Junkers Ju 87 Stuka (Air Vanguard) by Mike Guardia

Author:Mike Guardia [Guardia, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Junkers Ju 87 Stuka
ISBN: 9781472801210
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Published: 2014-07-22T07:00:00+00:00

The Battle of Britain

With mainland Europe firmly within the Axis’ orbit, Hitler cast his eyes toward the British Isles. To this end, Hitler issued Directive No. 16 to the Wehrmacht – ordering the preparations for an aerial attack on Britain to clear the way for an amphibious invasion. According to Hitler and the Nazi high command, the invasion of Britain (Operation Sea Lion) would be successful only if the Luftwaffe achieved air superiority over the British Isles.

Ju 87s lift off on a mission to conquer the British Isles. With the European mainland firmly under Axis control, Hitler expected to make short work of the Royal Air Force before invading Great Britain. However, these aerial skirmishes finally revealed the Stuka’s weaknesses. In fact, the Ju 87 fared poorly when pitted against the RAF fighter units. During and after the Battle of Britain, the Stuka could only operate effectively when accompanied by a fighter escort. (Luftwaffe RFI)

During the early days of the Battle of Britain, the Stuka proved to be a remarkable anti-shipping weapon. July 4, 1940 became one of the deadliest days for the Royal Navy in their struggle against the Luftwaffe. For on that day, StG 2 successfully sunk four destroyers in the English Channel: the HMS Britsum, Dallas City, Deucalion and Kolga. Later that afternoon, some 33 Ju 87s evaded the local RAF patrols and sank the HMS Foylebank at Portland Harbour, killing 176 of its 298 crewmen. Only one Stuka was lost during the raid on the Foylebank and, although the cause of its demise remains unknown, it was likely downed by Leading Seaman JF Mantle. Mantle became a hero in British naval history on that day when, despite being mortally wounded, he stayed at his post and continued to fire on the diving Stukas even as the ship sank beneath the waves.

The Stukas’ early success continued into August as the Luftwaffe reached the RAF bases on the British mainland. On August 13, 1940, the Germans launched a coordinated attack on the RAF Fighter Command’s network of airbases, in what became known as Aldertag (Eagle Day). During a wave of the Aldertag attacks, a contingent of Messerschmitt Bf 109s flew ahead of the main force to lure away the RAF fighters and give the 86 Ju 87s from StG 1 an unobstructed path to destroy the RAF airbase at Detling. This operation exemplified Stuka-fighter integration for the remainder of the campaign. Now that the Ju 87 was facing a stiff and highly-organized air resistance, its fighter escorts became even more essential.

Although the attack on RAF Detling was a success, it did little to help the Luftwaffe’s air campaign – Detling, as it turned out, was not an RAF Fighter Command base. Meanwhile, StG 77 (also under Bf 109 escort) went out in search of RAF Warmwell. Although the Stukas found no opposition in the air, they could not find their intended target either. Thus, not wanting to put their sortie to waste, they began dropping their bombs at random over the Dorset countryside.

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