Junkers 88A-1 A-5 versus other variants

[Adlertag1940]

Does anyone know the specific differences regarding these Junkers variants. My understanding of the A-1(aside from the fact that it is rare for any military force to stick with any first variant for any extended period of time) was that its engines were considered problematic so a switch was made and thus the A-4 which did not appear in any significant amount during the Battle of Britain. But i had also read that the wingspan was a few feet shorter than later variants? Is this true as well? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Mike

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Okay here are the differences that I know off:

A-2 identical to A-1 except for the RATO attachment points.

A-3 Trainer with dual controls and instruments.

A-4 Identical to A-1 except for larger wing span and area, insert ailerons
instead of trailing ailerons, and strengthened main landing gear. Improved armour for crew protection.

A-4/Torp was a torpedo bomber version.

A-4/Trop was a tropical version with sand filters, cockpit sunblinds and desert survival equipment.

A-5 used Jumo 211B-1/G-1 engines.

A-6 identical to the A-5 but with a cable cutting device to cut anti bomber balloons.

A-6/U was a maritime patrol and had the underside gondola removed.

A-7 identical to A-5 but with dual controls.

A-8 was a balloon cutter with lighter weight cutters in the wings leading edges.

A-9 was a tropical version with sand filters and sun blinds.

A-10 was a tropical version of the A-5 with same modifications as the A-9.

A-11 was a tropical version with enhanced modifications of the A-10.

A-12 Dual Control version with air brakes, underside gondola and all armament removed.

A-13 low level attack version with air brakes and bomb sight removed.
Additional armour for crew, engines and fuel tanks.

A-14 improvement of the A-4 with additional armour, balloon cutters, and an additional MG FF.

A-15 was a pure bomber version with an enlarged weapons bay to accomadate 6614lb of bombs and no undernose gondola.

A-16 dual control version of the A-14.

A-17 was a torpedo bomber. Foward fuselage was modified to carry a large bulged fairing to adjust torpedo guidance mechanism before release.

C-1 was a heavy fighter version wiht improved armour, armament. None were produced to lack of BMW-801 engines.

C-2 Heavy fighter version powered by Jumo-211B-1 engines with less nose glazing and improved armour.

C-3 Identical to C-2 but powered by BMW-801 engines but not developed.

C-4 Heavy Fighter powered Jumo-211F-1 engines and later by 211J-1/J-2 engines. Also had a larger wing span and area, and additional 2 MG-FF.

C-5 powered by BMW-801 engines was a heavy fighter and had the MG-FF replaced by MG-151/20. The underside gondola was replaced with a weapons tray containing 2 MG-17.

C-6 heavy fighter with additional armour and some without the ventral gondola.

C-6a day fighter version of the C-6b

C-6b night fighter version with a FuG 202 Liechtenstein BC, or a FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1 airborne interception radar.

C-6c same as C-6b but fitted with FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2 airborne interception radar. This radar was able to deal with 'Window' (or 'Chaff' as the Americans called it) that was ejected by the British bombers to create multiple radar echoes.
FuG 227 Flensburg, radar tuned to the british 'Monica' tail-warning radar of the British bombers.
FuG 350 Naxos Z radar, tuned to the British navigational H2S radar
and later aircraft recieved the "'Shräge Musik".

C-7a day fighter version of the C-7 similiar to the C-6.

C-7b night fighter version with 4 underwing hardpoints to increase the weapons load to 3,307 lb (1.500 kg).

D-0 recon versoin powered by Jumo-211G-1 engines and had the weapons bay removed and an additional fuel tank installed. Camara installed.

D-1 same as D-0 but powered by Jumo-211J-1.

D-1/Trop was a tropical version with the sand filters and sun blinds and was later designated D-4.

D-2 identical to D-1 but with provisions for drop tanks.

D-2/Trop was a tropical versoinw with the same modifications as the D-1/Trop and later called the D-3.

D-5 came standared with 3 camaras instead of 2.

P-0 antitank version fitted with a 75mm KwK tank gun in the undernose gondola.

P-1 identical to P-1 except that the 75mm KwK tank gun was replaced by a 75 mm (2.95 inch) PaK 40 with a larger muzzle break to reduce the recoil of the cannon, and electro pneumatic operation. The nose was also solid instead of the glazed nose.

P-2 was armed with 2 × 37 mm BK 3,7 fixed forward-firing cannons.

P-3 same as P-2 but with better crew armour.

P-4 armed with 1 × 50 mm BK 5 anti-tank cannon.

R-1 same as C-6a except powered by BMW-801MA engines.

R-2 same as C-6c but powered by the BMW-801MA engines.

 

[DIOGENIS]

How about the ju188? was it a sufficient improvement over the ju 88 late variants?it doesn't take much credit nowadays, although i think it was better than many allied designs

 

[Adlertag1940]

Darn, I was thinkin you'd say that. Well then them Modelmakers need to get off their dead arses and make an A-1/A-5 instead of the A-4 which wasnt flying durin Summer 1940.

Thanks

 

[Erich]

Chris the C-6 was not catergorized as a, b or c. In fact your c variant describes the Ju 88G-6 as the C-6 never saw those devices in useage. there was never a C-7 either. Must be prototypes .....

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Very well could be. In my sources it says that an unknown ammount of them were built. They propably were prototypes like the C-1 that was never developed.

I notice now that I forgot the G varients.

 

[Junkers88A1]

Hi
interesting reading. I have been so lucky to dismantle two complete Junkers 88 and one is the Junkers 88 A5 werknumber 6146 salvaged in Norway 2000 and now working on the Junkers88 A1 werknumber 0880119 that we ( the armed forces museum in Norway ) salvaged in 2004.
the A4 can not be compared to the A1/A5. the A5 came before the A4 as the wings was finished ( longer )..and so was the engines and undercarriagelegs..but the fuselage and different cockpit was not ready from the productionline so they used the fuselage from the A1 and mounted A4 wings on it. and so the strange thing happened that they called it the A5..
so all in all the first was the A1,A2,A3,A5 and THEN the A4
I have helped Revell last winter with the A1 modell and it will be released this december ( 1:32 Scale ) and it has been made of the original Ju 88 A1 0880199 and now finally a correct Ju 88 model will be on the marked

JU88.net

 

[Erich]

was the A-5 a Recon A/C Junker ?

E ~ and congratulations on those recoveries

 

[Junkers88A1]

the A5 was a warveary veteran from BoB, balkan and barbarossa.and was shipped to Grose kampfliegerschule 3 Greifswald where it was stolen by two students in 1942 who wanted to get to England..but navigatet wrong and ended up in Norway. when we salvaged the Ju 88 A1 in 2004 we decided to stop doing the Ju 88 A5 and gave that to germany ( now stored at berlin tenische museum for further decissions ) as the A1 was in much better condition ( freshwater ) as the A5 had been in saltwater. you will see some pictures of that salvage also on our website.

best regards
GF

 

[Airframes]

Thank you for sharing this information, GF. I must congratulate you and your team for the excellent work of salvage and restoration, I look forward to visiting your web site to see the results so far.
It's good to hear that you were able to assist Revell with their latest model, which I intend to purchase when it is released in the U.K. A few years ago, I needed a JU88A1 or A5 1/48th scale model for a Battle of Britain project, and could only build this by converting the old Hobbycraft kit of the A4 into the A5. I'm glad that at last we will have an A1, as I will be building this model for a forum member in the Czech Republic, who was a friend of the pilot who helped shoot down a JU88A1 over Liverpool in October 1940.
Thanks again for your input.
Terry.

 

[109ROAMING]

Great info guys!

Junker are you serious a 1/32 ju-88?

now that's awesome!

 

[Junkers88A1]

i have even seen the testmodel of the 1:32 Ju 88. it will be in Battle of Britain markings and U4+TK which is ours ( the one we are restoring at gardermoen and the one they have used to take all the details and correct measurements from. revell spend one whole week just taking pictures and measuring the Ju 88 A1 ) It was scheduled for november but most likely it will be in the stores in december as it got a little delayed due to the amount of details they learned from our Ju 88

here is a link to revells website regarding the 1:32 Junkers 88 a1
Revell - Build your Dream: Junkers Ju88 A-1

 

[Junkers88A1]

here is my website regarding the Ju 88 A1 at gardermoen,

JU88.net

revell was first planning to do a Ju 88 A4 in 1:32 but i persuaded them to do the Ju 88 A1 as there is non on the marked !! and there is a complete original Ju 88 A1 that they could use to actually get it right..as i have worked with Junkers 88 for 12 years ( A4 wreck in private property in belgium under restoration, A5 and A1 in norway and i must say i still have yet to see a correct Junkers 88 model with the correct parts and layout in the cockpit, I think finally Revell will get it right with this A1 model. and another note regarding Junkers 88. all A1 and C models ( we also have a C2 wreck in our storage ) have small lifeboatscompartments in the back of the fuselage. on absolutely every drawing of Ju 88 A1 in every book released is drawn with a big compartment..that was not used until the A5 ,A4 and up !!

i have pictures to show the difference..will find them soon and put them out here

 

[Junkers88A1]

here one can see the large and small lifeboatcompartment and the difference on the A5 and A1 ( A1 to the right ) the other compartment further up on the fuselage is for the loopantenna ( the early A1 to A5 type had the bakelite antenna covered with a wodden plate..later versions like the A4 had the known glasscover with the "star" antenna underneath visible from the outside

 

[mudpuppy]

Now that would be a cool place to hang out!

 

[Junkers88A1]

it is we have lots of fun..and also with the other 30+ aircrafts behind the hangardoor.. a really nice kindergarten..for grown up kids !!

 

[Junkers88A1]

and just a small note to all modelbuilders that decide to build the Ju 88 model with the lifeboathatch open.. i have seen a few models with the hatch open..and dont make the same mistake as previous modelmakers.. the lifeboathatch folds in the middle and up ( its not two doors that opens to each side but one foldingdoor that folds either to the left or to the right ( depends on what side you open it from ) like a inverted V hinged in the middle

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Thank you for sharing your pics. Please post some more. That is fascinating.

I believe the restored Ju 88 at the Sinsheim museum was salvaged from Norway as well.

 

[Airframes]

Absolutely fantastic information, Junkers! The Revell model test-shots look superb, will definitely be getting it.
It's good to see that you and your team are able to pass on so much data to a model manufacturer, and to us of course. Thanks so much for all of this, and please pass on my thanks and admiration to all of the team, for all the splendid work you are doing at Gardermoen.
Terry.

 

[Junkers88A1]

thanks for the kind words. let me know what you need and are looking for and i will do my best !! pictures or information..
The Ju 88 in sinsheim was also recovered in norway but the whole frontsection is sadely missinga and made of wood..i really whish that could be replaced with a original one. It was just a pleasure to help revell and it will be a pleasure to also see our Ju88 A1 in modelform.
Its also a great learningprocess to have dismanteled two complete Ju 88`s ( A1 and A5 ) and see how progress was made in details and systems