Germany's Junkers Ju 52 transport
Nicknames: Tante Ju (Auntie Junkers), Iron Annie
Photos
Junkers Ju 52 transport: |
Junkers Ju 52 transport: |
Junkers Ju 52 transport: |
Junkers Ju 52 transport: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook |
Junkers Ju 52/3 transport: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook |
Junkers Ju 52/3mg7e transport3: |
Junkers Ju 52/3m transport: |
Junkers Ju 52 transport, 1936: |
Junkers Ju 52 transport: |
Junkers Ju 52 transport: |
Design
The Junkers Ju 52 started out with a single engine in 1930.3
Engines
The engines on the wings were angled slightly outward.1 This was to make the Ju 52 easier to control if one of the wing engines failed.1
Wings
The flaps and ailerons were hung behind the wing.1 The wings were mounted low and were constructed from metal.4
Fuselage
The skin was corrugated duralumin.1,2 It was load-bearing and proved to be very strong.1
The rear gunner had a windshield to protect him from the slipstream.1
Prototype
The Ju 52/3m prototype first flew in April 1931 and it was powered by three Pratt & Whitney Hornet radial engines (525 HP4 / 550 HP).3,4
The prototype first flew in April 1932.1
Production
By the end of the war there were only 50 flyable.1
- Ju 52: 4,8351,3,4
- Manufacturer: Junkers Flugzeug und Motorenwerke A.G.4
- Production: ? - mid 19443
- Hungary: 263
- Post World War II:
- France: 4001,3
- Manufacturer: Ateliers Aéronautiques de Colombes4
- Spain: 1701,3,4
- Manufacturer: C.A.S.A.4
Variants
- Ju 52/3mg3e, Ju 52/3m g3e4: Bomber version.1,4
- Ju 52/3mg4e: Able to use different wheel, float, or ski landing gear.2
- Ju 52/3mg5e: Able to use different wheel, float, or ski landing gear.2,3
- Ju 52/3mg6e: Improved radio.2 Used BMW 132T engines.3
- Ju 52/3mg7e, Ju 52/3m g7e4: Had automatic pilot.2 The loading doors were wider.2,4 Could carry 18 assault troops or 12 stretchers.2,4 Appeared in 1941.4 Glider hook became standard equipment.4
- Ju 52/3mg8e: More cabin windows.2 Had a 13 mm MG in dorsal position.2
- Ju 52/3mg9e: Glider tug.2
- Ju 52/3mg10e: Had BMW 132L radial engine.2 Introduced in late 1943.2
- Ju 52/3m g14e: Production started in late 1943.4 More armor protection for the pilot.4 Had three 7.9 mm machine guns and one 13 mm machine gun.4
- Ju 52/3ms: Had floats.1
- Ju 52/3m(MS): Had an energized hoop to explode mines.1
- AAC.1 Toucan: French built version.4
- CASA 352: Spanish built version.3
Usage
Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland used the Ju 52 during World War II.3
The Luftwaffe used the Junkers Ju 52 on all fronts.3
Multi-role
The Ju 52 was used mostly as a transport, but it was also used as a bomber, flying classroom, minesweeper, glider tug, and other roles.3
Airlines
There were 200 Ju 52s that equipped 30 airlines before 1940.3
Bomber Squadrons
The Luftwaffe used the Ju 52/3mg3e as a heavy bomber in its first bomber squadrons.3
Spanish Civil War
Twenty Ju 52s were sent to Spain in the Condor Legion and were used mostly for transport.4 Some of the Ju 52/3mg3es in Spain were used as bombers.1,3 They were flown for 13,000 operational hours and dropped around 6,000 tons of bombs.3
Eve of Invasion of Poland
The Luftwaffe had 552 Ju 52s before the invasion of Poland.2 547 of those were the Ju 52/3ms.2
Demyansk
In three months 22,399 tonnes / 22,045 tons of supplies were air lifted to six divisions.1
After the War
The Swiss Fliegertruppe flew the Ju 52/3ms into the 1980s.1
Specifications
Sources:
- Aircraft of WWII, General Editor: Jim Winchester, 2004
- Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
- Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
- World War II Airplanes Volume 1, Enzo Angelucci, Paolo Matricardi, 1976
- Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook, Ensign L. C. Guthman, 1943
