(Junkers) Ju 52 @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • With Eurasia (A Chinese Airliner Company of the 1930s)
With Eurasia (A Chinese Airliner Company of the 1930s)
    With Eurasia (A Chinese Airliner Company of the 1930s)
  • Junkers Ju 52
Junkers Ju 52
    Junkers Ju 52
  • Junkers Ju 52/3m
Junkers Ju 52/3m
    Junkers Ju 52/3m
  • Berlin-<br>Tempelhof<br>(1937)
Berlin-<br>Tempelhof<br>(1937)
    Berlin-
    Tempelhof
    (1937)
  • In Oslo
In Oslo
    In Oslo
  • Junkers Ju 52<br>(BMW engines)
Junkers Ju 52<br>(BMW engines)
    Junkers Ju 52
    (BMW engines)
  • Ju 52-3m MS <br>(Minensuch)
Ju 52-3m MS <br>(Minensuch)
    Ju 52-3m MS
    (Minensuch)
  • Junkers 52 Hydro
Junkers 52 Hydro
    Junkers 52 Hydro
  • In Crete (1941)
In Crete (1941)
    In Crete (1941)
  • 1936
1936
    1936
  • Ju 52 Hydro
Ju 52 Hydro
    Ju 52 Hydro
  • Casa 352
Casa 352
    Casa 352
  • Ju 52/3m
Ju 52/3m
    Ju 52/3m
  • Junkers C-79<br>Howard Field<br>Panama<br>SAAF 20th<br>Transp Sq<br>(1942)
Junkers C-79<br>Howard Field<br>Panama<br>SAAF 20th<br>Transp Sq<br>(1942)
    Junkers C-79
    Howard Field
    Panama
    SAAF 20th
    Transp Sq
    (1942)
  • Ju 52/3m - 1947
Ju 52/3m - 1947
    Ju 52/3m - 1947
  • In Crete (1943)
In Crete (1943)
    In Crete (1943)
  • Ju 52/3mg2e
Ju 52/3mg2e
    Ju 52/3mg2e
  • Junkers Ju 52/3m Junkers Ju 52/3m
    Junkers Ju 52/3m

Junkers Ju 52

The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed Tante Ju ("Aunt Ju") and Iron Annie) is a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1931 to 1952, initially designed with a single engine but subsequently produced as a trimotor. It had both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler. In a military role, it flew with the Luftwaffe as a troop and cargo transport and briefly as a medium bomber. The Ju 52 continued in postwar service with military and civilian air fleets well into the 1980s. The aircraft has continued to be used well beyond that date for purposes such as sightseeing.

Design and development

The Ju 52 was similar to the company's previous Junkers W 33, although larger. In 1930, Ernst Zindel and his team designed the Ju 52 at the Junkers works at Dessau. The aircraft's unusual corrugated duralumin metal skin, pioneered by Junkers during World War I, strengthened the whole structure.

The Ju 52 had a low cantilever wing, the midsection of which was built into the fuselage, forming its underside. It was formed around four pairs of circular cross-section duralumin spars with a corrugated surface that provided torsional stiffening. A narrow control surface, with its outer section functioning as the aileron, and the inner section functioning as a flap, ran along the whole trailing edge of each wing panel, well separated from it. The inner flap section lowered the stalling speed and the arrangement became known as the Doppelflügel, or "double wing".

The outer sections of this operated differentially as ailerons, projecting slightly beyond the wingtips with control horns. The strutted horizontal stabilizer carried horn-balanced elevators which again projected and showed a significant gap between them and the stabilizer, which was adjustable in-flight. All stabilizer surfaces were corrugated.

The fuselage was of rectangular section with a domed decking, all covered with corrugated light alloy. A port-side passenger door was placed just aft of the wings, with windows stretching forward to the pilots' cockpit. The main undercarriage was fixed and divided; some aircraft had wheel fairings, others did not. A fixed tailskid, or a later tailwheel, was used. Some aircraft were fitted with floats or skis instead of the main wheels.

In its original configuration, designated the Ju 52/1m, the Ju 52 was a single-engined aircraft, powered by either a BMW IV or Junkers liquid-cooled V-12 engine. However, the single-engined model was underpowered, and after seven prototypes had been completed, all subsequent Ju 52s were built with three radial engines as the Ju 52/3m (drei motoren—"three engines"). Originally powered by three Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet radial engines, later production models mainly received 574 kW (770 hp) BMW 132 engines, a licence-built refinement of the Pratt & Whitney design. Export models were also built with 447 kW (600 hp) Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp and 578 kW (775 hp) Bristol Pegasus VI engines. The two wing-mounted radial engines of the Ju 52/3m had half-chord cowlings and in planform view (from above/below) appeared to be splayed outwards, being mounted at an almost perpendicular angle to the tapered wing's sweptback leading edge (in a similar fashion to the Mitsubishi G3M bomber and Short Sunderland; the angled engines on the Ju 52 were intended to make maintaining straight flight easier should an engine fail, while the others had different reasons). The three engines had either Townend ring or NACA cowlings to reduce drag from the engine cylinders, although a mixture of the two was most common, with deeper-chord NACA cowlings on the wing engines and a narrow Townend ring on the center engine (onto which a deeper NACA cowl was more difficult to fit, due to the widening fuselage behind the engine). Production Ju 52/3m aircraft flown by Deutsche Luft Hansa before World War II, as well as Luftwaffe-flown Ju 52s flown during the war, usually used an air-start system to turn over their trio of radial engines, using a common compressed-air supply that also operated the main wheels' brakes.

Operational history - Prewar civil use

In 1932, James A. Richardson's Canadian Airways received (Werknummer 4006) CF-ARM, the sixth-built Ju 52/1m. The aircraft, first refitted with an Armstrong Siddeley Leopard radial engine and then later with a Rolls-Royce Buzzard and nicknamed the "Flying Boxcar" in Canada, could lift about 3 tons and had a maximum weight of 8 tons. It was used to supply mining and other operations in remote areas with equipment too big and heavy for other aircraft then in use. The Ju 52/1m was able to land on wheels, skis, or floats (as were all Ju 52 variants).

Before the Nazi government seized control of Junkers in 1935, the Ju 52/3m was produced principally as a 17-seat airliner. It was used mainly by Luft Hansa and could fly from Berlin to Rome in 8 hours. The Luft Hansa fleet eventually numbered 80 and flew from Germany on routes in Europe, Asia, and South America.

Military use 1932–1945

The Colombian Air Force used three Ju 52/3mde bombers equipped as floatplanes during the Colombia-Peru War in 1932–1933. After the war, the air force acquired three other Ju 52mge as transports; the type remained in service until after World War II.

Bolivia acquired four Ju 52s in the course of the Chaco War (1932–1935), mainly for medical evacuation and air supply. During the conflict, the Ju 52s alone transported more than 4,400 tons of cargo to the front.

In 1934, Junkers received orders to produce a bomber version of the Ju 52/3m to serve as interim equipment for the bomber units of the still-secret Luftwaffe until it could be replaced by the purpose-designed Dornier Do 11. Two bomb bays were fitted, capable of holding up to 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) of bombs, while defensive armament consisted of two 7.92 mm MG 15 machine guns, one in an open dorsal position, and one in a retractable "dustbin" ventral position, which could be manually winched down from the fuselage to protect the aircraft from attacks from below. The bomber could be easily converted to serve in the transport role. The Dornier Do 11 was a failure, however, and the Junkers ended up being acquired in much larger numbers than at first expected, with the type being the Luftwaffe's main bomber until more modern aircraft such as the Heinkel He 111, Junkers Ju 86 and Dornier Do 17 entered into service.

The Ju 52 first was used in military service in the Spanish Civil War against the Spanish Republic. It was one of the first aircraft delivered to the faction of the army in revolt in July 1936, as both a bomber and transport. In the former role, it participated in the bombing of Guernica. No more of the bomber variants were built after this war, though it was again used as a bomber during the bombing of Warsaw during the invasion of Poland in September 1939. The Luftwaffe then relied on the Ju 52 for transport roles during World War II, including paratroop drops.

World War II

In service with Luft Hansa, the Ju 52 had proved to be an extremely reliable passenger airplane. Therefore, it was adopted by the Luftwaffe as a standard aircraft model. In 1938, the 7th Air Division had five air transport groups with 250 Ju 52s. The Luftwaffe had 552 Ju 52s at the start of World War II. Though it was built in great numbers, the Ju 52 was technically obsolete. Between 1939 and 1944, 2,804 Ju 52s were delivered to the Luftwaffe (1939: 145; 1940: 388; 1941: 502; 1942: 503; 1943: 887; and 1944: 379). The production of Ju 52s continued until around the summer of 1944; when the war came to an end, 100 to 200 were still available.

The Ju 52 could carry 18 fully equipped soldiers, or 12 stretchers when used as an air ambulance. Transported material was loaded and unloaded through side doors by means of a ramp. Air-dropped supplies were jettisoned through two double chutes; supply containers were dropped by parachute through the bomb-bay doors, and paratroopers jumped through the side doors. SdKfz 2 Kettenkrafträder (half-track motorcycles) and supply canisters for parachute troops were secured under the fuselage at the bomb bay exits and were dropped with four parachutes. A tow coupling was built into the tail-skid for use in towing freight gliders. The Ju 52 could tow up to two DFS 230 gliders.

Lightly armed, and with a top speed of only 265 km/h (165 mph) – half that of a contemporary Hurricane – the Ju 52 was very vulnerable to fighter attack, and an escort was always necessary when flying in a combat zone. Many Ju 52's were shot down by antiaircraft guns and fighters while transporting supplies, most notably during the desperate attempt to resupply the trapped German Sixth Army during the final stages of the Battle of Stalingrad in the winter of 1942–1943.

Denmark and Norway campaign

The first major operation for the aircraft after the bombing of Warsaw was in Operation Weserübung, the attack on Denmark and Norway on 9 April 1940. Fifty-two Ju 52s from 1. and 8. Staffel in Kampfgeschwader 1 transported a company of Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) and a battalion of infantry to the northern part of Jutland, and captured the airfield at Aalborg, vital to support the operation in southern Norway. Several hundred Ju 52s were also used to transport troops to Norway in the first days of this campaign.

The seaplane version, equipped with two large floats, served during the Norwegian campaign in 1940, and later in the Mediterranean theatre. Some Ju 52's, both floatplanes and landplanes, were also used as minesweepers, known as Minensuch — literally, "mine-search" aircraft in German — and fitted with a 14 m (46 ft) diameter current-carrying degaussing ring under the airframe to create a magnetic field that triggered submerged naval mines. These aircraft were usually given an -"MS" suffix to designate them, as had been done with the similarly equipped Bv 138 MS trimotor flying boat.

Netherlands campaign

The Ju 52 transport aircraft participated in the attack on the Netherlands on 10 May 1940, where they were deployed in the first large-scale air attack with paratroops in history during the Battle for The Hague. Many aircraft where shot down by Dutch AA-fire; a total of 125 Ju 52s were lost and 47 damaged, a very costly defeat in the opening days for the Luftwaffe.

Later, these aircraft were deployed at airfields in the Lyon, Lille, and Arras areas in August 1940.

Balkans campaign

The next major use of the Ju 52 was in the Balkans campaign, most famously in the Battle of Crete in May 1941.

North Africa campaign

During the North African campaign, the Ju 52 was the mainstay reinforcement and resupply transport for the Germans, starting with 20 to 50 flights a day to Tunisia from Sicily in November 1942, building to 150 landings a day in early April as the Axis situation became more desperate. The Allied air forces developed a counter-air operation over a two-month period and implemented Operation Flax on 5 April 1943, destroying 11 Ju 52s in the air near Cap Bon and many more during bombing attacks on its Sicilian airfields, leaving only 29 flyable. That began two catastrophic weeks in which more than 140 were lost in air interceptions, culminating on 18 April with the "Palm Sunday Massacre" in which 24 Ju 52s were shot down, and another 35 staggered back to Sicily and crash-landed.

Hitler's personal transport

Hitler used a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52 for campaigning in the 1932 German election, preferring flying to train travel. After he became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, Hans Baur became his personal pilot, and Hitler was provided with a personal Ju 52. Named Immelmann II after the World War I ace Max Immelmann, it carried the registration D-2600. As his power and importance grew, Hitler's personal air force grew to nearly 50 aircraft, based at Berlin Tempelhof Airport and made up mainly of Ju 52s, which also flew other members of his cabinet and war staff. In September 1939 at Baur's suggestion, Immelmann II was replaced by a four-engine Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, although Immelman II remained his backup aircraft for the rest of World War II.

Chiang Kai-shek's personal transport

Eurasia was the main Chinese Airliner Company in the 1930s and the Ju-52 was their main airliner plane. One of them was commandeered by the Chinese Nationalist Party government and became Chiang Kai-shek's personal transport.

Postwar use

Various Junkers Ju 52s continued in military and civilian use following World War II. In 1956, the Portuguese Air Force, which was already using the Ju 52s as a transport plane, employed the type as a paratroop drop aircraft for its newly organized elite parachute forces, later known as the Batalhão de Caçadores Páraquedistas. The paratroopers used the Ju 52 in several combat operations in Angola and other Portuguese African colonies before gradually phasing it out of service in the 1960s.

The Swiss Air Force also operated the Ju 52 from 1939 to 1982, when three aircraft remained in operation, probably the last and longest service in any air force. Museums hoped to obtain the aircraft, but they were not for sale. They are still in flying condition and together with a CASA 352 can be booked for sightseeing tours with Ju-Air. During the 1950s, the Ju 52 was also used by the French Air Force during the First Indochina War as a bomber. The use of these Junkers was quite limited.

The Spanish Air Force operated the Ju 52, nicknamed Pava, until well into the 1970s. Escuadrón 721, flying the Spanish-built versions, was employed in training parachutists from Alcantarilla Air Base near Murcia.

Some military Ju 52s were converted to civilian use. For example, British European Airways operated 11 ex-Luftwaffe Ju 52/3mg8e machines, taken over by the RAF, between 1946 and retirement in 1947 on intra-U.K. routes before the Douglas DC-3 was introduced to the airline. French airlines such as Societe de Transports Aeriens (STA) and Air France flew Toucans in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

In the USSR, captured Ju 52s were allocated to the Civil Air Fleet, being found particularly suitable for transporting sulphur from the Karakum Desert.

  • Various Soviet agencies used the Ju 52 through to 1950.

    A Ju 52 and a Douglas DC-3 were the last aircraft to take off from Berlin Tempelhof Airport before all operations ceased there on October 30, 2008.

    Other versions

    Most Ju 52s were destroyed after the war, but 585 were built after 1945. In France, the machine had been manufactured during the war by the Junkers-controlled Avions Amiot company, and production continued afterwards as the Amiot AAC 1 Toucan. In Spain, Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA continued production as the CASA 352 and 352L. Four CASA 352s are airworthy and in regular use today.

    A CASA-built Ju52/3m appears in the opening sequence and finale of the 1968 Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood film Where Eagles Dare.

    Civil variants

    • Ju 52 : Prototype of the single-engined transport aircraft, of twelve laid down only six were completed as single-engined aircraft. First flight: 3 September 1930, powered by a BMW VIIaU engine.
    • Ju 52/1mba : The prototype Ju 52, (c/n 4001, regn D-1974), redesignated after being re-engined with a single Junkers L88 engine.
    • Ju 52/1mbe : Aircraft powered by BMW VIIaU.
    • Ju 52/1mbi : The second prototype, (c/n 4002, regn D-2133), fitted with an 600 kW (800 hp) Armstrong Siddeley Leopard engine.
    • Ju 52/1mca : D-1974 fitted with drag flaps and refitted with a BMW VIIaU.
    • Ju 52/1mcai : D-2356, (c/n 4005), crashed in May 1933.
    • Ju 52/1mce : D-USON (c/n 4003) used as a target tug. D-2317, (c/n 4004), converted to a torpedo bomber in Sweden as the K 45.
    • Ju 52/1mci : The second prototype fitted with 11.05 m (36 ft 3 in) long stepped floats, flying from the River Elbe on 17 July 1931.
    • Ju 52/1mdi : The second prototype after having the floats removed and undercarriage reinstated, registered as D-USUS from 1934.
    • Ju 52/1mdo : D-1974 fitted with a Junkers Jumo 4 engine as a testbed, reregistered as D-UZYP from 1937.
    • Ju 52/3m : Three-engined prototype, powered by three 410 kW (550 hp) Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp engines, first flight: 7 March 1932.
    • Ju 52/3mba : VIP version for the president of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Romanian prince Gheorghe Bibescu, powered by a 560 kW (750 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Mb engine in the nose and two 423 kW (567 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Nb engines (one on each wing).
    • Ju 52/3mce : Three-engined civil transport aircraft, powered by three Pratt & Whitney Hornet or BMW 132 engines.
    • Ju 52/3mci : Planned version for Sweden, powered by Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines, not built.
    • Ju 52/3mde : Seaplane version for Bolivia and Colombia, converted from Ju 52/1m.
    • Ju 52/3mfe : Improved version, with chassis reinforcements and NACA cowlings on the outer engines, powered by three BMW 132A-3 engines.
    • Ju 52/3mf1e : Trainer version for DVS.
    • Ju 52/3mge : Airliner version, powered by BMW Hornet 132A engines.
    • Ju 52/3mho : Two aircraft powered by Junkers Jumo 205C diesel engines, used only for testing.
    • Ju 52/3mkao : Version powered by two BMW 132A and one BMW 132F or BMW 132N as a testbed.
    • Ju 52/3ml : Powered by three 489 kW (656 hp) Pratt & Whitney R-1690-S1EG engines.
    • Ju 52/3mlu : Airliner version for Italy, powered by Piaggio Stella X engines, later re-engined with Alfa Romeo 126RC/34 engines.
    • Ju 52/3mmao : Similar to kao except with NACA cowling.
    • Ju 52/3mnai : Airliner version for Sweden and Great Britain, powered by Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines.
    • Ju 52/3mreo : Airliner version for South America, powered by BMW 132Da/Dc engines.
    • Ju 52/3msai : Airliner version for Sweden and South America, powered by Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines.
    • Ju 52/3mte : Airliner version, powered by three BMW 132K engines.
    • Ju 52/3mZ5 : Export version for Finland, powered by BMW 132Z-3 engines.

    Military variants

    • Ju 52/3mg3e : Improved military version, powered by three 541 kW (725 hp) BMW 132A-3 (improved version of the Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet) radial engines, equipped with an improved radio and bomb-release mechanism. Later versions had a tailwheel that replaced the tailskid.
    • Ju 52/3mg4e : Military transport version, the tailskid was replaced by a tailwheel.
    • Ju 52/3mg5e : Similar to g4e, but powered by three 619 kW (830 hp) BMW 132T-2 engines, it could be fitted with interchangeable floats, skis, and wheeled landing gear.
    • Ju 52/3mg6e : Transport version equipped with extra radio gear and autopilot, could also be fitted with a degaussing ring.
    • Ju 52/3mg7e : Transport version, capable of carrying 18 troops or 12 stretchers, featured autopilot and larger cargo doors.
    • Ju 52/3mg8e : Similar to g6e, but with improved radio and direction finding gear, a few were fitted with floats.
    • Ju 52/3mg9e : Tropical version of g4e for service in North Africa, fitted with glider towing gear and strengthened undercarriage.
    • Ju 52/3mg10e : Similar to g9e, but could be fitted with floats or wheels, lacked deicing equipment.
    • Ju 52/3mg11e : Similar to g10e, but fitted with deicing equipment.
    • Ju 52/3mg12e : Land transport version, powered by three BMW 132L engines.
    • Ju 52/3m12e : Civilian version of Ju 52/3mg12e for Luft Hansa.
    • Ju 52/3mg13e : No details are known.
    • Ju 52/3mg14e : Similar to g8e, but with improved armor, last German production version.
    • A.A.C. 1 Toucan : Postwar French version of g11e, 415 built.
    • CASA 352 : Postwar Spanish version, 106 built.
    • CASA 352L : Spanish version with Spanish 578 kW (775 hp) ENMA Beta B-4 (license-built BMW 132) engines, 64 built.
    • C-79 : Designation assigned to a single example operated by the United States Army Air Forces.
    • D52 : Designation used by the Czechoslovak Air Force.
    • T2B : Designation used by the Spanish Air Force.
    • Tp 5 : Designation used by the Swedish Air Force.
    • K 45c : A single Ju 52/1mce (c/n 4004) was delivered to the Junkers factory at Limhamn in Sweden, where it was converted to a torpedo bomber as the K 45c.

    Incidents and accidents

    • On January 31, 1935, a Deruluft Ju 52/3mge, registration D-AREN, crashed into a hill at Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland) in rain and fog, killing all 11 on board.
    • On January 17, 1936, a Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (LAB) Ju 52/3mce named Chorolque crashed into the Tapacarí swamps NE of Cochabamba, Bolivia, killing all 13 on board.
    • On June 16, 1936, a Norwegian Air Lines (DNL) Ju 52/3 mW named Havørn crashed into Mount Lihesten in fog, killing all seven on board.
    • On November 1, 1936, a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52/3mge, registration D-APOO and named Heinrich Kroll, crashed into mountains near Tabarz en route to Erfurt, killing 11 of 15 on board.
    • On November 17, 1936, a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52/3mge, registration D-ASUI and named Hans Berr, crashed in the Moritzberg due to pilot disorientation, killing four of 16 on board.
    • On June 16, 1937, a South African Airways (SAA) Ju 52/3msa1, registration ZS-AKY and named Earl of Caledon, crashed on takeoff from Rand Airport due to loss of power in two engines, killing one.
    • On November 16, 1937, a SABENA Ju 52/3m crashed at Ostend, Belgium after striking a factory chimney, killing all 12 on board.
    • On November 26, 1937, a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52/3mfe, registration D-AGAV and named Emil Schäfer, crashed into a hangar in fog on takeoff from Croydon Airport, killing all three on board.
    • On December 4, 1937, an Ala Littoria Ju 52/3mlu, registration I-BAUS, struck a mountain and crashed near Bayerisch Eisenstein, killing four of 17 on board.
    • On December 15, 1937, an LAB Ju 52/3mce, registration CB-18 and named Huanani, disappeared between Roboré and Sarta Cruz on a cargo flight; the wreckage was found in the 1940s, but the crew was never found.
    • On February 22, 1938, a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52/3mge, registration D-APAR and named Otto Parschau, crashed near Pontoise, France in fog, killing all three on board.
    • On May 22, 1938, a Syndicato Condor Ju 52/3mge, registration PP-CBC and named Guaracy, crashed into water off Santos Airport, killing six of 17 on board; Brazilian Minister of Justice Mauricio Cardoso was among the dead.
    • On August 15, 1938, a Syndicato Condor Ju 52/3mfe, registration PP-CAT and named Anhanga, crashed on takeoff into Guanabara Bay, killing all nine on board.
    • On October 1, 1938, a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52/3mte, registration D-AVFB, crashed on Piz Cengalo mountain near Graubünden, Switzerland, killing all 13 on board; a postal bag from the aircraft was found in 1952.
    • On January 13, 1939, a Syndicato Condor Ju 52/3mge, registration PP-CAY and named Marimba, struck a mountain near Rio Bonito, Brazil, killing all ten on board.
    • On March 14, 1939, a SABENA Ju 52/3mge, registration OO-AUA, crashed into a field at Haren, Belgium, killing all three on board.
    • On August 4, 1939, a Deutsche Luft Hansa, registration D-AUJG and named Hans Wende, crashed in mountains near Tivissa, Spain, killing all seven on board.
    • On December 18, 1939, an Iberia Ju 52/3m, registration M-CABA and named Sanjurjo, was shot down by British anti-aircraft fire and crashed off Europa Point, all ten on board died.
    • On March 1, 1941, a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52/3mte, registration D-AQAB, crashed on landing in Hommelvik Bay off Trondheim and sunk, killing three of 12 on board.
    • On February 28, 1942, a Varig Ju 52/3mge, registration PP-VAL and named Maua, crashed on takeoff from Porto Alegra Airport into the River Guaíba, killing six on 21 on board.
    • On February 28, 1944, a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52/3m, registration D-AWAS and named Joachim Blankenburg, disappeared off Greece with 16 on board; the wreckage was never found.
    • On April 17, 1944, a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52/3m, registration D-AOCA, was shot down over Belgrade, killing three of five on board.
    • On September 2, 1944, a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52/3m, registration D-AUAW and named Gerhard Amann, was short down over Ivanca, Croatia, killing all five on board.
    • On October 16, 1944, a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52/3m, registration D-ADQU, crashed in the Lifjeld Mountains in poor weather, killing all 15 on board.
    • On October 16, 1944, a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52/3mg8e, registration D-ADQV and named Hermann Stache, crashed into a mountain at Hestnutan, Norway due to radio failure, killing all 15 on board. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled Berlin-Copenhagen-Oslo service as Flight 7.
    • On October 17, 1944, a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52/3m, registration D-ASHE and named Friedrich Dahmen, was attacked by RAF aircraft and force-landed at Komitat Komorn, Hungary, killing one of nine on board.
    • On April 20, 1945, a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 52/3m, registration D-ANAJ, was shot down by Soviet Air Force aircraft and crashed at Glienig, Germany while operating a Berlin-Munich-Prague evacuation service, killing 18 of 20 on board.
    • On March 5, 1946, a CSA Ju 52/3m, registration OK-ZDN, crashed after repeated landing attempts at Prague, killing ten of 15 on board.
    • On May 22, 1946, a DNL Ju 52/3m2e, registration LN-LAB, crashed after takeoff from Oslo after the aircraft stalled due to engine failure, killing 12 of 13 on board.

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    Source : Article Junkers Ju 52 of Wikipedia ( authors )
  • Junkers Ju 52

    • Role : Transport aircraft, medium bomber, airliner.
    • Manufacturer : Junkers.
    • Designer : Ernst Zindel.
    • First flight : 13 October 1930 (Ju 52/1m); 7 March 1932 (Ju 52/3m).
    • Status : In limited use.
    • Primary users :
    • Produced :
      • 1931–1945 (Germany).
      • 1945–1947 (France).
      • 1945–1952 (Spain).
    • Number built : 4,845

      Specifications (Junkers Ju 52/3m g7e)

    • Crew : 3 (two pilots, radio operator).
    • Capacity : 18 troops or 12 litter patients.
    • Length : 18.90 m (62 ft).
    • Height : 4.5 m (14 ft 10 in).
    • Wingspan : 29.25 m (95 ft 10 in).
    • Wing area : 110.5 m² (1,190 ft²).
    • Empty weight : 6,510 kg (14,325 lb).
    • Loaded weight : 9,200 kg (20,270 lb).
    • Max takeoff weight : 10,990 kg (24,200 lb).
    • Maximum speed : 265 km/h (165 mph) at sea level.
    • Cruise speed : 211 km/h (132 mph).
    • Range : 870 km (540 miles).
    • Service ceiling : 5,490 m (18,000 ft).
    • Rate of climb : 17 minutes to 3,050 m (10,000 ft).
    • Powerplant : Three BMW 132T radial engines.
    • Power : 533 kW (715 hp) each.
    • Armament : One 13 mm MG 131 machine gun in a dorsal position and two 7.92 mm MG 15 machine guns, plus up to 455 kg (1,000 lb) of bombs (on some variants).

    — — — = = — — —

    This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
    Source : Article Junkers Ju 52 of Wikipedia ( authors )
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  • Comments : All text written by users on Blogs and comment pages available on the Website.
  • Media : All media available on or through the Website. One must distinguish the local media (photos, curves, drawings) and the external media (videos) which the Website refers.
  • Purpose of this site

    The purpose of this non-commercial site is purely educational. Reflecting a passion, it is also there to preserve the memory of all those who gave their lives, their health or energy in the name of freedom, aviation safety or simply our passenger comfort.

    Copyright

    Some media may have escaped the vigilance of Administrators with regard to copyrights. If a user reports copyright infringement, he will be asked to prove that he is indeed the rights's owner for the concerned media. If so, his decision on the Administrator's next action will be respected: A total suppression of the Media on the Website, or the addition of some owner's reference. The publication of a media on the internet normally having as a goal to make it visible to many people, the Administrators expect in any case that the second option will be most often chosen.

    Pursuant to the Law on copyright and related rights, the user has the right to download and reproduce information on the Website for personal use and provided that the source is mentionned. They cannot however be used for commercial or advertising purposes.

    Using Blogs and filing comments

  • Moderator : The Administrator reserves the right to prevent the publication of comments that are not directly related to the Service without providing any explanation. Similarly, all insults, out of scope or unethical material will be banned.
  • Identification : Persons wishing to post a comment or use any form of contact are required to provide identification by the means of a valid e-mail address.
  • Responsibilities : Comments are posted on the Website under the unique responsability of their authors and the Administrators may in no case be liable for any statements or claims that the users might have issued.
  • As the comment system is hosted and maintained on servers external to the Website, the Administrators may in no circumstances be held responsible for the use that administrators of these servers or other third parties may have with those comments or filed data.

    Content Liability

    The Administrators carefully check the reliability of the sources used. They cannot, however, guarantee the accuracy of any information contained on the Website, partly because of the multiple sources from which they come.

    JavaScript and cookies - Storing information

    This Website imperatively uses JavaScript and cookies to function properly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Website for the retention or disclosure of personal information about Visitors. Exceptions to this rule will involve storing the Users banned for inappropriate comments they might have given as well as contact information for Users wishing to subscribe to future newsletters.

    When a user accesses the Website, the corresponding servers may automatically collect certain data, such as IP address, date and time of Website access, viewed pages and the type of browser used. This information is kept only for the purpose of measuring the number of visitors to the different sections of the site and make improvements.

    Donations - Advertising

    To continue providing the Service for free, the Webmaster reserves the right to insert advertising or promotional messages on any page of the Site. In the same idea, any donations will only by used to cover the running costs of the site, such as hosting, connection fees, hardware and software necessary for the development and maintenance of the Website.

    Links and other websites

    Administrators shall in no case be liable for the non-availability of websites operated by third parties to which users would access through the Website.

    Administrators assume no liability for any content, advertising, products and/or services available on such third party websites. It is reminded that those sites are governed by their own terms of use.

    Placing a link to third party sites or authorize a third party to include a link on their website refering to this Website does not mean that the Administrators recommend in any way the products or services offered by these websites.

    Modifications

    The Webmaster reserves the right to modify at any time without notification the present terms of use as well as all content or specific functionality that the Website offers.

    The modified terms and conditions immediately apply to the using Visitor when changes come online. Visitors are invited to consult the site regularly on the most current version of the terms and conditions

    Governing Law and Jurisdiction

    These general conditions are governed by Belgian law.

    In case of dispute regarding the interpretation and/or execution of the above terms, the parties agree that the courts of the district of Nivelles, Belgium shall have exclusive jurisdiction power.

    Credits page

    Wikipedia.org

    Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia.

    Youtube

    YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, view and share videos.

    Special thanks to all Youtube quality aviation vids providers, specially (Those I forgot, please excuse me or report) :

    Airboyd
    Andys Video
    Aviation videos archives
    Bomberguy
    Classic Aviation TV
    Historical Aviation Film Unit
    Horsemoney
    Jaglavaksoldier
    Joluqa Malta
    Just Planes
    Koksy
    Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture
    Memorial Flight
    Octane130
    Okrajoe
    SDASM archives
    Spottydog4477
    The Aviators TV
    Valentin Izagirre Bengoetxea
    Vexed123
    VonBerlich
    Zenos Warbirds

    Bundesarchiv

    The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv are the National Archives of Germany.

    FAQ

    I don't see my comments any more!

    Please note that each page has it's own comment entry. So, if you enter a comment i.e. on the B-747, you will only see it on that related page.

    General comments are accessed via the "BLOG En" button.

    Comments are moderated, so please allow some delay before they appear, specially if you are outside Europe.

    Menus are developing below the page, because they are too long!

    But they remain accessible, for example by scrolling the mouse wheel, or with your finger (on the menu) on a smartphone or tablet.

    I see adds on all videos.

    Use a good free add remover software.

    The site is loading random pages at startup.

    We think it is a good way to bring back the memory of aircraft, persons or events sometimes quite forgotten.

    HELP PAGE

    Why this site?

    Discovery

    This website is dedicated to one's aeronautical passion (which I hope we share) and was realised mainly as an educationnal tool. Knowing that, you'll notice that each new visit brings random topics for the purpose of making new discoveries, some achievements or characters certainly not deserving the oblivion into which they have sometimes fallen.

    By these pages, we also want to pay tribute to all those who gave at one time or another, their lives or health in the name of freedom, aeronautical security or simply our comfort.

    Centralisation

    Internet is full of websites dedicated to aviation, but most are dedicated to subjects or periods that are very limited in space or time. The purpose of this site is to be as general as possible and thus treats all events as well as characters of all stripes and times while putting much emphasis on the most significant achievements.

    The same years saw birth of technologies like photography and cinema, thus permitting illustration of a large part of important aeronautical events from the start. Countless (and sometimes rare) media recently put online by enthousiasts finally give us access to these treasures, but the huge amount of information often makes things a little messy. A centralization effort is obviously most needed at this level.

    All persons who directly or indirectly contributed to the achievement or posting of such documents are here gratefully acknowledged.

    General

    Fluid website

    This site automatically fits the dimensions of your screen, whether you are on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

    Bilingual website

    You can change the language by clicking on the flag in the upper left or via "Options" in the central menu. Of course, the videos remain in the language in which they were posted ...

    Browser compatibility

    The site is not optimized, or even designed to run on older browsers or those deliberately deviating from standards. You will most probably encounter display issues with Internet Explorer. In this case, it is strongly recommended installing a modern (and free!) browser that's respecting the standards, like Firefox, Opera, Chrome or Safari.

    Cookies and Javascript

    This site uses cookies and JavaScript to function properly. Please ensure that your browser is configured accordingly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Site for the retention or disclosure of personal information about its Visitors. See the "Legal" page for more on this subject.

    Website layout

    Left menus

    Because of the lack of space on smartphones and small tablets, these menus are hidden. Everything is nevertheless accessible via the main menu option, located between the video and photo sections. This menu is placed there for compatibility reasons with some browsers, which play the videos over the menus.

    "Search" and "Latest" :
    The link "In Titles" restricts the search to the titles of different forms. Use this option if you are looking for a plane, a constructor, a pilot or a particular event that could have been treated as a subject.

    The link "In Stories" will bring you to a search in all texts (the "Story" tab) and will take more time. The search term will appear highlighted in green when opening the corresponding story.

    Would you believe, "Timeline" will show all subjects in chronological order.

    "Random" will reload the entire page with a new random topic.

    The bottom section keeps you abreast of the latest five entries. New topics are added regularly. Don't hesitate to come visit us often : add bookmark.

    Blogs and Comments central section

    Under the photos section comes the comments tabs window :

    You can enter general comments in your own language via one of the two buttons on the left (BLOG EN and BLOG FR). Note that these buttons are accessible regardless of the language to allow some participation in the other language.

    All comments are subject to moderation and will be published only if they comply with the basic rules of decorum, while remaining relevant to the purpose of this site.

    The third tab allows you to enter comments on the shown topic and is bilingual. Personal anecdotes, supplements and other information questions will take place here.

    The "Story" tab shows the explanatory texts. They are most often taken from Wikipedia, a site where we participate regularly.

    The "Data" tab is reserved for list of features and specifications.

    Right menus

    On a smartphone, the lack of space is growing and this menu is moved to the bottom of the page to give priority to videos and pictures.

    The top right icons are links to videos posted by third parties (on their own responsabilities) or by ourselves. The link below these icons will take you to the channel of the one who posted the video. Feel free to suggest other videos if you think they are of some interest (Use the BLOG button or the "Contact" link).