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== Historical Information ==

== Historical Information ==

The Ju87C ''Sturzkampfflugzeug ''(''Dive Bomber'', literally "Falling Warplane", condensed to "Stuka") is a dive bomber developed in Germany and designed by Hermann Pohlmann who determined that any dive bomber must be simple and robust.

The '''Junkers Ju87C ''Sturzkampfflugzeug'''''<nowiki/>'' ''(''Dive Bomber'', literally "Falling Warplane", condensed to "Stuka") is a dive bomber developed in Germany and designed by Hermann Pohlmann who determined that any dive bomber must be simple and robust.

After the Nazi Party came to power, design of a new bomber was prioritized by the German Aviation Ministry (RLM) which turned to the designs of Hermann Pohlmann of Junkers and the co-designer of the Junkers JuK47, Karl Plauth. Ernst Udet, an ace of the Luftwaffe, was a major proponent of the concept of dive bombing after flying the American Curtiss ''HawkⅡ'', bringing dive bomber development to the fore of German aviation engineering.

After the Nazi Party came to power, design of a new bomber was prioritized by the German Aviation Ministry (RLM) which turned to the designs of Hermann Pohlmann of Junkers and the co-designer of the Junkers JuK47, Karl Plauth. Ernst Udet, an ace of the Luftwaffe, was a major proponent of the concept of dive bombing after flying the American Curtiss ''HawkⅡ'', bringing dive bomber development to the fore of German aviation engineering.

Flight Captain Hesselbach praised its performance but Luftwaffe General Field Marshall Wolfram von Richthofen stated that it had little chance of becoming the Luftwaffe's principal dive bomber as it was underpowered. Development of the Ju87 was ordered cancelled, but Ernst Udet rejected the order the next day, allowing Ju87 development to continue.

Flight Captain Hesselbach praised its performance but Luftwaffe General Field Marshall Wolfram von Richthofen stated that it had little chance of becoming the Luftwaffe's principal dive bomber as it was underpowered. Development of the Ju87 was ordered cancelled, but Ernst Udet rejected the order the next day, allowing Ju87 development to continue.

Although it was ultimately chosen by Ernset Udet as the winner of the ''Sturzbomber-Programm'', it drew frequent criticism from Richthofen. Testing of a fourth prototype in early 1937 revealed a number of problems. Although it was capable of taking off with just 250m of runway and able to climb to 1,875m in eight minutes with a 250kg bomb load, it was noted as being slower than the He 50 in acceleration. Pilots also complained of its unintuitive instrumentation, but praised its handling and strong airframe. Ultimately problems were resolved with the ''DB600 and Jumo 210'' engines, but it never met Richthofen's hopes of a 350km/h+ top speed.

Although it was ultimately chosen by Ernst Udet as the winner of the ''Sturzbomber-Programm'', it drew frequent criticism from Richthofen. Testing of a fourth prototype in early 1937 revealed a number of problems. Although it was capable of taking off with just 250m of runway and able to climb to 1,875m in eight minutes with a 250kg bomb load, it was noted as being slower than the He 50 in acceleration. Pilots also complained of its unintuitive instrumentation, but praised its handling and strong airframe. Ultimately problems were resolved with the ''DB600 and Jumo 210'' engines, but it never met Richthofen's hopes of a 350km/h+ top speed.

With its distuinguishing inverse-gullwing design, the spatted undercarriage and wailing sirens, the Stuka ultimately became the propaganda symbol of German air power. The Ju87's design included innovative features such as automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings to allow the plane to recover from its attack dive even if the pilot blacked out from the forces. The Stuka, while sturdy and effective in its mission, was vulnerable to other aircraft and required heavy fighter escort to operate effectively.

With its distuinguishing inverse-gullwing design, the spatted undercarriage and wailing sirens, the Stuka ultimately became the propaganda symbol of German air power. The Ju87's design included innovative features such as automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings to allow the plane to recover from its attack dive even if the pilot blacked out from the forces. The Stuka, while sturdy and effective in its mission, was vulnerable to other aircraft and required heavy fighter escort to operate effectively.

The Ju87C in particular is a variant designed for use by the Kriegsmarine as a torpedo and dive bomber. Prototypes - Ju87B-0 airframes with ''Jumo 211A'' engines - were given two months of testing in February 1938. The Ju87C first flew in March due to delays but had problems with arresting gear. Eventually the "''Carrier Stuka"'' was cleared for production in 1940. "Special" equipment of the Ju87C included a two-seat rubber dinghy with signal ammunition and emergency ammunition for its pilots if they were forced to abandon the plane at sea. Other features include a quick-fuel dump mechanism and inflatable air bags in the fuselage and wings to allow it to float for up to three days in calm water.

The '''Ju87C''' in particular is a variant designed for use by the Kriegsmarine as a torpedo and dive bomber. Prototypes - Ju87B-0 airframes with ''Jumo 211A'' engines - were given two months of testing in February 1938. The Ju87C first flew in March due to delays but had problems with arresting gear. Eventually the "''Carrier Stuka"'' was cleared for production in 1940. "Special" equipment of the Ju87C included a two-seat rubber dinghy with signal ammunition and emergency ammunition for its pilots if they were forced to abandon the plane at sea. Other features include a quick-fuel dump mechanism and inflatable air bags in the fuselage and wings to allow it to float for up to three days in calm water. A Ju87C sub-type also had folding wings to reduce its footprint in carrier storage, but had problems.

Due to the ongoing war, the Ju87C was ultimately not produced beyond the testing phase as production switched to Ju87R1s. The "''Ju87C Kai''" of Kancolle appears to instead be a modified version or production design that was never realized in history.

Due to the ongoing war, the Ju87C was ultimately not produced beyond the testing phase as production switched to Ju87R1s. The "''Ju87C Kai''" of Kancolle appears to instead be a modified version or production design that was never realized in history.