Stuka rear gunner?

[DC87]

Does anyone know whether Stuka's always operated with a rear gunner? I am building a Stuka for my Group Build and am contemplating sculpting a rear gunner but would rather not if i don't have to. Bit of an odd question but any help would be appreciated, cheers.

[Gav0909]

Yeah I think they always operated with a two man crew, as the rear crew member was also a radio operator, and possible a radar operator (if any Stuka's ever had radar???). But I would imagine there was always 2 crew members.

What scale is your kit?

[DC87]

Thanks Gav, it's 1/72

[ww2hispanomodels]

I think that all the stukas had a gunner in the tail, that kind of planes where quite big and some allied planes were faster that the stukas, so a gunner in the tail could shoot to the enemy planes during one attack. You also have to think that a stuka was a bomber, not a fighter plane like a spitfire, and all the bombers had gunners in the crew. I also think that the first time the stukas had gunners in the tail where during the spanish civil war, when they had to fight with some republican polikarpov I-16 with american engines, so that soviet plane were faster than those ones from the soviet union.
hope this can be useful

[DC87]

Thanks, interesting stuff .

[UKscalemodeller]

I have read somewhere that a few early stukas in spain would sometimes operate without the rear gunner in order to up their bombload to just over a thousand pounds.

Could only have been done when the germans/nationalists had air supremacy though I guess.

[UKscalemodeller]

I'm sure there will be someone who has a spare gunner/ crewman you could have. What scale?

[DC87]

Thanks, i must research more into Stuka's in the Spanish Civil War for a future project . It's in 1/72 and i am sculpting the gunner as we speak. Thanks again for the responses