Why are there only 2 Stukas left in tact today?

[swampyankee]

Well, 73 years after WWII ended, it's getting increasingly difficult to keep any aircraft of the era flying.

How many P-43s, OS2Us, Blenheims, or D3As are around?

 

[Arrawin]

One of the reasons you see more WWII aircraft in the USA today is they found use for them following end of the war. Example the-B-17 was used as a tanker fighting forest fires and it along with the P-51 received so much publicity. The p-51 also became a favorite private aircraft of which many are in the air today. The Stearman is a favorite today. They were available in numbers and reasonable to buy following the war. While in Bombardier School 1944 there were 10 to 12 Stearman tailed to a fence at the Midland, Texas Base Airport and you could take your pick for $500.00

I think quite a few of the WW2 fighters survived because they found they made pretty good pylon racers with some modifications.

 

[GrauGeist]

A good number of WWII aircraft survive today, because smaller nations purchesed the surplus or surrendered aircraft as the war come to a close. As newer hand-me-downs became available from primary nations, many of these WWII aircraft were placed in reserve or stored.

The aircraft that weren't practical, obsolete or difficult to get parts for, were scrapped.

Several of the world's rarest WWII aircraft survive today, because they came from these smaller nations' former inventory.

 

[ole_a_hoel]

They were scrapped. You dont think about things like that when you are trying to rebuild your country. Also the allies did not think about putting them in museums at the time either. It was about winning the war.

Here is a wreckage of a Stuka at a Museum near where I live here in Germany. Oh and that is not me in the first picture. That is some fat German dude.

Which museum is that? It looks nice.

Ole

 

[parsifal]

why so few stukas?


Answer

They were all shot down.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Which museum is that? It looks nice.

Ole

Sinsheim

 

[imalko]

One Stuka is being resrored to flying condition at Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum as it was revealed today. Awsome news.

FHCAM JU-87R-4 Stuka revealed - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums

 

[Airframes]

Good news - and good to see you back Igor.

 

[Crimea_River]

This is great news indeed. And they're plopping an actual Jumo 211 into it too. I hope that Paul Allen's passing doesn't have a negative impact on future projects like this.

 

[nuuumannn]

How many P-43s, OS2Us, Blenheims, or D3As are around?

There's only one actual complete Bristol built Blenheim left in the world. It's in Finland. All the others are Canadian imposters. This is a Bolingbroke built by Fairchild in Quebec retrofitted with a Blenheim Mk.I nose.

0707 Duxford Blenheim I

This is the only Bolingbroke in Britain restored as a Boli and not converted into a Blenheim. There were minor changes between the two to suit Canadian needs, but essentially they were the same airframe.

1807 National Museum of Flight East Fortune Bolingbroke

 

[nuuumannn]

Another answer is that technically, the Stuka is not a very interesting airframe. If you look at the surviving German/Axis types in museums around the world, there are more Me 262s, Me 163s, V 1s and 2s, He 162s and that sort of thing than there are He 111s, Ju 87s, Ju 88s and Bf 110s. Because the advanced German technology at the end of the war was ripe for exploitation, so examples of these machines were kept for inspiration. A little acknowledged fact is that the Walther rocket motors became the foundation for the post-war British rocketry programme; virtually all of the families of British rocket motors were powered by T-stoff, hydrogen peroxide. I've seen early prototype British motors built by the Rocket Propulsion Establishment at Westcott with fuel lines stamped with 'T-stoff', instead of 'HTP', or High Test Peroxide.

 

[GrauGeist]

Because the advanced German technology at the end of the war was ripe for exploitation, so examples of these machines were kept for inspiration.

Agreed.
Another example: the Me P.1101 became the Bell X-5, which in turn influenced later generations of aircraft.

The early German aircraft were novel at best by war's end and were of more value as desperately needed scrap metal than anything.

 

[pinehilljoe]

Production ended in 1944. I would guess that the the old design didn't have a lot of interest for the Allies for test purposes. Those left were probably chopped up after the War

 

[Vahe Demirjian]

There is a Ju 87R-4 (Werk Nr. 6234) under restoration right now (more info available at Junkers Ju 87 - Wikipedia).

 

[Crimea_River]

There is a Ju 87R-4 (Werk Nr. 6234) under restoration right now (more info available at Junkers Ju 87 - Wikipedia).

Same one as in post #67.

 

[GrauGeist]

Captain Obvious strikes again...

 

[Wurger]

 

[Crimea_River]

At least the original post wasn't from 2005......

 

[GrauGeist]

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

At least the original post wasn't from 2005......

Maybe I got thru to him. Baby steps...