|
|
You currently have no items in your basket | |
|
|
You currently have no items in your basket | |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Ju87
Manufacturer : Junkers By 1935 the German Luftwaffe was developing its first monoplane divebomber which entered production in 1936 as the Ju87 Stuka. The Stuka was to evolve into arguably the most successful single engine Axis divebomber of WW II. Utilizing a nearly vertical dive position the Stuka was stunningly accurate in the days when horizontal bombing was a relatively inaccurate science. The Ju87 was built for functionality and ruggedness. A fixed landing gear and exceptionally strong wing design were incorporated and no attempt was made to minimize protrusions. The Stuka was not designed for speed; it was an aerodynamic nightmare. The Stuka also incorporated a siren which when activated during a dive was designed to inflict psychological damage on the enemy below. The Ju87 was used with tremendous success in the Blitzkrieg attacks on Norway, Poland, Belgium, France, Holland, Yugoslavia, and Greece. Virtually unchallenged in the air during these Blitzkriegs the Stukas took a devastating toll on Allied ground and mechanized forces. Shipping was also vulnerable to the pinpoint attacks of the Stuka, and the Ju87 destroyed more Allied shipping than all other German aircraft put together during WW II. During Hitlers air attacks on Britain the Stukas reputation for invulnerability was shattered. Facing British Hurricanes and Spitfires the slower and less maneuverable Ju87s were destroyed in large numbers, eventually forcing their withdrawal from that conflict. Germanys attempt to develop an improved twin engine divebomber resulted in the introduction of the Messerschmitt 210 which was an unmitigated disaster. As a result, the Stuka remained in production longer than expected and the aircraft played a major role in Germanys surprise attack on Russia. In the first day of combat alone Stukas were credited with the destruction of over 700 Russian aircraft with minimal losses. One of Germanys top aces of WW II was Hans-Ulrich Rudel. Rudel flew over 2,500 combat missions in Ju87s, and was shot down on twelve occasions. Rudel was credited with destroying 519 tanks, 800 vehicles, 150 artillery pieces, one Russian battleship, one cruiser and one destroyer. Rudel was also credited with shooting down nine Russian aircraft in air-to-air combat. |
Click here for artwork of this aircraft!
Ju87
| Top Aces for this aircraft | ||
| Name | Victories | Info |
| Hans-Ulrich Rudel signatures | 11.00 | |
| More... | ||
| Recommended Artwork |
|
Bombing Up - Stuka of Hans Rudel by Ivan Berryman. (B) The Ju-87G Stuka of Hans Rudel is being quickly turned around between missions while serving in Slovakia, June 1944. Presentation Edition of 2 prints. Image size 12 inches x 9 inches (31cm x 23cm). Price £ Features the matted original signatures of Hans Rudel (deceased) and Major Franz Kieslich ITEM CODE B0297B
|
||||||||||||
| Squadrons which flew this aircraft | |
| Squadron | Info |
| SG1 | |
| SG102 | |
| SG148 | |
| SG151 | |
| SG2 | |
| SG3 | |
| SG77 | On the Eatsern Front StG 77 finished the campaign as the most effective Sturzkampfgeschwader. It had destroyed 2,401 vehicles, 234 tanks, 92 artillery batteries and 21 trains for the loss of 25 Ju 87s to hostile action |
| Recommended Artwork |
|
Target ahead, Kursk, Central Russia, July 1943 by David Pentland. (P) Junker Ju87D-3s of 7 Staffel, Stg 77 escorted by Me109Gs of JG52, during the epic Battle of Kursk. Original pencil drawing by David Pentland. Size 16 inches x 12 inches (41cm x 31cm). Price £ Signed by Major Franz Kieslich. ITEM CODE DP0131P
|
||||||||||||
| Pilot signatures for this aircraft | |
| Name | Info |
 Dietrich Peltz (deceased) | Dietrich Peltz, born June 1914, joined the army in 1934, attending pilot training from late 1935. After training, he flew 320 missions on the Ju-87 Stuka before converting to Ju-88s in the summer of 1940. Awarded the Knights Cross in Octobr 1940, he attained the rank of Generalmajor, being awarded the Oak Leaves and Swords to his Knights Cross in December 1941 and July 1943 respectively. In January 1944, Dietrich Peltz took part in Operation Steinbock, the retaliatory bombing of England, referred to as the Baby Blitz, which ended in heavy losses for German bombers. Dietrich Peltz died 20th August 2001. |
| Hans Krohn | Krohn was born in Hamburg in 1919. He served as a Stuka radio operator with Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann" throughout the war, flying 965 combat missions mostly with Heinz Jungclaussen (K.C.-winner). Krohn was awarded the Knights cross and ended the war with the rank of Oberfeldwebel. Krohn and Jungclaussen were considered to be one of the top Stuka crews of the war |
 Hans Rudel (deceased) | Hans Rudel, born in July 1916, was the most decorated Nazi pilot. In 2,530 combat missions flying dive-bombers, mainly on the Russian front, Rudel was credited with destroying 519 tanks, 150 gun emplacements and 800 combat vehicles of various types. According to Luftwaffe records, he also sunk a Russian battleship, a cruiser, a destroyer, 70 smaller craft and numerous trains. For this he was awarded the Golden Oakleaves with Sword and Diamonds to the Knights Cross. He was the only recipient of this award. He was also the first German pilot to reach 1,000 sorties. Of his over 2530 sorties, some 400 were in the Focke-Wulf 190 fighter, in which he was credited with 11 air victories. He was so effective that Joseph Stalin himself put a price of 100,00 rubles on his head. He flew more than 600,000 km; fired over 1,000,000 machine gun rounds; dropped over 1,000,000kg of bombs; fired over 150,000 rounds of 20mm ammunition and over 5,000 rounds of 37mm ammunition. He hated to take home leave or sick leave and even after he had his leg amputated, he was back in the air within weeks. He did not limit his attacks to Russian tanks, trains, ships or aircraft. On more than one occasion when food was in short supply, he would bomb rivers and both the German airmen and Russian civilians would feast on the stunned fish that floated to the surface. Rudel was shot down several times, but escaped serious injury until April 1945, when he lost a leg in combat. Rudel flew the Ju87 B-2 Stuka dive bomber and, in all of its ugliness, the bomber was made famous by him. His accomplishments with an aircraft that was outdated and vulnerable were incredible. He was captured by Allied forces at the end of the war, and released from a POW camp in April 1946. He died 18th December 1982. The signatures : Hans Rudel had arranged to be interviewed by a professor of military history, who was also an author, in 1982. Many similar interviews had been conducted with other military heroes, during which the interviewee had signed various photographs, blank sheets and bookplates for use in the author's publications, although many were never published as intended. Rudel was also due to sign such items. However, the interview had been arranged to be conducted at a Luftwaffe reunion, which Rudel could not attend due to ill health. However, a friend of Rudel's, a RCAF mechanic, took the items to him to be signed, which they duly were, although Rudel died before any interview could take place. Cranston Fine Arts purchased the signatures from the original collection. All signatures on prints are therefore 'mounted' signatures, placed in a mount with the print, rather than the print itself being signed. |
| Hauptmann Gerhard Studemann | “Stultz” Studemann joined Erganzungs-Stukastaffel. VIII Fliegercorps in October 1940. In February 1941 he was posted to 2./St.G.77 on the Channel Front, before taking part in the Balkan Campaign. Transferring to the Russian Front he took part in most of the major operations in that theatre, including the Battle of Kursk, the Battle of Sevastopol, and the Crimea. He served as Grupprnadjutant I./St.G.77 until April 1943. Staffelkapitian 7/St.G.151 until July 1943, Staffelkapitan 9/SG 77 until the end of 1944, and finally Gruppenkommandeur III./SG 77. “Stutz” flew 996 combat missions, and was awarded the Knight’s Cross-with Oak Leaves. |
 Karl Spreitzer (deceased) | Karl Spreitzer, Stuka pilot, awarded the Knights Cross as Leutnant 10(Pz) in April 1945. Karl Spreitzer as a Stuka pilot with St.G.2 building over 600 flying combat hours in Stukas. his first actions were in Norway, and the Battle of Britain, and later in the Mediterranean theatre in Greece, Crete, North Africa and Malta. and finally Russia. Sadly, Karl Spreitzer died 2nd February 2009. |
 Leutnant Wilhelm Noller | Wilhelm Noller joined the Luftwaffe in 1939 and trained as a bomber pilot. In May 1942 he was posted to join 2./StG 2 fighting on the Eastern Front. He took part in the battles of Kursk and Stalingrad, and became one of the most successful pilots of StG 2. By early 1943 his combat mission total passed the 500 mark, rising to over 800 by the end of the year. He was awarded the Knights Cross in April 1944, a few weeks after passing the 1000 mission mark. After a period instructing, he returned to combat in February 1945, flying the Fw190 with 7./SG 10 in Czechoslovakia. Wounded in April 1945, and hospitalised in Prague, he was taken prisoner by the Soviets when they took over the city in May. Transported east by rail towards Russia, he jumped from the moving train and escaped back to Germany. During the war he had flown 1058 missions, destroyed 86 tanks, 2 armoured trains, plus many vehicles, boats and bridges. He also gained 2 victories in aerial combat. |
 Major Franz Kieslich | Franz Kieslich born in Bochum ion 12th March 1913 and served with 7./St.G. 77 in France in 1940, and later serving in Yugoslavia. Transferring to the Russian Front he was promoted Gruppenadjutant III./St.G. 77. And in October 1942 became Staffelkapitan 7./St.G. 77. In February 1944 he was promoted Kommandeur III./SG 77. He fought at Stalingrad, Kursk, Kiev and most of the other major engagements on the Eastern Front. In February1945 he became Kommodore erganzungs-SG148. Awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, he flew over 1000 combat missions, and had been shot down twenty times. His wards were awarded Ritterkreuz on 05.01.1943 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän 7./StukaG 77 and ( 619 ). Eichenlaub on 10.10.1944 as Hauptmann and Kommandeur III./StukaG 77. |
 Major Werner Roell (deceased) | Werner Roell flew initially in Norway, and was one of the first pilots to land in Norway during that campaign. He later flew operations in Yugoslavia and Crete as Staffelkapitan of 4./St77, subsequently flying in Russia. Transferring to the Ju87, he flew over 400 combat missions in the Stuka, destroying a Soviet cruiser near the Crimea. In early 1945 he was summoned by Adolf Galland to join his famous Me262 'Squadron of Experts' in JV44, where he served until the end of the war. Werner Roell flew a total of 477 combat missions, and was awarded the Knight's Cross. |
 Oberfahnrich Heinz Meyer | One of the most successful of the younger Stuka pilots, Heinz Meyer joined the Luftwaffe in January 1940, and completed his Stuka pilot training in 1942. In July of that year he first saw action 3./St.G. 102 in Foggia, Italy, whilst flying on an armed reconnaissance mission. In February 1943 he joined 8./SG2 Immelmann on the Eastern Front. With his Staffel he was one of the most highly regarded pilots on the entire Eastern front and took part in the Battle of Kursk with Rudel. Heinz flew his 500th combat mission on 31st May 1944, and received the German Cross in August 1944. By the end of the war he had completed 618 combat missions, including 30 in the Fw190, and destroyed 40 tanks, 40 gun positions, 100 vehicles, 3 bridges, 2 ammunition dumps and 2 supply trains. He was awarded the Knights Cross on 17th April 1945. |
 Oberleutnant Helmut Fickel (deceased) | One of the outstanding Stuka pilots of III./SG 2 “Immelmann”, Helmut fickle joined 8./St.G. 2 on the Eastern Front in February 1943. In October he became Adjutant of III./SG 2. and flew as wingman to the great Hans-Ulrich Rudel, perhaps the most successful pilot of World War II. In November 1944 Helmut was promoted Staffelkapitian of 9./SG 2, on one occasion he and his radio operator being rescued by Rudel after crash landing behind enemy lines. He led 9./SG 2 until the end of the war, completing a total of over 800 missions. He was the Knight’s Crossin June 1944. Sadly, we have learned that Helmut Fickel passed away on 6th April 2005. |
 Oberst Kurt Kuhlmey (deceased) | One of the most outstanding Stuka leaders of World War II, Kurt Kuhlmey was Staffelkapitan of 1./St.G.1 at the outbreak of war, serving in the Polish, Norwegian and French campaigns, before being transferred to the attack on Malta. He took part in successful strikes against HMS Illustrious, and the Malta convoys of 1941. He fought in North Africa, becoming Kommandeur of II./St.G.3 in April 1942. A year later he was promoted Kommodore of SG3. In March 1945 he was Kommodore of SG2 “Immelmann”, and in the last weeks of the war was with the staff of the General der Schalchtflieger. He flew over 500 combat missions, and was awarded the Knight’s Cross. Died 30th April 1993. |
 Oberstleutnant Hans-Karl Stepp (deceased) | Lieutenant Colonel Hans-Karl Stepp was born on 2nd September 1914 in Gießen as son to a University professor. Stepp studied eight semesters of law in Tubingen, Breslau and Munich before joining the Luftwaffe as Fahnenjunker in 1936. He first flew the Ju87 Stuka in 1938 and was one of the few who survived the Neuhammer disaster when 13 Stuka crews died in a crash on 15th August 1939, due to ground fog, in a demonstration training attack. He took part in the Polish and Western Campaigns, and also the Balkan and Crete campaigns. Karl Stepp was awarded the Iron Cross in 1939 ans the Iron Cross 1st class on the 15th June 1940. In 1941 he joined SG.2 Immelmann in Russia, leading a squadron by the end of the year by which time he had flown over 300 missions. He was awarded German Cross in Gold on the 15th of October 1941 as Gruppen and Geschwaderadjutant of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2. Hans Karl Stepp was also awarded the Knights Cross on 4 February 1942 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitan of the 7./StG 2 Immelmann after 418 combat missions and 462nd Oak Leaves on 27th April 1944 as Oberstleutnant and Geschwaderkommodore of SG 2 Immelmann after over 800 combat missions. He was Group Commander of I/SG.5 from June 1942 to June 1943 during its successful campaign in the extreme North and Eastern Fronts, in hard conditions. In June 1943 he became First Commander and Air Commodore of II/SG.2. This SG.2 ‘Immelmann’ was led by him with great success on the Eastern Front until September 1944, after which he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and joined the staff of the Luftwaffe where he served until the end of the war. He also served in the Reichsluftwaffenministerium in Berlin. Hans-Karl Stepp flew over 900 missions. After the war he became a lawyer and sadly died in Leipzig on the 12th December 2006. |
 Unteroffizier Josef Werth | Josef Werth joined the Luftwaffe in 1937 and after the outbreak of war was posted to train as a Stuka radio operator in Nordhausen. Joining SG2 Immelmann on the Eastern Front, under the command of Hans-Ulrich Rudel, he flw his first combat mission in March 1943. He flew as radio operator / gunner continuously with SG2 in the east and completed a total of 300 combat missions. On 8th May 1945 he was taken prisoner of was by the Americans outside Prague in Czechoslovakia. Josef Werth was awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, and the German Cross of Gold. |
| Recommended Artwork |
|
Stuka - Tribute to Hans Rudel by Ivan Berryman. German Ju87 Stuka.
Signed by Hans Krohn. ITEM CODE B0229
|
||||||||||||
About our Signatures on Artwork
