Planes

Germany

Ju 87 B-2

The Junkers Ju 87 Stuka was a single-engine dive bomber and attack aircraft of the WWII era. The most famous Stuka pilot of the war was Hans-Ulrich Rudel, the most highly decorated Luftwaffe pilot in history. Despite its slow speed and mediocre aerodynamics (the landing gear was fixed), the Stuka was one of the most effective Luftwaffe aircraft early in the war due to its pin-point accuracy in a dive. The Ju-87 remains one of the most recognisable symbols of the Blitzkrieg.
The Stuka was an innovative design for its time, including such elements as automatic pull-up dive brakes which could recover the plane from a dive even if the pilot blacked out, and the infamous Jericho Trumpet sirens, activated by the airstream during the dive, which produced a demoralising high-pitched whine. The Ju 87 B could carry up to 1,000 kg of bombs, but only without a rear gunner, and at a greatly reduced range.