Junkers Ju 388

Encyclopedia : J : JU : JUN : Junkers Ju 388

Junkers Ju 388L-1
Description
Role	Heavy fighter, Bomber, Recon
Crew	three, pilot, bomb aimer,gunner
Dimensions
Length		14.87 m
Wingspan		22 m
Height		4.9 m
Wing area
Weights
Empty	11,484 lb	5,210 kg
Maximum take-off	19,500 lb	8,590 kg
Powerplant
Engines	2x BMW 801J
Power	2x 1,810 hp (1,331 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed	407 mph	655 km/h
Combat range	721 miles (half load)	1,160 km
Ferry range
Service ceiling	42,900 ft	13,100 m
Armament
Guns	2 x 13 mm MG 131
Bombs	2,200 lb	1,000 kg

Junkers Ju 388 L-1

The Junkers Ju 388J "Störtebeker" 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.

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 B29, 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.

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 was a converted Ju 188T-0 and flew in December 1943. It demonstrated much better handling at altitudes than the Ju 88S. This was followed by six new prototypes. I t 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.

External links

• http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/junkers_388.htm

| Airlines | Air forces | Aircraft weapons | Missiles | Timeline of aviation

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.