JU-87 w/ foldable landing gear

I think you mean the Hs-123...

Quote from wikipedia at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henschel_Hs_123

The greatest tribute to the Hs 123 usefulness came in January 1943 when Generaloberst Wolfram von Richthofen, then commander-in-chief of Luftflotte 4, asked whether production of the Hs 123 could be restarted because the Hs 123 performed well in a theater where mud, snow, rain and ice took a heavy toll on the serviceability of more advanced aircraft. However, the Henschel factory had already dismantled all tools and jigs in 1940.[2]

This is an example of a presumed obsolete aircraft that (a bit like the Swordfish) was actually highly effective.
 

sharlin

Banned
That rotating tail would be a technological nightmare and probably a significant structural weakpoint. I could imagine some later war built ones tails snapping off as they pulled out of a dive.
 
That rotating tail would be a technological nightmare and probably a significant structural weakpoint. I could imagine some later war built ones tails snapping off as they pulled out of a dive.

I agree. I may not know much about aviation or aerodynamics, but something tells me that just rotating the tail into an upside-down position would completely destabilize the plane in flight and become a major hazard.
 
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