JU88A-1 or JU88A-5
Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 7:47 am
Matrix Guys,
Could you kindly tell me which aircraft this is supposed to be?
The starting production dates lead me to believe it is the A-1.
But, it is also the aircraft you have in play beginning Barbarossa.
Still scratching my head trying to figure out which of the following is true:
1. JU88A = JU88A-1
2. JU88A-5 skipped
3. JU88A-4
or
1. JU88A = JU88A-5
2. JU88A-4
Could you kindly tell me which aircraft this is supposed to be?
- WiTE2_JU88A_AC.JPG (79.29 KiB) Viewed 507 times
But, it is also the aircraft you have in play beginning Barbarossa.
Still scratching my head trying to figure out which of the following is true:
1. JU88A = JU88A-1
2. JU88A-5 skipped
3. JU88A-4
or
1. JU88A = JU88A-5
2. JU88A-4
The A-5 was a stop-gap version introduced after the A-4 was delayed by engine problems. It used the same extended wings as the A-4, so had some of the improved performance of that model. It entered production in the spring of 1940, and took part in the Battle of Britain. It was a popular upgrade, with better handling characteristics than the A-1, and fewer limits.
The A-5 was powered by 1,200hp Jumo 211 engines, either Bs, G-1s or H-1s. It had an extra ETC 250 bomb rack outboard of the engines, each capable of carry a 550lb bomb. These extra bomb racks were not present on the A-4.
Late production aircraft features a double bulged rear dorsal canopy, which would become standard on later aircraft. This allowed the aircraft to carry two rear dorsal guns, at this stage either MG 15s or MG 81Js. The A-5 also saw a move towards more flexible guns in the ventral position, with some aircraft carrying MG 81Zs or MG 131s.
The wide span A-5 had almost entirely replaced the A-1 by the middle of 1941. Production overlapped with that of the A-4, ending in late 1941.
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