Junkers Ju 52

You are here: Home › Gallery › Germany › Luftwaffe ›
Junkers Ju 52 photo gallery

Click on thumbnail images to enlarge


The first Junkers Ju 52 was a single engined freighter, appearing in 1930. The more familiar trimotor Junkers Ju 52/3m appeared two years later, when large numbers were built for Lufthansa and foreign civil operators. They were first put to use by the new Luftwaffe as bombers when they formed the core of the heavy squadrons, and they were initially used in this role in the Spanish Civil War. However, with the arrival of more specialised bombing types, the Ju 52/3m was soon discarded as a bomber and turned into a military transport.

Although it was a “sitter” for fighters, and its losses were heavy, the Ju 52/3m was otherwise very successful in its new role and took part in invasions and advances by the Wehrmacht in many theatres of war, including Libya, Crete and the Low Countries. In April 1940 it figured in the first large-scale use of air transport in a war when it took part in the invasion of Norway. “Tante Ju”, as the Ju 52/3m was popularly known, remained in quantity production almost to the end of hostilities despite the emergence of several potential replacements.
Total production of the type, including a number built under licence in Spain and France, reached 4854 aircraft.

General Description

  • Type: General purpose military transport, glider-tug, paratroop-carrier, and magnetic-mine sweeper.

Wings

  • Configuration: Low-wing cantilever monoplane.
  • Design:
    • Middle portion integrated into the fuselage, forming its undersurface.
    • Wings connected by Junkers screw couplings.
    • Eight duralumin tube spars arranged in pairs vertically, braced with short struts.
    • Corrugated metal skin provides torsional stiffness.
    • Full trailing-edge flap for camber adjustment and lift increase; outer sections function as horn-balanced ailerons.

Fuselage

  • Structure: Rectangular section with domed decking.
  • Material: Composed of duralumin frames and bracing, with four longerons and a stressed skin of corrugated light-alloy sheeting.

Tail Unit

  • Type: Normal monoplane with semi-cantilever tailplane.
  • Design:
    • Tailplane passes through the fuselage top and is braced underneath by single struts on each side.
    • Elevator constructed with double-wing design, horn-balanced.
    • Cantilever fin and horn-balanced rudder.
    • All components have all-metal construction with corrugated metal covering.
    • Tailplane is adjustable in flight.

Landing Gear

  • Type: Divided type.
  • Design:
    • Half-axles and radius-rods hinged to the fuselage.
    • Oleo-pneumatic shock-absorbers attached to the upper wing-root of the foremost spar.
    • Compressed-air brakes.
    • Option to replace wheels with twin single-step floats.

Power Plant

  • Engines: Three BMW 132 A or T nine-cylinder radial air-cooled engines.
  • Fuel Capacity: 535 Imperial gallons.

Accommodation

  • Cockpit:
    • Enclosed pilot’s cockpit above and forward of the wing.
    • Side-by-side seating with dual controls.
    • Radio operator can be seated in the pilots’ compartment or near window gun mountings.
  • Troop Capacity: Cabin accommodates 16-18 fully-armed troops or can be fitted for twelve stretcher cases.

Armament

  • Configuration: Guns mounted in various positions, including forward fuselage, dorsal, lateral, or ventral positions.
  • Typical Armament:
    • One dorsal 13 mm MG 131 machine gun.
    • Two lateral 7.9 mm MG 15 machine guns.

Dimensions

  • Span: 95 ft. 10 in. (29.25 m).
  • Length: 62 ft. (18.9 m).
  • Height: 14 ft. 10 in. (4.5 m).
  • Wing Area: 1,190 sq. ft. (110.5 sq. m).

Weights

  • Empty Weight: 14,325 lbs. (6,510 kg).
  • Maximum Take-off Weight: 24,200 lbs. (10,990 kg).

Performance

  • Maximum Speed: 165 mph (264 km/h) at sea level.
  • Cruising Speed: 132 mph (211 km/h).
  • Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 17 minutes.
  • Service Ceiling: 18,000 ft. (5,490 m).
  • Range with Maximum Fuel: 800 miles (1,280 km).