| Ju 89 | |
|---|---|
 Junkers Ju 89 in flight | |
| General information | |
| Type | Heavy bomber |
| Manufacturer | Junkers |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | Luftwaffe |
| Number built | 2 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1938 |
| First flight | 11 April 1937 |
| Retired | 1939 |
TheJunkers Ju 89 was aheavy bomber designed for theLuftwaffe prior toWorld War II. Twoprototypes were constructed, but the project was abandoned without the aircraft entering production. Elements of its design were incorporated into later Junkers aircraft.
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From the very beginnings of the Luftwaffe in 1933,GeneralWalther Wever, the chief of staff, realised the importance thatstrategic bombing would play in any future conflict. ALangstrecken-Grossbomber ("long-rangebig bomber") was needed to fulfill this role.
Under theUral bomber programme, he began secret talks with two ofNazi Germany's leadingaircraft manufacturers -Dornier and Junkers - requesting designs for a long-rangebomber. The two companies responded with theDornier Do 19 and the Junkers Ju 89, respectively, and theReichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) ordered prototypes for both aircraft in 1935. The RLM request asked for two prototypes and a prototype series of nine aircraft.
The Ju 89 and its competitor, the Dornier Do 19, proved promising, but fell victim to a change of direction within the Luftwaffe. Wever was killed in a plane crash in 1936. His successors –Albert Kesselring,Ernst Udet, andHans Jeschonnek – favoured smaller, tactical aircraft, since they could be used to support army operations; they also did not require as much material and manpower. They were proponents of thedive bomber (Ju 87Stuka) and the doctrine of close support and destruction of the opposing air forces on the battle-ground rather than through attacking enemy industry. They convincedHermann Göring by emphasising the need fortactical bombers to act in an army support role. Albert Kesselring, Wever's successor, believed that what Germany required were morefighters and tactical bombers.
Kesselring and Jeschonnek had suggested to Göring that it would be better to drop heavy bomber projects due to material shortages. Around 2.5 tactical bombers could be built with the same material as one heavy bomber. In May 1937 Göring is reported as saying toErhard Milch 'The Führer does not ask me how big my bombers are, but how many there are'.[1][unreliable source?]
While these beliefs seemed validated by Germany's early successes in theBlitzkrieg, the lack of strategic bombing capability severely hampered the Luftwaffe in theBattle of Britain andOperation Barbarossa.[opinion]
On 11 April 1937, the Ju 89 prototype D-AFIT (V1, c/n 4911) was first flown by Peter Hesselbach. Just 2½ weeks after the first flight, on 29 April 1937, the further development of both the Ju 89 and the Dornier Do 19 was cancelled by the RLM. The reason for this step was the high fuel consumption of heavy bombers, as well as because a large number of bombers could only be manufactured if these bombers weremedium bombers, like the Ju 88.
Junkers completed the second Ju 89 prototype D-ALAT July 1937. Junkers used both prototypes for extensive flight tests to get experience of the stability and flight controls of large aircraft, but the third prototype V3 was stopped after the programme was cancelled.
On 4 June 1938, Junkers achieved a new payload/altitude world record with the second prototype D-ALAT with 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) payload at an altitude of 9,312 m (30,551 ft), (4,000 m (13,000 ft) more than aShort Stirling with the same payload). On 8 June 1938, D-ALAT reached an altitude of 7,242 m (23,760 ft) with 10,000 kg (22,000 lb).[2] In late 1938, both aircraft were transferred to the Luftwaffe, where they were used as heavytransport aircraft.
Both Ju 89 prototypes seem to have been scrapped by the end of 1939, although some sources claim that they were still in use the following year in Norway. During testing,Luft Hansa expressed an interest in anairliner to be developed from the type, which led Junkers to rebuild the incomplete third prototype as theJu 90.
Data from The warplanes of the Third Reich[3]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
(proposed)
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