Junkers 1895-1945

Professor Hugo Junkers can be described as one of the greatest aviation pioneers and a maverick to boot. His approach to how an aircraft should be built was like no other and, rather than modifying, re-designing or copying ideas from other pioneers, Junkers took his own unique route and doggedly stuck to it for the two decades. Proceeding in the face of the theory that aircraft should be built from wood and fabric, all Junkers aircraft were made of metal, a material that was regarded as being too heavy. The Junkers aircraft story can be told in three parts: the first was under the control of Hugo Junkers, the second by the Nazis until the end of World War Two, and the final post-war period, which saw the company exist as a remnant of its former self. The first part of the story is clearly dominated by Junkers efforts in commercial aircraft production, while the Nazis focused on military machines to help rapidly re-build a new Luftwaffe. Only the iconic Ju 52/3m and the Ju 90 straddle these two periods of the companys history. A pacifist, Junkers, who died in 1935, must have been turning in his grave when the skies were filled with aircraft carrying his name, waging war a few years later across Europe.

This book showcases the aircraft of this manufacturer from the start of operations until the end.