Ju 52/3m Bomber and Transport Units 1936-41

Osprey Combat Aircraft #120

by Robert Forsyth, Jim Laurier (Illustrator)

The all-metal Junkers Ju 52/3m enjoyed a solid--indeed, revered--reputation amongst its crews and the troops and paratroopers who used and depended on it. For more than ten years, it saw service as a successful military transport, with its distinctive, three-engined design and corrugated metal construction becoming instantly recognizable. It was a mainstay in the Luftwaffe's inventory, first seeing service in the 1930s in bombing and transport operations in the Spanish Civil War, and subsequently during the German invasion of Poland. It then served on every front on which the Luftwaffe was deployed until May 1945.

The Junkers served as a stalwart transport, confronting both freezing temperatures and ice, and heat and dust, lifting men, animals, food and supplies vital for German military operations. This, the first of two books on the Ju 52/3m, details its service as a bomber in Spain and in South America, followed by its pivotal role in early war operations during the invasions of Poland and France, the airborne invasion of Crete and the early stages of Operation Barbarossa .

96 pages, Paperback

Published May 23, 2017

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Reviews

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book at a scale modeling show last month. Like all Osprey books, this is a concise but informative read on this subject. Recommended for Ju 52 and German aircraft fans. Side note: One of the books cited in this work's bibliography was the Ju 52 in Action book I edited for Squadron/Signal Publications some 20 years ago.

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering the expense of the author's hardcover book about this machine from 2015, this (and hopefully a follow-on work covering Operation "Mercury" forward) is going to be the study that most enthusiasts wind up with. To be honest, they'll probably be satisfied with this as the origins of the Ju 52 are covered, along with service in the Spanish Civil War and most of Germany's major operations of the glory days of the "Blitzkrieg." Perhaps the most striking thing is how high the attrition rate seemed to be, even in the early stages of the war when the Luftwaffe had dependable air superiority; though the success of the Spanish Republic's Soviet-provided fighters when all the "Condor Legion" had to rely on for fighter support was the Heinkel He 51 was an early warning. The Germans never kidded themselves that the Junkers was a great bomber.