Editing Junkers Ju 388

{{Short description|1943 multi-role combat aircraft family}}
{{Infobox aircraft
 |name= Ju 388
 |image= File:Junkers Ju 388L-1.jpg
 |caption= Ju 388L in 1945
 |type= [[heavy fighter]], [[bomber]], [[Aerial reconnaissance|reconnaissance]], [[night fighter]]
 |manufacturer= [[Junkers]]
 |first_flight= 22 December 1943
 |introduction= Late 1944
 |retired= 1945
 |status=
 |primary_user= ''[[Luftwaffe]]''
 |more_users=
 |produced=
 |number_built= approximately 100
 |unit cost=
 |developed_from= [[Junkers Ju 188]]
 |variants=
}}

The '''Junkers Ju 388''' ''[[Klaus Störtebeker|Störtebeker]]'' is a [[World War II]] German ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' [[Multirole combat aircraft|multi-role aircraft]] based on the [[Junkers Ju 88|Ju 88]] [[airframe]] by way of the [[Junkers Ju 188|Ju 188]]. It differed from its predecessors in being intended for high [[altitude]] operation, with design features such as a [[Cabin pressurization|pressurized]] cockpit for its [[Aircrew#Military|crew]]. The Ju 388 was introduced very late in the war, and production problems along with the deteriorating war conditions meant that few were built.

==Background==
The [[Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany)|''Reichsluftfahrtministerium'']] (RLM), the Reich Aviation Ministry, first learned of the [[United States|American]] [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] [[heavy bomber]] in late 1942. Serious concerns as to B-29 capability developed in early 1944, when YB-29 "Hobo Queen" made a well-publicised appearance at [[RAF Bovingdon]], which had been cryptically hinted at in an American-published ''Sternenbanner'' German language propaganda leaflet from [[Leap Year Day]] in 1944, meant to be circulated within the Reich.<ref>[http://www.384thbombgroup.com/WinJack3/wwII-sternenbanner_1.html ''Sternenbanner'' announcement of the B-29 in German, comparing it to the B-17 in size]</ref>

The performance estimates of this aircraft were a cause for great unease in the ''Luftwaffe''. The B-29 had a maximum [[Airspeed|speed]] of around 560&nbsp;km/h (350&nbsp;mph), and would attack in a cruise of about 360&nbsp;km/h (225&nbsp;mph) at {{convert|8,000|-|10,000|m|ft|abbr=on}}, an altitude where no current ''Luftwaffe'' aircraft was effective, and for which the only effective Wehrmacht anti-aircraft gun was the rarely-deployed [[12.8 cm FlaK 40]], which could effectively fire to an altitude of {{convert|14,800|m|ft}}.

To counter the B-29, the ''Luftwaffe'' would need new [[day fighter]]s and [[bomber destroyer]]s with greatly enhanced performance at extreme altitude. The fighter chosen was the [[Focke-Wulf Ta 152|Focke-Wulf Ta 152H]], a derivative of the [[List_of_Focke-Wulf_Fw_190_variants#Fw_190D|Fw 190D]] with a longer [[wingspan]] and powered by the new high-altitude model "E" of the [[Junkers Jumo 213]] engine. An alternative fighter model was the [[Blohm & Voss BV 155|Messerschmitt Me 155B]], a long-[[wing|winged]] development of the [[Messerschmitt Bf 109|Bf 109]], which had already undergone several stages of design and would ultimately be built in [[prototype]] form by [[Blohm & Voss (aircraft)|Blohm & Voss]]. The centre-line thrust, twin-engined [[Dornier Do 335]], powered with two of the competing [[Daimler-Benz DB 603]] engines also offered a service ceiling of some 11,400&nbsp;m (37,500&nbsp;ft), but the promising Dornier [[heavy fighter]] and ''zerstörer'' was still under development with only prototype airframes flying, and the first production examples expected to enter operational service late in 1944.

For the bomber destroyer and [[night fighter]] roles, the all-wood [[Focke-Wulf Ta 154]] and metal-structured [[Heinkel He 219]] had the performance needed to catch the bomber; however, both designs only gained that performance by mounting [[Aspect ratio (aeronautics)|low aspect ratio]] wings which were inadequate for flight at high [[altitude]] and resultingly produced too high a [[wing loading]]. The Junkers Ju 88 had already been modified for high-altitude with as the S and T models, but these did not have the performance needed. Similar high-altitude modifications to the [[Junkers Ju 188|Ju 188]], with its complex stepless cockpit glazing comprising some three dozen framed window panels in all, were being looked at as the projected Ju 188J, K and L models, which included a simplified "stepless" [[Cabin pressurization|pressurized]] [[cockpit]] that fully enclosed the entire nose using fewer glazed panels in comparison to the Ju 188's glazing design, and wing and [[Elevator (aircraft)|elevator]] [[ice protection system|de-icing equipment]] for extended flights at very high altitude. These were selected for development, and renamed '''Ju 388'''.

==Development==
In order to improve performance, the Ju 388 was stripped of almost all defensive armament. Whereas the Ju 88 included a number of manually operated guns in ports around the cockpit area, on the Ju 388 they were replaced by a single remote-control [[Gun turret#Aircraft|turret]] in the tail containing two [[13 mm caliber|13&nbsp;mm (.51&nbsp;in)]] [[MG 131 machine gun]]s, aimed via a [[periscope]] in the cockpit, mounted one-above-the-other, as had been done experimentally with a few [[Heinkel He 177]]A heavy bombers' manned tail defensive gun positions. The Ju 388's remote tail  turret had an excellent field of fire and could shoot directly to the rear, so the ''Bola'' streamlined  defensive armament position under the nose of Ju 88s and 188s was omitted, improving the [[aerodynamics]].

The aircraft was to be delivered using the same naming as the three original Ju 188 experimental versions: the J, K, and L. The J model was a fighter with two [[30 mm caliber|30&nbsp;mm (1.18&nbsp;in)]] [[MK 103 cannon]]s and two [[20 mm caliber|20&nbsp;mm]] [[MG 151 cannon|MG 151/20 cannon]]s in a solid nose for use as a daytime bomber destroyer. For use as a night fighter, the long-barreled MK 103s were replaced by the smaller and lighter 30&nbsp;mm [[MK 108 cannon|MK 108]]s, while a second pair of upward firing MK 108s were added in a ''[[Schräge Musik]]'' installation behind the cockpit. The K model was a pure bomber, with a [[pannier]] under the plane increasing the size of the [[bomb bay]]. The L [[Aerial reconnaissance|photo-reconnaissance]] model put its [[camera]]s in the pannier along with additional [[fuel tank]]s for long-[[Range (aircraft)|range]] missions.

[[File:Jumo 222 E links.JPG|thumb|right|Portside view of a preserved Jumo 222E engine, intended for the Ju 388J-2 through L-2]]

Three sub-models of each variant were planned, different only in the engine installation. The -1 would mount the 1,331&nbsp;kW (1,810 PS) output [[BMW 801|BMW 801J]], a [[Turbocharger|turbocharged]] version of the basic BMW 801 air cooled [[Radial engine|radial]], each engine installed as a unitized ''Triebwerksanlage'' engine installation. The -2 would use the 46.4 litre displacement, 1,864&nbsp;kW (2,500&nbsp;hp) [[Junkers Jumo 222|Jumo 222A/B]] 24-cylinder six-bank liquid-cooled engines, or the identical displacement 222E/F versions with an improved two-speed [[supercharger]] with triple intercoolers on each engine. The -3 would mount the [[Junkers Jumo 213]]E liquid-cooled inverted [[V12 engine|V12]], which included a supercharger similar to the 222E/F's. Since the 24-cylinder Jumo 222 engine never progressed beyond development and testing with just under 300 units ever built, the only powerplants actually used for the Ju 388 would be the BMW 801 radial and Jumo 213 series V12s.

With the BMW 801J or Jumo 213E, the fighter versions flew at 616&nbsp;km/h (383&nbsp;mph) when equipped as a destroyer, losing about 25&nbsp;km/h (16&nbsp;mph) due to the eight-dipole ''Hirschgeweih'' antenna array used for late-war, VHF-band  [[Neptun radar|''Neptun'' radar]] and ''Schräge Musik'' when equipped as night fighters. This was similar in speed to existing ''Luftwaffe'' night fighters, but the Ju 388 maintained this speed at much higher altitudes. With the Jumo 222 engine, the aircraft was estimated to be capable of reaching around 700&nbsp;km/h (435&nbsp;mph), again about 25&nbsp;km/h (16&nbsp;mph) less in night fighter versions. The bomber versions flew at roughly the same speeds depending on bombload, while the reconnaissance versions would have been about 25&nbsp;km/h (16&nbsp;mph) faster.

The first [[prototype]], Ju 388 L-0/V7, mainly built from Ju 188 series production components, made its first flight on December 22, 1943. It demonstrated much better handling at altitude than the Ju 88S due to an increase in [[Empennage|tail]] surface area, as the streamlined-nose Ju 88S, also omitting the ''Bola'' gondola, still used the original Ju 88A vertical tail surface design. This was followed by six new prototypes. It was some time before deliveries of the production models started due to engine delivery delays. By the time the engines were widely available, it was clear that B-29 bombers were actually being sent to the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Asia and the Pacific]] and would not be operating over Germany anytime soon. German photo-reconnaissance efforts had practically disappeared due to the increased performance of the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] defenses, so production mostly concentrated on the L model.

Deliveries started in August 1944 but few Ju 388s were completed. About 47 L models seem to have been built, the majority as -1s with the BMW 801J engine, and just three -3s with the Jumo 213E. Fifteen K-1s were built; and only three J-1 models were produced.

==Production==
The exact number of Ju 388s built is difficult to determine. One of the reasons is that various pre-series aircraft were used as prototypes, and some were damaged or destroyed by Allied [[Aerial bomb|bomb]]s before completion. Furthermore, several official records terminate before the end of production or contradict each other.

Based on available documentation and research the following can be assumed as proven:<ref>{{cite book | author=C. Vernaleken, M. Handig| title=Junkers Ju 388: Development, Testing and Production of the Last Junkers High-Altitude Aircraft | publisher=Schiffer Publishing | year=2006 }}</ref>{{page needed|date=June 2020}}

* 6 Ju 388 prototypes, 2 each for J-1, K-1 and L-1
* 20 Ju 388L-0, including prototypes V7, V8, V30 - V34
* 10 Ju 388K-0, first batch, including two converted to the [[Junkers Ju 488|Ju 488]] V401/V402 prototypes (never flown)
* 1 Ju 388K-1 manufactured by ATG for static tests in July 1944
* 46 Ju 388L-1 manufactured by ATG in 1944
* 8+ Ju 388L-1 manufactured by ATG in 1945
* 10 Ju 388L-1 (max.) manufactured by Weserflug (WFG), initially planned as K-1

More aircraft and prototypes were planned and partially completed:
* 10 Ju 388K-0, second batch, some prototypes, partially completed
* 30 Ju 388K-0, third batch, planned, only few units completed

Also, an unknown number of Ju 388L-1 and Ju 388J were in advanced stages of production by the end of the war.

===Proposed export to Japan===
In August 1944, [[Empire of Japan#Early Shōwa (1937–1947) – Expansionism|Japan]]ese [[Major general|Major-General]] Osamu Otani, a member of one of the commissions related to the [[Tripartite Pact]] and serving in Berlin, expressed interest in a license production of the Ju 388.<ref>{{cite book | author=C. Vernaleken, M. Handig| title=Junkers Ju 388: Development, Testing and Production of the Last Junkers High-Altitude Aircraft | publisher=Schiffer Publishing | year=2006 }}</ref>{{page needed|date=June 2020}} Complete drawing sets for the Ju 388 were handed over to the Japanese as well as the rights for licensed production. No evidence exists that any documents were ever delivered. Otani was captured by allied forces in Berlin in May 1945.<ref>{{cite news  | title=Japanese Ambassador to Germany Captured | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19450512&id=AEdPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0U4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2647,1110363&hl=en |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times | page=3 | date=12 May 1945 | access-date=16 April 2015 |via=Google News}}</ref>

==Variants==
;Ju 388J
:Heavy fighter / night fighter.
;Ju 388K
:High-altitude bomber.
;Ju 388L
:Photo-[[reconnaissance aircraft]].
;Ju 388M
:Proposed [[torpedo bomber]] based on the Ju 388K.
;'145'
:A captured Ju 388L modified with an early '[[fly by wire (flight control)|fly by wire]]' control system in support of the development of the Soviet [[OKB-1 150]] jet bomber.

==Operators==
;{{flag|Nazi Germany|}}
*''[[Luftwaffe]]''
**''[[Rechlin-Lärz Airfield|Erprobungsstelle Rechlin]]''
**''[[Erprobungsstelle Werneuchen]]''
**''[[Erprobungskommando Ju 388]]''
**''[[Versuchsverband O.K.L.|3./Versuchsverband O.K.L.]]'' operated Ju 388 V32, W.Nr 300 295, T9+DL.
**''[[Nachtjagdgeschwader 2]]'' operated four Ju 388J-0 ''nachtjager'' during April/May 1945, under operational trial/evaluation conditions.  Aircraft were pre-production prototypes.

==Surviving aircraft==
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2016}}
[[File:Junkers Ju388L-1.jpg|thumb|This is the captured [[airplane]], ''Werknummer'' 560049 ([[United States Army Air Forces|USAAF]] foreign evaluation serial number T2-4010), currently awaiting restoration at the [[Smithsonian Institution]], Silver Hill, Maryland, USA]]

One Ju 388 survives today. The Ju 388L-1 reconnaissance version with construction number (''Werknummer'') 560049 was the eighth of the series manufactured at ''Weser Flugzeugbau's'' Nordenham plant. Parts of the airframe were also built at ATG in [[Altenburg]] and at ''Niedersächsische Metallwerke Brinckmann & Mergell'' in [[Harburg, Hamburg|Hamburg-Harburg]]. The aircraft was completed early in 1945.  It was captured by U.S. troops in May 1945 at the Junkers plant in [[Merseburg]], then flown to [[Kassel]]/Waldau.

The aircraft was examined and test flown by [[Operation Lusty#Watson's "Whizzers"|"Watson's Whizzers"]], led by [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] Harold E. Watson, as part of [[Operation Lusty]] and it is believed that Watson himself flew in the aircraft in preparation for flying it directly back to the U.S. Instead, on 17 June 1945 the aircraft was flown to [[Cherbourg-Octeville|Cherbourg]], [[France]] where it was shipped to the United States aboard the [[Royal Navy]] [[escort carrier]] {{HMS|Reaper|D82|6}} together with other captured German aircraft for detailed evaluation in the U.S.

The aircraft was flown to Freeman Field in [[Indiana]] for evaluation, and in September 1945 made a flight demonstration for the press. The Ju 388 was flown for 10 hours of flight tests at [[Wright Field]] near [[Dayton, Ohio]] with the "foreign evaluation" serial number FE-4010 (later changed to T2-4010). Following these tests the aircraft was displayed at the Dayton, Ohio Air Show at Wright Field in 1946 along with other captured German aircraft.

On 26 September 1946, 560049 was transferred to Orchard Place Airport in [[Park Ridge, Illinois]], near the present [[O'Hare International Airport]]. This temporary storage facility was a vacant [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. Government]]-owned factory previously used by the [[Chrysler]] Corporation to build the [[Douglas Aircraft Company|Douglas]] [[Douglas C-54 Skymaster|C-54]]. The Ju 388 was donated to the [[Smithsonian Institution]]'s National Air Museum on 3 January 1949 and arrived at [[Silver Hill, Maryland]], for storage in November 1954.

Today the aircraft is disassembled and remains in generally good condition, having never been stored outside. The cockpit area is in particularly good condition and complete with all instruments. The aircraft is just one of several unique German aircraft still awaiting restoration at the [[National Air and Space Museum]]'s [[Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility]] in [[Silver Hill, Maryland]], all intended to be transferred in the coming years to the [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]]'s restoration annex of the Smithsonian, on the [[Dulles International Airport]] property.<ref>{{cite web|title=Junkers Ju 388 L-1|url=http://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/junkers-ju-388-l-1|website=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|access-date=26 April 2017|archive-date=29 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429005811/https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/junkers-ju-388-l-1|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Specifications (Ju 388K-1)==
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Die Deutsche Luftrüstung 1933–1945 Vol.3 – Flugzeugtypen Henschel-Messerschmitt<ref name=Nowarra>{{cite book |last=Nowarra |first=Heinz J. |title=Die Deutsche Luftrüstung 1933–1945 Vol.3 – Flugzeugtypen Henschel-Messerschmitt |year=1993 |publisher=Bernard & Graefe Verlag |location=Koblenz |isbn=978-3-7637-5467-0 |language=de |pages=127–129, 264–265}}</ref>
|prime units?=met
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew=3
|length m=15.2
|span m=22
|height m=4.35
|wing area sqm=56
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil=<!--'''root:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA ]]; '''tip:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA ]]<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>-->
|empty weight kg=
|gross weight kg=
|max takeoff weight kg=14000
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=2
|eng1 name=[[BMW 801#Turbocharger development|BMW 801J]]
|eng1 type=14-cylinder air-cooled [[radial engine|radial piston engine]]
|eng1 hp=1810

|prop blade number=4
|prop name=''Vereinigte Deutsche Metallwerke'' (VDM)-Verstell-Luftschrauben
|prop dia m=3.7
|prop dia ft=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia in=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia note=constant-speed propellers
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed kmh=616
|max speed note=at {{cvt|12285|m}}<br/>
* '''Boost speed''': {{cvt|655|km/h|mph kn}} at {{cvt|9080|m}} with [[MW 50]] water-methanol boost ([[Junkers Jumo 213E]] only)
|cruise speed kmh=540
|cruise speed note=<br/>
*'''Landing speed:''' {{cvt|175|km/h|mph kn}}
|stall speed kmh=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|minimum control speed kmh=
|range km=2250
|combat range km=
|ferry range km=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling m=13100
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|climb rate ms=6.3
|time to altitude=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=

|more performance=
<!--
        Armament
-->|armament=* '''Ju 388J:''' 2 × {{cvt|20|mm|3}} [[MG 151 cannon|MG 151/20 cannon]]s and 2 × {{cvt|30|mm|3}} [[MK 103 cannon]] or [[MK 108 cannon]] in an under-[[fuselage]] [[Gun pod|pod]] and 2 × {{cvt|13|mm|3}} [[MG 131 machine gun]]s in a remotely-controlled ''Hecklafette'' tail turret.
* '''Ju 388K:''' {{cvt|3000|kg}} of [[Aerial bomb|bomb]]s internally and 2 × {{cvt|13|mm|3}} MG 131 machine guns in a remotely-controlled ''Hecklafette''  tail turret
* '''Ju 388L:''' 2 × {{cvt|13|mm|3}} MG 131 machine guns in a remotely-controlled ''Hecklafette'' tail turret
|bombs= 
|avionics=
}}

==See also==
{{aircontent
|related=
* [[Junkers Ju 188]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[de Havilland Mosquito]] PR Mk 34
* [[Mitsubishi Ki-83]]
* [[North American XB-28 Dragon]]
* [[Northrop F-15 Reporter]]
* [[Rikugun Ki-93]]
* [[Tachikawa Ki-74]]
* [[Vickers Type 432]]
* [[Westland Welkin]]
}}

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* Vernaleken, Christoph and Handig, Martin. ''Junkers Ju 388: Development, Testing And Production of the Last Junkers High-altitude Aircraft''. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2006. {{ISBN|0-7643-2429-2}}.
* Green, William. ''Warplanes of the Third Reich''. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1970. {{ISBN|0-356-02382-6}}.
* Smith, J.R. and Kay, Anthony. ''German Aircraft of the Second World War''. London: Putnam and Company, Ltd., 1972. {{ISBN|0-370-00024-2}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.ju388.de/Ju388US.html www.ju388.de]

{{Junkers aircraft}}
{{RLM aircraft designations}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1940s German fighter aircraft]]
[[Category:Junkers aircraft|Ju 388]]
[[Category:Mid-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1943]]
[[Category:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear]]