What is the advantage of a dive bomber?
Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb’s trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact throughout the bomb run. This allows attacks on point targets and ships, which were difficult to attack with conventional level bombers, even en masse.
Why do dive bombers make that noise?
Siren devices were attached to the wings’ leading edge just forward of the Stuka’s fixed landing gear. The sound was meant to be memorable, weaken the morale of the enemy, and cause mass fear of the German dive-bomber.
What was the last dive bomber?
Curtiss SB2C
The Curtiss SB2C was the last of a line of aircraft developed for the U.S. Navy specifically for the role of dive-bombing. That tactic was first used by a Marine aviator, Lieutenant (later Brig. Gen.) Lawson H.M. Sanderson, during operations in Haiti in 1919.
How many G’s did Stuka pilots pull?
An elongated U-shaped crutch located under the fuselage swung the bomb out of the way of the propeller, and the aircraft automatically began a 6g pullout. Once the nose was above the horizon, dive brakes were retracted, the throttle was opened, and the propeller was set to climb.
Why did the Stuka dive bomber have a siren?
This was used to weaken enemy morale and enhance the intimidation of dive-bombing. After the enemy became used to it, however, they were withdrawn. The devices caused a loss of some 20–25 km/h (10-20 mph) through drag. Instead, some bombs were fitted with whistles on the fin to produce the noise after release.
Was Stukas accurate?
It was accurate, but in general not *that* accurate. Under good conditions in training, it might have a CEP of 50m or so, i.e. half the bombs land within a 50m radius of the target. In combat conditions, watching out for enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire, it’s going to be worse.
What was the Stuka dive bomber?
Here’s What You Need to Remember: Perhaps no weapon was as closely associated with the Nazi German in early in World War II as the Stuka dive bomber, infamous for howling, near-vertical dive attacks on warships, battlefield targets and defenseless civilian communities like merciless birds of prey.
What was the purpose of the dive bomber?
The dive bomber was a solution to a timeless challenge in military aviation: how to ensure weapons dropped by fast-moving aircraft land anywhere near a point target like a warship, artillery battery or fortification. Precision was an especially big problem in an era where tactical aircraft could carry only light, unguided bombs.
What did the Junkers Ju-87 Stuka do in WW2?
The Junkers JU-87 Stuka dive-bomber supported advancing columns of German tanks during their Blitzkrieg attacks on Poland, Belgium and France. They provided “airborne support artillery” for the ground troops and could take on and neutralise tanks, fortified hardened positions, machine guns.
How many tanks did Rudel destroy with his Stuka?
Pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel claimed in his memoire Stuka Pilot to have destroyed 519 tanks, sunk the battleship Marat, and shot down 52 aircraft mostly while flying a Stuka.