Junkers Ju 87B Stuka – 2./StG 3, Luftwaffe, Derna, Libya, 1941

Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72 scale AA32506: Junkers Ju 87B Stuka of 2./StG 3, Luftwaffe, Derna, Libya, 1941. Limited Edition of 2,900 models.

Length 6.25 inches Wingspan 7.5 inches

On 19th April 1941, the only fighter unit that was sent to the desert, I/JG 27. carried out its first mission in tropicalized Bf 109E-7s. From February 1941, the AfrikaKorps was active in Libya to support the Italians, who were in full rout after the disaster of Beda Fomm. FliegerFuhrer Afrika was created at the same time, but the detachment of fighters necessary (in the event the I./JG 27) to escort the bombers in operations carried out their missions only from April 19th 1941. By late 1941 several Bomber Stab had joined the ranks including the Stukas of 2./StG 3. seen here in traditional desert colouring, with black codes on the fuselage and the white theatre band running around it.

Designed to function as a close support aircraft, the Ju 87 was first flown on September 17th, 1935. The Ju 87 had an innovative design that included automatic dive brakes under each wing-a feature that protected against the consequences of pilot blackout by ensuring recovery from an attack dive. Crewed by a pilot and rear gunner, the Ju 87 had twin 37mm cannons and a bomb that swung away from the propeller on an elongated U-shaped crutch. Its inverted gull wings improved pilot-to-ground visibility, gave the undercarriage a shorter height and made the Ju 87 instantly recognizable to its enemies.