Why Germany Wanted Stukas

Why did Germany want Stukas? In this post, we’ll explore the discussions on why the Luftwaffe went with dive-bombers:

Why Dive-bombers?

To understand why Germany wanted dive-bombers, we need to go back to the 1930s.

During this time, Germany needed to build its Air Force quickly since it had no Air Force. Specifically, it needed to build several airframes to theoretically combat its neighbors.

Thus, it started a massive reinvestment program in the aviation industry – all while facing industrial constraints. 

A Key Tool

The Germans believed that the bomber was the key tool because it’s what strikes targets on the ground. It was a very bomber-focused air force until 1944. 

Germany knew they could build the fleet quickly. However, manpower constraints were a looming problem – and so were the horrible bomb sights available in the mid-1930s.

Development of an Air War Plan

Germany’s Air War Plan had three main elements. It wanted to destroy the enemy’s Air Force, they wanted to support its ground operations, and it also wanted to destroy the sources of power of an enemy country. 

It knows that it can’t build bombers that are massive just yet. To get as many bombs as close as possible to the target and scale that to many targets, the Germans decided to deploy dive bombers in small formations, taking out specific targets on the ground point targets.

Dive-bombers in this sense are supposed to take out electric substations, bridges, and vital parts of a factory, ships, etc. The goal is to have a specific huge effect on a small target. 

Where It Went Wrong

It should be noted that Germany did not rely on strategic bombing. Instead, they emphasized on bombing targets on the operational level (bridges, railways, etc.)

Germany going for dive-bombers has nothing to do with close air support either. The emphasis on those areas instead of CAS meant it indirectly affected the fighting efficiency of the German army.