The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft which was used extensively during the Second World War, both as a cargo and airborne troop transport plane. After the war the Ju 52 continued in postwar service with civilian air fleets well into the 1980s.
The Junkers Ju 52 was desisgned by Ernst Zindel in 1930 and manufactured by Junkers from 1931 to 1945. This plane had a low cantilever wing built into the fuselage. The corrugated metal skin, with which this aircraft was built, strengthened the whole structure. The Junkers Ju 52 was powered by three BMW 132T, 715 hp radial engines. Its maximum speed was a 165 mph (265 km/h), but the cruise speed was 132 mph. It had a range of 540 miles and a ceiling of 18,000 ft. Its armament consisted of one 13 mm (.51 in) MG131 machine gun, dorsally fixed, two 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG15 machine guns and could carry up to 1,000 lb of bombs.
In the 1930s the Ju 52 had a civilian role, flying with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Lufthansa as an airliner and freight hauler. It saw action for the first time in the Spanish Civil War, both as a bomber and transport aircraft. In World War II the Junkers Ju 52 played an important role during the Battle of Crete in May 1941, in which the plane was used for paratroop drops. It was also used to resupply the German armies fighting on the Russian Front.
