Junkers Ju 52 (WW 2): Books - History and Deployment

Ju 52/3m Bomber and Transport Units 1936-41 (Osprey)

The all-metal Junkers Ju 52/3m enjoyed a solid - indeed, revered - reputation amongst its crews and the troops and paratroopers who used and depended on it.
For more than ten years, it saw service as a successful military transport, with its distinctive, three-engined design and corrugated metal construction becoming instantly recognisable. It was a mainstay in the Luftwaffe's inventory, first seeing service in the 1930s in bombing and transport operations in the Spanish Civil War, and subsequently during the German invasion of Poland.

It then served on every front on which the Luftwaffe was deployed until May 1945. The Junkers served as a stalwart transport, confronting both freezing temperatures and ice, and heat and dust, lifting men, animals, food and supplies vital for German military operations.

This, the first of two books on the Ju 52/3m, details its service as a bomber in Spain and in South America, followed by its pivotal role in early war operations during the invasions of Poland and France, the airborne invasion of Crete and the early stages of Operation Barbarossa.

The Junkers Ju 52 Story

The iconic and legendary Junkers Ju 52 first flew in 1930. Designed and built by the Junkers Aircraft Company of Dessau, Germany, the Ju 52 was originally intended as a single-engine cargo aircraft. An upgraded model, the Ju 52/3m, was powered by three engines and excelled as an eighteen-seat airliner.

By the late 1930s, hundreds of the safe, reliable and much loved Ju 52/3ms were serving with airlines in more than twenty countries, including the pre-war British Airways. Also, it was used as a bomber by the Luftwaffe, particularly in the Spanish Civil War. During the Second World War, the Ju 52/3m was the mainstay of Luftwaffe transport squadrons.

Affectionately known as 'Faithful Old Annie' and 'Iron Annie', the Ju 52/3m was used during the invasions of Norway, the Low Countries, Crete and the resupply of Stalingrad and Rommel's Africa Korps.
In all, around 5,000 were built and after the war, production continued in France and Spain. Amazingly, captured Ju 52/3ms were rebuilt post-war and briefly operated as airliners on domestic routes in Great Britain.

Junkers Ju 52

The Junkers Ju 52 is presented in its early bomber, and later its famous transport roles. Covered are its use on a variety of war fronts and in detailed, up-close photos and line drawings.

Ju 52 - Geschichte und Gegenwart einer Luftfahrt-Legende

Entwicklung und Historie einer fliegenden Legende: Die Junkers Ju 52 gilt zurecht als Wegbereiter des heutigen modernen Flugzeugbaus. Eine solide Konstruktion, ein hoher Komfort und grosse Sicherheit im Betrieb: Die Ju 52 feierte Anfang der 1930er Jahre ihren Durchbruch. Auch schwierigste Strecken über die Alpen und Anden meisterte das Passagierflugzeug problemlos.

Erfahren Sie alles über "Tante Ju": von ihrer Zeit bei der Lufthansa, ihren Einsätzen im Zweiten Weltkrieg und ihrem heutigen Dasein in Museen und bei Oldtimer-Flugshows. Mit viel neu recherchiertem Archivmaterial.

Die Ju-52 - mit den Augen des Kapitäns - Flüge, Geschichten, Erlebnisse

Es gibt wohl keinen Luftfahrt-Fan, der nicht die unverwechselbare Junkers Ju-52 kennt - die legendäre "Tante Ju" mit ihrer Wellblechhaut und den drei Sternmotoren. Das robuste Arbeitspferd wurde von 1932 bis nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg fast 5000 Mal gebaut und kam in einer Vielzahl von Rollen zum Einsatz.

Heute existiert nur noch eine Handvoll dieser "fliegenden Denkmäler". Der langjährige Lufthansa-Kapitän Claus Cordes flog eine solch historische Maschine viele Jahre lang für die Lufthansa Stiftung und gibt hier spannend und fachkundig seine Eindrücke, Erlebnisse und Erfahrungen weiter, die er in unzähligen Flugstunden sammelte.