Stuka!!

[Dave Homewood]

Have you seen the new colour scheme on the Omaka Stuka yet? It looks great:


Photo Courtesy Classic Wings

The colours represent one that flew in Russia, but the Stuka is an aircraft that many New Zealanders came up against in the air, and as victims of it on the ground, in Britain, Greece, Crete, Italy and North Africa. I thought it would be interesting to see if there are stories out there of kiwi encounters with the Stuka. This is a photo from my Great Uncle Ted 'Bluey' Homewood's collection from when he was in the army in Egypt.

[strikemaster]

Legend has it my great uncle bought one down with a lucky shot with nary more than a Lee Enfield. Not sure if its true or not, he was in the Div Cav. Story is he hit the pilot in a dive and down it came.

She does look a beaut, too.

[Dave Homewood]

It would be a very lucky shot but I believe it's certainly possible. I interviewed an old chap here in Cambridge a few years back, the late Major David Gay MC, who when he was a Sgt in the desert shot one down with a short burst on a Bren Gun from the shoulder while on the back of a moving armoured car (or it may have been a universal carrier actually). He said he fired purely out of frustration not expecting to hit it, but he decided to have a go as he was god at duck shooting and so employed the same principles. He got it and it crashed close to the vehicle. He was british but lived in NZ from the 1960's till his death recently.

[oggie2620]

The paint job looks brilliant. Might put a link to this on the CFWW2 forum as it might tickle their photo fancy!

[strikemaster]

Yeah it was a lucky shot, Dave. North Africa if memory serves. Both him and his brother were in the Div Cav from NA to Anzio, Italy. He was involved in a major river operation in Italy, pretty sure there are records of it around the net.

[Dave Homewood]

There were dozens of major river operations in Italy. Some of the bigger ones that the kiwis and other Allies were involved in crossing (involving big battles to do so) included the Sangro, the Rapido at Cassino, the Senio, the Volturno, the Rubicon, and the Po, but there were many, many other crossings made, the entire campaign was basically crossing rivers and advance to the next river.

Was your grandfatehr in the NZ Div Cav or British? As the kiwis were not at Anzio. The Anzio landings was meant to be a simple pincer movement landing US and British troops swing in from the north and help the Allies take Cassino and thus have control of Route 6, but US General Mark Clark made a huge mess of it all.

[strikemaster]

Great Uncle's. Both were 2nd Div Cav, which was part of the Pommy 8th army in Italy wasn't it? Unfortunately my Poppa died a year ago. He didn't serve (reserved Oc) but knew all the exploits of his older brothers. I should chase up my second cousin who has a book on the whole thing, including that crossing.

I think it was the Rapido. That rings a bell.

I watched ANZIO, the other day. As my Poppa would say, biggest balls up since Dunkirk. Clark sat on his hands and gave the Germans time to regroup. From what I've been reading, Macarthur wasn't as smart as some would suggest either.

[Dave Homewood]

If you mean the Div Cav within the 2nd New Zealand Division then they came under British 8th Army command only till March 1944 when they were handed to the US Fifth Army under Clark, when they entered Cassino. After Cassino they went back to the British command. The Rapido was the river at Cassino, which gave so much trouble to the Americans before the kiwis got there. I have heard they lost 2000 men trying to cross it. The Maoris did cross it but were forced back after a battle at the railway station. Others also crossed it including my uncle who captured the first German prisoner in the campaign.

it is likely that they crossed the same river further up the country too though I guess.

Back to Stukas... were they actually employed in Italy against the Allies in that 1943-45 campaign? I know the Italians had Stukas but they were on our side by then (most of them). Did the Germans still have them as frontline attack aircraft in Italy or had they all been moved to Russia? I have not heard any stories of them bombing kiwis, etc.

[flyjoe180]

I checked Lt. Col. A. J. Barker's book on the Ju87 and it seems to indicate that no Luftwaffe Stuka Wings remained in Italy after 1943 as all these units had been withdrawn to the Eastern Front and/or converted onto the FW190. Italian units appear to have literally worn their aircraft out from repeated dive bombing (wing fatigue), and converted onto other types.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Joe. I have to admit to not knowing a great deal about the Luftwaffe or Stukas.

[flyjoe180]

No worries Dave. Is that Stuka a full scale replica?

[Dave Homewood]

Yes. It's a big aircraft when you walk around it actually.

[flyjoe180]

Yes the Stuka is a big aeroplane, I have seen the late-model example of a tank-buster Ju87 at Hendon.

[Dave Homewood]

Yes, I have too. It is very sad to think that we had a real one here in NZ that was to be restored, but it went back overseas and now seems to have disappeared from public view.

[strikemaster]

Interesting stuff, Dave. I really should investigate.

The tank buster version had a under-slung cannon, did it not? If memory serves the recoil caused some excitement while in flight. I'd always thought the Stuka's were used in big number till the end of the war?

Its odd too, the Italians also used Allied equipment, such as the Damlier Dingo. A real hodge podge of gear.

[flyjoe180]

The Ju87B (depicted by the Omaka replica) was the first mass produced version.



The Ju87D was an improved version introduced in 1941 with a more powerful engine, an aerodynamic clean up, more fuel, additional armour protection and a twin rear machine gun.

The Ju87G was very similar to the D model, but employed a 'bath tub' style armour configuration (the A10 Warthog is said to have been influenced by this design, which in turn was copied from the IL2), and was armed with one 37mm anti-tank gun under each wing. It had no dive brakes fitted as the Stuka's role had changed to that of a tank-killer.



The best known Stuka pilot is Hans-Ulrich Rudel en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Ulrich_Rudel. Rudel flew 2,530 combat missions claiming 800 vehicles, 519 tanks, 150 artillery pieces, a destroyer, two cruisers, one Soviet battleship, 70 landing craft, 4 armored trains, several bridges and nine aircraft which he shot down (the air to air claims were made whilst flying a FW190).

[Dave Homewood]

Check this out

[flyjoe180]

That's a great film Dave. They are D models, and appear to wear white Mediterranean Theatre bands. Italy maybe?

[strikemaster]

Looks to be some serious difference to the B and D/G, as far as aerodynamics go.

[flyjoe180]

Battle for Malta, Stuka action included. The German propaganda at 3:00 would have you believe that Bf110 was shooting down a Spitfire. Possible I suppose, the Spitfire seems intent on catching a Ju88.