" Hungarian Stuka Pilot "
The Junkers Ju 87, commonly known as the Stuka (from the German Sturzkampfflugzeug, meaning "dive bomber"), was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. It first flew in 1935 and made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. The Ju 87 subsequently served with Axis forces throughout World War II.
The aircraft was easily recognizable by its inverted gull wings and fixed spatted undercarriage. Mounted on the leading edges of its faired main landing gear legs were the Jericho-Trompete ("Jericho Trumpet") wailing sirens, which became a propaganda symbol of German air power and the Blitzkrieg victories of 1939–1942.
By the end of the war, the Junkers Ju 87 was too slow and vulnerable to increasingly capable Allied fighter aircraft. Due to fuel shortages, the loss of air superiority, and the deteriorating military situation of the Axis powers, many Ju 87s remained grounded during the final stages of the conflict.
