Italian Ju-87

[Ikerus]

Well I am back at it. I have been away from modeling for a few months and was getting ready to revive my Ju-87 project when I realized that most of the R/C community does ours in traditional German markings. Not there is anything wrong with that but I thought I would do something a little different. Only downside it is harder to find the matching photos so I have one complete one to follow. It can be any version but the A. Anything anyone has will help in the long run.

 

[Wurger]

I would suggst looking for one of these Stuka A bombers used in Spain. However , inspite of markings these were still owned by the Luftwaffe.

 

[A4K]

Nice pics Wojtku, but I think he meant any version except the A... is that right?

Hungarian schemes were very nice if you want something colourful and interesting, and they used A, B, and D versions. I have pics and info if you're interested.

 

[Ikerus]

Yes it was anything but the A. The B is the easiest to recreate for those of us who fly (plus its easier to hide the motor). I wouldn't mind doing the D its the least modeled, but just having somewhere to start is great.

 

[Airframes]

I've got some info and colour profiles of Italian Ju87Bs used against Malta, if that would help?

 

[Wurger]

Nice pics Wojtku, but I think he meant any version except the A... is that right?

Hungarian schemes were very nice if you want something colourful and interesting, and they used A, B, and D versions. I have pics and info if you're interested.

Oh you are right Pal, except that A variant. . I was tired and must have missed the grammar expression there. Sorry for that.

 

[Ikerus]

I've got some info and colour profiles of Italian Ju87Bs used against Malta, if that would help?

Those would be great. I am trying to put together as much as possible to make sure its right.

 

[Airframes]

OK, send me an e-mail address via a PM, and I'll scan and send them to you. They are from a magazine who are very touchy about copyright, so I don't want to post them here. They show a few Ju87Bs in the early, 1940, campaign against Malta, which appear to be in standard Luftwaffe schemes, but with Italian markings.

 

[nuuumannn]

If you enter Ju 87 Picchiatelli into Google, you get a large number of references to model building and colour schemes.

Ju 87 Picchiatelli - Google Search

For interest's sake, here's some info on the Picchiatelli that I wrote for an airshow brochure once:

"The Crazy Divers – Italian Ju-87s

With Benito Mussolini's ill prepared entry into World War Two on 10 June 1940 he was well aware of the dominance the Royal Navy wielded in what he referred to as Mare Nostrum or 'Our Sea', the Mediterranean. Due to the successes of the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bomber during Nazi Germany's conquests of Poland, Western Europe and Scandinavia, he saw that this type of machine would be ideal for sinking the British ships. He was right; the Ju 87 Stuka, with its 60º dive angle was to wreak havoc among Allied shipping in the Mediterranean, particularly during Germany's invasion of Crete, where the Royal Navy suffered severe losses at the hands of the Luftwaffe dive bomber squadrons in evacuating Allied personnel defending the island.

By mid 1940 however, the Regia Aeronautica Italiana (RAI) was equipped with the woeful Savoia-Marchetti S.M.85 twin engined dive bomber. Nicknamed the Flying Banana because of its unusual bent profile, the S.M.85 was primarily constructed of wood and was a failure in its intended role. As a result, not for the first time and certainly not for the last, Mussolini turned to his erstwhile ally Adolf Hitler asking for help, in the form of Stukas to equip Italian flying units. In mid June 1940 15 Italian pilots that had previously flown the S.M.85 were sent to the Stukaschule (Dive Bomber School) at Graz-Thalerhof in Austria, for familiarisation training on the big cranked wing aeroplane they soon came to nickname the Picchiatelli.

In the Italian dictionary, the word picchiatello means 'slightly crazy', with a possible second meaning derived from the word picchiata, normally meaning 'a good thrashing', but in aeronautical terms meaning 'to dive', which in the context of the Stuka ties the two definitions together nicely; Picchiatelli; the Crazy Divers!

Initially the Italians received ex-Luftwaffe Ju 87s with their German markings overpainted with Italian ones, but their numbers were supplemented by aircraft fresh off the production lines. At any given time however, the Picchiatelli never numbered more than around fifteen available aircraft, which was somewhat in contrast to the Luftwaffe, which counted on large numbers of aircraft during attacks, where the dive bombers would swoop in from different directions simultaneously to swamp any defences.

As a result, Capitano Guiseppe Cenni of 97° Gruppo attacked enemy shipping by means of a shallow dive to very low level, then released his bomb near the water, whereupon it would skip across the water's surface and strike the enemy vessel. This method proved successful during the Greek campaign; a freighter and gun boat being sunk by this method. The Greeks initially suspected the Stuka had sunk the freighter Susanna with a torpedo.

Despite their small numbers, the Picchiatelli fought alongside the Luftwaffe with eagerness during attacks on Malta and subsequently during Italy's invasion of Albania and Greece. Of their Italian stablemates, the German airmen were complementary about their enthusiasm and courage; the Italians pleased with their new mounts after the poor showing of the indigenous S.M.85.

Ultimately the Picchiatelli never served in large enough numbers to be really effective as a fighting unit on their own, operating almost entirely in conjunction with the Luftwaffe's Stukageschwader (Dive Bomber Squadrons). Perhaps surprisingly, the biggest killer of the Picchiatelli was not fighter opposition, but anti-aircraft guns, which accounted for the majority of losses suffered within the two Gruppi that operated them. By 1943 attrition had taken its toll on the Picchiatelli units and although Ju 87Ds continued to be operated by Italian forces, the original Picchiatelli Gruppi were not subsequently re-equipped."

Here are a few pictures of a full size mock-up of a Ju 87; for a year or two it was depicted as a Picchiatello;

 

[Ikerus]

does any one have a better picture of the unit badge of Gruppo 97 and the detailing on the tail of the plane with werk-nr 7065?

 

[nuuumannn]

Ikerus, if you look closely at the wheel spat of the Stuka in the top pic, it has the Gruppo 97 emblem on it. Unfortunately I have not got a better pic of the marking. It shows a stylised duck diving upon a ship. I also have a book with a profile of the aircraft you mention Wk Nr 7065, but my scanner is on the blink. The fin marking shows four ship silhouettes below the Wk Nr in line with the aft edge of the fin where the rudder joins; three directly below it and a fourth ahead of the top one. The book is Junkers Ju 87 over the Mediterranean by John Weal, published by Osprey. Sorry I can't be of better help.

 

[Ikerus]

I picked up that book, and its looking like that will be the one I will try to replicate. I was just seeing if someone had a better picture for when I eventually get to painting

 

[A4K]

Oh you are right Pal, except that A variant. . I was tired and must have missed the grammar expression there. Sorry for that.

Not a problem at all my friend!

Good stuff guys, that Italian scheme looks nice too!

 

[stug3]

ANR 97 Gruppo 239a Squadriglia

ANR 97 Gruppo 238a Squadriglia Black Raven
96 Gruppo 209a Squadriglia

 

[stug3]

ANR 97 Gruppo 239a Squadriglia red 3

Ju 87B2 ANR 97 Gruppo, Com Marco Larcher red 7 Lecce, Yugoslavia Campaign 1941

 

[A4K]

Cool pics mate!