Posted on 10/06/2006 6:42:29 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
ATHENS, Greece - Greek military divers Friday successfully raised the wreckage of a German World War II Stuka bomber from the sea off the eastern island of Rhodes, the air force said.
The Junkers-87 dive-bomber was shot down in 1943 and will be conserved and displayed at the air force museum at an airport near Athens, air force spokesman Col. Ioannis Papageorgiou said.
Papageorgiou said there was no trace of the two airmen's bodies.
"The plane was raised a couple of hours ago, and I don't know yet whether there are any remains inside," he told The Associated Press.
He said part of the plane's tail section appeared to be missing.
The two-seater's wreckage was located two years ago by a trawler, which caught it in its nets seven miles offshore at a depth of 492 feet, and dragged it close to the island's southern coast.
Air force experts believe the plane was part of a Luftwaffe squadron operating from Rhodes that lost several Stukas to allied ships and aircraft on Oct. 9, 1943.
"Once we locate the serial number, we will be able to identify the plane, what squadron it belonged to and the crew," Papageorgiou said.
Fitted with a screaming siren for maximum psychological effect, the gull-winged, single-engine Stuka was a feared symbol of Nazi military power.
Used in action in the Spanish Civil War, it played a major role in the German invasions of Poland and France, but was outdated and severely outgunned by allied fighters by 1943.
Out of some 6,000 aircraft produced between 1936 and 1944, only two survive intact in museums, while the wrecks of three more Stukas have been salvaged.
A German dive bomber Ju 87 Stuka flies over an unknown location in this November 1, 1940 file photo taken during World War II. Greek military divers Friday successfully raised the wreckage of a German World War II Stuka bomber from the sea off the eastern island of Rhodes, the air force said. (AP Photo)
Why would they need 2 crew members. Did the guy in the back seat hold a pistol to the head of the pilot?
he was a tailgunner, look at the photo.
whole bunch of pics at luftwaffepics.com
The Russians had a similar aircraft with one pilot -- the Il-2 Sturmovik. Early in the war, it was good for one mission, two at most because there was no rear gunner and the Germans slaughtered them. The Russians quickly added a rear gunner to the Sturmovik.
By far the most successful Stuka pilot was Hans-Ulrich Rudel. He flew 2,530 combat missions (not all in Stukas, though), destroyed 519 tanks, 7 landing craft, 150 self-propelled guns, 4 armored trains and 800 other vehicles. Shot down or force-landed 32 times, wounded five times and finally lost the lower part of one leg, but continued to fly until the end when he flew to an American air base and surrendered. Fortunately for us, all or most of this destruction fell upon Russian forces, resulting in Rudel having a 100,000 ruble reward placed on his head by Stalin.
One the most recognizable profiles in the history of flight....and one of the most intimidating for it's time.
for the forum:
Stuka Pilot (War and Warrior)
by Hans-Ulrich Rudel
http://www.amazon.com/Stuka-Pilot-Warrior-Hans-Ulrich-Rudel/dp/0939482045/sr=1-4/qid=1160186806/ref=sr_1_4/002-2346146-6554425?ie=UTF8&s=books
He also was consulted when the A-10 Warthog was under development.
An ardent Nazi by the way...
I guess he did his part.
I had a gas engine flying model of this plane when I was a kid. Had the Cox 0.49 engine and dropped a bomb by lanyard control. It was wa-a-a-ay cool in the late '60's. It would not have been in 1939.
His book "Stuka Pilot" (oddly enough!) was a great read!
That and a couple other such, including "Commando" made me realize there were some true heroes on the other side, too.
(On the Japanese side, now, well, let's just say we didn't ang near enough war criminals)
Does anybody know what Stuka means? Some sort of hawk perhaps, it looks like one.
Also, I wonder how the Stuka compares to other dive bombers, say the US Navy SBD. Both had tail gunners. Which was the best WW2 dive bomber?
I read Rudel's book years ago. He was an amazing man.
What I remember most was when he landed on the muddy Russian steppe to rescue a shot-down comrade and couldn't take off again because of the mud clogging up his wheel pants. He, his gunner and friends got chased by the Russian army for miles, had to shed his clothes and swim the Dneiper river (this was wintertime!) Because of his superb conditioning, he made it across whereas his comrades drowned. Finally, after several days of dodging Russian patrols looking for him, Rudel made it back to German lines.
A great read for any WWII nut.
Me too! I think I broke it just playing with it though.
It doesn't seem like there would be much left of the aircraft unless it was in fresh water or very deep in the ocean.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
Essentially, German for "dive bomber".
I had one of those too, it was black plastic. My Brother had the "Flying Tiger" model, but he crashed it into a telephone pole. Next time I'm back in Jersey I'll have to check and see if my Mom still has it in the garage. No radio controlled stuff back in those days. I used to always have trouble getting the engine to start!! Semper Fidelis.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
I remember hearing their dreadful screams. They were terrible, out-of-date aircraft, but were they terrifying!
It was a siren mounted on (I think) the wheel strut, controlled by the pilot when they started their dive.
I have to laugh when I watch movies, archive film, etc. with any airplane diving. They all go into the obligatory "Stuka siren scream".
It's short for Sturtzkampfflugzeug - which I presume means dive bomber. Kind of like Gestapo is short for Geheime Staats Polizei - secret state police.
Rudel also sank a Russian battleship with one well-placed bomb.
Also was the radio operator.
It's the symbol for WW II.
dont forget the russian battleship that he is credited with sinking.
The SBD of course!Faster and a little heavier bomb load. Ask the japanese navy which was better oh wait you cant,they are on the bottom of the pacific.
Ask the Poles, the French Army at Sedan, the British Navy at Crete, and just about anybody in the Soviet Army. They'll disagree.
didnt turn the war around like the dauntless did in the battle of midway.
Tailgunner, as already pointed out, and radio operator.
Take a look at the picture. He was the tail gunner.
He also sank a battleship, two cruisers and a destroyer. He was shot down or force-landed 32 times (several times behind enemy lines), always somehow managing to escape capture despite Stalin himself putting a 100,000 rouble bounty on his head. He was also wounded five times and rescued six stranded aircrew from enemy territory. The vast majority of his missions were spent piloting the various models of the Junkers Ju 87, though by the end of the war he was flying the ground-attack variant of the Fw 190. (wiki)
I bought a 2nd hand Cox Stuka at a church bazzar sale for $5.00 when I was 12. It made one flight. Vertical landings are tough on any plane.
lol! I may have to start looking on EBay.
I think you are mistaken. Rudel flew Stukas until the very end. Adolph Galland flew ME-262's at the war's end.
Radio operator/tailgunner
Rudel flew Me 262s at the end of the war. Only holder of the highest grade of Knight's Cross. Sunk a Russian Battleship in either Lake Ilmen or Lake Ladoga. Flew a Stuka with two 37 mm cannons mounted when he was a tankbuster.
STUKA is an abbreviation for STURTZKAMPFLUGZEUG- German for dive bomber
wow!
I crashed mine on its first dive.
The screech was from sirens attached to the wheel struts. The Germans called them "Jericho's trumpets". they were Udet's idea.
LOL! Me too! After I learned the pt 19 control line trianer.
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