WI: Junkers Ju 390 Fleet Mass Produced

What if instead of only producing and testing about a dozen Junker Ju 390's, the Germans are able to create a fleet which is weaponized and capable to striking targets in the United States? What if this fleet were able to successfully bomb and raid an American city such as Washington D.C. or New York City during World War II?
 
1. Only two aircraft were ever completed.
2. What are you giving up to get these?
3. The fuel isn't available, not unless you can conquer the Soviet Union.
 
The JU 390 was a long-range derivative of the Ju 290s

Only one was tested in flight and that were short range to test handling characteristics, from October 1943 on
next to that the Aircraft structure had be tested for full fuel load, do strength concerns over its modified structure.

in November 1944 all test were stopped the aircraft was fly to Dessau and shut down. (do lack of Fuel ?)
April 1945 the Aircraft was destroy so it not fall in hand of Soviets.

there is allot rumors about JU 390 that fly to New York or even Japan
but the surviving logbook on Ju 390 make clear that never happened

It's partly Nazi Propaganda and bad memory of Albert Speer


If you need alternative take Messerschmitt Me 264 it make first flight on 23 December 1942.
 

TFSmith121

Banned
They get shot down by:

What if instead of only producing and testing about a dozen Junker Ju 390's, the Germans are able to create a fleet which is weaponized and capable to striking targets in the United States? What if this fleet were able to successfully bomb and raid an American city such as Washington D.C. or New York City during World War II?

They get shot down by:
a) RAF Fighter Command/ADGB;
b) US 8th Air Force VIII Fighter Command;
c) USAAF in Iceland;
d) FAA in North Atlantic;
e) USN in North Atlantic;
f) USAAF in Newfoundland;
g) RCAF Eastern Air Command in Maritimes;
h) US 1st Air Force, I Fighter Command;
i) etc.

Or they are simply bombed out of existance by Bomber Command and/or the 8th Air Force.

Best,
 
What if instead of only producing and testing about a dozen Junker Ju 390's, the Germans are able to create a fleet which is weaponized and capable to striking targets in the United States? What if this fleet were able to successfully bomb and raid an American city such as Washington D.C. or New York City during World War II?

The only way you are going to do this is with Ju 290s flying on one way suicide missions ... you could maybe drop 20 tons or so of bombs ... if you get through the defences of course. Might be enough to cause several people to change their pants but that's all ...
 

Ramontxo

Donor
Adolf makes a long range "Amerika" bomber a priority in say 1943. Even more scarce resources are squandered in another worse than useless project. A number of units are ready to fly in late 1944. As part of "Bodenplatte" and under the same strict security conditions (no radio used so no "ULTRA" warning) they reach New York. Whatever damage they do (and forget "Dirty" bombs or gas) is made up by losing the whole force as they try to return to Germany flying a loooong predictable route and finding the whole RAF and USAAF waiting for them in the North Sea.
Politically the Americans cry for vengeance and the Morganthau plan becomes a distinct possibility.
 
How's this for a crazy idea ... it's just a one off raid, careful planning needed.

Set up a relay bombing raid using the Do 24. Setup depot ships somewhere around the Azores and a few hundred miles north of Bermuda and have the Do 24s land, refuel and take off before hitting Washington. That's 1500 miles to the Azores, 2000 miles to the rendezvous north of Bermuda and 1500 miles max from the rendezvous point to Washington and back. Get a dozen or so Dorniers on the raid each carrying 1100 lb of bombs and you've got yourself a raid. Probably not worth the effort though to be honest ;)
 
How's this for a crazy idea ... it's just a one off raid, careful planning needed.

Set up a relay bombing raid using the Do 24. Setup depot ships somewhere around the Azores and a few hundred miles north of Bermuda and have the Do 24s land, refuel and take off before hitting Washington. That's 1500 miles to the Azores, 2000 miles to the rendezvous north of Bermuda and 1500 miles max from the rendezvous point to Washington and back. Get a dozen or so Dorniers on the raid each carrying 1100 lb of bombs and you've got yourself a raid. Probably not worth the effort though to be honest ;)

Land where? Where, in 1943, would a german plane land? If in a port with refueling facilities, it would imediatly get confiscated.

At sea? It would need friendly ships prepositioned, and I don't see how any german ship would survive long enough in the Atlantic. The altenative would be the U-boat "cows", and most died fast, thanks to the combination of Ultra and allied ships.

Might as well set up a one-way trip with those Ju-390...
 
Junkers 390 fleet gets pressed into re-supplying the surrounded German garrison at Stalingrad. Sufficient supplies of beans and bullets allow the garrison to survive the winter .. ....
 
Junkers 390 fleet gets pressed into re-supplying the surrounded German garrison at Stalingrad. Sufficient supplies of beans and bullets allow the garrison to survive the winter .. ....

Where would it land? Would not such a large bomber need proper airfields? The nes around Stalingrad were a mess, and under constant fire.
 

Deleted member 1487

Junkers 390 fleet gets pressed into re-supplying the surrounded German garrison at Stalingrad. Sufficient supplies of beans and bullets allow the garrison to survive the winter .. ....
How? The 390 didn't have the first prototype enter testing until October 1943 almost a year after the Stalingrad pocket formed, and 8 months after it was crushed. The Ju290 only entered service in August 1942 and that wasn't the transport model. Perhaps if the Ju90 transport was built that might be an option, but that required the BMW 801 engine, which couldn't be spared for that role. The prototypes were used for Stalingrad IOTL and didn't make a difference.
 
WI Junkers 390 took over the convoy harassment role from FW200 Condors?
Longer range would keep them out over the western approaches (to the UK) for days.
The greatest innovation would need to be (comparatively short-range) air to surface radios allowing Ju 390 navigators to talk directly with U-boat, Wolf Pack leaders. Eliminating much of the radio traffic back to Germany would reduce the number of Ultra intercepts, reducing U-boat casualties.
Bonus points if you can hang guided air-to-ship missiles under the Ju 390s.
 
Junkers 390 fleet gets pressed into re-supplying the surrounded German garrison at Stalingrad. Sufficient supplies of beans and bullets allow the garrison to survive the winter .. ....
The Ju 390 wasn't even on the drawing board when the garrison fell.

WI Junkers 390 took over the convoy harassment role from FW200 Condors?
Longer range would keep them out over the western approaches (to the UK) for days.
The greatest innovation would need to be (comparatively short-range) air to surface radios allowing Ju 390 navigators to talk directly with U-boat, Wolf Pack leaders. Eliminating much of the radio traffic back to Germany would reduce the number of Ultra intercepts, reducing U-boat casualties.
Bonus points if you can hang guided air-to-ship missiles under the Ju 390s.
This is 1943 at the earliest, the U-boats are already beaten.
 
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Deleted member 1487

WI Junkers 390 took over the convoy harassment role from FW200 Condors?
Longer range would keep them out over the western approaches (to the UK) for days.
The greatest innovation would need to be (comparatively short-range) air to surface radios allowing Ju 390 navigators to talk directly with U-boat, Wolf Pack leaders. Eliminating much of the radio traffic back to Germany would reduce the number of Ultra intercepts, reducing U-boat casualties.
Bonus points if you can hang guided air-to-ship missiles under the Ju 390s.
The Ju290 did just that IOTL.
 
Maybe just latch on to the Italian bombing of NY? After all, it could have happened, the aircrafts were there.

Ivan
 
It is a wonderful story.

The aircraft was there, it had the radius, it could carry a few bombs.

HOWEVER: Mussolini cancelled it because: "there are so many Italians living in New York so we will kill our brothers and sisters if we bomb New York".

Ivan
 
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