I am quite a fan of (although no expert on) World War II military aircraft; and one of my absolute favourites (which include the Mosquito, Beaufighter, Tempest, and F4U Corsair) is the Junkers Ju-87 'Stuka' dive-bomber.
I have always regarded the dive bomber as an under-rated concept, due to their much greater precision than high level, horizontal bombing. The Stuka could pick-out and (often) hit very small targets such as ships, buildings or groupings of troops. The dive bomber was best used as a form of directly-aimed, aerial artillery; or ground-attack craft.
The Ju-87 was the consummate dive bomber in particular because it was (I think) the only aircraft designed to dive vertically - which, of course, allows for maximum accuracy.
Its gull-wing shape, non-retractable undercarriage, air brakes and general robustness all helped make this possible. And a special bomb release mechanism ensured that they were released clear of the aircraft itself.
The pilots were a physical elite selected to cope with the extreme negative g-force on pulling-out of the dive, that drained blood from the brain and caused sensory distortion at least and often unconsciousness. Consequently the Stuka had an 'automatic-pilot' recovery mechanism to bring it safely out of the dive even when the pilot was temporarily incapacitated.
Supplementing the Stuka's operational effectiveness in precision bombing to support Blitzkreig, and for destroying specific targets on land or sea; was the fact that it was - by design - one of the most potent terror weapons of its era.
The aircraft was equipped with a very loud, screaming siren, whose pitch increased during the dive as the plane accelerated; and its bombs were fitted with whistles so that their falling would continue the auditory assault.
Depending on the morale and training of those against whom the Stuka was deployed, these sounds could greatly amplify its military value; as depicted in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk movie.
In the UK the Stuka has an incorrectly poor reputation because of heavy losses in some of the actions of the Battle of Britain. The aircraft was indeed slow and - like almost all bombers - very vulnerable to high quality fighters such as the Hurricane and Spitfire - and therefore requiring a fighter escort.
Nonetheless the Stukas inflicted considerable damage - especially on British shipping.
Significantly, by-far the most prolific air ace of all time - indeed, the most highly-decorated soldier of the most efficient military of WWII - was a Stuka pilot.
An ugly, terrifying beast of a plane - supposedly obsolete even before 1939; it was nonetheless the supreme example of its kind.
