Junkers Ju 288

The Junkers Ju 288, originally known within the Junkers firm as the EF 074, was a German bomber project designed during World War II, which only ever flew in prototype form. The first of an eventual 22 development aircraft flew on 29 November 1940.

The Ju 288 offered a design that was larger, offered cabin pressurization for high altitude missions, had longer range, a much greater bomb payload, was even faster, and had improved defensive firepower. The design was intended to replace all the bombers then in Luftwaffe service.

The Junkers Ju 288 relied on the Junkers Jumo 222 engine. Ultimately, the Jumo 222 was a failure in spite of massive effort and several redesigns over a period of several years, with nearly 300 development prototypes produced. No suitable replacement was ever forthcoming, dooming the Ju 288 program, and leaving the Luftwaffe with older bomber designs during the second half of World War II.

Operational history

Although the 288 never even reached production status, the aircraft did see limited combat duty. In 1944, following the cancellation of the 288 program, the surviving A and C series prototypes were hurriedly fitted with defensive armament and equipment and deployed as reconnaissance bombers on the Western Front. Very few missions were flown, owing to the scarcity of aviation fuel and spare parts, and the unresolved problems with the aircraft’s powerplant and undercarriage.

Junkers Ju 288 Photographs

Mockups and wind tunnel models
Ju 288A – first seven prototypes with BMW engines V1 to V7
Ju 288B – seven prototypes with slightly enlarged airframes and better defensive armament V8 to V14
Ju 288C – final eight prototypes (of which only four were completed) with two Daimler-Benz DB 606 or 610 “power system” engines. This version was selected for serial production in 1944, but the program was abandoned before this could take place.