 42 km/h (26,1 mph) slower than the regular Ju.52/3mg8e, which made the type very vulnerable to fighter attacks.

As we wrote in a previous post, many Ju.52/3m See were assigned to the KGrzbV 108 in early 1940 to take part in invasion of Norway and later, they were redeployed to eastern Mediterranean theatre. In October 1943 an unit entirely composed of Ju.52/3m See was formed, the Seetransportstaffel 1, with base in Athens-Phaleron, from where they performed various patrol flights over the Aegean Sea and kept connections with Crete. This island was turned into a Festung (fortress) by the Germans and was partitioned in two, with most of the island under German occupation, with headquarters in the city of Chania, and the Easternmost part of the island under Italian control, with headquarters at the city of Lasithi. From October 1943 many resupply flights were flown to Heraklion from Athens, which were kept until October 1944 when the Germans retreated from Greece, although Crete was kept. The last resupply flight to Crete took place in that month, October 1944. After that, the Seetransportstaffel 1 was redesigned as 17/TG.4 and was disbanded shortly before the end of the war.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_52

2. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortress_Crete

4. http://www.ww2.dk/air/transport/trspsee1.html

5. https://www.asisbiz.com/Luftwaffe/trspsee1.html

Junkers Ju.52/3m, part six

 

The Luftwaffe began to decrease its use of the Junkers Ju.52/3m from 1943 onwards, as interest on the type waned and the Reich Air Ministry started to show interest on the Junkers Ju.352 (a larger transport aircraft, somewhat resembling the Ju.52/3m) as the official successor. Actions were taken to switch Ju.52/3m's production lines into the Ju.352, but the end of the conflict in Europe in May 1945 made the effort worthless and the Ju.352 was left unfinished. Therefore the German production of the Ju.52 was terminated in late 1944 with 3.234 aircraft of various models having being built during wartime alone.

The Junkers Ju.52/3m was also employed thoroughly in the North African theatre of war. In fact, during this campaign the Ju.52 constituted the main reinforcement and supply aircraft for the Germans there. From February 1941, when the first resupplying flights took place, many Ju.52/3m began to airlift troops and supplies to the German Afrika Korps stationed in Libya. One Gruppe (group - squadron) of KgzbV1 flew these missions from Comiso, in Sicily, across the Mediterranean Sea, sometimes, flying up to three missions per day, with crews spending up to 12 hours in the air. During the period from February 1941 until November 1942, the transports flew up to 1.000 troops and 27.6 tons of supplies to North Africa each day. From November 1942, those flights were increased to 20-50 per day to Tunisia from Sicily, reaching up to 150 landings a day in early April 1943 as the Axis situation in Africa became more desperate and the Heeresgruppe Afrika/Gruppo d'Armate Africa (Army Group Africa) was set for evacuation to Italy. It was in this context that the Allied launched a counter-air operation over a two-month period, codenamed Operation Flax, on 5th April 1943, which lead to the destruction of 11 Ju.52/3m in the air near Cap Bon, Tunisia, and many more during aerial raids on Sicilian airfields, leaving only 29 serviceable in the North African continent. That was the starting point of two catastrophic weeks where more than 140 Ju.52/3m were lost in aerial interceptions, mainly because their slow speed made them very vulnerable to Allied fighters. On 18th April 1943, the "Palm Sunday Massacre" took place on which more than 24 Ju.52 were shot down, and another 35 staggered back to Sicily and crash-landed.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_52

2. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Flax

Junkers Ju.52/3m, part five

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m was massively used also during the Balkans Campaign. Thanks to the Ju.52, Axis forces could be rapidly deployed through the whole theatre.

It was during this campaign that a special variant of the Ju.52 was introduced as up to twelve Ju.52/3mg4e were modified to carry an extra rotating tower equipped with a 20 mm MG 151 to serve as escort gunships. However, they were not very successful and were limited to operations over the Mediterranean.

Fifteen Ju.52 took part in the not so famous Operation Hannibal, the airborne assault on the Corinth Canal, in order to secure it. Original plan was for Fallschirmjäger (German paratroops) assault engineers to seize both sides of the canal (which links both Ionian and Aegean Seas) on a surprise glider assault, while both battallions of the 2nd Fallschirmjäger regiment parachuted both North and South of the bridge to neutralize any Allied forces at the canal.

The assault took place on 26th April 1941 and was a success as the Fallschirmjägers managed to hold the bridges and deactivate the demolition charges set by the Allied forces.

Shortly later, the Wehrmacht launched Operation Mercury, the invasion of the island of Crete, on 20th May 1941. The Luftwaffe sent a massive formation of 493 Ju.52/3m to fly a total force of 8.500 paratroopers and tow gliders to the Greek island, which was defended by Greek and British Commonwealth forces. Eleven days later, on 31st May, the Fallschirmjägers captured the island, but at the high cost of 4.000 paratroopers killed and 151 Ju.52/3m destroyed or damaged beyond repair (according to other sources, 4.500 killed and 170 Ju.52/3m destroyed). This was the first battle in military history where airborne troops were used massively, and also the first one where the German troops found heavy local resistance. Given the high casualty rate and the belief that the airborne forces had no longer the surprise factor, Adolf Hitler became reluctant to authorise further large airborne operations, preferring to employ paratroopers as ground troops. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_52

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Corinth_Canal

3. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

4. Osprey - Combat Aircraft 120 - Ju 52/3m Bomber and Transport units 1936-1941

Junkers Ju.52/3m part four

 

The two wing-mounted radial engines of the Ju.52/3m had half-chord cowlings and in planform view (from above or below), they seemed to be splayed outwards, being mounted at an almost perpendicular angle to the tapered wing's sweptback leading edge, in a similar way other airplane of the time had like the Mitsubishi G3M or the Short Sunderland. In the case of the Ju.52 this was to make straight flight easier, in the case one of the engines failed. 

The three engines had NACA cowling or Townend ring to reduce drag from the engine cylinders, however, a mixture of both was the most common set-up, with deeper-chord NACA cowlings on the wing engines and a narrow Townend ring on the central engine as a NACA cowling was harder to fit there because of the widening fuselage behind the engine. 

Production models flown by Lufthansa before World War 2 as well as those flown by Luftwaffe during the war, used an air-start system to turn over to their trio of engines, using a common compressed air supply that operated wheel's brakes too.

Used in a military role, the Ju.52 could carry up to 18 fully-equipped soldiers, or 12 stretchers when used as an air ambulance. Transported materials was loaded and unloaded via a side door which also contained a ramp. Air dropped supplies were jettisoned through two double chutes. Supply containers were dropped by parachute through the bomb-bay doors and paratroopers jumped using the side doors. Small vehicles like a Sdkfz.2 Kettenkrafträder and supply canisters for parachute drops were secured under the fuselage at the bomb bay exits and could be dropped with four parachutes. A tow coupling was built into the tail-skid for towing freight gliders, of which, could tow up to two DFS.230.

Another major military campaign the Ju.52 was involved was the Operation Fall Gelb (Plan Yellow), the German invasion of Western Europe, on 10th May 1940. On that day, many transports, some of them towing the DFS.230 glider, successfully performed an airborne assault on the Belgian fortress of Eben Emael, while others were employed in the first massive airborne operation of history, the Battle for The Hague. During this battle, around 500 Ju.52 took part. They acted not only deploying paratroopers, but also landing straight into enemy territory, like it happened at Ypenburg airport and on public highways around The Hague. It was during this battle that Dutch anti-aircraft defenses took their serious toll on the Ju.52 shooting down a total of 125 and damaging 47 of them. 

Although Fall Gelb was a success, in the entire operation almost half of the Ju.52/3m assigned to the invasion were lost forcing the Luftwaffe to curtail aerial transport operations, though the type kept on supplying forward ground troops. Due to those heavy losses, the Luftwaffe was forced to replace them with new Ju.52s or taking them from Lufthansa. 

During August 1940 several Ju.52 were stationed in the Lyon, Lille and Arras areas of France, where they were held at an state of readiness for Operation Sealion, the German invasion of England, that never took place, because Germany couldn't secure aerial supremacy over the Royal Air Force.

After 1940 the Ju.52/3m MS (a mine sweeping variant) was the only Ju.52 that saw service in the Western Front. The first MS missions were flown in September 1940 off the coast of Holland and later, as war kept going on, they were also deployed on airfields along the Atlantic Ocean coast. All of them belonged to the Minensuchgruppe 1, which had also detachments in other theatres of the war and was created in November 1943 and was disbanded in May 1945, almost at the end of the war.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_52

2. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

3. Osprey - Combat Aircraft 120 - Ju 52/3m Bomber and Transport units 1936-1941

4. https://www.ww2.dk/air/seefl/msgr1.html

Junkers Ju.52/3m, part three

 

As the Ju.52 was originally conceived, the Ju.52/1m, it was powered by a single engine, either a BMW IV or a liquid-cooled Junkers V-12. This model, however, was deemed as seriously underpowered and, after seven prototypes having been built, every subsequent Ju.52 was built in the three engine configuration, being denominated as Ju.52/3m (drei motoren - three engines). Those engines were ,at first, three Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet, but later production models were powered by three BMW 132 which delivered up to 770 hp each and were themselves, a licensed copy and refinement, of Pratt & Whitney's design. Some export models were built with Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp engine (delivering up to 600 hp) and Bristol Pegasus VI (delivering up to 775 hp).

Thanks to its excellent reputation as an airlines with Lufthansa, the Luftwaffe adopted the type as its standard transport airplane. In 1938, the 7. Flieger-Division alone had five transport groups with a total of 250 Ju.52. At the outbreak of World War 2, the whole Luftwaffe had a total of 552 Ju.52, although the aircraft was already considered being obsolete. Between 1939 and 1944, when German production ceased, a total of 2.804 machines were delivered to the Luftwaffe, 145 in 1939, 388 in 1940, 502 in 1941, 503 in 1942, 887 in 1943 and 379 in 1944, however, by the end of the War, there were only 100 to 200 serviceable. 

The first major operation the type was involved in, after the bombing of Warsaw, was in Operation Wesserübung, the German invasion on Denmark and Norway, on 9th April 1940. Fifty-two Ju.52 belonging to 1. and 8. Staffels of Kampfgeschwader 1 transported a company of Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers), plus an infantry battalion to the northern part of Jutland peninsula to capture the airfield in Aalborg, a key objective tu support operations in southern Norway. Many hundreds Ju.52 were also used to transport troops to Norway during the first days of the invasion, including the difficult, yet successful airborne assault on the Norwegian airports of Oslo-Fornebu, Stavanger-Sola and the bridge at Vordingborg. In the late stages some Ju.52/3m of the KGzbV 102 flew artillery to the German forces at Narvik, having to land on the frozen ice of Hartvigann lake. As those lacked the fuel to make the return trip, they were abandoned by their crews and the machines sank to the lake's bottom when the ice melted next spring. 

During this operation, the Ju.52 of the Luftwaffe, performed a total of 3.018 sorties, 1.830 of which were to carry troops and remainder to carry cargo and supplies. By the end of the operation, a total of 150 Ju.52 were recorded as lost with a total of 29.280 personnel, 2.376 tons of supplies and 259.300 imp. gallons (1.179L) of fuel transported. 

Many Ju.52/3mg4e (see), the floatplane variant, were assigned to KGzbV 108 See in early 1940 to be employed in the invasion of Scandinavia. These were used mainly to deliver troops and supplies to various islands and fjords which were, otherwise, inaccesible for German forces. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_52#Military_use_1932–1945

2. https://www.axishistory.com/books/151-germany-luftwaffe/luftwaffe-ground-units/5604-7-flieger-division

3. https://www.valka.cz/Junkers-Ju-52-t16146 (translated)

4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

5. Osprey - Combat Aircraft 120 - Ju 52/3m Bomber and Transport units 1936-1941

Junkers Ju.52/3m, part two

 

Many improved models were made before and during World War 2. The main production model was the Ju.52/3mg7e, with advances such like autopilot, enlarged doors to the cabin and other general enhancements. It was configured to serve as a pure transport aircraft, capable of carrying up to 18 fully-equipped troops. Defensive weaponry consisted on a dorsal-mounted 13mm MG 131 and two sideways mounted 7.9mm MG 15 machine guns. Further models were improved in many different ways, such as revised glazing, newer engines, reinforced undercarriage, and increased take-off weight. 

The Ju.52 had a low cantilever wing , whose mid section was built into the fuselage, shaping its underside. It was formed around four pairs of circular cross-section duraluminium spars with a corrugated surface that provided torsional stiffening. A thin control surface, with its outer section acting as the aileron, while the inner section functioned as a flap. These sections ran along the whole trailing edge of each wing panel, well split from it. The inner flap section lowered the stalling speed and the arrangement was known as the "Doppelflügel" ("Double wing in German).

Outer sections operated diferentially as ailerons, projecting slightly beyond the wingtips with control horns. The strutted horizontal stabiliser featured horn-balanced elevators which projected and showed a significant gap between them and the stabiliser itself, which could be adjusted in-flight. All stabiliser surfaces were corrugated too. 

The Ju.52/3m featured an unusual, for the time, corrugated skin made out of duraluminium, pioneered by Junkers during World War 1. The purpose of the corrugation was to strengthen the whole structure over a smoother approach. The fuselage was of rectangular section with a domed decking, comprising a tubular steel tube that was completely covered by the corrugated metal skin. A port-sided passenger door was placed just aft the wings, which also acted as a loading hatch for freight, with the lower half acting as a platform to ease cargo movements. The cabin was lined with numerous windows stretching forward to the pilots' cockpit. The main undercarriage was fixed and divided, with some of them with wheel fairings, while others not, as many crew decided to remove them to ease maintenance duties. A fixed tailskid, or tailwheel in later models, was also used. Some aircraft were fitted with floats of skis instead of wheels. 

The type saw action as a bomber for the last time during World War 2 during the Invasion of Poland, as the type took part in the bombing campaign against Warsaw in September 1939, during the course of which only two Ju.52/3m bombers were lost. After the end of the Spanish Civil War, no further bomber versions were made and the Luftwaffe relied on the type entirely for transport and paratroop drops.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_52

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Warsaw_in_World_War_II

3. Osprey - Combat Aircraft 120 - Ju 52/3m Bomber and Transport units 1936-1941

Junkers Ju.52/3m. Part one

 

The Junkers Ju.52/2m was similar to the company's previous W.33, albeit larger. It was designed in 1930 by aeronautical engineer Ernst Zindel  and his team at Junkers factory in Dessau. According to some authors, it was drawn directly upon the Junkers J.I, world's first all-metal aeroplane.

The first prototype was flown on 13th October 1930, under the designation of Ju.52/ba. It was initially powered by a single Junkers-built liquid-cooled V-12 engine which could generate up to 800 hp of power. During the long prototype testing stage, it was re-engined with the BMW IV engine which delivered up to 755 hp of power. The second prototype, denominated Ju.52de, had an increased wingspan and, although it was powered by the BMW IV at first, soon it was replaced with the 750 hp Armstrong Siddeley Leopard which the company bought from British stocks. Consequently, the prototype was renamed as the Ju.52di. This machine was re-engined again with the 750 hp Junkers Jumo 204 and received the denomination of Ju.52do. The third prototype, designated as Ju.52ce, featured an strengthened structure, a modified leading edge and could be fitted with both wheeled and float undercarriages.

In May 1931, during one of test flights, Ju.52cai, one of the prototypes, crashed and was written off. While all those initial prototypes were powered by a single engine, Junkers decided to develop the Ju.52 into a trimotor, and so, the Ju.52/3m (drei motoren - three engines) started development process, being powered by an arrangement of three radial engines. By mid-1930s the Ju.52/3mce and Ju.52/3fe were the two primary production variants, both powered by the BMW 132 radial engine. 

In 1934 work commenced on a militarised model, named Ju.52/3mg3e on behalf of the, back then, secret Luftwaffe. This model could work as a medium bomber and be equipped with two defensive gun turrets if needed, with a crew of four. Between the years 1934 and 1935 a total of 450 Ju.52/3mg3e were delivered to the clandestine Luftwaffe.

In May 1932 Lufthansa, Germany's main airline, took delivery of its first Ju.52/3m. The type was heavily employed by Lufthansa, which covered both Berlin-Rome and Berlin-London routes with the Ju.52/3m as it could complete the first one in just 8 hours, quite a respectable time for the time. Lufthansa's Ju.52 fleet numbered 231 machines at its peak, before World War 2, as it was flown in various routes in Europe, Asia and South America.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_52

2. Signal Squadron - Aircraft in Action 186 - Junkers Ju.52 in Action

Junkers Ju.52/3m various European Users

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m is a German cargo aircraft which was widely used all around the globe. It was used, among many other ones, by the following countries:

• Slovak Republic: Two Ju.52/3mg7e were purchased from Germany in 1942 when the Slovak Air Force (SVZ) replaced their old inherited Czechoslovak-made material. They were destined to their flying school. Their fate is not known, but they were most probably destroyed on the ground during an aerial strike. 
• USSR: The Soviet Union employed the Ju.52/3m both before and after World War 2. Before the war, the type was evaluated by the NII-VVS (Soviet Air Force's Technical Research Unit) in 1937. 
  The Soviet State airline, Aeroflot, began operating captured Ju.52/3m on the Perm to Samara aerial route in the summer of 1944. These aircraft were also used to transport sulphur from mines in Central Asia to Soviet factories. Many of them were retrofitted with Soviet RPK-10 radio compasses and remained in active service until the late 1950s.
• Sweden: The Swedish national airline, AB Aerotransport, bought five Ju.52/3m, (according to some sources it was just 5 of them) in 1932. Though the airline's main aircraft was the famous Douglas DC-3, the Ju.52/3m was kept in service for routes from Sweden to Germany. They were extensively used, even during the war years, with neutrality markings. After the War, they served until 1948. 
  In order to prepare the country for a possible invasion during World War 2, the Swedish Air Force hired five Ju.52/3m from Aerotransport which gave them the designation of 'TP-5'. They were employed in many different roles, like cargo, personnel and VIP transport, but also as trainers and some of them were allocated to train the first Swedish paratroopers, though, eventually, they never served as such.
• Yugoslavia: During the very end of World War 2 and the immediate postwar, the Yugoslav Air Force operated some ex-German Ju.52/3m. They were complemented in 1946 with two French-made AAC.1 Toucan which were ordered in late 1945. In 1950 they acquired four more Toucans and two years later they were replaced by the Soviet Lisunov Li-2, the Soviet copy of the Douglas DC-4. The AAC.1s were passed on to JAT, the Yugoslav state airline, which operated the type until 1964. Nowadays one of them is preserved in Belgrade.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Junkers_Ju_52_operators

2. https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABA (translated)

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_Aerotransport

4. http://www.vrtulnik.cz/ww2/slovac.htm (translated)

5. http://www.lietadla.com/historia/slov-heinkel.htm (translated)

6. https://wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2020/04/11/aac-1-toucan-frances-post-wwii-ju-52/

7. https://www.avrosys.nu/aircraft/Transport/255tp5/255Tp5.htm

8. Signal Squadron - Aircraft in Action 186 - Junkers Ju.52 in Action

Junkers Ju.52/3m in Spain, part two

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m was widely used during the Spanish Civil War by the Nationalist side and the subsequent Spanish State.

During the initial part of the conflict, a single Ju.52/3mg3e defected on 10th November 1936 to the Republican Side. This aircraft was piloted by Ananías San Juan Alonso, Sergeant of the Nationalist Grupo 22 de Bombardeo (Bombardment Group 22), who flew the Ju.52/3m from Escalona airfield, in Toledo, under Nationalist control to Alcalá de Henares airfield, in Madrid, under Republican control. This defection was made popular at the time by the Republican authorities and the captured Junkers was repainted to show loyalist colours. The fate of this machine is unknown, but was most probably destroyed on ground during a bombardment. San Juan was incorporated to Grupo 12, 1a Escuadrilla (Group 12, 1st Squadron) and flew Tupolev SB-2 bombers until the end of the conflict. After the war, he moved to Mexico where he lived until the end of his days in 1985.

The German Condor Legion, which served to the Nationalist side, had two Ju.52/3mW floatplanes. They were based at Pollença, close to the city of Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands and were used mainly in the transport and observation roles. One of them was destroyed in an accident during a vicious storm and the other one suffered an uncertain fate. Its known that one of them was involved in an aerial fight between two captured Republican Fiat Cr.32 when returning from a reconnaissance flight from Cadiz to Pollença.

After the Spanish Civil War, Iberia (the main Spanish Airline) was refounded in Madrid and in Autumn a new route with Lisbon was opened, served with Ju.52/3m. One year later, Iberia was granted by the Francoist authorities the monopoly of aerial transport of goods and persons inside Spanish lands for the next 20 years. Most of those routes were served by the Ju.52/3m which, although its exact number is unknown, it's estimated that around 75 machines (Iberia's official source places the number between 69 and 90) served with Iberia until 1960.

The Ju.52/3m was still under production after World War 2 in Spain, under the denomination of CASA C-352, but this aircraft will be the subject of its own post in the future.

Sources:

1. http://dbe.rah.es/biografias/95068/ananias-san-juan-alonso (translated)

2. https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php?topic=23496.0

3. https://www.facebook.com/fotosiberia/posts/1584431005125652:0 (translated)

4. https://www.iberia.com/es/flota/aviones-historicos/Junkers_JU-52/ (translated)

5. http://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2010/12/spanish-civil-war-ju-52-floatplane.html

Junker Ju.52/3m in Spain, part one

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m was used for the first in a pure military use at the Spanish Civil War, against the Second Spanish Republic. It was one of the first aircraft used by the nationalist faction when, on as early as 20th July 1936 (the conflict started two days earlier, on 18th July) a Lufthansa airplane covering the regular route Bathurst (nowadays Banjul, in Gambia)- Villa Cisneros (Spanish Sahara)- Las Palmas (Canary Islands) registered as D-APOK and named Max von Müller was requisitioned at Gando airfield, in the Canary Islands. It was used to transport to Germany the committee which bought military help for the nationalists. Eight days later, the first out of twenty requested Ju.52/3m arrived together with six additional Heinkel He.51 fighters.

Among the first missions of the type, stands out the first massive airlift in history when around 14.000 troops and 500 tons of material were transported from airfields in Spanish Morocco to Southern Spain in the initial four months of the conflict.

In November 1936 the Ju.52/3m was assigned to the three Staffeln of the Kampfgruppe 88, the bombing unit of the Condor Legion, where it gained a formidable reputation both as bomber and transport. In the bomber role it took part in the infamous Bombing of Guernica, Madrid and other towns and cities in the Spanish Mediterranean coast. By late 1937 the type was considered obsolete as a bomber and, thanks to the effective Polikarpov I-16 of the FARE (Fuerzas Aéreas Repúblicanas Españolas - Spanish Republican Air Force), it was relegated to the night bomber role, before being replaced in the day bomber role by more modern types such as the Heinkel He.111 or the Dornier Do.17. After being replaced, the Ju.52/3m passed on to nationalists units, which formed the Escuadra Nº1 (Squadron No.1) of the Spanish Aerial Brigade. A total of 63 Ju.52/3m (nicknamed as "Pedro" in that country) flew in Spain until the end of the conflict on 1st April 1939 with the final sortie in a bombing mission taking place on 26th March 1939 against the town of Belmez in the province of Córdoba. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_52#Military_use_1932–1945

2. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_52 (translated)

3. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

Junkers Ju.52/3m in Portugal

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m is a German transport plane that also served in Portugal and its colonies, though this colonial usage we already covered it in a previous post.

The Ju.52/3m was used in metropolitan Portugal by Aero Portuguesa, which was the first official Portuguese airline with scheduled international flights. The airline was founded in 1934 and shortly later some Ju.52/3m were acquired. They covered various routes between Portugal and French Morocco and later a new link with Brazil was opened. The Ju.52/3m served until 1953 when Aero Portuguesa was merged with TAP (Transportes Aéreos Portugueses - Portuguese Air Transports - the main Portuguese airline nowadays) and the Ju.52/3m were replaced by more modern types.

Regarding its usage by armed forces, to write about the Ju.52/3m in Portugal, is to write about the history of Esquadra 502 (Squadron 502). This unit was founded in 1937 and since December was equipped with Ju.52/3m as it was intended to fulfil the role of night bomber. They were kept in that role until mid 1940s when, given their obsolescence as a bomber, they were redistributed to various units located in Sintra and Ota, all of them close to Lisbon, to serve as aerial transports.

Later, in 1952 the Portuguese paratrooper unit was created in Tancos, dependant on the Portuguese Air Force (PAF) with one Ju.52/3m being assigned to this unit to serve as a paratrooper transport.

On 12th April 1956 a mixed squadron was created with two subordinated flights (though they were flights in name only as they were over-strengthened),  one with 22 Piper L-21 mixed with Airspeed Oxfords intended to serve in the training and liaison role and another one with five Ju.52/3m to serve in the pure transport role. This squadron was disbanded in December 1959 in order to be reformed and create the Esquadra de Instruçao Complementar de Pilotagem e Navegaçao em Aviôes Pesados (EICPNAP - Complementary Instruction Squadron for Piloting and Navigation in Heavy Airplanes) whose purpose was to train pilots for paratroop drops. In order to keep the Ju.52/3m active for longer time, two of them were retrofitted with Pratt & Whitney R-1340 engines.

The EICPNAP was reinforced during November and December of 1960 with 15 additional AAC.1 Toucan machines bought directly from France in order to increase the amount of trained paratroopers to fight in the tumultuous Portuguese colonies of Angola, Guinea and Mozambique. In late 1963 the EICPNAP was disbanded only tu be succeded by the Esquadra de Treino e Transporte de Tropas Pára-quedistas (ETTP - Paratroop Training and Transport Squadron) which was a change in name only as their location, aircraft and mission was maintained. Shortly after this change, the old Ju.52/3m and Amiots were replaced by American Douglas Dakota C-47.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Junkers_Ju_52_operators

2. https://esquadra.emfa.pt/link-502-005.002.001.002.001-junkers-ju-52 (translated)

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_Portuguesa

4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

Junkers Ju.52/3m in Switzerland

 The Junkers Ju.52/3m is a German cargo plane that was manufactured from 1931 until the early 1950s, though not by Junkers from 1945 onwards and saw service with numerous users all around the globe.

Switzerland was one of those users when in October 1939, the Swiss Air Force received three Ju.52/3mg4e for navigator and observer training duties. Those three Junkers, which bore the serial numbers 6580, 6595 and 6610, were re-registered in Swiss registrations, A-701/HB-HOS, A-702/ HB-HOT and A-703/HB-HOP respectively.

They were employed in transport duties apart from their original training purpose. 

After World War 2, they suffered some minor alterations; the main landing gears were replaced with those built by Amiot for the AAC.1 Toucan and the tail wheel was replaced with spare nose wheels from De Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB.6 which Switzerland bought in 1946. The Swiss Junkers were kept in active with the Swiss Air Force until September 1982, for 43 straight years.

All three of them were sold to the company Ju-Air at Dübendorf, which also bought additional CASA 352/A. One of the original Ju.52/3mg4e, HB-HOT suffered an unfortunate crash on 4th August 2018 when on a sightseeing flight, killing all 20 people on board.

 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Junkers_Ju_52_operators

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_of_the_Swiss_Air_Force

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_the_Junkers_Ju_52

4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action  186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

Junkers Ju.52/3m in Romania

 

Note: This is our last post before spring break.

The Junkers Ju.52 is a German cargo and passenger plane from the 1930s which was produced by the thousands and, thanks to its versatility and easiness to pilot, it quickly became the main airplane for many airlines around the world, among them, the subject of this post, Romania.

The first Junkers Ju.52/3m to serve in Romania was a Ju.52/3mba registered as CV-FAI, which was designed as a VIP aircraft for the Romanian Prime Minister. This aircraft was re-registered later as YR-ABF in June 1937 and was used also as a VIP transport for the president of LARES (Liinile Aeriene Române Exploatate de Stat - Romanian State-Operated Airlines, Romania's national airline back in the 1930s). It crashed in Bazargio-Dobruja, near the coast of the Black Sea, on 23rd May 1940 when the country was still neutral. 

It wasn't until November 1941 that the Fortele Aeriene Regale ale Romanei (FARAR - Royal Romanian Air Force) received its first Ju.52/3mg7e. A total of 33 were supplied by Germany and were assigned to the 105th Heavy Transport Squadron. These Junkers flew on many resupply missions to the Romanian troops fighting near Stalingrad during the winter of 1942-1943, losing many of them to Soviet fighters. They also took part in the evacuation of troops from the Crimean Peninsula in early 1944. 

In August 1944, when the country switched sides and fought with the Allies, eleven more were captured from Germany. Some of those were used as ambulance planes.

The Transnitrian Air Section (a Romanian administered semi-autonomous region) operated two Ju.52/3m which were part of their slim air section until January 1944 when the area was taken by the Soviets.

After the War, LARES, which was renamed as TARES (Transporturi Aeriene Romana Sovietica - Soviet-Romanian Air Transport) on 1st February 1946, kept operating the type together with the Fortele Aeriene Ale Republicii Populare Române (Air Force of the People's Republic of Romania) until the early 1960s.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Junkers_Ju_52_operators

2. https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forțele_Aeriene_Regale_ale_României (translated)

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TAROM

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transnistria_Governorate

5. https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Ju-52/Junkers-Ju-52.html

6.https://www.europeanairlines.no/airline-companies-in-rumania-1918-1945/

7.Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

Junkers Ju.52/3m in Norwegian and Polish service

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m is a German cargo plane which was manufactured by the thousands and saw service worldwide, in every continent. Among its many users, we're covering the following ones in this post:

• Norway: The Norwegian airline Det Norske Luftfartselskap (DNL - Norwegian national airline, forerunner of Norwegian Air Lines) acquired 6 float-equipped Junkers Ju.52/3m (according to some sources they were just four) in 1935. In June 1936 the first Ju.52/3m (which crashed shortly after making its first maiden voyage, on 16th June and had to be replaced by a new one two weeks later) was delivered to serve in a seasonal summer route between Bergen and Tromso with flights three times per week with stopovers at Alesund, Molde, Kristiansund, Trondheim, Bronnoysund, Sandnessjoen, Bodo, Narvik and Harstad. 
  In 1937 DNL moved the departure point to Gressholmen seaplane port, in Oslo, the Norwegian capital. 
  They kept on serving with DNL until the outbreak of the war when the Marinens Flyvevesen (Norwegian for Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service) took one into service in January 1940 (though some sources claim it was in December 1939) and fitted with a ventral defensive machine gun gondola, plus another one in a dorsal position. It served until 9th April. 
  When Norway was occupied, the Luftwaffe took over every aircraft from DNL. However, after the war, one that was originally registered as LN-DAH was taken back and served until 1956.
  Two ex-Luftwaffe Ju.52/3mg7es were taken over on VE-Day (8th May 1945) and, together with LN-DAH, they were incorporated into DNL's fleet. One Ju.52/3m registered as LN-LAB, crashed in May 1946 at Snaroya, close to Oslo. In August that year some Ju.52 were taken by the Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret (KNL - Royal Norwegian Air Force) and served until September 1950 when they were sold to Portugal.
• Poland: On 16th November 1936, LOT (Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A.) received a single Ju.52/3m powered by Bristol Pegasus engines in exchange for nine Junkers F-13s. This Ju.52/3m was registered as SP-AKX and, from early 1937 onwards, it flew regular flights from Warsaw to Berlin, Rome and Salonique, in Greece. As this machine was powered by Pegasus engines, which were heavier than the original BMW's ones, an extra water tank was installed at the rear of the aircraft to get the right centre of gravity when in flight. 
  This machine was widely used, recording a total of 600 flight hours in 1937 and 843 hours in 1938 suffering no accidents or setbacks whatsoever. At the outbreak of World War 2, it was flown from Zabczyce, close to the city of Pinsk, in Polesie, to the Romanian capital, Bucharest on 12th September 1939 where it was planned to be sold to Turkey but, eventually, it was fictionally sold to Imperial Airways and received the registration G-AGAE.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Junkers_Ju_52_operators

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOT_Polish_Airlines

3. https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Det_Norske_Luftfartselskap (translated)

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Air_Lines

5. https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snarø-ulykken (translated)

6. https://www.polrail.com/Aerolot/history/ju52inlot.html

7. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

Junkers Ju.52/3m in Hungary, part two

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m is a German cargo plane that manufactured by the thousands and saw service with many airlines and air forces all around the world. In this post we're covering its usage by the Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légiero (MKHL - which translated stands for Royal Hungarian Air Force).

The MKHL took in charge of the six Ju.52/3m which belonged to MALERT (Hungarian national airline) in 1941. They were assigned to the 2.Szállitó Század (2nd Transport Squadron) which was tasked with flying supply missions between Hungary and the Second Hungarian Army stationed on the Don river during the summer of 1942. In September that year Germany supplied an additional Ju.52/3mg7e for aerial ambulance duties. 

MKHL's Ju.52/3m-s also took part on the evacuation of Hungarian troops from Poltava, in Ukraine, in February 1943 and in September that year, they all were reassigned to the 102/1 Szállitó Század (102/1 Transport Squadron). Five of the six original MALERT Ju.52/3m were destroyed on the ground when stationed at Börgönd, Hungary by P-51 Mustangs of the 325th Fighter Group of the USAAF on 12th and 13th October 1944. The remaining Ju.52/3m flew air supply missions to Budapest when the Hungarian capital was sieged by the Soviet Army on 24th December 1944. The aircraft kept on flying those missions until the city fell on 13th February 1945 when it was destroyed on the ground.

Sources:

1. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 186 - Junkers Ju-52 in Action

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Junkers_Ju_52_operators

3. Hikoki Books - Hungarian Eagles - A Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légiero