German Junkers Ju 52

The giant german propellers spin a sinister sound far and wide as you stand motionless beneath a blue sky, scanning for the incoming arc of a shiny metal plane. The face of the earth shakes a little, wondering if this is just a joy ride or another afternoon bombing run, and to be on the safe side you begin to walk swiftly to your cottage on the hill, but as you stride faster and faster you wonder if perhaps hiding in an inconspicuous hole in the ground might be a better idea. The Junkers Ju 52, also known as the Iron Annie, was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler. In a military role, it flew with the Luftwaffe as a troop and cargo transport and briefly as a medium bomber. The Ju 52 continued in postwar service with military and civilian air fleets well into the 1980s. The Ju 52 first saw military service in the Spanish Civil War against the Spanish Republic. It was one of the first aircraft delivered to the fraction of the army in revolt in July 1936 as both a bomber and transport. In the former role, it participated in the bombing of Guernica. No more of the bomber variant were built after this war, though it was again used as a bomber during the bombing of Warsaw during the Invasion of Poland of September 1939. The Luftwaffe then relied on the Ju 52 for transport roles during World War II, including paratroop drops.