514 JU-52M3 LEGION CONDOR

The Junkers Ju-52 is a German three-engine bomber and transport plane in the low wing structure with a classic metal tail tail. The single-engine version of the prototype flew in 1930, and the first three-engine version (Ju52 / 3m) took off a year later. Originally, the Ju-52 was used by Lufthansa as a passenger and transport plane, but at the end of 1933 a long and fruitful military career began. In the beginning, in 1933-1935, the Ju-52 acted as a "replacement bomber" until the Luftwaffe received the modern He-111 and Do-17. It also found combat use in the Spanish Civil War. Initially, it served as a day bomber, but later - from 1937 - it was often moved to transport tasks. During the September campaign, it also performed two functions - a transport machine and a bomber. However, in the years 1940-1945 its main tasks were broadly understood transport. It was the Ju-52 that were transport planes for the German paratroopers in Crete in 1941, and they also towed the gliders attacking Fort Eben-Emael in 1940. They were used extensively in North Africa and on the Eastern Front. It was Ju-52 that created the air bridge in the boiler near Demianske and in Stalingrad. The most common propulsion was, depending on the version, Pratt-Whitney Hornet engines with 600 HP each or BMW 132 with 830 HP each. The Ju-52 was a solid machine, easy to operate, highly reliable and cheap to produce. He gained a lot of recognition from pilots and was nicknamed "Tante Ju" (German aunt Ju). The last Ju-52 was withdrawn from service in the Swiss aviation only in the early 1970s! Technical data: length: 18.9m, wingspan: 29.24m, height: 4.65m, maximum speed: 265km / h, climb speed: 2.9m / s, maximum range: 1000km, maximum ceiling 5900m, armament: permanent - from 1 to 3 machine guns cal.7.92 or 13mm, suspended - up to 1500 kg of bombs.