Editing Junkers Ju 87 (section)

===Early design===
The Ju 87's principal designer, [[Hermann Pohlmann]], held the opinion that any dive-bomber design needed to be simple and robust.<ref name="Griehl 2001, p. 37">{{harvnb|Griehl|2001|p=37}}</ref> This led to many technical innovations, such as the retractable undercarriage being discarded in favour of one of the Stuka's distinctive features, its fixed and "[[Aircraft fairing|spatted]]" undercarriage. Pohlmann continued to carry on developing and adding to his ideas and those of [[Diplom|Dipl]] [[European Engineer|Ing]] Karl Plauth (Plauth was killed in a flying accident in November 1927), and produced the Ju A 48, which underwent testing on 29 September 1928. The military version of the Ju A 48 was designated the [[Junkers K 47|Ju K 47]].<ref name="Griehl 2001, p. 37"/>

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R15623, Ernst Udet.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Ernst Udet]]; proponent of the dive-bomber and the Ju 87 (1928 photo)]]

After the [[Nazis]] came to power, the design was given priority. Despite initial competition from the [[Henschel Hs 123]], the ''[[Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany)|Reichsluftfahrtministerium]]'' (RLM/German aviation ministry) turned to the designs of Herman Pohlmann of [[Junkers]] and co-designer of the K 47, [[Karl Plauth]]. During the trials with the K 47 in 1932, [[Twin tail|double vertical stabilisers]] were introduced to give the rear gunner a better [[field of fire (weaponry)|field of fire]]. The main, and what was to be the most distinctive, feature of the Ju 87 was its double-spar inverted [[gull wing]]s.<ref name="Griehl 2001, pp. 38-39">{{harvnb|Griehl|2001|pp=38–39}}</ref>
After Plauth's death, Pohlmann continued the development of the Junkers dive bomber. The Ju A 48 registration D-ITOR, was originally fitted with a [[BMW 132]] engine, producing 450&nbsp;[[Watt#Kilowatt|kW]] (600&nbsp;[[Horsepower|hp]]). The machine was also fitted with [[dive brake]]s for dive testing. The aircraft was given a good evaluation and "exhibited very good flying characteristics".<ref name="Griehl 2001, p. 37"/>

[[Ernst Udet]] took an immediate liking to the concept of dive-bombing after flying the [[Curtiss F11C Goshawk]]. When [[Walther Wever (general)|Walther Wever]] and [[Robert Ritter von Greim]] were invited to watch Udet perform a trial flight in May 1934 at the Jüterbog artillery range, it raised doubts about the capability of the dive bomber. Udet began his dive at {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}} and released his {{convert|1|kg|lb|abbr=on}} bombs at {{convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}}, barely recovering and pulling out of the dive.<ref name="Griehl 2001, p. 38">{{harvnb|Griehl|2001|p=38}}</ref> The chief of the ''Luftwaffe'' Command Office Walther Wever, and the Secretary of State for Aviation [[Erhard Milch]], feared that such high-level nerves and skill could not be expected of "average pilots" in the ''Luftwaffe''.<ref name="Griehl 2001, p. 38"/> Nevertheless, development continued at Junkers.<ref name="Griehl 2001, p. 38"/> Udet's "growing love affair" with the dive bomber pushed it to the forefront of German aviation development.<ref>{{harvnb|Murray|1983|p=13}}</ref> Udet went so far as to advocate that all [[medium bomber]]s should have dive-bombing capabilities,<ref>{{harvnb|Murray|1983|p=16}}</ref> which initially doomed the only dedicated, strategic [[heavy bomber]] design to enter German front-line service during the war years—the 30-metre wingspan [[Heinkel He 177]]A—into having an airframe design (due to Udet examining its design details in November 1937) that could perform "medium angle" dive-bombing missions, until ''Reichsmarschall'' [[Hermann Göring]] exempted the He 177A, Germany's only operational heavy bomber, in September 1942 from being given the task of such a mismatched mission profile for its large airframe.<ref name="Griehl and Dressel 1998, p. 53">{{harvnb|Griehl|Dressel|1998|p=53}}</ref>