Junkers Ju 388
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Junkers Ju 388 | |
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| Junkers Ju 388 L-1 | |
| Type | Recon, Bomber, Heavy Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Junkers |
| Maiden flight | December 22, 1943 |
| Introduced | Spring 1944 |
| Retired | 1945 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | Luftwaffe |
The Junkers Ju 388J "Störtebeker" (a famous German pirate of the Middle Ages) was a World War II heavy fighter based on the famous Ju 88 airframe. It was introduced very late in the war, and production problems and the general war conditions meant few were delivered.
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[edit] Background
When the performance estimates of the B-29 Superfortress first started reaching German ears in late 1942, panic broke out in the Luftwaffe. The plane had a maximum speed around 350 mph (563 km/h), and would attack in a cruise at about 225 mph (362 km/h) at 27,000 to 32,000 ft (8,200 to 9,800 m), an altitude where no Luftwaffe aircraft were effective. To counter the B-29, the Luftwaffe would need new aircraft.
The fighter chosen was the Focke-Wulf Ta 152H, based on the Fw 190D with longer wings and the high-altitude E model of the Junkers Jumo 213 engine. An alternative was the Messerschmitt Me 155B.
The Focke-Wulf Ta 154 and the Heinkel He 219 had the performance needed to catch the bomber but both designs only gained that performance by mounting short wings that were useless at high-altitude. The Ju 88 had already been modified for high-altitude use as the S and T models but these didn't have the performance needed.
Similar high-altitude modifications to the Junkers Ju 188 were being looked at as the projected 188J, K and L models, which included a pressurized cockpit and wing and elevator de-icing equipment for extended flights at very high altitude, these were re-named Ju 388.
[edit] Ju 388
In order to improve performance, the 388 was stripped of almost all defensive armament. Whereas the Ju 88 included a number of hand-swung guns in ports all over the cockpit area, on the 388 they were replaced by a single remote-control turret in the tail containing two 13 mm MG 131's, aimed via a periscope in the cockpit. The turret had an excellent field of fire and could shoot directly to the rear, so the gunner's pannier under the nose was removed, improving the streamlining.
The plane was to be supplied in the three original 188 versions, J, K and L. The J model was a fighter with two 30 mm MK 103 and two 20 mm MG 151/20 in a solid nose for use as a daytime bomber destroyer. For use as a night fighter 103's were replaced by the smaller and lighter MK 108 and added a second pair of MK 108's in a Schräge Musik installation behind the cockpit. The K model was a pure bomber, with a pannier under the plane increasing the size of the bomb bay. The L photo-reconnaissance model put the cameras in the pannier along with additional fuel tanks for long range missions.
Three sub-models of each version were planned, different only in the engine installation. The -1's would mount the BMW 801J, a turbocharged version of the basic 801. The -2 would use the 2,500 hp (1,838 kW) Jumo 222A/B (the B model ran the opposite direction of the A, but was otherwise identical), or the 222E/F versions with an improved two-speed supercharger. The -3 would mount the Jumo 213E, which included a supercharger similar to the 222E/F.
With the 801J or 213E, the fighter versions flew at 600 km/h (380 mph) when equipped as a destroyer, losing about 25 km/h to radar and Schräge Musik as nightfighters, similar to existing Luftwaffe night fighters but the 388 maintained this speed at much higher altitudes. With later models of the 222 it was supposed to have reached around 700 km/h (435 mph), again losing about 25 km/h for nightfighters. These -2 versions were considerably faster than the de Havilland Mosquito. The bomber versions flew at roughly the same speeds (depending on load), while the recce versions would have been about 25 km/h faster.
The first prototype, Ju 388 L-0/V7, mainly built from Ju 188 series production components, made its first flight on December 22, 1943. It demonstrated much better handling at altitudes than the Ju 88S. This was followed by six new prototypes. It was some time before deliveries of the production models started due to engine delivery delays. By the time the engines were available it was clear the B-29 bombers were being sent to the Pacific. German photo-reconnaissance efforts had practically disappeared due to the increased performance of the Allied defenses, so production mostly concentrated on the L model.
Deliveries started in August 1944 but very few Ju 388s were delivered. About 47 L models seem to have been built, the majority as -1s with the 801J engine, and only three -3s with the 213E. Fifteen K-1s were built, and only three J-1 models were produced.
[edit] Operational history
Several reconnaissance missions were flown by operational Ju 388's, generally believed to be "L" models, in the final days of the war in Europe. Most were flights over England, and were similar to the reconnaissance missions being flown by the jet powered Ar 234 at the same time period, though at higher altitudes.
In early 1945 a Ju 388 was intercepted while flying at approximately 44,000 ft over the English Channel by a Supermarine Spitfire. The Spitfire, operating above its service ceiling, was not able to reach the altitude of the Ju 388 but was able to fire upon it from below and bring it down. It is believed that this was the highest altitude shoot down of WWII.
[edit] Survivors
One Ju 388 survives today. The Ju 388L-1 with construction number (Werknummer) 560049 was the eighth of the series manufactured at Weser Flugzeugbau's Nordenham plant. Parts of the airframe were also built at ATG in Altenburg and at Niedersächsische Metallwerke Brinckmann & Mergell in Hamburg-Harburg. The aircraft was completed early in 1945 and captured by U.S. troops at the Junkers Merseburg plant in May, 1945. It was flown from Merseberg to Kassel/Waldau in May, 1945. The aircraft was examined and test flown by "Watson's Wizzers," and it's believed that Watson himself flew in the aircraft in preparation for flying it directly back to the U.S. Instead, on June 17, 1945 the aircraft was flown to Cherbourg, France where it became part of the U.S. Army Air Force's "Project Sea Horse," and was shipped to the United States aboard the Royal Navy carrier HMS "Reaper," together with other captured German aircraft, for detailed evaluation in the U.S. The aircraft was flown to Freeman Field in Indiana for evaluation, and in September, 1945 made a flight demonstration for the press. The Ju 388 was flown for 10 hours of flight tests at Wright Field near Dayton, Ohio with the "foreign evaluation" registration FE-4010 (later changed to T2-4010). Following these tests the aircraft was displayed at the Dayton Air Show in 1946 along with other captured German aircraft. On September 26, 1946 Ju 388 560049 was transferred to Orchard Place Airport in Park Ridge, Illinois, near the present O'Hare International Airport. This temporary storage facility was a vacant U.S. Government factory previously used by the Dodge Automobile Company to build the Douglas C-54. Ju 388 560049 was donated to the Smithsonian's National Air Museum on January 3, 1949. The aircraft arrived at Silver Hill, Maryland for storage in November, 1954. Today the aircraft is disassembled and remains in generally good condition, having never been stored outside. The cockpit area is in particularly good condition and complete with all instruments. Ju 388L-1 560049 is just one of several unique German aircraft still awaiting restoration at the National Air and Space Museum's Paul S. Garber Restoration Facility in Suitland, Maryland.
[edit] Specifications
- Ju 388 J Night fighter. Ju 388K high altitude bomber.
- Ju 388 K high-altitude bomber
- Ju 388 L photo-reconnaissance.
- Powerplant: Two 1810 hp (1350 kW ) BMW 801TJ 14-cylinders radials
- Wing span: 72 ft 2 in (22.00m)
- Length: 49 ft 0.5 in (14.95m)
- Height: 14 ft 7.25 in (4.45m)
- Empty weight: 22,600 lb (10251 kg)
- Max loaded weight: 32,352 lb (14675 kg)
- Armamemt: two 13mm machine guns in remote control tail barbette
- Ju 388J (proposed) two 20mm cannon and two 30mm forward firing cannon in underfuselage pod.
- Two 13mm machine guns in remote control tail barbette
- Max. Speed: 383 mph (616 km/h) at 40,300 ft (12285m) 407 mph (655 km/h) at 29,790 ft (9080m) with water-methanol boost
- Cruise speed: 280 mph (540 km/h)
- Initial climb: 1330 ft/min (405 m/min)
- Time to 36,090 ft (11000m) 30.0 minutes
- Service ceiling: 44,095 ft (13440m)
- Max range: 2,160 miles (3476 km)
[edit] Production
The exact number of Ju 388 built is very hard, if not impossible to determine. One of the reasons is that various pre-series aircraft were used as prototypes, and some were damgaged or destroyed by Allied bombs before completion. Furthermore, several official records end before the end of production or contradict each other.
However, the following can be assumed as proven (see Literature):
- 6 Ju 388 prototypes, 2 each for J-1, K-1 and L-1
- 20 Ju 388 L-0, including prototypes V7, V8, V30-V34
- 10 Ju 388 K-0, first batch, including Ju 488 V401/V402 (never flown)
- 1 Ju 388 K-1 manufactured by ATG for static tests in July 1944
- 46 Ju 388 L-1 manufactured by ATG in 1944
- 8+ Ju 388 L-1 manufactured by ATG in 1945
- 10 Ju 388 L-1 (max.) manufactured by Weserflug (WFG), initially planned as K-1
More aircraft and prototypes were planned and partially completed:
- 10 Ju 388 K-0, second batch, some prototypes, partially completed
- 30 Ju 388 K-0, third batch, planned, only few units completed.
Furthermore, an unknown number of Ju 388 L-1 and Ju 388 J was in advanced stages of production by the end of the war.
[edit] Literature
- C. Vernaleken and M. Handig: Junkers Ju 388: Development, Testing And Production of the Last Junkers High-altitude Aircraft, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen 2006
