Junkers 87 Stuka dive bombing procedure?

[Crimea_River]

Did some digging.

ZSK 242 might be the bomb arming panel: Fl.50877 Zünderschaltkasten, ZSK 242, 1938 | Deutscheluftwaffe

 

[Freebird]

From this document:
.
The release of live ammunition from the dive because of [traffic/formation???] below certain heights is forbidden:
Release of SC250 not under 1000m altitude
Release of SC500 not under 1300m altitude

How does this compare to the recommended release height for a Val or Dauntless?

Was there an optimum height specified, or "don't release above x meteres"?

 

[Crimea_River]

It didn't say.

 

[Freebird]

It didn't say.

I'm actually just curious generally, has any WWII document mentioned maximum/optimum height for Ju87 dive bombing (or for a Val)

I'm assuming that the release point would be just above the minimum

 

[GrumpyOldCrewChief]

A source for dive procedures in (iirc) a Ju-87D can be found in Capt. Eric Brown's book. I first read the later-model Stuka evaluation in the looooong ago Air Enthusiast, where he had a regular feature of writing his piloting experiences with all sorts of aircraft - Allied and Axis. Great fun for a then teen-ager! He would often go into some detail of each airframe, because he would also have the advantage of being the officer who helped "debrief" German POWs concerning each aircraft type. Worth a read on it's own, and not just for this specific topic, IMHO.

 

[Sturzkampfflugzeug]

How does this compare to the recommended release height for a Val or Dauntless?

Was there an optimum height specified, or "don't release above x meteres"?

There is a restricted height. Too low, you would blow your plane up along with the target if you were lucky. I know that they had to get low before dropping the load, but I do not know the exact height.

 

[Crimea_River]

My translation states the low altitude restrictions.

 

[Sturzkampfflugzeug]

Oops, yeah

 

[Koopernic]

It's worthwhile mentioning the use of the Contact Altimeter Fl.22317 in Luftwaffe Dive Bombers. I didn't see it mentioned in the Ju87 A-1 manual above but possibly because that manual was for an early Ju87 model published in 1937. The Contact Altimeter was used in Ju87s and probably Ju88s and some Me110s during the 1940's. The altitude would be set to electrically actuate the bomb release mechanism upon descending to the selected altitude so that the pilot could concentrate on the dive maneuver.

In the image below, the center of the two-part knob marked with the "K" was used to set the trigger altitude shown by the red pointer. The knob's outer rim adjusted for barometric pressure using the inset center scale.

What I don't know is how the contact circuit was set to only trigger on a descent into a dive-bombing run and not when ascending or descending through that altitude in normal flight maneuvering. One might speculate that there was a switch on a panel somewhere to enable the contact altimeter release. Anyone know?

Contact Altimeter
View attachment 582360

Here is a close up of the Ju87 blind flying panel showing its location.
View attachment 582361

There is a standard instrument called a variometer that measures climb/descent rate using air pressure. It's a very accurate instrument. It would be fairly easy to determine whether the aircraft is in climb or descent and if it is a fast dive. The instrument right-bottom that says "Steige"(climb rate) and Sinkt (descent) is the variometer.