The Junkers Ju 88 was a German twin-engine military aircraft that developed from a bomber into a large family of combat variants. Its roles included reconnaissance, night fighting and attacks on shipping. The type first flew on 21 December 1936 and remained in use until the end of the Second World War.[1][2]
Bomber service
Initial production deliveries began in September 1939. The Ju 88 subsequently became an important Luftwaffe bomber during the Battle of Britain, attacking radar sites, airfields and ports. The early A-1 offered useful performance and manoeuvrability for a twin-engine bomber but lacked sufficient protection and defensive armament against determined fighter attack.[1]
The aircraft was still near the beginning of its service career in 1940. Its later importance arose partly from how extensively its basic airframe could be adapted as German operational needs changed.[1]
New missions
Night-fighter and intruder variants exploited the space and performance of the twin-engine layout. Maritime strike and long-range photographic reconnaissance aircraft provided further alternatives to ordinary bombing. These changes produced a family spanning several major branches of Luftwaffe combat aviation.[1][2]
The D-series concentrated on reconnaissance. A tropicalised D-1 preserved in the United States illustrates this work, using two Junkers Jumo 211 engines and a configuration intended for long-range photography rather than a standard bombing mission.[2]
A captured reconnaissance aircraft
That aircraft, known as Baksheesh, was completed in June 1943 and supplied to Romania. The following month, a Romanian pilot flew it to Cyprus to defect to British forces. It subsequently passed to the U.S. Army Air Forces for extensive evaluation at Wright Field. Preserved after the war, it provides a documented example of both Allied technical intelligence work and Ju 88 service with Germany's allies.[2]