Explosive charges in the Stuka's landing gear
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Shortround6
Major General
I believe this started with a small batch of trials aircraft being prepared for use from the Aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin. The idea being to blow the landing gear off in preparation for ditching into water. The fixed gear would have dug in and flipped the plane on it's back.
I don't know how many aircraft were fitted or if they applied to any but the batch of planes prepared for the carrier, perhaps others could help?
I don't know how many aircraft were fitted or if they applied to any but the batch of planes prepared for the carrier, perhaps others could help?
Conslaw
Senior Airman
Hans Ulrich-Rudel describes an incident in his book Stuka Pilot where he had to eject his landing gear to run away from Russian fighters. He ended up making a belly landing as I recall. He was a very unusual fellow, extraordinarily successful as a pilot, he was nevertheless not a very admirable person. Even after the war, in his book he doesn't try hard to hide his Nazi sympathies.
The only reference I can find to Ju 87 variants with jettisonable undercarriage is the Ju 87C, as Shorty said, which was modified for service aboard the Graf Zeppelin. A quote from German Aircraft of the Second World War by J.R. Smith and Anthony Kay;
"The Ju 87C was a special conversion of the dive bomber intended for operation from the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, which was under construction at Kiel. A batch of Ju 87C-10 pre-production aircraft left the Weser factory during the summer of 1939. This variant was fitted with a jettsonable undercarriage, was stressed for catapulting and carried an arrestor hook forward of the tailwheel."
"In December 1938 a Staffel was formed in readiness for operations from the carrier Graf Zeppelin. Designated 4.(Stuka)/186, the Staffel was initially equipped with the Ju 87A and based at Kiel-Holtenau. In May 1939, it was re-equipped with the Ju 87B-1 and eventually received a few Ju 87C-0s. It took part in the Polish campaign and was expanded to Gruppe strength on 16 September, 1939."
"The Ju 87C was a special conversion of the dive bomber intended for operation from the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, which was under construction at Kiel. A batch of Ju 87C-10 pre-production aircraft left the Weser factory during the summer of 1939. This variant was fitted with a jettsonable undercarriage, was stressed for catapulting and carried an arrestor hook forward of the tailwheel."
"In December 1938 a Staffel was formed in readiness for operations from the carrier Graf Zeppelin. Designated 4.(Stuka)/186, the Staffel was initially equipped with the Ju 87A and based at Kiel-Holtenau. In May 1939, it was re-equipped with the Ju 87B-1 and eventually received a few Ju 87C-0s. It took part in the Polish campaign and was expanded to Gruppe strength on 16 September, 1939."
Snautzer01
Honourably banned
- 42,972
- Mar 26, 2007
The landing gear of the Ju87 had a design break point in order come off cleanly under high translational forces, such as getting caught in a ditch during an emergency landing. The idea was to avoid flipping over the entire aircraft, which usually had bad consequences for the crew. The Ju87C supposedly had explosive bolts to ensure the landing gear came off before ditching
It didn't work very well then!
I've seen plenty of Ju 87s as "fliegerdenkmal", undercarriage intact
The Stuka was a fairly heavy aircraft and the undercarriage substantial. I just wonder how practical such a system would have been. Beyond a certain point the gear will always be torn off.
I'm not saying that it wasn't so, I don't know, but it does seem a difficult solution to not much of a problem.
Cheers
Steve
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razor1uk
Staff Sergeant
I think that since the undercarraige was 'fixed', that the explosive bolts were standard incase of flak damage knocking off one leg, at least that is the idea I gather from reading books info over the years; I think the trials for the explosive bolts that released the legs (possibly the leg fixing clamps) were developed during the C's testing. ...Continueing the memory recall/hypothersising, it made it into service following accidents and damage sustained during the Polish Campaign. Mind-due, Junkers was quite a forward thinking company, so it's just as likely they release system was envisaged and designed as part of the 87 from the start as a survival option for their customers users.
As too how explosive bolts could survive nose overs and hardlandings, but yet severe/release the gear when needed, well thats quite easy to achieve engineering wise, depending upon the gears attatchment method and the surrounding wing/chassis structure relating to the U/C.
The explosive bolts might not have to directly hold the gear or be within the gear legs, hence why i suggest them as to perhaps be clamp related, nor does each gear have to only one bolt or only a couple of them, perhaps a group of them to spread the load and mnimise localised explosive power.
Looking at the twin pipe like things around the gear legs base (which would be inside the attatched wing) in the above picture. they could be armoured electircal/control conduits or part of the clampage assembally, the lower one seems to have a spigot off it with a wire/sensor/detonator plugged into it...
Of-course anyone who has worked on a Stuka or has the actual info can offer the correct method and description.
As too how explosive bolts could survive nose overs and hardlandings, but yet severe/release the gear when needed, well thats quite easy to achieve engineering wise, depending upon the gears attatchment method and the surrounding wing/chassis structure relating to the U/C.
The explosive bolts might not have to directly hold the gear or be within the gear legs, hence why i suggest them as to perhaps be clamp related, nor does each gear have to only one bolt or only a couple of them, perhaps a group of them to spread the load and mnimise localised explosive power.
Looking at the twin pipe like things around the gear legs base (which would be inside the attatched wing) in the above picture. they could be armoured electircal/control conduits or part of the clampage assembally, the lower one seems to have a spigot off it with a wire/sensor/detonator plugged into it...
Of-course anyone who has worked on a Stuka or has the actual info can offer the correct method and description.
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razor1uk
Staff Sergeant
That is definately true abour the 3.7cm Pak's; to lose those two heavy and draggy cannons when survival /or manouverability dictates dropping them.
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Airframes
Benevolens Magister
This might have 'grown' out of the well-known photo of a Ju87, without undercarriage, being 'escorted' by another Ju87, both flying 'from left to right' in the photo.
Most 'modern day' captions in books state that it has jettisoned it's undercart due to damage. But the original caption, I believe in 'Signal' magazine, when the photo was published, as propaganda during WW2, states something along the lines of "One of our brave pilots, after being damaged by enemy flak, is escorted home by a comrade".
The photo was / is a fake, doctored by the simple use of darkroom masking or potassium fericyanide, to 'remove' the landing gear. The original WW2 photo shows two Ju87s, flying in formation, both complete, with no bits missing !
Most 'modern day' captions in books state that it has jettisoned it's undercart due to damage. But the original caption, I believe in 'Signal' magazine, when the photo was published, as propaganda during WW2, states something along the lines of "One of our brave pilots, after being damaged by enemy flak, is escorted home by a comrade".
The photo was / is a fake, doctored by the simple use of darkroom masking or potassium fericyanide, to 'remove' the landing gear. The original WW2 photo shows two Ju87s, flying in formation, both complete, with no bits missing !
razor1uk
Staff Sergeant
Tis also true about that Signal image being mis-represented in more modern and less accurate times, and I am sure that I have read over the years, online and in books that the 87 in general, did have jettisonable U/C for safer landings should it become damaged.
Hans Rudel Stuka Pilot pdf
So far have yet have to find the reference attributed to him '..dropping (jettisioning) his wheels' in reading upto bottom of page 36. Anyone one wish to carry on...?
Hans Rudel Stuka Pilot pdf
So far have yet have to find the reference attributed to him '..dropping (jettisioning) his wheels' in reading upto bottom of page 36. Anyone one wish to carry on...?
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As Airframes has pointed out some myths acquire a life of their own. I am also aware of the saga of the mis-captioned photograph he mentioned. As others (and myself) originally posted the only Ju 87 that certainly did at least experiment with a jettison system for the landing gear was the navalised version.
If anyone has any evidence for the use of such a system on other versions (not including internet opinion) I'd be glad to see it.
Cheers
Steve
If anyone has any evidence for the use of such a system on other versions (not including internet opinion) I'd be glad to see it.
Cheers
Steve
MacArther
Staff Sergeant
That might be the clincher....if the mechanics don't know about it and they are servicing the planes, then how do these things exist?
Dirtfoot21
Recruit
- 1
- Jan 24, 2022
Check out this YouTube video
It seems it was standard on the D5 variant of the aircraft. Hope this helps. I realize this thread is about a decade old by now. But better late than never.
GregP
Major
I wouldn't believe anything based on a video by an unknown guy with unsubstantiated sources. It IS a fairly decent video, though, to give credit where credit is due. This at least gives me some curiosity to go look at a Ju 87 D5 or later manual to see if the explosive charges are indicated there, and does show quite a bit of the Ju 87 more or less "up close." Kudos for that.
That being said, I'll go look for Ju 87 D5 manual now ...
Cheers.
That being said, I'll go look for Ju 87 D5 manual now ...
Cheers.
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
I believe he gets much of his information from Federal German Military Archives. He even made a short video about the highlight of his week, going to the Bundes Archives. Such a smile!!!
Thumpalumpacus
Major
Chris does base much of his stuff off archival material. I don't agree with all of his opinions, but haven't found any big gaffes in his presentations.
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
His sound effects are truly impressive.
