Stuka Dive Bomber Essay

World War II was the biggest and most deadly war in the history of the world with fatalities tolling up to around seventy million people (“World’s 5 Biggest Wars in History of the War”). Throughout the fighting and bloodshed, battles were fought everywhere. On land, in the air, and at sea. The weapons, planes, and submarines that were used in battles had a huge impact on the war. As the war drove innovation on both sides, the face of the war changed. One of the most famous planes during World War II was the Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber derived from the word Sturzkampfflugzeug which means dive bomber. The Stuka dive bomber was designed by Henry Pohlmann and was first flown by the German Luftwaffe on September 17, 1935. The dive bomber was not used in battle until the year 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. The plane was designed to be able to dive on a target, drop bombs close to the surface, and retreat quickly, a tactic brought on by the U.S. Navy. The bomber had external bomb racks making the bombs clear the plane’s propellers. Normally, the Stuka would carry a 1,100 pound bomb as well as two 550 pound bombs. The bomber was also equipped with four machine guns and
The idea for the P-38 was first thought of in 1937 by Lockheed and his design team was headed by Hall L. Hibbard and his designer Clarence Kelly Johnson. Johnson designed the fighter with two twin tails and machine guns mounted on the nose of the plane which could shoot out over 400 rounds per minute. It was the best plane of its time equipped with four 50-caliber machine guns and a 20 millimeter cannon. The Lightning could go up to almost 3,500 feet in less than a minute and fly with an incredible speed of 400 mph. Anytime a fighter plane was needed for an American mission, a P-38 lightning was sent. People would look up at the sky and say “der Gableschwanz Teufl” which meant fork-tailed devil