Ju 87B Stuka and its bombs

[Marius]

The famous Junkers Ju 87B Stuka could carry one huge bomb under the fuselage (250 or 500 kg) and 4 bombs a 50kg under its wings.

My question: how had the pilot to drop the bombs? All 5 together? Or the huge bomb at the first diving attack and the other 4x50kg bombs at the second attack? Or had the pilot even the possibility to drop every bomb separately, what means he could make 5 single bombing attacks?

I was searching for these details in the literature but have found nothing.
Can anybody help?

Thanks,
Marius

[George Hopp]

According to the operating manual, from 1938, the Ju 87B/R had the following types of attack possibilities:
1. Dropping of C250 or C500 bomb in diving attack.
2. Dropping of single C50 bombs in diving attack.
3. Dropping of 2-4 C50 bombs in diving attack.
It doesn't mention being able to drop both the centreline and underwing bombs together, although the entire load is jettisoned together.
But, in the manuals for the Ju 87D, it is specifically mentioned that all bombs can be dropped together; or the centreline bomb could be dropped in one attack, and the 4 underwing bombs together in a 2nd attack; or, the bombs could all be dropped one at a time.

[Marius]

So you mean the pilot could for example drop a single SC 50 bomb and then gain hight again with the SC 250 or SC 500 and the rest of 3 SC 50`s still under the fuselage/wings making later a second attack with the next single SC 50 and so on and so on? And at the end (5th diving attack) he could drop the biggest bomb of 250/500 kg?

I cannot imagine that the pilot could rise the Ju 87B from the first dive with 300 kg or 650 kg of bombs still on board.

As I saw in many documentaries (films) the biggest bomb was dropped at the first diving attack (or all 5 bombs together).
Maybe it was possible then to drop every single SC 50 bomb separately, but the question is, if it was used in this way. What about the stability of the airplane with 1 SC 50 kg under one wing and 2 SC 50 under another wing?
Any idea?

[George Hopp]

So you mean the pilot could for example drop a single SC 50 bomb and then gain hight again with the SC 250 or SC 500 and the rest of 3 SC 50`s still under the fuselage/wings making later a second attack with the next single SC 50 and so on and so on? And at the end (5th diving attack) he could drop the biggest bomb of 250/500 kg?

Yes, the manual information does permit your scenario. But, I would think that a Stuka pilot with anything more between his ears than a vacuum, would be able to figure out that his 1st attack would probably be the most effective, and so he would want to drop his most powerful weapon, or everything, in that first attack. The Ju 87, because of its relatively low performance, tended to be a flak magnet, and I don't really see its pilot wanting to stay in the vicinity of his target any longer than he had to. Now, perhaps if the a/c was on an area patrol, the pilot might decide to drop individual bombs on things like river barges, or single vehicles, or other innocuous things that weren't too well armed; but otherwise I would stick with the above comments.

[Marius]

But I mean the following: was it possible to drop for example 2 x SC 50 bombs from a 80°-90° degrees dive attack (1st attack) and then gain height again with the SC 250 or SC 500 and 2 x SC 50 still on board? This means 350 kg or even 600 additional kg`s !! Wouldn`t the plane crash on the ground with it? In such a case even air brakes wouldn`t help, right?

Or the pilot had to release the bombs at a height which allowed him to survive the diving attack or not to damage the airplane. But this would be senseless and the bombing itself mostly inaccurate. Better to use He 111 or Do 17.

Any idea? Can somebody describe an attack by Ju 87 where the pilot dove (vertical) 2 or even 5 times on a target?