Junkers Ju 488

Junkers Family History Ju 488

During and before the end of World War II (1939-1945), the German Junkers took over many aircraft projects. Since the Luftwaffe lacked truly competitive heavy bombers to strike long-range Allied targets, significant funding was invested in providing suitable heavy bombing platforms for such jobs before the conflict ended.

The Ju 488 built on the previous Ju 188, Ju 288 and Ju 388 designs - but by the end of the war, nothing had progressed beyond an incomplete set of prototypes.

The Ju 488 in its final form measures 23.25 meters in length, with a wingspan of 31.3 meters and a height of 6 meters. The curb weight is 46,300 pounds, and the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is nearly 79,370 pounds. The task force will consist of three people, with standard armament being a rear-mounted remote-controlled turret with 2 x 20mm MG 151 cannons, and a remote-controlled stern turret with 2 x 13mm MG 131-equipped machine guns. These are presented as purely defensive installations for engaging any interceptor/follower fighters that threaten larger aircraft.

An internal bomb bay can hold up to 11,025 pounds of conventional airdrop storage.

Power comes from 4 x Junkers Jumo 222A/B-3 24-cylinder liquid-cooled engines producing 2,500 hp on takeoff. Engineers estimate a top speed of 430 mph, a cruising speed of nearly 305 mph, a range of up to 2,110 miles, a service ceiling of 37,240 feet and a climb rate of 550 feet per second.

The aircraft was originally intended to be powered by four BMW 801J series radial engines, but this design element was eventually abandoned.

The overall design of the large bomber is the same as that of the previous Junkers - with a heavy glass nose and a slender fuselage and twin tail fins. The landing gear will be a tail-trailer, and the wings are mounted low on either side of the fuselage, each with a pair of engine nacelles along the leading edge, with the wingtips tapering significantly to become tips.

The dorsal gun weapons are located aft of the center of the boat, while the stern weapons are located between the two fins and behind the horizontal plane.

Junkers brought the Ju 488 as a "dumb" design, using existing major components from their earlier aircraft to accelerate development efforts. The design sufficiently persuaded the Luftwaffe authorities to allow the project to proceed, which resulted in the V401 and V402 prototypes, the airframes of which were built in Axis-controlled France (Toulouse) in early 1944. However, this exposed the project to the destruction of the Germans by the relentless Allied bombing of German territory - where factories were under constant threat.

Then add the V403 and V406 prototypes to the development stable. The V401 prototype was badly damaged by the French resistance in July 1944, which delayed the plan considerably, and progress on the V403 and V406 themselves proved slow enough that none of the expected prototypes appeared.

The Allied advance on the ground also played a role in the sinking of Ju 488, as its finished parts had to be transported by rail to Bourneburg. The forward fuselage of the V402 prototype was later discovered by the Allies en route across France.

All these factors, combined with the fact that the Luftwaffe no longer needed large four-engine heavy bombers, led to the program being officially discontinued by the end of 1944.

The initial production bomber will be designated Ju 488A.

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