# The Ju 52



## Foxbat (Jun 23, 2018)

For many people, the iconic aircraft that came to symbolise the Luftwaffe in World War Two was the Junkers Ju 87 Stukageschwader (Stuka) and it’s not hard to see why. Newsreels from the time were often awash with the gull-winged dive-bomber in its classic steep attack angle and Jericho siren screaming as it stooped like some kind of metallic Peregrine Falcon on its prey below.

The Stuka was the aerial manifestation of Blitzkrieg.

But before the Stuka, there was another: the Junkers 52. In its own way, this plane almost as immediately recognisable  as the Stuka. The Ju 52 had a corrugated Duralumin skin and three-engined  design that gave it a look all of its own.

I’ve always loved the look of nineteen thirties passenger aircraft and, of them all, the Junkers 52 is one of my favourites.

It was designed by a man called Ernst Zindel, who was attracted to the idea of working with Hugo Junkers because of the latter’s progressive and insightful use of metals. Prohibited initially by the Versailles Treaty from building planes, Junkers Flugzeugwerk concentrated on household items: water heaters, radiators, cutlery and metal furniture. The ban on commercial aircraft was lifted in 1922 and Junkers began to produce aircraft, capturing a lucrative contract to build airframes and engines for the Soviet Airforce.

In 1928, Zindel began work on the design of a new, large transport aircraft and came up with the prototype Ju 52/1mbe. The major difference with this and later models was that it only had one 680 hp BMW engine with four bladed propellor mounted on the nose. It was not a great commercial success because of lack of weight it could carry and slow speed.  Zindel went back to the drawing board and finally, the tri-motored Ju 52/3m  took to the air for the first time in 1932.

Its first taste of war came not in Europe but in South America in the early 1930s where three Ju 52s were pressed into service to fly supply drops for the  Bolivian airforce (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana..FAB) in the war against Paraguay (The Chaco War 1932-1935).

What is less well known about the reliable and sturdy Ju 52 was that, prior to WW2, it was also  a highly successful and popular passenger airliner. Indeed, it is somewhat ironic that one of the main markets for export of these passenger aircraft was Soviet Russia.

It was not until the Spanish Civil War that its versatility really became apparent. Hitler’s Condor Legion used them as ad-hoc bombers as well as transports and were quite successful considering bombing was not what they were designed for. Some had vertical bomb stowage racks installed (the airframe design being unsuitable for horizontal stowage) whilst other planes had crewmembers tossing bombs out of the door by using snow shovels. So, despite the Ju 87 being the iconic Blitzkrieg bomber, the Ju 52 was just as important in developing the methods of aerial attack that Nazi Germany would go on to employ at the start of World War Two.

When war erupted over Europe, the Ju 52 became the operating platform for the Fallschirmjager (German airborne forces) as well as the main workhorse in many other areas  - including the failed attempt to supply the isolated 6th Army at Stalingrad. Failed, I might add, through no fault of the Ju 52. There simply were not enough of them to provide the required levels of supplies and no amount of boasting from Goring was going to change that.

It has often been said that such was the unsung and unrecognised contribution of  the Douglas Dakota, the allies would have struggled to win the war without it. I think it could also be argued that without the Ju 52, the Nazis would have struggled to prolong the war for a long as they did.

It was, quite simply, a beautiful and eminently functional design.


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## Foxbat (Jun 23, 2018)

And now, here's my own little Ju 52.
I wanted to build a civilian version and so chose the Italeri kit. The mouldings were well detailed but, in truth, this model was a complete B*****d to build. The biggest problem was the wings. They were simply butted on to the fuselage with almost no support. Needless to say that, after gluing in place and filling in the gaps, it was not long before they actually broke away. They did so whilst I was busy sanding down the filler and so repairs had to be made. So fragile were they that I ended up drilling holes through both wings and fuselage. I then insterted cocktail sticks for extra rigidity.

The downside was that I was too nervous to sand down the filler again and so the joints look pretty bad.

Another problem was application of the decals. the corrugated body meant that once applied, they were almost permanent with little room for adjustment. Luckily the decals were pretty strong and didn't tear despite multiple attempts to get them right.

All in all, a disappointing build - partly because of my own ineptness and partly because of poor design choices made when creating the moulds for this kit. I think there's a good chance that I'll buy this again and hopefully make a better job second time around because of all that I've learned.


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## Foxbat (Jun 23, 2018)




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## BAYLOR (Jun 23, 2018)

Cool !


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## The Ace (Jun 23, 2018)

"Auntie Julie."


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## -K2- (Jun 24, 2018)

Now you need the counterpart to the JU52, equally utilized the world over, and equally long lived.  In fact, I believe both aircraft have had the distinction of being in "working" service (not just still around and flying) longer than any other aircraft ever built.

Naturally I'm speaking of the Douglas DC-3.

Very nice work and write-up!

K2


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## BAYLOR (Jun 24, 2018)

-K2- said:


> Now you need the counterpart to the JU52, equally utilized the world over, and equally long lived.  In fact, I believe both aircraft have had the distinction of being in "working" service (not just still around and flying) longer than any other aircraft ever built.
> 
> Naturally I'm speaking of the Douglas DC-3.
> 
> ...



There are still few of those DC3 still around and flying .


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## -K2- (Jun 24, 2018)

BAYLOR said:


> There are still few of those DC3 still around and flying .



As are JU52's.  From Wikipedia: As of 2008, eight Ju 52 remain in operation, four of which operate pleasure flights from Dübendorf airport in Switzerland.

Further, I "believe" though am not sure, that recently a JU52 was discovered to still be in working service (mail/cargo) in S. America.  You can be assured of one thing however.  There will be working aircraft of both types (restored and preserved) long after we're gone.  Both literally helped shape the world as we know it, their historical impact significant.

K2


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## WarriorMouse (Jun 24, 2018)

> There are still few of those DC3 still around and flying .


Few?
Try hundreds.
Quite a few rebuilders of the C-47/DC-3 around plus there is a Turbo Prop version available.(Basler BT-67)
One of the companies that air lifts supplies into Antartica (Borek Air) has 9 of the BT-67's in its fleet.
The C-47/DC-3 and variants have no equal in  modern air cargo haul aircraft. Its a truly seminal aircraft.
My favorite C-47 conversion was the Spooky/Spectra type.


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## Foxbat (Jun 25, 2018)

-K2- said:


> Now you need the counterpart to the JU52, equally utilized the world over, and equally long lived.  In fact, I believe both aircraft have had the distinction of being in "working" service (not just still around and flying) longer than any other aircraft ever built.
> 
> Naturally I'm speaking of the Douglas DC-3.
> 
> ...


I actually have that kit put aside for a rainy day. I intend to build it with the British Dan-Air livery.


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## Edward M. Grant (Jun 25, 2018)

BAYLOR said:


> There are still few of those DC3 still around and flying .



I was sitting in the cockpit of a DC-3 a few weeks ago. Sadly not a flying one.

It was an interesting experience, because I've always found it a bit of a pig to fly in Microsoft Flight Simulator due to the tiny windows, and had thought maybe the model was wrong... but they're just as tiny in real life!


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## sknox (Jun 30, 2018)

If I wanted to buy a model kit for a friend who loves to build model airplanes, can you direct me to a website or two where I could find information? It's fairly easy to find where to shop; I'm thinking more of resources to tell me about the planes. I have a bit of knowledge, but it's uneven and probably superficial. He's a couple years from retirement, so I'm starting to be on the lookout for something memorable.


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## Vladd67 (Jun 30, 2018)

Last weekend we decided to pop along to Willen Lake in Milton Keynes, turns out there was Dragon Boat racing on, and part of the event was a fly by by a DC3, and just now I saw a spitfire that was returning from a local classic and steam vehicle show.


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## WarriorMouse (Jul 1, 2018)

You in the UK are so lucky. Anything Vintage ie; cars, trucks, airplanes, trains -   are rare were I live in Canada. Plus there are no vintage festivals of any kind here.
I have  seen some  unlikly aircraft fly through the valley here in The Rocky Mountains or over it in one case.
Over the years i have seen
  A single seat turbo prop military fighter type aircraft, flew down valley low and fast. Maybe a Embraer EMB 314 ?
Russian  Mil Mi-26 heavy lift helicopter
British Military Puma Helicopter (2 of)
Erickson Sky Crane
Blackhawk Helicopter  During G8 meeting nearby. It would sit and hover for an hour at a time just south of town a coupe of thou feet above valley  bottom. (We are at 4296 ft / 1309 mtr  elevation)
Avro Lancaster (Mynarski Lancaster)
Lockheed Constellation
B-52 Bombers with fighter escort. Very high over flight transiting south. To high for visual confermation but the con trail and the sound was unmistakeable as was the sun flash in a otherwise empty sky  to the rear of the B-52's denoting the fighter escort.


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## Edward M. Grant (Jul 3, 2018)

WarriorMouse said:


> You in the UK are so lucky. Anything Vintage ie; cars, trucks, airplanes, trains -   are rare were I live in Canada.



On the other hand, a few years ago a Lancaster flew over my head while I was waiting for a bus in Edmonton. No idea what it was doing there that day!


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