It has often been said that the Junkers 87 was a failure during the Battle of Britain and that it had to be withdrawn due to unacceptable losses. But is either statement true? Andy Saundersexamines the evidence.
BATTLE OF BRITAIN
The Stuka offensive against the British Isles during 1940 had not really taken a particularly heavy loss rate up until 16 August; indeed, some attacks got through entirely unhindered or without sustaining a single loss. And, in attacks on shipping in the Channel up until 8 August 1940, the Stuka had also shown its worth and taken a heavy toll on ships singled out for attention.
The attacks against airfields and radar sites on 16 August, and then again on 18 August, resulted in a rather different outcome for the Stuka force with losses that were certainly significant. The 18 August raid, for example, saw a total of one hundred and nine Stukas committed against south coast targets and was the largest co-ordinated attack ever mounted by the Junkers 87 dive-bomber. It was also a raid in which the Stuka force lost 21% of its aircraft destroyed or damaged. In a raid against RAF Thorney Island, for example, ten of the Stukas were shot down, one returned damaged beyond repair and fou…
