Junkers Ju 87
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The Junkers Ju 87, popularly known as the "Stuka", is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 and served the Axis in World War II from beginning to end (1939–1945).
Junkers Ju 87
Ernst Udet; proponent of the dive-bomber and the Ju 87 (1928 photo)
The Stuka had inverted gull wings, as shown in this photograph. Also visible are the two separate sliding "hoods" of the canopy.
The RAF Museum's Ju 87, 2016, partially disassembled, showing the four attachment points for the outer wing section
Dive bomber
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A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact throughout the bomb run. This allows attacks on point targets and ships, which were difficult to attack with conventional level bombers, even en masse.
A Douglas SBD Dauntless drops its bomb. The dive brakes are extended and are visible behind the wings.
Final assembly view of SBD Dauntless dive bombers in 1943 at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant in El Segundo, California. The dive brakes are visible behind the wings.
The Aichi D1A2, a carrier-borne dive bomber
Ju 87D Stukas over the Eastern Front, December 1943