Editing Junkers Ju 87 (section)

====France and the Low Countries====
[[File:Duitse Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" 2157 008308.jpg|thumb|right|Campaign in the Low Countries]]

The Ju 87 units had learned lessons from the Polish and Norwegian campaigns. The failures in Poland, and of the ''Stukas'' of I./StG 1 to silence the Oscarsborg fort, ensured even more attention was paid to pin-point bombing during the [[Phoney War]] period. This was to pay off in the Western campaign.<ref name="Weal 1997, p. 43.">{{harvnb|Weal|1997|p=43}}</ref>

When ''[[Fall Gelb]]'' (Case Yellow) began on 10 May 1940, the ''Stuka'' helped swiftly neutralise the fortress of [[Eben Emael]], Belgium. The headquarters of the commander responsible for ordering the destruction of the [[Belgian Army]]-held bridges along the [[Albert Canal]] was stationed in the village of [[Lanaken]] (14&nbsp;km/&nbsp;mi to the north). The ''Stuka'' demonstrated its accuracy when the small building was destroyed by four direct hits. As a result, only one of the three bridges was destroyed, allowing the German Army to rapidly advance in the opening days of the [[Battle of Belgium]].<ref name="Weal 1997, p. 43."/> The Ju 87 proved to be a useful asset to [[Army Group B]] in the [[Low Countries]]. In pitched battles against French armoured forces at [[Battle of Hannut|Hannut]] and [[Battle of Gembloux (1940)|Gembloux]], Ju 87s effectively neutralised artillery and armour.<ref name="Smith 2011, p. 124">{{harvnb|Smith|2011|p=124}}</ref>

The Ju 87s also assisted German forces in the [[Battle of the Netherlands]]. The [[Dutch Navy]] in concert with the British were evacuating the [[Dutch royal family]] and Dutch gold reserves through the country's ports. Ju 87s sank the Dutch ships [[HNLMS Van Galen (1928)|''Jan Van Galen'']] (1,316 tons) and [[HNLMS Johan Maurits van Nassau (1932)|''Johan Maurits Van Nassau'']] (1,520 tons) as they provided close-shore artillery support at [[Waalhaven]] and the [[Afsluitdijk]]. The British [[HMS Valentine (L69)|''Valentine'']] was crippled, beached and scuttled while [[HMS Winchester (L55)|''Winchester'']], [[HMS Whitley (L23)|''Whitley'']] and [[HMS Westminster (L40)|''Westminster'']] were damaged. ''Whitley'' was later beached and scuttled after an air attack on 19 May.<ref name="Smith 2011, p. 124"/>

The Ju 87 units were also instrumental in the [[Battle of France]]. It was here that most of the Ju 87-equipped units were concentrated. They assisted in the breakthrough [[Battle of Sedan (1940)|at Sedan]], the critical and first major land battle of the war on French territory. The ''Stukawaffe'' flew 300 sorties against French positions, with [[Sturzkampfgeschwader 77|StG 77]] alone flying 201 individual missions. The Ju 87s benefited from heavy fighter protection from [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]] units.<ref>{{harvnb|Weal|1997|p=46}}</ref> When resistance was organised, the Ju 87s could be vulnerable. For example, on 12 May, near Sedan, six French [[Curtiss H-75]]s from Groupe de Chasse I/5 (Group Interception) attacked a formation of Ju 87s, claiming 11 out of 12 unescorted Ju 87s without loss (the Germans recorded six losses over Sedan entire).<ref>{{harvnb|Ward|2004|pp=73–74}}</ref><ref name=Boyne>{{harvnb|Boyne|1994|p=78}}</ref> For the most part, Allied opposition was disorganised. During the battles of [[Battle of Montcornet|Montcornet]], [[Battle of Arras (1940)|Arras]], [[Battle of Boulogne (1940)|Bolougne]], and [[Siege of Calais (1940)|Calais]], Ju 87 operations broke up counterattacks and offered pin-point aerial artillery support for German infantry.<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|2011|pp=124, 131–140}}</ref>

The Luftwaffe benefited from excellent ground-to-air communications throughout the campaign. Radio equipped forward liaison officers could call upon the Stukas and direct them to attack enemy positions along the axis of advance. In some cases the Stukas responded in 10–20 minutes. {{Lang|de|[[Oberstleutnant]]}} [[Hans Seidemann]] (Richthofen's [[Chief of staff (military)|Chief of Staff]]) said that "never again was such a smoothly functioning system for discussing and planning joint operations achieved."<ref>{{harvnb|Hooton|2007|p=67}}</ref>

During the [[Battle of Dunkirk]], many Allied ships were lost to Ju 87 attacks while [[Operation Dynamo|evacuating British and French troops]]. The French destroyer {{ship|French destroyer|L'Adroit|1927|2}} was sunk on 21 May 1940, followed by the [[paddle steamer]] ''Crested Eagle'' on 28 May. The French Channel-steamer ''Côte d'Arzur'' (3,047) followed. The Ju 87s operated to maximum effectiveness when the weather allowed. RAF fighter units were held back and Allied air cover was patchy at best. On 29 May the Royal Navy destroyer [[HMS Grenade (H86)|HMS ''Grenade'']] was severely damaged by a Ju 87 attack within Dunkirk's harbour, and subsequently sank. The [[French destroyer Mistral|French destroyer ''Mistral'']] was crippled by bomb damage the same day. [[HMS Jaguar (F34)|''Jaguar'']] and [[HMS Verity (D63)|''Verity'']] were badly damaged while the trawlers ''Calvi'' and ''Polly Johnson'' (363 and 290 tons) disintegrated under bombardment. The merchant ship ''Fenella'' (2,376 tons) was sunk having taken on 600 soldiers. The attacks brought the evacuation to a halt for a time. The ferries ''Lorina'' and [[SS Normannia (1911)|''Normannia'']] (1,564 and 1,567 tons) were sunk also.<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|2011|p=138}}</ref> By 29 May, the Allies had lost 31 vessels sunk and 11 damaged.<ref>{{harvnb|Weal|1997|pp=52–53}}</ref> On 1 June the Ju 87s sank the [[Halcyon-class minesweeper|''Halcyon''-class minesweeper]] ''Skipjack'' while the destroyer [[HMS Keith|''Keith'']] was sunk and [[HMS Basilisk (H11)|''Basilisk'']] was crippled before being scuttled by [[HMS Whitehall|''Whitehall'']]. ''Whitehall'' was later badly damaged and along with [[HMS Ivanhoe (D16)|''Ivanhoe'']], staggered back to [[Dover]]. [[HMS Havant (H32)|''Havant'']], commissioned for just three weeks, was sunk and in the evening the [[French destroyer Foudroyant (1929)|French destroyer ''Foudroyant'']] sank after a mass-attack. Further victories against shipping were claimed before nightfall on 1 June. The steamer ''Pavon'' was lost while carrying 1,500 Dutch soldiers most of whom were killed. The oil tanker ''Niger'' was also destroyed. A flotilla of French minesweepers were also lost—''Denis Papin'' (264 tons), the ''Le Moussaillon'' (380 tons) and ''Venus'' (264 tons).<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|2011|pp=138–140}}</ref>

In total, 89 merchantmen (of 126,518 grt) were lost, and of 40 RN destroyers used in the battle, eight were sunk (one to an E-boat and one to a submarine), and a further 23 damaged and out of service.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooton|2007|p=74}}</ref>
The campaign ended after the French surrender on 25 June 1940. Allied air power had been ineffective and disorganised, and as a result, ''Stuka'' losses were mainly due to ground fire. 120 machines, one-third of the Stuka force, were destroyed or damaged by all causes from 10 May to 25 June 1940.<ref>{{harvnb|Weal|1997|p=55}}</ref>