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Re: Ju 188 - why not?
Hello
IIRC Junkers tried to get Ju88B, a sort of proto Ju 188, into production but RLM thought that improvements were too small to warrant switch, and the loss of production due it, from Ju 88A to Ju88B. And very importantly, RLM was putting very high expectations to Bomber B program, so it thought that there was no need for interim Ju 88B. Only after it was very clear, that the Bomber B program was to be a failure, RLM interested again in Ju88B. In meantime Junkers has continued the development of Ju88B as a low-priority private venture and when RLM showed interest on Ju88B it could present plans for Ju188. So the main reasons for late production of Ju88B/188 were, the need to keep medium bomber production up and the misplaced hopes to overambitious Bomber B program. RLM had not learnt that the worst enemy of good is the best.
On Jumo 213, I don’t recall its production numbers but even if there was enough of them for Fw 190D that doesn’t meant that there would have been enough for mass-producing Ju188As
Juha
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