Ju-88A (F)122.3 (F6+AK) WNr880285 Russia 00
Profile 00: This profile is 100% accurate because if you look at the photo’s 01-02 there is a thin band around the Balkenkreuz possibly yellow or white. A Junkers Ju-88A-5 coded (F6+AK) of 3.(F)/122 W.Nr 880285 was shot down when it flew in the direction of Kaluga on a reconnaissance flight July 25, 1941. The aircraft was later pieced together and was used for propaganda purposes and exhibited at Sverdlov square in Moscow 1941.

Ju-88A (F)122.3 (F6+AK) WNr880285 Russia 01-03
Photo 01-03: A Junkers Ju-88A-5 coded (F6+AK) of 3.(F)/122 W.Nr 880285 was shot down when it flew in the direction of Kaluga on a reconnaissance flight July 25, 1941. The aircraft was later pieced together and was used for propaganda purposes and exhibited at Sverdlov square in Moscow 1941.

Skins Compatibility: IL2 Sturmovik Forgotten Battles (FB), Ace Expansion Pack (AEP), Pacific Fighters (PF), 1946, Storm of War (SW).

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The Junkers Ju-88

Ju-88 Fighter Production by Year:

* = includes R-series total.
Total Produced: 15,018 a/c (All variants)

Siegfried Holzbauer, a test pilot of Junkers, in 1941 made a proposal to use a combination of a fighter and a unmanned, bomb filled older bomber to throw the bomber on large targets like bridges, boats, factories, bunkers and so. At that time there was no need for such a radical method, so the idea was dropped. But when, at the end of the war, the Germans became desperate the idea was reborn (due to the successful flights with the DFS 230 combinations). The official name was "Beethoven Gerät" or Beethoven Device. Most know it under the name "Mistel" or Mistletoe.

As lower component they used a Junkers Ju-88. Messerschmidt Me 109s and Focke-Wulf Fw-190s were used as upper components. The Ju-88 got a special designed 380 pound warhead instead of the cockpit. At the second bomb bay 50 kg cement bombs were carried as ballast.

The warhead could (at the used speed) penetrate 60 feet of reinforced concrete. Together that would give quite a bang.

DFS (having experience with the DFS 230 combinations) designed the support between the two components. The extra drag made the speed drop to 235 mph. This made the Mistel a easy target for enemy fighters.

Some operations were carried out. 4 attacked some boats, although all were direct hits, no ship sank. Several other operation were planned, but mostly dropped due to the continuously changing situation of territory. At the end most were used to destroy bridges to slow down the Allied and/or Russians.

There were about 250 Mistels made. At first older Ju-88 were used, at the end they used Ju-88s straight from the factory.

Due to the slowness of the Mistels using the Ju-88, they couldn't survive long in a hostile airspace. Arado suggested to use the Arado Ar-234, a multi jet-engine high-wing bomber or reconnaissance airplane, as a quicker base. A Mistel like proposal suggested a Ar-234/ Ar E377. The Arado Ar E377 was a unmanned mid-wing airplane which could have a 2000 kg (4409 lb) hollow-charge warhead or a 1800 kg (3968 lb) bomb mounted in the nose. Two version of this Ar E377 were suggested. A unpowered one and a version which had a jet-engine under each wing. Both combinations had the Ar E377 mounted on a takeoff trolley and the Ar-234 was mounted on top of the Ar E377. There was also a proposal to use a Heinkel 162 Volksjäger with the powered Ar E377. No prototypes were made. The war probably ended too soon.

Another interesting Arado project was to use the Arado 234 as a flying base for the Fieseler 103 (better known as the V-1). Three proposals for mounting the V-1 were made. One featured the use of a rigid tow bar behind the Ar-234. The second one mounted the V-1 on a takeoff trolley and the Ar-234 on top of it. The third had the V-1 mounted on top of the Ar-234. The last version made use of the conventional landing gear of the Ar-234. An unpowered V-1 was used during these tests. The fourth test ended in the destruction of the tow bar, due to the unstability of the concept.

The last parasite Arado proposal was the combination of a Ar-234 and a Ar E381. The Ar E381 was a small, rocket powered fighter. The reasoning was that the best way to protect a fighter was to place armor around the engine and the pilot. For conventional airplanes this would lead to a increase of weight that would reduce the performance a bit too much. The tiny Walter rocket engine could easily be protected using a small armored tube. Due to the ground clearance of the Ar-234 , the pilot of the Ar E381 (which was hung under the Ar-234) had to be proned. In this position a pilot could also easily be protected with a armored tube. The first design had one difficulty: once hung under the Ar-234; there was no possibility that the pilot could leave the Ar E381. A second proposal had a sideway entrance. The AR E381 had a single 30mm Mk 108 cannon and 45 rounds of ammunition. This would be good for two attacks.

References
"Squadron/Signal Junkers Ju88 in Action Part 2" by Brian Filley with Don Greer, Perry Manely and Joe Sewell
"German Air Force Bombers of World War Two - Vol. 2" by Alfred Price

Specification

MODEL: Ju-88A-4
CREW: 4
ENGINE: 2 x Junkers Jumo 211J-1, 1007kW
WEIGHTS: Take-off weight: 14000 kg: 30865 lb: Empty weight: 9860 kg: 21738 lb
DIMENSIONS
Wingspan: 20.0 m: 65 ft 7 in:: Length: 14.40 m: 47 ft 3 in: Height
4.85 m
15 ft 11 in
Wing area: 54.50 m2: 586.63 sq ft
PERFORMANCE: Max. speed: 470 km/h: 292 mph
Ceiling: 8200 m: 26900 ft: Range w/max.fuel: 2730 km: 1696 miles
ARMAMENT: 5-7 machine-guns, 2000kg of bombs

Luftwaffe Aircraft Squadron - Unit Codes