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The Dive Bomber That Screamed Death. Literally. | Unbelievable true stories | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: The Dive Bomber That Screamed Death. Literally.
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The Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bomber was a highly specialized and psychologically impactful weapon of World War II, renowned for its precision bombing capabilities, terrifying psychological warfare tactics, and the extreme demands it placed on its crews.
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Today we are talking about one of the
most traumatizing weapons of World War
II, the Stooka dive bomber. You will
learn about its capabilities, weaponry,
terrifying psychological effects, and
what made being a Stooka crew member
absolutely horrifying. [Music]
After World War I, Germany was forbidden
from developing or producing weapons.
However, when the Nazis came to power in
1933, they completely ignored this
prohibition and in absolute secrecy
began developing new weapons in
preparation for another global
conflict. To bypass these restrictions,
the Junkers company designed the K47 as
a civilian aircraft that could later be
adapted for military purposes. The K-47
was a rugged two-seater fighter with
twin rudders and a rear gunner position.
It was an experimental step toward
creating a dive bomber capable of
precision attacks. The concept of dive
bombing became a central focus as
Germany sought ways to enhance the
accuracy of its air strikes. By
converting the K47 into a prototype dive
bomber, engineers conducted early tests
to explore the feasibility of steep
descent attacks. However, the Stooker
would take this role a step further.
actually several steps further. Before
continuing with the Stooka, let's first
explain what dive bombing actually
means. Traditional bombing was based on
bombers flying horizontally, releasing
bombs at high altitudes to avoid
anti-aircraft fire. Because of the
rudimentary technology of the time, they
weren't very accurate, resulting in a
large percentage of bombs not hitting
their targets and wasting resources. On
the other hand, dive bombers, instead of
relying on guesswork for accuracy, would
descend at great speed at steep angles
of 60 to 90° directly towards their
target. This way, pilots had a clear
view of their target, placing the bombs
exactly where they wanted, effectively
hitting bunkers, bridges, and even
vehicles. Much fewer bombs were wasted
and a greater number of targets were
destroyed. We'll tell you more about
this technique in a bit to show you how
terrifying it was both for the pilots
and those on the receiving end on the
ground. During these tests, a crash
occurred in which the pilot and engineer
were killed. During the dive with the
prototype, the whole tail plane simply
broke off, leading to the catastrophic
accident. It became evident that besides
reinforcing the K47 for greater weight
and stress during dives, the entire tail
had to be modified to allow accurate and
safe vertical dives. After many setbacks
and experimenting with various solutions
back and forth, eventually the Ju87
Stooker took shape as a highly
specialized dive bomber with an
interesting addition of a psychological
warfare method. When it finally entered
production, the Stooker had some really
unique characteristics for that time.
Inverted gull wings reduced drag and
improved stability. It was operated by a
pilot protected by a rear gunner with an
MG15 machine gun. But this made the
stooker quite vulnerable when operating
without fighter escorts, as the single
small caliber machine gun couldn't offer
much protection. The primary payload was
a 1,000 kilo bomb mounted under the
fuselage with combinations of 500 or 250
kilo bombs under the wings. Besides
generalpurpose bombs, it could carry
cluster and incendiary bombs and
variants with armored casings designed
for fortified positions to penetrate
deeply before detonation and cause
internal damage. Two fixed MG17 machine
guns were its forward armament for
strafing runs. Now, let's get to the
exotic equipment and explain what a dive
bombing run looked like. The Stooka dive
began at an altitude of about 15,000 ft
with the aircraft rolling 180° to enter
a descent at angle of 90°. During this
dive, air brakes located under the wings
slowed the aircraft, giving the pilot
more time to aim and ensuring a
controlled descent at speeds reaching
600 kmh. As the shooker approached its
target, a U-shaped crutch under the
fuselage swung the bomb out of the way
of the propeller, dropping it at the
optimal altitude of 1500 ft. Immediately
after bomb release, the Stooker's
automatic dive recovery system
activated, initiating a 6G pull out to
level the aircraft and prevent a crash.
This was crucial because the extreme G
forces experienced by pilots during the
pullout often cause temporary blindness
or loss of consciousness. The system
ensured that even if the pilot blacked
out momentarily, the aircraft would
level itself until control was regained.
Once the nose was above the horizon, the
air brakes retracted, the throttle was
opened, and the propeller was set to
climb, allowing the pilot to resume
normal flight. However, not all pilots
trusted this system. Some crews
disconnected it because its predictable
recovery pattern and altitude made the
stooker more vulnerable to ground
defenses. crews endured extreme physical
and psychological strain during each
dive. And of course, the feature that
made the stooker so infamous, its
so-called Jericho trumpet. As the
Germans sought to gain every possible
advantage over the enemy, psychological
warfare was certainly one of their key
strategies. In addition to delivering
devastatingly accurate bombing runs, the
aircraft served as a tool to terrorize
both soldiers and civilians. The sheer
sight of the aircraft vertically diving
toward its target was enhanced with a
simple device that created a terrifying
and extremely loud high-pitched wailing
shriek. The tone was deliberately chosen
to be extremely unsettling, resembling a
scream that intensified as the aircraft
accelerated in its dive. It could be
heard over vast distances even before
the stooker itself was visible, making
you certain that bombs were about to
strike. Yet you had no idea where. This
simple technique to terrorize its
victims proved highly effective. It
traumatized everyone near the receiving
end of a Stooka strike, spreading mass
hysteria and panic among both civilians
and soldiers. Since it created
additional drag, the siren could be
removed or disabled depending on the
mission, such as when stealth or speed
was needed against well-defended
targets. Later in the war, it was mostly
phased out to improve operational
efficiency. On the morning of August
15th, 1939, during a dive bombing
demonstration in secret preparation for
the invasion of Poland, 13 Stooker
bombers crashed almost simultaneously,
killing all 26 crew members. The planes
dove through clouds, expecting to drop
their practice bombs and pull out once
below the cloud cover. However, the
cloud ceiling was too low, and
unexpected ground mist gave them no time
to recover, leading to the tragic
accident. Stuka prototypes made their
secret combat debut during the Spanish
Civil War, where they immediately showed
their effectiveness in bombing missions.
Their real deployment came during the
invasion of Poland, where coordination
with ground forces had been perfected,
devastating Polish infrastructure and
troop movements. Bridges, bunkers, and
railroads were destroyed with pinpoint
accuracy, quickly paralyzing Poland's
defense. Also, the siren was something
new at this point, never heard before,
which added to the horror of Blitzkrieg
tactics. Stookers would dive and bomb in
waves as part of a meticulously
coordinated tactic, working closely with
ground forces with real-time radio
communication. One of the most effective
and widely used formations was the Keter
formation, meaning chain in German. In
this tactic, Stookers flew in tightly
controlled groups of three aircraft.
Each Keta would execute their dive
bombing runs sequentially with one plane
diving to attack while the other two
maintained altitude awaiting their turn.
This method ensured a continuous
bombardment of the target, maximizing
destruction and overwhelming enemy
defenses. A more extensive variation was
wave attacks. While one wave carried out
its bombing run, others would rearm and
refuel at nearby airfields, keeping the
pressure almost constantly on the
target. Stookers then supported the push
in France, even helping in neutralizing
the heavily fortified Ebanale fortress
in Belgium. Previously considered
impregnable. Stookers were used to
attack weak spots, assisting
paratroopers in capturing and securing
positions. The Stooker quickly became a
symbol of Luftvafa dominance early in
the war. Then the Battle of Britain came
and against a wellorganized defense, the
Stooker's limitations became apparent.
British fighter planes such as the
Spitfire and Hurricane exploited the
Stooker's slower speed and lack of
effective protection to intercept and
shoot them down. Stookers without
fighter escorts were easy targets for
allied fighters and needed to be
escorted by Messmid fighters. After
catastrophic losses of entire squadrons
of Stookers, the Luftvafer was forced to
withdraw them from the Western Front.
However, its job was far from over. With
the invasion of the Soviet Union, the
Stooka was heavily employed again.
Precision bombings of Soviet
infrastructure and troop concentrations
allowed Germany to punch through vast
regions of the Soviet Union and almost
reach Moscow. One of the Stooka's most
significant roles was tank busting. The
Ju87G model introduced in 1943 was
equipped with twin 37 mm flack cannons
mounted under its wings. Shooker Panza
squadrons became specialists in hunting
Soviet tanks. Hans Olrich Rudell, the
most famous Shooker pilot, was credited
with destroying over 500 tanks and
earned the highest award in the German
military. Soviet tankers had to adopt
new strategies and use camouflage and
dispersal techniques to minimize damage
from these attacks. Even traps were set
for shookers with fake tank formations
made of wood arranged in tight clusters
and anti-aircraft guns hidden nearby,
ready to ambush the bombers as they dove
to attack the decoys. Stookers also
played a crucial role during the battles
around Stalingrad, fiercely attempting
to support the encircled German army. At
this stage of the war, squadrons flew an
average of 500 sorties per day, losing
one aircraft daily while inflicting
significant losses on Soviet forces.
However, from this point forward, Stooka
losses increased drastically. Also, the
Stooka saw extensive use in naval
warfare. During the Battle of Cree in
1941, Stookers targeted British shipping
and naval vessels, sinking multiple
ships and crippling Allied logistics in
the Mediterranean.
JU87R models with extended fuel tanks
for longrange operations were used to
disrupt supply lines and destroy
convoys, becoming one of the most feared
aircraft for Allied sailors. Besides
pure destruction and disruption of the
enemy, Stookers were used for medevac
missions with specially designed gondola
mounts attached to the wings that could
carry wounded soldiers. As the war
turned against Germany, the stooker
began to show its age. Outclassed by
faster, more advanced Allied aircraft
and anti-aircraft defenses, its
vulnerabilities became glaring. Despite
this, Stuka crews continued to fly
high-risk missions, often with little
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